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 .
This communication is in response to the claim’s amendment dated 7/23/2026.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 7/23/2026, with respect to 112(a) and 112(b) rejections have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 112(a) and 112(b) rejections are hereby withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments filed on 7/23/2026, with respect to the drawing objection has been fully considered and are persuasive. The drawing objection is hereby withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments regarding claim 1 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Arguments raised by the Applicant:
The carrier in Tsorng'272 does not include portions that provide heat transfer functionality for the different form factors.
In general, the Applicant asserts that Tsorng et al. (U.S. Patent No. 10,674,621 B1) in view of Tsorng et al. (U.S. Patent No. 12,213,272 B2) does not teach all the limitations of claims 1, 8 and 15.
The Examiner’s position:
The teaching of Tsorng'272 was applied to show SSD in E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, E1.S15mm enclosure and E1.S25mm enclosure have been commonly known. The claimed language of claims 1, 8 and 15 only requires the third portion of ONE of SSD in E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, E1.S15mm enclosure and E1.S25mm enclosure.
See below claim rejections.
Note:
- Neither the claimed language nor the specification/drawings of the current application provide the structures for the numbers of third portions to operate in the manner as intendedly argued by the Applicant.
- The previous rejections of claims 1, 8 and 15 were mistakenly based on the set of claims dated 12/19/2025, since the correct amended set of claims were not separately submitted. Claims 1, 8 and 15 in this Office Action are only slightly rewritten to clarify the minor differences.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Claims 1-3, 8-13, 15 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272.
Note: Claims 1-20 are rejected as best understood and interpreted based on the support in the specification and the above 112(a)/112(b) rejection.
Regarding claim 1, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 teaches a solid state drive (SSD) enclosure (100; figure 3B), comprising:
a first portion (150; figure 3B), wherein the first portion is configured to cover a first side (bottom side of 100; figure 3B) of an SSD (102; figure 3B);
a second portion (112; figure 3B); and
a third portion (110; figure 3B), the third portion include portion configured to provide heat transfer (see figures 3A-B) functionality for an SSD;
wherein the second portion (112) is configured to receive the third portion (110), wherein the second portion is configured to be releasably (see figures 3A-B) coupled to the third portion (110), and wherein the second portion (112) and the third portion (110) are configured to cover a second side (upper side of 100; see figures 3A-B) of the SSD.
However, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 does not specifically teach wherein the third portion is one of a number of third portions and wherein the number of third portions include portions configured to provide heat transfer functionality for an SSD in an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure.
Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches a similar SSD enclosure comprising an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure (see paragraph bridging columns 1-2).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to further select a number of third portions in the SSD enclosure of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 configured to provide heat transfer functionality for an SSD in an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure, as suggested by Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272, such that one of the number of third portions is configured to provide heat transfer functionality for an SSD in an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure, to individually accommodate a different size of SSD, thus would enhance operational capacity and versatility.
Regarding claim 2, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 1, wherein the first portion is a first heat spreader (see figure 3B and figure 7B; also see column 8, lines 49-59).
Regarding claim 3, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 1, wherein the second portion is a second heat spreader (see column 8, lines 60-67).
Regarding claim 8, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 teaches a system, comprising:
a solid state drive (SSD) enclosure (100; figure 3B) including:
a first portion (150; figure 3B), wherein the first portion is configured to cover a first side (bottom side of 100; figure 3B) of an SSD (102; figure 3B);
a second portion (112; figure 3B); and
a third portion (110; figure 3B), the third portion include portion configured to provide heat transfer (see figures 3A-B) functionality for an SSD;
wherein the second portion (112) is configured to receive the third portion (110), wherein the second portion is configured to be releasably (see figures 3A-B) coupled to the third portion (110), and wherein the second portion (112) and the third portion (110) are configured to cover a second side (upper side of 100; see figures 3A-B) of the SSD.
However, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 does not specifically teach wherein the third portion is one of a number of third portions and wherein the number of third portions include portions configured to provide heat transfer functionality for an SSD in an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure.
Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches a similar SSD enclosure comprising an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure (see paragraph bridging columns 1-2).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to further select a number of third portions in the SSD enclosure of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 configured to provide heat transfer functionality for an SSD in an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure, as suggested by Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272, such that one of the number of third portions is configured to provide heat transfer functionality for an SSD in an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure, to individually accommodate a different size of SSD, thus would enhance operational capacity and versatility.
Regarding claim 9, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the system of claim 8, wherein each of the number of second portions (112; figure 3B of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621) are configured to provide particular cooling characteristics for the SSD.
Regarding claim 10, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the system of claim 8, wherein the one of the number of third portions is releasably coupled to the second portion such that the enclosure is an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure (see above rejection of claim 8).
Regarding claim 11, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the system of claim 8, wherein the one of the number of third portions is releasably coupled to the second portion such that the enclosure is an E1.S 15mm enclosure (see above rejection of claim 8).
Regarding claim 12, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the system of claim 8, wherein the one of the number of second portions is releasably coupled to the second portion such that the enclosure is an E1.S 25mm enclosure (see above rejection of claim 8).
Regarding claim 13, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the system of claim 8, wherein the first and third portion are coupled to each other (see figure 3B of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621).
