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 .
Reply Under 37 CFR 1.111
The submission of the reply filed on 10/15/2025 to the non-final Office action of 07/15/2025 is acknowledged. The Office action on the currently pending claims 1-21 follows.
Claim Objections
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 19 Lns.3 and 5: each instance of the clause “the sidewall” and the clause “the exterior side” should be amended to recite “the at least one sidewall” and “the exterior side of the at least one sidewall” for consistent claim nomenclature and for clarity purposes.
The Office notes that the above objection is a non-exhaustive list and thus requests Applicant’s cooperation with reviewing the claims and correcting all remaining informalities present in the claims, but not made of record above. Appropriate correction is required.
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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, 7, 10, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jia (WO 2022247521) in view of Gao (US 20230049108) and in further view of Nasr (US 20240314980).
Regarding claim 1, Jia discloses (Fig.1):
A cooling apparatus comprising: a housing (10) having a bottom (See Figure Below) and at least one sidewall (See Figure Below), wherein the bottom and the at least one sidewall form a sealed enclosure (See Pg.6 Par.7 of Translation: "the casing 10 has an airtight accommodating chamber") adapted to be at least partially filled with an immersion cooling fluid (61); a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) (21) positioned in the sealed enclosure (PCBA in the Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.1), the PCBA (21) including one or more major electronic components (22) and one or more minor electronic components (23); and a cold plate (30) at least part of which is positioned in the sealed enclosure (Cold Plate Positioned in Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.1) and at least part of which is submerged (See Fig.1) in the immersion cooling fluid (61).
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However, Jia does not disclose:
A housing having a lid, wherein the lid, the bottom, and the at least one sidewall form a sealed enclosure adapted to be at least partially filled with an immersion cooling fluid.
Gao however teaches (Fig.1):
A housing (102) having a lid (118), a bottom (See Figure Below), and at least one side wall (See Figure Below), wherein the lid (118), the bottom, and the at least one sidewall form a sealed enclosure ([0029]: "the container 102 may be a sealed container") adapted to be at least partially filled with an immersion cooling fluid (108).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Gao to modify the device of Jia such that the housing has a lid so that the lid, the bottom, and the at least one sidewall form the sealed enclosure, as claimed, in order to provide a simple and efficient means of installing and removing the PCBA into the housing (i.e., by having a lid, the housing has a simple and efficient means of inserting and removing the PCBA when manufacturing or when the PCBA needs maintenance and/or removal).
However, the above combination still fails to teach:
A plurality of major electronic components; wherein: the cold plate includes a plurality of protrusions, each protrusion being in thermal contact with a corresponding one of the plurality of major components, and at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different heights to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights.
Nasr however teaches (Fig.2):
A plurality of major electronic components (104a and b); wherein: the heat sink (204) includes a plurality of protrusions (206- the ones corresponding to 104a and 104b), each protrusion being in thermal contact (See Fig.2) with a corresponding one of the plurality of major components (104a and b), and at least two (Fig.2: as mapped, there are only two of the “plurality of protrusions”, and each protrusion corresponds to a corresponding major electronic component) of the plurality of protrusions (206- the ones corresponding to 104a and 104b) have different heights ([0048] and [0049]-[0050]: 104a and 104b have different heights, and thus the 206 that corresponds to 104a and the 206 that corresponds to 104b will also have different heights) to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights ([0048] and [0049]: “Due to the design of the individual electronic components 104a-104d, the electronic components 104a-104d may have different heights...there may also be variations in the heights of the same type of electronic components 104a-104d” and “As described above, the individual electronic components 104a-104d may have different heights”- each of 104a-d has a different height, and thus 104a and 104b will also have different heights even though they are both “high power processors”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Nasr to further modify the device of modified Jia such that it has a plurality of major electronic components, and such that the cold plate includes a plurality of pedestals that each correspond to a respective one of the plurality of major components so that at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different heights to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights, as claimed, in order to further optimize the computing capabilities (i.e., by including a plurality of major electronic components, more intricate and complex processes can be performed) while also further optimizing the cooling capabilities (i.e., the cold plate now not only cools multiple heat generating components, but it also cools multiple high heat generating components in a more user friendly way since the cold plate can now fasten to multiple components with varying heights due to the pedestals/protrusions, and thus making the cold plate more user friendly).
