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 .
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1, 5-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20050257213 A1 herein Chu in view of Dell POWEREDGE M1000E Configuration Manual herein Dell.
Claim 1, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 16. Chu discloses an apparatus (Fig. 2a: 200a) comprising: a housing comprising at least one of (i) one or more out-of-band management ports and (ii) one or more out-of-band management indicators (0004, primary and secondary management modules; 0016, additional sockets that can have other devices plugged); a connector coupled to the housing (0014, midplane), the connector configured for operable interconnection with a pluggable management module port of a computing device (0016, midplane allows for connection of other blades, and cards).
Claim 5, Chu in view of Dell discloses the apparatus of claim 1. Chu may not explicitly disclose wherein the one or more out-of-band management ports comprise at least one of a console port, an ethernet port, and a universal serial bus port.
Dell discloses wherein the one or more out-of-band management ports comprise at least one of a console port, an ethernet port, and a universal serial bus port (Fig. 1-9). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chu to include configuration and commands for OOB ports and indicators as taught by Dell so as to so as to adhere to already well established standards.
Claim 6, Chu in view of Dell discloses the apparatus of claim 1. Chu may not explicitly disclose wherein the one or more out-of-band management indicators comprise at least one of one or more light-based indicators and one or more audible indicators.
Dell discloses wherein the one or more out-of-band management indicators comprise at least one of one or more light-based indicators and one or more audible indicators (Fig. 1-9). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chu to include configuration and commands for OOB ports and indicators as taught by Dell so as to so as to adhere to already well established standards.
Claim 7, Chu in view of Dell discloses the apparatus of claim 6. Chu may not explicitly disclose wherein the one or more light-based indicators comprise one or more light-emitting diodes.
Dell discloses wherein the one or more light-based indicators comprise one or more light-emitting diodes (throughout the document, indicators are provided, which is common knowledge of being LED lights). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chu to include configuration and commands for OOB ports and indicators as taught by Dell so as to so as to adhere to already well established standards.
Claim 8, Chu in view of Dell discloses the apparatus of claim 1. Chu may not explicitly disclose wherein the housing comprises (i) the one or more out-of-band management ports and (ii) the one or more out-of-band management indicators.
Dell discloses wherein the housing comprises (i) the one or more out-of-band management ports and (ii) the one or more out-of-band management indicators (Figs. 1-6 to 1-9). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chu to include configuration and commands for OOB ports and indicators as taught by Dell so as to so as to adhere to already well established standards.
Claim 9, Chu in view of Dell discloses the apparatus of claim 1. Chu discloses wherein exchanging the configuration information comprises providing to the computing device an inventory of said at least one of (i) the one or more out-of-band management ports and (ii) the one or more out-of-band management indicators which are part of the housing of the apparatus (0025-0029, control of all modules and including of blades and devices connected to the management modules).
Claim 10, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 16. Chu discloses an apparatus (Fig. 2a: 200a, 202a and 202b) comprising: one or more pluggable management module ports configured for operable interconnection with one or more pluggable management modules (Fig. 2; 0016-0017, pluggable blades, thus ports); and at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory (Fig. 2: 208, 212 and 214); the at least one processing device being configured:
Claim 11, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 18.
Claim 12, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 19.
Claim 13, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 9.
Claim 14, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 16.
Claim 15, Chu in view of Dell discloses the apparatus of claim 14. Chu discloses wherein the one or more components of the apparatus comprise at least one of a power supply and one or more fans (Fig. 2a; fan).
Claim 16, US 20050257213 A1 herein Chu discloses a system comprising:
a computing device comprising two or more pluggable management module ports (0004, primary and secondary management modules; 0016, additional sockets that can have other devices plugged);
a first pluggable management module configured for insertion into a first one of the two or more pluggable management module ports, the first pluggable management module comprising a first set of at least one of one or more out-of-band management ports (0015, 0018, local management modules are coupled to server blades and out of band network, primary and secondary modules thus first and second modules) and [one or more out-of-band management indicators]; and
a second pluggable management module configured for insertion into a second one of the two or more pluggable management module ports, the second pluggable management module comprising a second set of at least one of one or more out-of-band management ports (0015, 0018, local management modules are coupled to server blades and out of band network, primary and secondary modules thus first and second modules) and [one or more out-of-band management indicators];
wherein the computing device comprises at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory (0015-0019, BMC, CPU and NVM (non-volatile memory); Fig. 2), the at least one processing device being configured:
to exchange, with the first pluggable management module, configuration information for the first set of said at least one of the one or more out-of-band management ports (0028-0032, handshakes with other blades/modules and controlling operation of the server blades via out of band network) and [the one or more out-of-band management indicators];
to exchange, with the second pluggable management module, configuration information for the second set of said at least one of the one or more out-of-band management ports (0028-0032, handshakes with other blades/modules and controlling operation of the server blades via out of band network; communication between primary and secondary management modules due to failover and recovery) and [the one or more out-of-band management indicators];
to determine an operational status of one or more components of the computing device (0021, 0031, detection of presence and other functional components of the blades and device); and
to provide, to at least one of the first pluggable management module and the second pluggable management module, out-of-band management information for controlling operation of said at least one of (i) the first set of said at least one of the one or more out-of-band management ports and the one or more out-of-band management indicators and (ii) the second set of said at least one of the one or more out-of-band management ports and the one or more out-of-band management indicators (0028-0032configure switches, i.e. out of band).
