Detailed Action
Status of Claims
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 .
Claims 1-16 are presented for examination.
Claims 1-16 are rejected.
This Action is Non-Final.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/08/2023,the submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugimoto et al.(US Patent Application Pub. No: 20130146274 A1) in view of QUE et al. (US Patent Application Pub. No: 20220206969 A1).
As per claim 1,Sugimoto teaches a server [Fig.1,..,the housing 10 or 20 is a shelf or rack for a server apparatus or a disk array,…], comprising:
a housing forming an interior space [Fig.1; Paragraph 0027, A pair of frames 10d each partitioning the inner space of the housing 10 into the upper and lower portions is horizontally fixed,…];
a partition dividing the interior space into a first space and a second space, the partition comprising an opening [Fig.1; Paragraph 0027, A pair of frames 10d each partitioning the inner space of the housing 10 into the upper and lower portions is horizontally fixed, and the multiple boards 11 are arranged in each housing stage formed by the frames 10d.]; and
a network interface card module, comprising: a network interface card located in the first space [Paragraph 0108, If the housing 10 or 20 is used for a chassis of a network communication apparatus, the boards 11 may be interface modules specific for a variety of communication standards.];
a slot body accommodated by the opening, comprising: a recess, recessed toward the first space to form a recess space [Paragraphs 0029;0032,Openings 8 for taking the outside air (fluid) into the housing 10 as cooling air are provided in the back of the housing 10….]; and
a first space opening communicating the first space and the recess space [Paragraphs 0036-0037, In the first opening 8a, an upper airflow control plate 2, which is closer to the fans 1, has a longer protruding length L from the corresponding tube 3d; whereas a lower airflow control plate 2, which is farther away from the fans 1, has a shorter protruding length L….].
Sugimoto does not a network cable connected to the network interface card, the network cable sequentially passing through the first space opening and the recess space to enter the second space.
QUE discloses a network cable connected to the network interface card, the network cable sequentially passing through the first space opening and the recess space to enter the second space [Abstract, Paragraphs 0008-0010;0015,The data forwarding chip configured to forward data is added between the processor and the network interface card of the server, so that when the network interface card needs to read data in a target memory space of the server, the data forwarding chip reads the data from the target memory space through a target endpoint port that is on the data forwarding chip and that is directly connected to the target memory space, and then sends the read data to the network interface card; or when the network interface card needs to write data into the target memory space of the server,....].
It would have been obvious one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to include QUE’s server for use with processor into Sugimoto’s housing for electronic device such as computer, relay appliance and switching device for the benefit of data to be forwarded is forwarded through the shortest path, which prevents the data from being transmitted across chips between processors, when the server sends or receives the data, and reduces the data transmission delay (QUE,[0004]-[0008]) to obtain the invention as specified in claim 1.
As per claim 2, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 1 above,
where QUE teaches, a server, wherein: the network interface card comprises a network port opened toward the first space, and the network cable is connected to the network port [QUE, Paragraphs 0015-0016,…,the network interface card is configured to send the data forwarding request to the data forwarding chip, where the data forwarding request is a data writing request sent by the network interface card to the target processor.].
As per claim 3, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 1 above,
where Sugimoto and QUE teach, a server, further comprising a main board disposed in the first space, wherein: a first end of the network cable is coupled to the network interface card [QUE, Paragraphs 0015-0016,…,the network interface card is configured to send the data forwarding request to the data forwarding chip, where the data forwarding request is a data writing request sent by the network interface card to the target processor.], and a second end of the network cable is coupled to the main board [Sugimoto, Paragraph 0108,…,the boards 11 may be CPU modules, storage modules, or power supply modules. If the housing 10 or 20 is used for a chassis of a network communication apparatus, the boards 11 may be interface modules specific for a variety of communication standards.].
As per claim 4, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 3 above,
where Sugimoto teaches, a server, wherein: the housing comprises an upper board, a lower board, and a plurality of sidewalls [Sugimoto, Paragraphs 0018-0019;0027, FIG. 7 illustrates a modification of the intermediate units in FIG.5: FIG. 7(a) is a top view of one of the intermediate units; FIG. 7(b) is a partial cross-sectional view of an upper intermediate unit; FIG. 7(c) is a top view of the upper intermediate unit; FIG. 7(d) is a partial cross-sectional view of a lower intermediate unit; and FIG. 7(e) is a top view of the lower intermediate unit.];
the lower board, the plurality of sidewalls, and the partition form the first space, the upper board, the plurality of sidewalls, and the partition form the second space, the second end of the network cable is connected to a first sidewall among the plurality of sidewalls, and the main board is connected to the first sidewall [Sugimoto, Paragraphs 0018-0019;0027, A pair of frames 10d each partitioning the inner space of the housing 10 into the upper and lower portions is horizontally fixed, and the multiple boards 11 are arranged in each housing stage formed by the frames 10d. Each of the frames 10d has rails (not shown) on which the boards 11 slide in the anteroposterior direction of the housing 10 and also has slits 10e for providing airflow in the housing 10. The slits 10e are formed over the substantially entire frames 10d except the rails.].