Regarding claim 10, Jia discloses (Fig.1):
An electronics cooling system comprising: a housing (10) having a bottom (See Figure of Claim 1) and at least one sidewall (See Figure of Claim 1), wherein the bottom, and the at least one sidewall form a sealed enclosure (See Pg.6 Par.7 of Translation: "the casing 10 has an airtight accommodating chamber") adapted to be at least partially filled with an immersion cooling fluid (61); a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) (21) positioned in the sealed enclosure (PCBA in the Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.1), the PCBA (21) including one or more major electronic components (22) and one or more minor electronic components (23); a cold plate (30) at least part of which is positioned in the sealed enclosure (Cold Plate Positioned in Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.1) and at least part of which is submerged (See Fig.1) in the immersion cooling fluid (61); a heat exchanger (51) fluidly coupled to an inlet (See Figure of Claim 1) and an outlet (See Figure of Claim 1) of the cold plate (30) (Heat Exchanger Fluidly coupled to the Inlet and Outlet of the Cold Plate: See Fig.1), wherein the heat exchanger (51) is positioned outside (See Fig.1) the sealed enclosure; and a pump (52) coupled between (Fig.1: 52 is fluidically coupled between 30 and 51) the cold plate (30) and the heat exchanger (51) to circulate a circulation cooling fluid (44) through the cold plate (30) and the heat exchanger (51).
However, Jia does not disclose:
A housing having a lid, wherein the lid, the bottom, and the at least one sidewall form a sealed enclosure adapted to be at least partially filled with an immersion cooling fluid.
Gao however teaches (Fig.1):
A housing (102) having a lid (118), a bottom (See Figure of Claim 1), and at least one side wall (See Figure of Claim 1), wherein the lid (118), the bottom, and the at least one sidewall form a sealed enclosure ([0029]: "the container 102 may be a sealed container") adapted to be at least partially filled with an immersion cooling fluid (108).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Gao to modify the device of Jia such that the housing has a lid so that the lid, the bottom, and the at least one sidewall form the sealed enclosure, as claimed, in order to provide a simple and efficient means of installing and removing the PCBA into the housing (i.e., by having a lid, the housing has a simple and efficient means of inserting and removing the PCBA when manufacturing or when the PCBA needs maintenance and/or removal).
However, the above combination still fails to teach:
Wherein: the cold plate includes a plurality of protrusions, each protrusion being in thermal contact with a corresponding one of the plurality of major components, and at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different heights to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights.
Nasr however teaches (Fig.2):
A plurality of major electronic components (104a and b); wherein: the heat sink (204) includes a plurality of protrusions (206- the ones corresponding to 104a and 104b), each protrusion being in thermal contact (See Fig.2) with a corresponding one of the plurality of major components (104a and b), and at least two (Fig.2: as mapped, there are only two of the “plurality of protrusions”, and each protrusion corresponds to a corresponding major electronic component) of the plurality of protrusions (206- the ones corresponding to 104a and 104b) have different heights ([0048] and [0049]-[0050]: 104a and 104b have different heights, and thus the 206 that corresponds to 104a and the 206 that corresponds to 104b will also have different heights) to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights ([0048] and [0049]: “Due to the design of the individual electronic components 104a-104d, the electronic components 104a-104d may have different heights...there may also be variations in the heights of the same type of electronic components 104a-104d” and “As described above, the individual electronic components 104a-104d may have different heights”- each of 104a-d has a different height, and thus 104a and 104b will also have different heights even though they are both “high power processors”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Nasr to further modify the device of modified Jia such that it has a plurality of major electronic components, and such that the cold plate includes a plurality of pedestals that each correspond to a respective one of the plurality of major components so that at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different heights to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights, as claimed, in order to further optimize the computing capabilities (i.e., by including a plurality of major electronic components, more intricate and complex processes can be performed) while also further optimizing the cooling capabilities (i.e., the cold plate now not only cools multiple heat generating components, but it also cools multiple high heat generating components in a more user friendly way since the cold plate can now fasten to multiple components with varying heights due to the pedestals/protrusions, and thus making the cold plate more user friendly).
