DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Email Communication
Applicant is encouraged to authorize the Examiner to communicate via email by filing form PTO/SB/439 either via USPS, Central Fax, or EFS-Web. See MPEP 502.01, 502, 502.05.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 6-7, 9-12, 14-18, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Long et al. (US 2020/0025641 – hereinafter, “Long”) in view of Calaman et al. (US 6,578,626 – hereinafter, “Calaman”).
With respect to claim 1, Long teaches (In Figs 4-5) an apparatus for leak prevention and detection in liquid-cooled packages, the apparatus comprising: a package top plate (200); and a package base (100) coupled to the package top plate, wherein the package base includes: a cooling chamber (Space where 310 resides, see Fig 4) configured to retain one or more cooling components (310); and a leak channel (202) configured to catch and store liquid that has leaked out of the cooling chamber (¶ 0021, “Once if the flow chamber 210 has a leakage (which is may be a small leakage falling within an allowable range, or an abnormal leakage) or its sealed status is destructed, then the working fluid 30 will infiltrate into the leak detecting channel 202”).
Long fails to specifically teach or suggest that the cooling components are separate from and selectively positionable within the cooling chamber.
Calaman, however teaches (In Fig 8), cooling components (50) which are separate from and selectively positionable within a cooling chamber (23, Col. 4, ll. 63-67, “In this way, fin 50 ray [sic] be positioned within housing 10 in such a way that each pin 51 is received within a respective through-hole 58, thereby assuring proper alignment of fin 50 within housing 10 and providing structural support and reinforcement.” Where here Calaman teaches that the fins are separate from the housing and may be positioned in the housing and thus the fins are separate from and selectively positionable within the cooling chamber, as claimed).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Calaman with that of Long, such that, in Long, the cooling components are separate from and selectively positionable within the cooling chamber, as taught by Calaman, since doing so would allow for the cooling components of Long to be manufactured separate from the package top plate and base thus allowing the cooling components to be made of a different material from the package top plate and base.
Further, it has been held that making elements separable, such as making the cooling components of Long separable from the package base, is obvious1.
With respect to claim 2, Long further teaches that the leak channel includes a sensor (400) configured to detect the liquid that has leaked into the leak channel from the cooling chamber.
With respect to claim 4, Long further suggests a controller configured to send a signal based on the sensor detecting the liquid in the leak channel (¶ 0021, “The leak detecting channel 202 has at least a fluid sensor 400 installed therein, and the fluid sensor 400 in the leak detecting channel 202 can detect the working fluid 30 and transmit a corresponding signal for taking a corresponding action (such as driving an indicating lamp to light up or disconnecting a pump for pumping the working fluid 30)” where here Long suggests a controller that accepts the signal from the sensor and in turn generates a new signal to a lamp or pump).
With respect to claim 6, Long further teaches that the leak channel (202) is positioned around a perimeter of the package base (100, see Fig 4).
With respect to claim 7, Long further teaches that the leak channel (202) includes multiple sensors positioned within the leak channel around the package base (¶ 0021, “In this embodiment, the leak detecting channel 202 preferably has a plurality of fluid sensors 400 installed on different sides of the flow chamber”).
With respect to claim 9, Long further teaches that the package top plate (200) includes one or more ports (211, 212) configured to circulate liquid through the package base.
With respect to claim 10, Long teaches (In Figs 4-5) a system for leak prevention and detection in liquid-cooled packages, the system comprising: a cooling package to cool one or more components (20), wherein the cooling package includes: a package top plate (200); and a package base (100) coupled to the package top plate, wherein the package base includes: a cooling chamber (Space where 310 resides, see Fig 4) configured to retain one or more cooling components (310); and a leak channel (202) configured to catch and store liquid that has leaked out of the cooling chamber.
Long fails to specifically teach or suggest that the component (20) is attached to a circuit board and that the cooling components being separate from and selectively positionable within the cooling chamber.
Calaman, however, teaches a component (24) attached to a circuit board (See Fig 5) and cooling components (50) which are separate from and selectively positionable within a cooling chamber (23, See: Fig 8 and Col. 4, ll. 63-67, “In this way, fin 50 ray [sic] be positioned within housing 10 in such a way that each pin 51 is received within a respective through-hole 58, thereby assuring proper alignment of fin 50 within housing 10 and providing structural support and reinforcement.” Where here Calaman teaches that the fins are separate from the housing and may be positioned in the housing and thus the fins are separate from and selectively positionable within the cooling chamber, as claimed).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Calaman with that of Long, such that the component (20) is attached to a circuit board, and the cooling components are separate from and selectively positionable within the cooling chamber, as taught by Calaman, since doing so would allow for the component to function and for the cooling components to be made of a different material from the package top plate and package base.
With respect to claim 11, Long further teaches that the leak channel includes a sensor (400) configured to detect the liquid that has leaked into the leak channel from the cooling chamber.
With respect to claim 12, Long further suggests a controller configured to send a signal based on the sensor detecting the liquid in the leak channel (¶ 0021, “The leak detecting channel 202 has at least a fluid sensor 400 installed therein, and the fluid sensor 400 in the leak detecting channel 202 can detect the working fluid 30 and transmit a corresponding signal for taking a corresponding action (such as driving an indicating lamp to light up or disconnecting a pump for pumping the working fluid 30)” where here Long suggests a controller that accepts the signal from the sensor and in turn generates a new signal to a lamp or pump).