As per claim 5, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 4 above,
where Sugimoto and QUE teach, a server, wherein: the first sidewall has a first adapter interface corresponding to the first space and a second adapter interface corresponding to the second space, the main board is connected to the first adapter interface, the second end of the network cable is connected to the second adapter interface [QUE, Paragraphs 0015-0016,…,the network interface card is configured to send the data forwarding request to the data forwarding chip, where the data forwarding request is a data writing request sent by the network interface card to the target processor.], and the server further comprises an adapter cable outside the housing for connecting the first adapter interface and the second adapter interface [Sugimoto, Sugimoto, Paragraphs 0018-0019; 0027;0108…, if the housing 10 or 20 is a shelf or rack for a server apparatus or a disk array, the boards 11 may be CPU modules, storage modules, or power supply modules. If the housing 10 or 20 is used for a chassis of a network communication apparatus, the boards 11 may be interface modules specific for a variety of communication standards.].
As per claim 6, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 4 above,
where Sugimoto teaches, a server, wherein: the plurality of sidewalls further comprise a second sidewall, a third sidewall, and a fourth sidewall, the second sidewall being opposite the first sidewall, the fourth sidewall being opposite the third sidewall, the third sidewall, the lower board, and the fourth sidewall form a U-shaped board structure, the first sidewall being a front panel, and the second sidewall being a back panel [Sugimato, Paragraphs 0025-0027, A fan unit 6 including a pair of fans 1 is provided on the top of the housing 10. The fans 1 are ventilators for forcibly discharging the air from the inside of the housing 10. Side plates 10a are each provided at the right and left sides of the housing 10, and a bottom plate 10b and a door 10c are provided at the bottom and front of the housing 10, respectively. The door 10c, which is pivotally supported by any one of the side plates 10a through a hinge, opens and closes the front of the housing 10. Note that the boards 11 are put in and taken out with the door 10c opened.].
As per claim 7, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 3 above,
where QUE teaches, a server, wherein the second end of the network cable bypasses the partition and is coupled to the main board in the first space [QUE, Paragraphs 0015-0016,…,the network interface card is configured to send the data forwarding request to the data forwarding chip, where the data forwarding request is a data writing request sent by the network interface card to the target processor.].
As per claim 8, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 3 above,
where Sugimoto teaches, a server, further comprising a central processing unit and a memory module, wherein the central processing unit and the memory module are mounted on the main board [Sugimoto, Paragraph 0108, the boards 11 may be CPU modules, storage modules, or power supply modules. If the housing 10 or 20 is used for a chassis of a network communication apparatus, the boards 11 may be interface modules specific for a variety of communication standards.].
As per claim 9, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 3 above,
where QUE teaches, a server, wherein: the network interface card module further comprises a network interface card carrier board on which the network interface card is mounted, and the server further comprises a support supporting the network interface card carrier board above the main board [QUE, Abstract, Paragraphs 0005-0008, A data forwarding chip and a server are disclosed. The server includes a data forwarding chip, a network interface card, and a processor. The data forwarding chip is separately connected to the network interface card and the processor through a bus. After receiving a data forwarding request sent by the processor or the network interface card, the data forwarding chip forwards,…].
As per claim 10, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 9 above,
where Sugimoto teaches, a server, wherein: the housing comprises a lower board, the main board is located on the lower board, and the support comprises a first support that supports the network interface card carrier board above the main board and a second support that is stacked on the first support to support the partition above the lower board [Sugimato, Paragraphs 0025-0027, A fan unit 6 including a pair of fans 1 is provided on the top of the housing 10. The fans 1 are ventilators for forcibly discharging the air from the inside of the housing 10. Side plates 10a are each provided at the right and left sides of the housing 10, and a bottom plate 10b and a door 10c are provided at the bottom and front of the housing 10, respectively. The door 10c, which is pivotally supported by any one of the side plates 10a through a hinge, opens and closes the front of the housing 10. Note that the boards 11 are put in and taken out with the door 10c opened.].
As per claim 11, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 1 above,
where Sugimoto teaches, a server, wherein: the housing comprises an upper board, a lower board, and a plurality of sidewalls connecting the upper board and the lower board, the partition being positioned between the upper board and the lower board [Sugimato, Paragraphs 0025-0027, A fan unit 6 including a pair of fans 1 is provided on the top of the housing 10. The fans 1 are ventilators for forcibly discharging the air from the inside of the housing 10. Side plates 10a are each provided at the right and left sides of the housing 10, and a bottom plate 10b and a door 10c are provided at the bottom and front of the housing 10, respectively. The door 10c, which is pivotally supported by any one of the side plates 10a through a hinge, opens and closes the front of the housing 10. Note that the boards 11 are put in and taken out with the door 10c opened.];
the server further comprises a partition support positioned between the partition and the lower board and abutting at least one of the plurality of sidewalls, with the partition being supported by the partition support [Sugimato, Paragraphs 0025-0027, A fan unit 6 including a pair of fans 1 is provided on the top of the housing 10. The fans 1 are ventilators for forcibly discharging the air from the inside of the housing 10. Side plates 10a are each provided at the right and left sides of the housing 10, and a bottom plate 10b and a door 10c are provided at the bottom and front of the housing 10, respectively. The door 10c, which is pivotally supported by any one of the side plates 10a through a hinge, opens and closes the front of the housing 10. Note that the boards 11 are put in and taken out with the door 10c opened.].