Regarding claim 7, Jia further discloses:
A fill port (See Figure of Claim 1) for filling the sealed enclosure (See Pg.6 Par.7 of Translation: "the casing 10 has an airtight accommodating chamber") with the immersion cooling fluid (61) and a drain port (See Figure of Claim 1) for draining the immersion cooling fluid (61) from the sealed enclosure.
Regarding claim 21, Jia further discloses:
Wherein: the PCBA (21) has an upper surface (Fig.1: surface of 21 that holds 22 and 23) and a lower surface (Fig.1: surface of 21 that is opposite to the surface of 21 that holds 22 and 23), the one or more minor components (23) include a plurality of minor components (See Fig.1).
However, Jia does not disclose:
The plurality of major electronic components are on the upper surface and the plurality of minor electronic components are on the lower surface or on both the upper surface and the lower surface.
Nasr however further teaches:
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The plurality of major electronic components (104a and b) are on the upper surface (Fig.2: upper surface of 102) and the plurality of minor electronic components (104c and d) are on the upper surface of the PCBA (102).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Nasr to further modify the device of modified Jia such that the plurality of major electronic components are on the upper surface, as claimed, in order to achieve the optimized computing and cooling capabilities as outlined in claim 1 above.
However, the above combination still fails to teach:
The plurality of minor electronic components are on the lower surface or on both the upper surface and the lower surface.
However, modifying the location of the plurality of minor electronic components such that they are on a desired surface, including as claimed (i.e., on the lower surface or on both the upper surface and the lower surface are on the lower surface), would have been an obvious modification that one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would do in order to further optimize the thermal arrangement (i.e., by providing the minor electronic components on the lower surface or on both the upper surface and the lower surface, greater spacing can be provided between the plurality of major electronic components and the plurality of minor electronic components, and thus further ensuring that the heat from the plurality of major electronic components does not spread onto the plurality of minor electronic components), since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
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Finally, all claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined/modified the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination / modification would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S._, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Alternatively, claims 1, 3, 6, 10, 12, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Andresen (US 5305184) in view of Jia (WO 2022247521) and in further view of Nasr (US 20240314980).
Regarding claim 1, Andresen discloses (Figs.3A-B):
A cooling apparatus comprising: a housing (20 and 28) having a lid (20), a bottom (bottom of 28), and at least one sidewall (the sidewalls of 28), wherein the lid (20), the bottom (bottom of 28), and the at least one sidewall (the sidewalls of 28) form a sealed enclosure (Fig.3B and Col.3 Lns.58-59: “the gasket 26 provides sealing connection between the cold plate 20 and housing 28”- the inner space created by 20 and 28 will define the “sealed enclosure”) adapted to be at least partially filled with an immersion cooling fluid (18’); a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) (14) positioned in the sealed enclosure (PCBA in the Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.3B), the PCBA (14) including a plurality of major electronic components (12).
However, Andresen does not disclose:
The PCBA including a plurality of major electronic components and one or more minor electronic components; and a cold plate at least part of which is positioned in the sealed enclosure and at least part of which is submerged in the immersion cooling fluid.
Jia however teaches (Fig.1):
The PCBA (21) including one or more major electronic components (22) and one or more minor electronic components (23); and a cold plate (30) at least part of which is positioned in the sealed enclosure (Cold Plate Positioned in Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.1) and at least part of which is submerged (See Fig.1) in the immersion cooling fluid (61).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Jia to modify the device of Andresen such that the PCBA includes a plurality of major electronic components and one or more minor electronic components, and such that it has a cold plate that is positioned in the sealed enclosure in such a way that at least a part of the cold plate is positioned in the sealed enclosure and at least part of which is submerged in the immersion cooling fluid, as claimed, in order to provide an improved cooling assembly since the cooling assembly would be able to more efficiently cool electronic components that generate more heat via the cold plate, while still being able to provide sufficient and efficient cooling for electronic components that generate less heat (i.e., the cooling assembly can better accommodate and cool components that generate more and less heat simultaneously).
However, the above combination still fails to teach:
Wherein: the cold plate includes a plurality of protrusions, each protrusion being in thermal contact with a corresponding one of the plurality of major components, and at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different heights to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights.