With respect to claim 14, Long further teaches that the leak channel (202) is positioned around a perimeter of the package base (100, see Fig 4).
With respect to claim 15, Long further teaches that the leak channel (202) includes multiple sensors positioned within the leak channel around the package base (¶ 0021, “In this embodiment, the leak detecting channel 202 preferably has a plurality of fluid sensors 400 installed on different sides of the flow chamber”).
With respect to claim 16, Long further teaches that the package top plate (200) includes one or more ports (211, 212) configured to circulate liquid through the package base.
With respect to method claims 17-18, 20, the method steps recited in the claims are inherently necessitated by the device structure as taught by the Long and Calaman references.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Long in view of Calaman and further in view of Schmidt (US 2018/0220555).
With respect to claim 3, Long as modified by Calaman teaches the limitations of claim 2 as per above but fails to specifically teach or suggest that the sensor comprises a humidity sensor.
Schmidt, however, teaches a sensor within a catch basin, wherein the sensor comprises a humidity sensor (¶ 0027).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Schmidt with that of Long, such that the sensor in Long is a humidity sensor, as taught by Schmidt, since doing so would allow for the sensor to not have to be immersed in a fluid to detect the presence of a liquid.
Claims 5, 13 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Long in view of Calaman and further in view of Moen et al. (US 10,638,645 – hereinafter, “Moen”).
With respect to claim 5, Long as modified by Calaman teaches the limitations of claim 2 as per above but fails to specifically teach or suggest that a floor of the leak channel is sloped towards the sensor.
Moen, however, teaches (In Fig 1) a floor of a leak channel (142) is sloped towards a sensor (144, Col. 4, ll. 2-6, “Each of the leak detection assemblies 140, 150 includes a basin 142, 152 for capturing liquid leaked from the liquid cooling system 120; and in each case, the basin 142, 152 is sloped to concentrate liquid at a respective sensor 144, 154 positioned in the basin.”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Moen with that of Long, such that, in Long a floor of the leak channel is sloped towards the sensor, as taught by Moen, since doing so would allow for the liquid to concentrate toward the sensor thus allowing for the sensor to detect the leak more quickly.
With respect to claim 13, Long as modified by Calaman teaches the limitations of claim 11 as per above but fails to specifically teach or suggest that a floor of the leak channel is sloped towards the sensor.
Moen, however, teaches (In Fig 1) a floor of a leak channel (142) is sloped towards a sensor (144, Col. 4, ll. 2-6, “Each of the leak detection assemblies 140, 150 includes a basin 142, 152 for capturing liquid leaked from the liquid cooling system 120; and in each case, the basin 142, 152 is sloped to concentrate liquid at a respective sensor 144, 154 positioned in the basin.”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Moen with that of Long, such that, in Long a floor of the leak channel is sloped towards the sensor, as taught by Moen, since doing so would allow for the liquid to concentrate toward the sensor thus allowing for the sensor to detect the leak more quickly.
With respect to method claim 19, the method steps recited in the claim are inherently necessitated by the device structure as taught by the Long, Calaman and Moen references.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Long in view of Calaman and further in view of Chen (US 2024/0153845).
With respect to claim 8, Long as modified by Calaman teaches the limitations of claim 1 as per above but fails to specifically teach or suggest wherein at least one of the one or more cooling components includes a vapor chamber.
Chen, however, teaches (In Fig 3) a package top plate (4), a package base (32) and a cooling component (3) in a cooling chamber (43) that includes a vapor chamber (¶ 0027, “vapor chamber device 3”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Chen with that of Long, such that, in Long the at least one of the one or more cooling components includes a vapor chamber, as taught by Chen, since doing so would enhance the heat dissipation efficiency of package device (Chen: ¶ 0016 “Moreover, by directly contacting with the cold liquid fluid in the heat-exchanging chamber through the condenser area of the three-dimensional vapor chamber device with two-phase flow circulation for heat exchange to enhance the heat dissipation efficiency of the integrated circuit device with thermal dissipating package of the present invention.” (emphasis added)).
Response to Arguments
With respect to the Applicant’s remarks to claim 1 that, “Long does not teach or suggest cooling components that are selectively positionable in a cooling chamber as now recited, and therefore Long fails to disclose every limitation of amended claim 1” (Present remarks page 7) the Examiner agrees and notes the previous 102(a) rejection to claim 1 has been withdrawn. However, a new grounds rejection to claim 1 is provided above in view of Long and previously cited Calaman where Calaman teaches cooling components which are separate from and selectively positionable within a cooling chamber, as claimed (See the above rejection to claim 1).
Accordingly, claim 1 is believed to be prima facie obvious in view of Long and Calaman.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZACHARY M PAPE whose telephone number is (571)272-2201. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9am - 6pm EST.
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/ZACHARY PAPE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835
1 In re Dulberg, 289 F.2d 522, 523, 129 USPQ 348, 349 (CCPA 1961)