As per claim 12, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 1 above,
where Sugimoto teaches, a server, further comprising a heat sink accommodated by the opening, wherein: a surface of the heat sink facing the first space contacts the network interface card to dissipate heat from the network interface card, and a surface of the heat sink facing the second space has a heat dissipating structure [Sugimoto, Paragraph 0048, That is, the water cooling adopted in the present embodiment lowers the temperature of the cooling air for air cooling in advance, instead of absorbing the heat of heat sources. Thus, a thermal conductor for transferring the heat of heat sources into the coolant is not needed, which can lead to an improvement in the total cooling efficiency.].
As per claim 13, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 12 above,
where Sugimoto and QUE teach, a server, wherein: the network interface card module comprises a network port partition, the heat sink, the network port partition, and the slot body being arranged in order and embedded in the opening [Sugimoto, Paragraph 0048, That is, the water cooling adopted in the present embodiment lowers the temperature of the cooling air for air cooling in advance, instead of absorbing the heat of heat sources. Thus, a thermal conductor for transferring the heat of heat sources into the coolant is not needed, which can lead to an improvement in the total cooling efficiency.];
the network interface card comprises a network port opened toward the first space, and a position of the network port partition corresponds to a position of the network port [QUE, Abstract, Paragraphs 0005-0008, A data forwarding chip and a server are disclosed. The server includes a data forwarding chip, a network interface card, and a processor. The data forwarding chip is separately connected to the network interface card and the processor through a bus. After receiving a data forwarding request sent by the processor or the network interface card, the data forwarding chip forwards, …].
As per claim 14, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 13 above, where Sugimoto teaches, a server, wherein: the network cable is connected to the network port, a first cushion is provided between the slot body and the network port, a second cushion is provided between the slot body and the network port partition, a third cushion is provided between the network port partition and the heat sink, and a fourth cushion is provided at a contact area between the heat sink and the partition [Sugimoto, Paragraphs 0018-0019;0027, A pair of frames 10d each partitioning the inner space of the housing 10 into the upper and lower portions is horizontally fixed, and the multiple boards 11 are arranged in each housing stage formed by the frames 10d. Each of the frames 10d has rails (not shown) on which the boards 11 slide in the anteroposterior direction of the housing 10 and also has slits 10e for providing airflow in the housing 10. The slits 10e are formed over the substantially entire frames 10d except the rails.].
As per claim 15, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 14 above, where Sugimoto teaches, a server, wherein materials of the first, second, third, and fourth cushions are rubber [Sugimoto, Paragraph 0065,…The airflow control plates 12d of the horizontal pipes 12c each have the same slope and the same protruding length L. Note that the horizontal pipes 12c and the airflow control plates 12d may be integrated with the same material, or they may also be fixed to each other by welding or adhesion.].
As per claim 16, Sugimoto and QUE teach all the limitations of claim 1 above,
where Sugimoto teaches, a server, wherein the server comprises a fan set provided at a position on the housing corresponding to the second space to dissipate heat from the second space [Sugimoto, Paragraph 0004, Methods are known that cool the inside of a housing and emit waste heat therefrom with cooling fans installed near heat sources such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphic processing unit (GPU) or a case fan that takes in cooling air from the outside of the housing to generate airflows in a housing.].
Conclusion
RELEVANT ART CITED BY THE EXAMINER
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is cited to establish the level of skill in the applicant’s art and those arts considered reasonably pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. See MPEP 707.05(c).
References Considered Pertinent but not relied upon
Wu et al. (US Patent Application Pub. No: 20070217156 A1) teaches
a device includes a primary fan electrically connected to a primary circuit board, and a secondary fan electrically connected to a secondary circuit board. Wu discloses a primary heat sink is connected to the secondary circuit board; and a primary air ventilation duct is connected to the primary heat sink and the primary fan.
Beishline et al. (US Patent Application Pub. No: 20200150163 A1) teaches
a measurement device, such as a power meter or power submeter, may comprise a frame disposed in a housing dividing an interior volume of the housing into a first volume and a second volume. Beishline discloses an external power source is connected to the device in the first volume and the frame may serve as an insulative barrier between the first volume and an exterior it and the housing. Beishline suggests the device may alternatively, or additional include, an user interface assembly that is configured to mounted in a same orientation regardless of an orientation of the device or housing of a device relative to the external power source.
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/GETENTE A YIMER/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2181