Nasr however teaches (Fig.2):
A plurality of major electronic components (104a and b); wherein: the heat sink (204) includes a plurality of protrusions (206- the ones corresponding to 104a and 104b), each protrusion being in thermal contact (See Fig.2) with a corresponding one of the plurality of major components (104a and b), and at least two (Fig.2: as mapped, there are only two of the “plurality of protrusions”, and each protrusion corresponds to a corresponding major electronic component) of the plurality of protrusions (206- the ones corresponding to 104a and 104b) have different heights ([0048] and [0049]-[0050]: 104a and 104b have different heights, and thus the 206 that corresponds to 104a and the 206 that corresponds to 104b will also have different heights) to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights ([0048] and [0049]: “Due to the design of the individual electronic components 104a-104d, the electronic components 104a-104d may have different heights...there may also be variations in the heights of the same type of electronic components 104a-104d” and “As described above, the individual electronic components 104a-104d may have different heights”- each of 104a-d has a different height, and thus 104a and 104b will also have different heights even though they are both “high power processors”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Nasr to further modify the device of modified Andresen such that the cold plate includes a plurality of pedestals that each correspond to a respective one of the plurality of major components so that at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different heights to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights, as claimed, in order to further optimize the cooling capabilities (i.e., the cold plate now not only cools multiple heat generating components, but it also cools multiple high heat generating components in a more user friendly way since the cold plate can now fasten to multiple components with varying heights due to the pedestals/protrusions, and thus making the cold plate more user friendly).
Regarding claim 10, Andresen discloses (Figs.3A-B):
An electronics cooling system comprising: a housing (20 and 28) having a lid (20), a bottom (bottom of 28), and at least one sidewall (the sidewalls of 28), wherein the lid (20), the bottom (bottom of 28), and the at least one sidewall (the sidewalls of 28) form a sealed enclosure (Fig.3B and Col.3 Lns.58-59: “the gasket 26 provides sealing connection between the cold plate 20 and housing 28”- the inner space created by 20 and 28 will define the “sealed enclosure”) adapted to be at least partially filled with an immersion cooling fluid (18’); a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) (14) positioned in the sealed enclosure (PCBA in the Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.3B), the PCBA (14) including a plurality of major electronic components (12).
However, Andresen does not disclose:
The PCBA including one or more major electronic components and one or more minor electronic components; a cold plate at least part of which is positioned in the sealed enclosure and at least part of which is submerged in the immersion cooling fluid; a heat exchanger fluidly coupled to an inlet and an outlet of the cold plate, wherein the heat exchanger is positioned outside the sealed enclosure; and a pump coupled between the cold plate and the heat exchanger to circulate a circulation cooling fluid through the cold plate and the heat exchanger.
Jia however teaches (Fig.1):
A printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) (21) positioned in the sealed enclosure (PCBA in the Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.1), the PCBA (21) including one or more major electronic components (22) and one or more minor electronic components (23); a cold plate (30) at least part of which is positioned in the sealed enclosure (Cold Plate Positioned in Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.1) and at least part of which is submerged (See Fig.1) in the immersion cooling fluid (61); a heat exchanger (51) fluidly coupled to an inlet (See Figure of Claim 1) and an outlet (See Figure of Claim 1) of the cold plate (30) (Heat Exchanger Fluidly coupled to the Inlet and Outlet of the Cold Plate: See Fig.1), wherein the heat exchanger (51) is positioned outside (See Fig.1) the sealed enclosure; and a pump (52) coupled between (Fig.1: 52 is fluidically coupled between 30 and 51) the cold plate (30) and the heat exchanger (51) to circulate a circulation cooling fluid (44) through the cold plate (30) and the heat exchanger (51).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Jia such that the PCPBA has one or more major electronic components and one or more minor electronic components, and such that it has a cold plate that is thermally coupled to the one or more major components so that the cold plate is positioned in the sealed enclosure and at least partially submerged in the immersion cooling fluid, as claimed, in order to provide an improved cooling assembly since the cooling assembly would be able to more efficiently cool electronic components that generate more heat via the cold plate, while still being able to provide sufficient and efficient cooling for electronic components that generate less heat (i.e., the cooling assembly can better accommodate and cool components that generate more and less heat simultaneously).
Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Jia to modify the device of Andresen such that it has a heat exchanger that is arranged outside of the sealed enclosure and fluidly coupled to an inlet and an outlet of the cold plate, and such that it has a pump that is coupled between the cold plate and the heat exchanger to circulate a circulation cooling fluid through the cold plate and the heat exchanger, as claimed, in order to provide an efficient means of cooling the coolant that flows through the cold plate, and thus also achieving the improved cooling capabilities as discussed above.
However, the above combination still fails to teach:
Wherein: the cold plate includes a plurality of protrusions, each protrusion being in thermal contact with a corresponding one of the plurality of major components, and at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different heights to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights.
Nasr however teaches (Fig.2):
A plurality of major electronic components (104a and b); wherein: the heat sink (204) includes a plurality of protrusions (206- the ones corresponding to 104a and 104b), each protrusion being in thermal contact (See Fig.2) with a corresponding one of the plurality of major components (104a and b), and at least two (Fig.2: as mapped, there are only two of the “plurality of protrusions”, and each protrusion corresponds to a corresponding major electronic component) of the plurality of protrusions (206- the ones corresponding to 104a and 104b) have different heights ([0048] and [0049]-[0050]: 104a and 104b have different heights, and thus the 206 that corresponds to 104a and the 206 that corresponds to 104b will also have different heights) to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights ([0048] and [0049]: “Due to the design of the individual electronic components 104a-104d, the electronic components 104a-104d may have different heights...there may also be variations in the heights of the same type of electronic components 104a-104d” and “As described above, the individual electronic components 104a-104d may have different heights”- each of 104a-d has a different height, and thus 104a and 104b will also have different heights even though they are both “high power processors”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Nasr to further modify the device of modified Andresen such that the cold plate includes a plurality of pedestals that each correspond to a respective one of the plurality of major components so that at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different heights to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights, as claimed, in order to further optimize the cooling capabilities (i.e., the cold plate now not only cools multiple heat generating components, but it also cools multiple high heat generating components in a more user friendly way since the cold plate can now fasten to multiple components with varying heights due to the pedestals/protrusions, and thus making the cold plate more user friendly).
Regarding claims 3 and 12, Andresen further discloses:
A board-end connector (34) coupled to the PCBA (14).
Regarding claims 6 and 15, Andresen further discloses:
A cable-end connector (36) connected to the board-end connector (34).
However, Andresen does not disclose:
A cable-end connector extending through the lid.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the location of the sealant (38), aperture that accepts the sealant (38), and cable-end connector of Andresen such that they are in a desired position, including as respectively claimed in claims 6 and 15 (i.e., move the aperture and sealant 38 of Andresen such that they are formed in the lid so that the cable-end connector of Andresen extends through the lid), in order to provide a design that can better prevent the immersion cooling fluid from spilling out of the housing (i.e., now that the sealant and cable are provided in the lid, the only circumstance in which immersion cooling liquid could possibly spill out is if the immersion cooling fluid sloshes within the housing as opposed to the sealant constantly having to be in contact with immersion cooling fluid), since it would only involve a rearrangement of parts, which has been held to be routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Finally, all claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined/modified the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination / modification would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S._, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jia (WO 2022247521), Gao (US 20230049108), and Nasr (US 20240314980) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lau (US 20210206567).
Regarding claim 2, modified Jia does not teach:
Baffles positioned in the sealed enclosure to prevent sloshing of the immersion cooling fluid.
Lau however teaches (Fig.4):
Baffles (127) positioned in the sealed enclosure (Fig.4 and [0038]: interior space of 102 will define the "sealed enclosure") to prevent sloshing of the immersion cooling fluid (103) (Baffles to prevent sloshing of Immersion Cooling Fluid: [0061]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Lau to further modify the device of Jia such that it has baffles that are positioned in the sealed enclosure to prevent sloshing of the immersion cooling fluid, as claimed, in order to provide means of controlling sloshing (i.e., prevents further sloshing after sloshing occurs) and thus better ensure the immersed components are quickly returned back to being immersed in the immersion cooling fluid as taught by Lau ([0061]) (i.e., as taught by [0061] of Lau, when sloshing occurs, some components can result in not being immersed in the immersion fluid, so incorporating the baffles, which are built to prevent further sloshing, will more quickly settle the immersion fluid after sloshing occurs and thus ensure that the components are immersed in the immersion fluid again).