Chu may not explicitly disclose out of band indicators and communication/control related to the OOB indicators.
Dell discloses out of band indicators (Fig. 1-9, LEDs on Ethernet Ports, i.e. OOB indicators) and communication/control related to the OOB indicators (Pg. 29, blue status indicator and command controlling blue LED). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chu to include configuration and commands for OOB ports and indicators as taught by Dell so as to so as to adhere to already well established standards.
Claim 17, Chu discloses the system of claim 16 wherein the computing device comprises a network switch (Fig. 2: 242a).
Claim 18, Chu in view of Dell discloses the system of claim 16. Regarding the limitation “wherein the two or more pluggable management module ports are arranged on a front panel a housing of the computing device”, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize this is an obvious matter of design choice. The claimed limitation is merely an arbitrary selection among recognized and predictable alternatives of placing the ports which would still perform the same functions.
Claim 19, Chu in view of Dell discloses the system of claim 18. Regarding the limitation “wherein the first pluggable management module port is arranged on a first edge of the front panel of the housing of the computing device and the second pluggable management module port is arranged on a second edge of the front panel of the housing of the computing device”, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize this is an obvious matter of design choice. The claimed limitation is merely an arbitrary selection among recognized and predictable alternatives of placing the ports which would still perform the same functions.
Claim 20, Chu in view of Dell discloses the system of claim 16. Chu may not explicitly disclose the first set of said at least one of the one or more out-of-band management ports and the one or more out-of-band management indicators is different than the second set of said at least one of the one or more out-of-band management ports and the one or more out-of-band management indicators.
Dell discloses the first set of said at least one of the one or more out-of-band management ports and the one or more out-of-band management indicators is different than the second set of said at least one of the one or more out-of-band management ports and the one or more out-of-band management indicators (Fig. 1-9, activity indicators (4) and other indicators (8, 9 and 10). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chu to include configuration and commands for OOB ports and indicators as taught by Dell so as to so as to adhere to already well established standards.
Claim(s) 2-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chu in view of Dell in view of US 20260121095 A1 herein Williams.
Claim 2, Chu in view of Dell discloses the apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a circuit board extending between the connector and the housing (0026, midplane circuitry allows for connection of the management module), wherein at least a portion of the circuit board between the housing and the connector (0026). Chu may not explicitly disclose covered by a cladding.
Williams discloses covered by a cladding (3447, cladding). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chu to include cladding as taught by Williams so as to dissipate heat.
Claim 3, Chu in view of Dell in view of Williams discloses the apparatus of claim 2. Regarding the limitation “wherein when the connector is plugged into the pluggable management module port of the computing device, at least a portion of the cladding extends outside a housing of the computing device”, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize this is an obvious matter of design choice. The claimed limitation is will not improve or provide any other benefit with exposing the cladding.
Claim 4, Chu in view of Dell in view of Williams discloses the apparatus of claim 2. Chu discloses wherein the circuit board is coupled to the connector, said at least one of (i) the one or more out-of-band management ports and (ii) the one or more out-of-band management indicators, and the at least one processing device (0029).
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20030069953 A1 - A system, apparatus, and method are provided for nonstop management of a modular server architecture to achieve high-availability. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a server in the chassis is automatically elected as a managing server or active server to host system management. The active server runs service for all servers operating in the chassis. Upon failure of the managing server, such as when not meeting a certain predetermined criteria, another server is reelected as active server to replace the previous active server to continue with the nonstop management of the chassis and remaining servers.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mehmood B. Khan whose telephone number is (571)272-9277. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30 am-6:30 pm.
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/Mehmood B. Khan/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2419
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