Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/439,614

AUTOMATIC LEVELING IMMERSION COOLING TANK AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Feb 12, 2024
Examiner
FENG, ZHENGFU J
Art Unit
2835
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 8m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allow Rate
377 granted / 499 resolved
+7.6% vs TC avg
Strong +38% interview lift
Without
With
+38.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
16 currently pending
Career history
515
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
52.5%
+12.5% vs TC avg
§102
26.3%
-13.7% vs TC avg
§112
19.1%
-20.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 499 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1-5, 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sweeney (US 2023/0032562). Re claim 1: Sweeney discloses A system (10 in fig. 1), comprising: a coolant tank (12 in fig. 1) including a cavity (22 in fig. 1; para. 0030) in which a coolant is stored (24 in fig. 1; para. 0030), the coolant tank being configured to, in operation, receive one or more electrical components (11 in fig. 1; para. 0030) to immerse the one or more electrical components within the coolant (fig. 1); one or more sensors (62 in fig. 1) configured to, in operation, monitor at least one of a surface level of the coolant or a position of the coolant tank (62 detects the level of 12 in fig. 1); and one or more actuation structures (60 in fig. 1) in mechanical cooperation (fig. 1) with the coolant tank (fig. 1) , the one or more actuation structures being configured to, in operation, adjust the position of the coolant tank (para. 0037).Re claim 2: Sweeney discloses wherein the one or more sensors are at least one of one or more gyroscopes, one or more acceleration sensors, one or more surface level sensors, one or more magnetometer sensors, one or more laser sensors, one or more optical sensors, one or more level sensors (para. 0037), one or more position sensors, or one or more wave detection sensors.Re claim 3: Sweeney discloses further comprising a microprocessor (50 in fig. 1; para. 0034) coupled to the one or more sensors (fig. 1), the microprocessor is configured to, in operation, collect data from the one or more sensors to determine whether to adjust a position of the coolant tank (para. 0037).Re claim 4: Sweeney discloses wherein each respective actuation structure of the one or more actuation structures is configured to, in operation, adjust the position of the coolant tank in response to control signals output by the microprocessor (each 60 adjusts the position of 12 in response to control signals from 50; para. 0034, 0037).Re claim 5: Sweeney discloses wherein each respective actuation structure of the one or more actuation structures are linear actuators (60 in fig. 1; para. 0037).Re claim 7: Sweeney discloses wherein the one or more actuation structures are one or more robotic arms (60 in fig. 1; para. 0037). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 6 and 8 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for allowance: the limitations of claim 6 (wherein each respective actuation structure of the one or more actuation structures includes a motor in mechanical cooperation with a piston) in combination with the rest of the limitations of claims 1, 3-5 are believed to render the combined subject matter allowable over the prior art of record. The following is a statement of reasons for allowance: the limitations of claim 8 (wherein the one or more actuation structures is a gimbal including one or more degrees of freedom) in combination with the rest of the limitations of claims 1, 3, 4 are believed to render the combined subject matter allowable over the prior art of record. Claims 16-27 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for allowance: the limitations of claim 16 (a gimbal in mechanical cooperation with the coolant tank, the gimbal including one or more degrees of freedom, the gimbal is configured to, in operation, passively adjust a position of the coolant tank relative to a surface on which the gimbal rests) in combination with the rest of the limitations of claim 16 are believed to render the combined subject matter allowable over the prior art of record. The following is a statement of reasons for allowance: the limitations of claim 21 (a gimbal including: a base; a gyroscope frame coupled to the base; a coolant tank coupled to the gyroscope frame, the cooling tank is suspended from a ground surface by the gyroscope frame and the base of the gimbal; and wherein the gimbal is configured to, in operation, adjust the position of the coolant tank) in combination with the rest of the limitations of claim 21 are believed to render the combined subject matter allowable over the prior art of record. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US 2016/0143191 – is considered pertinent because this reference describes an innermost volume with thermally conductive fluids. US 2017/0127556 – is considered pertinent because this reference describes the innermost volume of a fluid-tight sealed enclosure. US 9,351,429 – is considered pertinent because this reference describes a fluid level control system with a first immersion cooling tank. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHENGFU J FENG whose telephone number is (571) 272-2949. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 900am-530pm EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jayprakash Gandhi can be reached on (571) 272-3740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/ docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ZHENGFU J FENG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835 January 24, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 12, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12604432
MODULAR ENCLOSURES FOR COMPONENT COOLING
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12604437
COMPACT MODULAR HYBRID HEAT EXCHANGER (CMH2X)
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12603021
ELECTRONIC DISPLAY DEVICE FOR FASTENING TO A SHELF EDGE STRIP
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12593397
ELECTRONIC PACKAGE AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12585314
DISPLAY MODULE AND DISPLAY DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
76%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+38.4%)
2y 8m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 499 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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