DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by William P Rehak (Rehak) US 2022/0030742 A1.
As per claim 1 Rehak disclose;
An electronic storage (rack mounted equipment housings, includes storage devices in rack and para 0234 “computer” capable to store data) device (fig. 2B item 100) comprising:
an enclosure base (item 102);
a printed circuit board (PCB) (104) coupled to the enclosure base (102); and
an enclosure cover (formed by 108 and 106) coupled to the enclosure base (102) and covering the PCB (104), the enclosure cover comprising:
a first inlet port (604 for inlet air 202) through a first lateral sidewall (Left and right side walls) of the enclosure cover (108), and
a first cooling duct (106 plenum) proximate to the first lateral sidewall (610) of the enclosure cover (Fig. 2B) and at least partially coincident (Fig. 2B Cooling duct 106 and inlet 604 are coincident “coincident mean existing or occurring at the same time”) with the first inlet port (604), the first cooling duct (106) directing airflow (202) laterally from the first inlet port (604) to below the enclosure cover (formed by item 108 and 106) and to the PCB (104).
As per claim 2 Rehak disclose;
wherein the first cooling duct (106) direct airflow from the first inlet port to a target hot spot (at heat sink 404) of the PCB (104).
Allowable Subject Matter
1-Claims 16-20 are allowed.
2-Claims 3-13 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Reasons for allowable subject matter
1- Prior arts Rehak and Hur disclose, arrangement related to cooling system by diverting or guiding cooling air flow to the circuit board, claimed in claims 1-2 and 15.
But do not teach structural details claimed in claims 3-14 and in claims 16-20.
2- Prior art, Hur disclose solid state storage device with air cooling system, to cool circuit board, forming flow path using duct/tunnel but do not teach specific details of claimed structure.
Following is allowable subject matter in claims 16-20 and 3-14
a second cooling duct at least in part coincident with the second inlet port, the second cooling duct configured to cover an electronic component extending from the PCB and to direct airflow laterally from the second inlet port around the electronic component to below the cover to the PCB; and
the enclosure base comprising: a first inlet port through a first lateral sidewall of the base and substantially coincident with the first inlet port of the cover and positioned between a first specification-restricted area of the first lateral sidewall of the base and a second specification-restricted area of the first lateral sidewall of the base, and at least one second inlet port through a second lateral sidewall of the base and substantially coincident with the second inlet port of the cover and positioned between a first specification-restricted area of the second lateral sidewall of the base and a second specification-restricted area of the second lateral sidewall of the base.
Following are the other related prior arts.
1-Zbigniew WABISZCZEWICZ US 2006/0104025 A1
WABISZCZEWICZ, disclose cooling system for circuit board (Fig. 8 item 811)
With enclosure 801, duct 831 with air outlet and inlets located at the bottom of the enclosure, which is different from the claimed air cooling system.
2- Myung-ryul Jang; US 20190215972 A1, Jang disclose;
A solid state drive apparatus includes a housing having an inner space and a plurality of vent channels. (Fig. 1-10) for cooling electronic components on a circuit board.
3- Le Gao; US 20200260602 A1, Gao disclose;
Thermal management cage for cooling solid state drive (fig.6) but uses different arrangements.
4-SUNGCHUL HUR US 20220344243 A1 HUR disclose;
Solid state data storage apparatus, with cooling air passage (fig. 6 item 125a formed by item 181, 183 and 185) but do not teach claimed subject matter.
5- Shigeo Ohashi; US 5694294 A Ohashi disclose, cooling duct (Fig. 2 item 5)
For cooling electronic components of a laptop computer.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/23/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding applicant’s argument page 9 “"a first
cooling duct proximate to the first lateral sidewall of the enclosure cover and at least partially coincident with the first inlet port, the first cooling duct directing airflow laterally from the first inlet port to below the enclosure cover and to the PCB." Applicant submits that Rehak does not disclose or suggest at least the above-recited features of claim 1.
Examiner respectfully disagree as per rejection of claim 1 Rehak disclose, above subject matter as shown below - a first cooling duct (106 plenum) proximate to the first lateral sidewall (610) of the enclosure cover (Fig. 2B) and at least partially coincident (Fig. 2B Cooling duct 106 and inlet 604 are coincident “coincident mean existing or occurring at the same time”) with the first inlet port (604), the first cooling duct (106) directing airflow (202) laterally from the first inlet port (604) to below the enclosure cover (formed by item 108 and 106) and to the PCB (104).
As shown in fig. 2B cooling duct (plenum) is in line or exist together with inlet port 604 is located on a lateral side wall (610 examiner interprets as lateral side wall) of enclosure cover as shown in Fig. 2B, and as shown in Fig. 2B air plenum 106 is in line with inlet port 604, and is directed to hot spot below cover towards item 404.
Therefor rejection is proper.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MUKUNDBHAI G PATEL whose telephone number is (571)270-1364. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thu 7Am-6pm Fri 7-12 pm (Flex).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jayprakash P Gandhi can be reached at (571) 272-3740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MUKUNDBHAI G PATEL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835
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