Claims 4-5 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Andresen (US 5305184), Jia (WO 2022247521), and Nasr (US 20240314980) as applied to claims 3 and 12 above, and further in view of Campbell (US 7983040).
Regarding claims 4 and 13, modified Andresen does not teach:
Wherein the board-end connector extends through the at least one sidewall from an interior side of the at least one sidewall to an exterior side of the at least one sidewall.
Campbell however teaches (Figs.3A-E):
Wherein the board-end connector (310) extends through the at least one sidewall (any one or more of 305-307) from an interior side (interior side of 307) of the at least one sidewall (any one or more of 305-307) to an exterior side (exterior side of 307) of the at least one sidewall (any one or more of 305-307) (Fig.3E: 310 extends from the interior side of 307 to the exterior side of 307).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Campbell to further modify the device of modified Andresen such that the board-end connector extends through the at least one sidewall from an interior side of the at least one sidewall to an exterior side of the at least one sidewall, as respectively claimed in claims 4 and 13, in order to provide a simpler means of connecting the cable (36) of Andresen to the board-end connector (i.e., now that the board-end connector extends through the sidewall, the board-end connector becomes more accessible, and thus making it simpler to connect to the cable to the board-end connector).
Regarding claim 5, Andresen further discloses:
A seal (38) positioned at (See Fig.3B) or near the board-end connector (34).
However, as discussed in claim 4 above, modified Andresen does not teach:
The board-end connector exits the exterior side of the at least one sidewall.
However, as discussed in claim 4 above, Campbell teaches:
The board-end connector (310) exits the exterior side (exterior side of 307) of the at least one sidewall (any one or more of 305-307) (Fig.3E: 310 extends from the interior side of 307 to the exterior side of 307).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Campbell to further modify the device of modified Andresen such that when the board-end connector extends through the at least one sidewall from the interior side of the at least one sidewall to the exterior side of the at least one sidewall, as modified in claim 4 above, the seal is positioned at or near where the board-end connector exits the exterior side of the at least one sidewall, as claimed, in order to achieve the simpler connection as discussed in claim 4 above.
Regarding claim 14, Andresen further discloses:
Seals (26 and 38) positioned at or near the board-end connector (34) (Fig.3B: 26 is near 34 and 38 is at 34).
However, as discussed in claim 13 above, modified Andresen does not teach:
Where the board-end connector exits the exterior side of the at least one sidewall.
However, as discussed in claim 13 above, Campbell teaches:
The board-end connector (310) exits the exterior side (exterior side of 307) of the at least one sidewall (any one or more of 305-307) (Fig.3E: 310 extends from the interior side of 307 to the exterior side of 307).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Campbell to further modify the device of modified Andresen such that when the board-end connector extends through the at least one sidewall from the interior side of the at least one sidewall to the exterior side of the at least one sidewall, as modified in claim 13 above, the seals are positioned at or near where the board-end connector exits the exterior side of the at least one sidewall, as claimed, in order to achieve the simpler connection as discussed in claim 13 above.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jia (WO 2022247521), Gao (US 20230049108), and Nasr (US 20240314980) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Malouin (US 20230156959).
Regarding claim 8, Jia further discloses:
A forced-convection device (72) to force convection of the immersion cooling fluid (61) (Forced-Convection Device forcing convection of Immersion Cooling Fluid: See Pg.9 Par.1 of Translation).
However, Jia does not disclose:
A forced-convection device positioned in the sealed enclosure.
Malouin however teaches (Fig.2C):
A forced-convection device (224) positioned in the vessel (210) (Forced-Convection Device in the Vessel: See Fig.2C).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Malouin to further modify the device of modified Jia such that the forced-convection device is positioned in the sealed enclosure (i.e., move the forced-convection device of Jia such that it is disposed within the vessel), as claimed, in order to achieve the improved circulation rate and the improved heat exchange efficiency as disclosed by Jia (See Pg.9 Par.1 of Translation).
Furthermore, the above modification would have been an obvious modification that one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would do in order to achieve the improved circulation rate and improved heat exchange efficiency as disclosed by Jia (See Pg.9 Par.1 of Translation) since it would only involve a rearrangement of parts, which has been held to be routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Finally, all claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined/modified the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination / modification would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S._, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
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Claims 9 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jia (WO 2022247521), Gao (US 20230049108), and Nasr (US 20240314980) as applied to claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of Gao (US 11659683) (Referred to as Gao'683).