Regarding claim 15, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 teaches a solid state drive (SSD) enclosure (100; figure 3B), comprising:
a first portion (150; figure 3B), wherein the first portion is configured as a first heat spreader (see figure 3B and figure 7B; and column 8, lines 49-59) to cool a solid state drive (SSD) (102; figure 3B);
a second portion (112; figure 3B), wherein the second portion is configured as a second heat spreader (see column 8, lines 60-70) to cool the SSD; and
a third portion (110; figure 3B), wherein the third portion is configured as a second heat spreader to cool the SSD;
and wherein the third portion is configured to be releasably coupled to the second portion (see figures 3A-B).
However, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 does not specifically teach wherein the third portion is one of a number of third portions and wherein the number of third portions include portions configured to provide heat transfer functionality for an SSD in an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure.
Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches a similar SSD enclosure comprising an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure (see paragraph bridging columns 1-2).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to further select a number of third portions in the SSD enclosure of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 configured to provide heat transfer functionality for an SSD in an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure, as suggested by Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272, such that one of the number of third portions is configured to provide heat transfer functionality for an SSD in an E1.S 9.5mm enclosure, an E1.S 15mm enclosure, or an E1.S 25mm enclosure, to individually accommodate a different size of SSD, thus would enhance operational capacity and versatility.
Regarding claim 18, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 15, wherein the first (150) and third portion (110) are coupled (see figures 2A-3B of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621) to each other.
Regarding claim 19, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 15, wherein the third portion (112; figure 3B) releasably (see figures 3A-B of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621) coupled to the second portion provides cooling requirements (column 8, lines 49-59 of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621) for the SSD.
Regarding claim 20, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 15, wherein the third portion (112; figure 3B) releasably coupled (see Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621) to the second portion is based on the form factor (see column 6, lines 33-53 and paragraph bridging columns 6-7 of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621) of the SSD.
7. Claims 4-5 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 and in further view of Farnsworth et al. U.S. Patent 7,957,134.
Regarding claim 4, as mentioned above, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 1.
However, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 does not specifically teach the second portion is configured to include a closed vapor chamber cooling portion.
Farnsworth et al., in the same field of endeavor, teaches a memory module which employs a close vapor chamber (210; figure 9) for heat dissipation.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to substitute the heatsink of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272, with a vapor chamber or heat pipe, as suggested by Farnsworth et al., to facilitate transferring of heat.
Regarding claim 5, as mentioned above, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 1.
However, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 does not specifically teach the second portion is configured to include a heat pipe portion.
Farnsworth et al., in the same field of endeavor, teaches a memory module which employs a heat pipe portion (166; figure 5) for heat dissipation.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to substitute the heatsink of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272, with a vapor chamber or heat pipe, as suggested by Farnsworth et al., to facilitate transferring of heat.
Regarding claim 14, as mentioned above, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 8.
However, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 does not specifically teach the second portion is configured to include a heat pipe portion.
Farnsworth et al., in the same field of endeavor, teaches a memory module which employs a heat pipe portion (166; figure 5) for heat dissipation.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to substitute the heatsink of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272, with a vapor chamber or heat pipe, as suggested by Farnsworth et al., to facilitate transferring of heat.
8. Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 and further in view of Heyd et al. U.S. Patent 12,262,471.
Regarding claims 6-7, as mentioned above, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 1.
However, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 does not specifically teach the enclosure is an Enterprise and Data Center Standard Form Factor (EDSFF) enclosure; and wherein the EDSFF enclosure is a E1.S form factor enclosure (claim 7).
Heyd et al., in the same field of endeavor, shows EDSFF enclosure has been commonly known and used for housing an SSD (column 4, lines 38-50); wherein the EDSFF enclosure is a E1.S form factor enclosure (column 4, lines 38-50).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to provide an EDSFF enclosure for housing an SSD of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272, wherein the EDSFF enclosure is a E1.S form factor enclosure, as suggested by Heyd et al., for enhanced thermal management and scalability.
9. Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 and further in view of Sun et al. U.S. patent 11,194,372.
Regarding claim 16, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 15, however, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 does not specifically teach the first portion and the third portion are cast.
Sun et al., also teaches an SSD enclosure, which is made from casting (see column 1, lines 38-50).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to further make the first/third portion of the SSD enclosure of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 from casting, as suggested by D4, to enhance strength and durability.
10. Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 and further in view of Mangay-Ayam, Jr. et al. U.S. Patent 8,665,601.
Regarding claim 17, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 teaches the enclosure of claim 15, however, Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 does not specifically teach the second portion is extruded.
Mangay-Ayam, Jr. et al., also teaches an SSD enclosure, which is made from extruding process (see column 16, lines 54-67).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to further make second portion of the SSD enclosure of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 10,674,621 in view of Tsorng et al. U.S. Patent 12,213,272 from extruding process, as suggested by Mangay-Ayam, Jr. et al., for cost effective and improved material strength.
Conclusion
11. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
12. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG Q DANG whose telephone number is (571)272-3069. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6PM..
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, Imani N Hayman can be reached at 571-270-5528. 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.
/HUNG Q DANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/ANTHONY M HAUGHTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
Prosecution Insights