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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 4, the recitation “wherein an upper part of the first liquid storage tank is in fluid communication with an upper part of the second liquid storage tank through an upper connecting pipeline, and a lower part of the first liquid storage tank is in fluid communication with a lower part of the second liquid storage tank through a lower connecting pipeline, and each of the upper connecting pipeline and the lower connecting pipeline is provided with the first valve” is unclear. Claim 1 already requires a “first connecting pipeline,” while claim 4 requires an upper and a lower connecting pipeline. This contradicts the disclosure, which does not provide for three distinct pipelines as presently claimed, but rather it appears the first connecting pipeline is being conflated with one or both of the upper and lower pipeline. Further, the “first valve” is required in claim 1 to be provided in the first connecting pipeline, while claim 4 requires that the upper and lower connecting pipeline each are provided with the first valve. It is unclear how three distinct and separate pipelines are provided with a single first valve, which again, is contradicted by the entirety of Applicant’s disclosure (see also MPEP 2173.03). Claim 5 is rejected for its dependency. Claim 9 is similarly rejected for the same reasons, albeit with “pipe” used instead of “pipeline.”
Regarding claims 6/10, the recitations of “a part of the pipeline” (bolded for emphasis) lack antecedent basis.
Regarding claim 7, the recitation “the first connecting pipe” lacks antecedent basis. It is unclear if this is the “connecting pipeline” or a different element.
Claim(s) 8-10 depend(s) from the claim(s) above and is/are thus rejected accordingly.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Yu (CN106325322A).
Regarding claim 1, Yu discloses a pump-driven two-phase liquid cooling system (Fig. 1-2 & translation thereof), comprising, a pump-driven two-phase liquid circulation loop (flow circuit), wherein a pump (circulation pump), an evaporator (evaporator), and a condenser (condenser) are sequentially arranged in the pump-driven two-phase liquid circulation loop; a first liquid storage tank (Tank A/B), which is arranged at a front end of the pump; and a second liquid storage tank (other of Tank A/B), which is in fluid communication with the first liquid storage tank through a first connecting pipeline (pipe D or pipe U); wherein the second liquid storage tank is provided with a first liquid filling port (see connection to pipe D or pipe U), and the first connecting pipeline is provided with a first valve (valve D or valve U) configured to isolate the second liquid storage tank from the first liquid storage tank.
Regarding claim 2, Yu discloses the limitations of claim 1, and Yu further discloses wherein the first liquid storage tank is provided with a maximum marked liquid level, and a bottom of the second liquid storage tank is arranged at a level that is higher than the level of the maximum marked liquid level of the first liquid storage tank (see Page 3).
Regarding claim 3, Yu discloses the limitations of claim 2, and Yu further discloses the second liquid storage tank is further provided with a suction port (see connection to pipe U or D).
Regarding claim 4, Yu discloses the limitations of claim 1, and Yu further discloses an upper part (pipe U) of the first liquid storage tank (Tank A) is in fluid communication with an upper part of the second liquid storage (Tank B) tank through an upper connecting pipeline (pipe U), and a lower part of the first liquid storage tank is in fluid communication with a lower part of the second liquid storage tank through a lower connecting pipeline (pipe D), and each of the upper connecting pipeline and the lower connecting pipeline is provided with the first valve (valves U/D).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC S RUPPERT whose telephone number is (571)272-9911. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 4 pm.
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/ERIC S RUPPERT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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