Regarding claims 9 and 16, modified Jia does not teach:
Wherein the lid is formed by the cold plate.
Gao’683 however teaches (Fig.2):
Wherein the lid (See Figure Below) is formed by the cold plate (See Figure Below).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Gao'683 to further modify the device of modified Jia such that the cold plate forms the lid, as respectively claimed in claims 9 and 16, in order to further simplify the assembly (i.e., instead of having to provide the supply and return manifolds separately as shown in Jai, the cold plate lid design taught by Gao'683 will provide a lid assembly that already has the inlet and outlet manifold pre-made into the cold plate lid, and thus reducing the total number of steps needed to assemble the device).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jia (WO 2022247521), Gao (US 20230049108), and Nasr (US 20240314980) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Liao (US 20240381585).
Regarding claim 11, modified Jia does not teach:
Wherein the pump is coupled upstream of the inlet of the cold plate.
Liao however teaches (Fig.1):
Wherein the pump (131) is coupled upstream (See Fig.1: 131 is upstream of 123, and thus also upstream of the inlet of 123) of the inlet (Fig.1: side of 123 coupled to 126) of the cold plate (123).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Liao to further modify the device of modified Jia such that the pump is coupled upstream of the inlet of the cold plate (i.e., move the pump of Jia so that it is upstream of the inlet of the cold plate of Jia), as claimed, in order to provide an alternate arrangement that will achieve the improved circulation rate as disclosed by Jia (See Pg.8 Par.5 of Translation).
Furthermore, the above modification would have been an obvious modification that one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would do in order to achieve the improved circulation rate as disclosed by Jia (See Pg.8 Par.5 of Translation) since it would only involve a rearrangement of parts, which has been held to be routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Finally, all claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined/modified the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination / modification would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S._, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Claims 17-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Andresen (US 5305184) in view of Jia (WO 2022247521) in further view of Nasr (US 20240314980) and in further view of Kulkarni (US 20210185850).
Regarding claim 17, Andresen discloses (Figs.3A-B):
An electronics cooling system, the system comprising: a cooling apparatus (See Fig.3A), the cooling apparatus comprising: a housing (20 and 28) having a lid (20), a bottom (bottom of 28), and at least one sidewall (sidewalls of 28), wherein the lid (20), the bottom (bottom of 28), and the at least one sidewall (sidewalls of 28) form a sealed enclosure (Fig.3B and Col.3 Lns.58-59: “the gasket 26 provides sealing connection between the cold plate 20 and housing 28”- the inner space created by 20 and 28 will define the “sealed enclosure”) adapted to be at least partially filled with an immersion cooling fluid (18’), a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) (14) positioned in the sealed enclosure (PCBA in the Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.3B), the PCBA (14) including a plurality of major electronic components (12)
However, Andresen does not disclose:
The PCBA including a plurality of major electronic components and one or more minor electronic components, and a cold plate at least part of which is positioned in the sealed enclosure and at least part of which is submerged in the immersion cooling fluid; a heat exchanger positioned outside the sealed enclosure and fluidly coupled to an inlet and an outlet of the cold plate; and a pump coupled between the cold plate and the heat exchanger to circulate a circulation cooling fluid through the cold plate and the heat exchanger.
Jia however teaches (Fig.1):
The PCBA (21) including one or more major electronic components (22) and one or more minor electronic components (23), and a cold plate (30) at least part of which is positioned in the sealed enclosure (See Pg.6 Par.7 of Translation: "the casing 10 has an airtight accommodating chamber") (Cold Plate Positioned in Sealed Enclosure: See Fig.1) and at least part of which is submerged (Fig.1) in the immersion cooling fluid (61); a heat exchanger (51) positioned outside (See Fig.1) the sealed enclosure and fluidly coupled to an inlet (See Figure of Claim 1) and an outlet (See Figure of Claim 1) of the cold plate (30) (Heat Exchanger Fluidly coupled to the Inlet and Outlet of the Cold Plate: See Fig.1); and a pump (52) coupled between (Fig.1: 52 is fluidically coupled between 30 and 51) the cold plate (30) and the heat exchanger (51) to circulate a circulation cooling fluid (44) through the cold plate (30) and the heat exchanger (51).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Jia such that the PCPBA has a plurality of major electronic components and one or more minor electronic components, and such that at least part of the cold plate is positioned in the sealed enclosure and part of which is submerged in the immersion cooling fluid, as claimed, in order to provide an improved cooling assembly since the cooling assembly would be able to more efficiently cool electronic components that generate more heat via the cold plate, while still being able to provide sufficient and efficient cooling for electronic components that generate less heat (i.e., the cooling assembly can better accommodate and cool components that generate more and less heat simultaneously).
Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Jia to modify the device of Andresen such that it has a heat exchanger that is arranged outside of the sealed enclosure and fluidly coupled to an inlet and an outlet of the cold plate, and such that it has a pump that is coupled between the cold plate and the heat exchanger to circulate a circulation cooling fluid through the cold plate and the heat exchanger, as claimed, in order to provide an efficient means of cooling the coolant that flows through the cold plate, and thus also achieving the improved cooling capabilities as discussed above.
However, the above combination would still fail to teach:
Wherein: the cold plate includes a plurality of protrusions, each protrusion being in thermal contact with a corresponding one of the plurality of major components, and at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different heights to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights.
Nasr however teaches (Fig.2):
A plurality of major electronic components (104a and b); wherein: the heat sink (204) includes a plurality of protrusions (206- the ones corresponding to 104a and 104b), each protrusion being in thermal contact (See Fig.2) with a corresponding one of the plurality of major components (104a and b), and at least two (Fig.2: as mapped, there are only two of the “plurality of protrusions”, and each protrusion corresponds to a corresponding major electronic component) of the plurality of protrusions (206- the ones corresponding to 104a and 104b) have different heights ([0048] and [0049]-[0050]: 104a and 104b have different heights, and thus the 206 that corresponds to 104a and the 206 that corresponds to 104b will also have different heights) to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights ([0048] and [0049]: “Due to the design of the individual electronic components 104a-104d, the electronic components 104a-104d may have different heights...there may also be variations in the heights of the same type of electronic components 104a-104d” and “As described above, the individual electronic components 104a-104d may have different heights”- each of 104a-d has a different height, and thus 104a and 104b will also have different heights even though they are both “high power processors”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Nasr to further modify the device of modified Andresen such that the cold plate includes a plurality of pedestals that each correspond to a respective one of the plurality of major components so that at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different heights to accommodate corresponding major components of different heights, as claimed, in order to further optimize the cooling capabilities (i.e., the cold plate now not only cools multiple heat generating components, but it also cools multiple high heat generating components in a more user friendly way since the cold plate can now fasten to multiple components with varying heights due to the pedestals/protrusions, and thus making the cold plate more user friendly).
However, the above combination would still fail to teach:
An electronics cooling system for a vehicle, the system comprising: a cooling apparatus positioned in a compartment of the vehicle.
Kulkarni however teaches (Fig.3):
An electronics cooling system (See Fig.3 and [0055]: 300 and the vehicle in combination will define the “electronics cooling system”) for a vehicle ([0055]: system can be implemented in a vehicle), the system comprising: a cooling apparatus (300) positioned in a compartment of the vehicle ([0055]) (Fig.3 [0055]: since the technology can be implemented in a vehicle, the cooling apparatus will be within a space/compartment of the vehicle).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Kulkarni to further modify the device of modified Andresen such that the cooling apparatus is positioned in a compartment of a vehicle (and thus providing an electronics cooling system for a vehicle) as claimed, in order to achieve the improved heat dissipation as disclosed by Andresen (see Abstract), and thus improve the overall useability of the device (i.e., the cooling device can now be implemented in a greater variety of electrical devices, including a vehicle).
Finally, all claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined/modified the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination / modification would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S._, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Regarding claim 18, Andresen further discloses:
A board-end connector (34) coupled to the PCBA (12).
Regarding claim 20, Andresen further discloses:
A cable-end connector (36) connected to the board-end connector (34).
However, Andresen does not disclose:
A cable-end connector extending through the lid.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the location of the sealant (38), aperture that accepts the sealant (38), and cable-end connector of Andresen such that they are in a desired position, including as claimed (i.e., move the apert