18DETAILED 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 Objections
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Line 3 should recite “coupled to the electronic control system” as it is already introduced in claim 10.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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, 5-6, 8 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao (US 20250194050 A1) in view of Ostwald (US 8035972 B2), Ahuja (US 20230380102 A1) and Archibald (US 20230147728 A1).
As to Claim 1, Yao discloses:
A server rack assembly (see Fig. 1A) comprising:
a housing (cabinet body 20) comprising:
at least two racks (each portion of 20 holding a server node 10 defined as a rack) configured to support heat-generating electronic devices (server nodes 10),
a front space region (F in Fig. 1A),
a rear space region (B in Fig. 1A), and
a plurality of side walls (sides of body 20); and
a coolant distribution unit (CDU 30) located proximate the rear space region B and one of the plurality of side walls and having a height greater than one rack of the at least two racks (CDU 30 is disposed proximate rear side B and sides of 20, and has height greater than defined rack), the coolant distribution unit 30 comprising;
a coolant distribution unit housing 1 (Par. 0063 “the CDU 30 may include an external housing 1”) comprising:
a front panel (front side of 1);
a rear panel (rear side of 1);
a top panel (top side of 1); and
a bottom panel (bottom side of 1), wherein a vertical distance from the top panel to the bottom panel is greater than a horizontal distance from the front panel to the rear panel (distance from top side to bottom side of 1 is greater than distance from front side of 1 to rear side of 1);
a coolant distribution loop disposed in said coolant distribution unit housing 1 and comprising:
a first pump (pump 5) for pumping liquid coolant (Par. 0080 “a liquid supply pump 5 may be disposed in the liquid storage part 11, to pump the liquid coolant to the flow distribution manifold 17 from the liquid storage part 11, so that the liquid coolant is distributed to each server node”),
an external liquid inlet 16 for receiving a returning coolant liquid from outside the coolant distribution unit 30,
an external liquid outlet 15 for providing coolant liquid from inside the coolant distribution unit 30 (Par. 0071 “the housing 1 further includes a cooling water outlet 15 and a cooling water inlet 16, which are respectively communicated with two pipe ends of a condensation heat exchange pipe, to establish cooling water circulation to take away heat of the system”),
a heat exchanger (condensation component 2), and
wherein the coolant distribution unit 30 is designed for zero-U placement as to not occupy any rack space reserved for electronic devices (Par. 0007 “After assembly, the CDU is located on a rear side of the device chassis without occupying the effective device arrangement space”).
Yao does not disclose:
a second pump for pumping liquid coolant,
a control valve,
an expansion tank; and
an electronic control system.
However, Ostwald discloses:
a second pump (auxiliary pump 22) for pumping liquid coolant (col. 4, Lines 51-54 “An auxiliary pump 22 is provided in the event that the pump 20 fails or requires service and thereby assures that an adequate supply of coolant is circulated through the cooling system 16”);
in order to ensure an adequate supply of coolant circulating in event of a pump failure (col. 4, Lines 51-54).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao as further suggested by Ostwald e.g., providing:
a second pump for pumping liquid coolant;
in order to ensure an adequate supply of coolant circulating in event of a pump failure.
Further, Ahuja discloses:
a control valve 1726, 1728 (Par. 0121 “Flow along the first flow path 1722 is controlled by a first CDU inlet valve 1726 and flow along the second flow path 1724 is controlled by a second CDU inlet valve 1728. In some examples, the inlet valves 1726, 1728 are manually operated gate valves. However, other types of valves may be used. Further, in some examples, the valves 1726, 1728 may be controlled by an actuator independent of manual operation”),
an electronic control system (Par. 0140 “controller circuitry 1912 implements control signals and/or other operations in accordance with control logic (e.g., stored in the memory 1914, etc.) to enable the operations of the CDU when in any of the normal mode, the filtering mode, or the maintenance mode”);
in order to control the operation of the CDU 1708 (Par. 0132).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald as further suggested by Ahuja e.g., providing:
a control valve,
an electronic control system;
in order to control the operation of the CDU.
Further, Archibald discloses:
an expansion tank (205a,205b; Par. 0103 “Expansion tanks can thus be provided for a CDU along the secondary coolant loop to receive fluid when pressure of the CDU exceeds a set level, and thereby maintain the pressure within the secondary loop”);
in order to protect the CDU and other components from expansion of fluid and maintain a set pressure within the CDU (Par. 0103).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald and Ahuja as further suggested by Archibald e.g., providing:
an expansion tank;
in order to protect the CDU and other components from expansion of fluid and maintain a set pressure within the CDU.
Additionally, 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 before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S.___, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
As to Claim 5, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald discloses:
wherein the first pump (5 of Yao) and the second pump (22 of Ostwald) operate in a primary-redundant configuration to ensure uninterrupted cooling (in combination, pump 22 of Ostwald operates as redundant pump; wherein pump 5 of Yao corresponds to pump 20 of Ostwald).
As to Claim 6, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald does not explicitly disclose:
further comprising a user interface on the coolant distribution unit for manual control and monitoring of cooling parameters.
However, Ahuja further discloses:
further comprising a user interface (1902; Fig. 19) on the coolant distribution unit 1708 for manual control and monitoring of cooling parameters (Par. 0140 “The example user interface circuitry 1902 enables a user to interface with the CDU controller 1794 via an electronic device such as a PC, smartphone, display screen supported by the CDU housing, etc. In some examples, the user interface circuitry 1902 provides outputs (e.g., visual and/or audible, etc.) to the user. In some examples, the user interface circuitry 1902 receives inputs from a user”);
in order to allow a user to interface with the CDU and components within CDU (Par. 0140).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald as further suggested by Ahuja e.g., providing:
further comprising a user interface on the coolant distribution unit for manual control and monitoring of cooling parameters;
in order to allow a user to interface with the CDU and components within CDU.
As to Claim 8, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald discloses:
wherein the rear space region (B of Yao) is configured to allow an inflow and outflow of coolant to the coolant distribution unit 30 (Par. 0065 “Each pair of liquid connector 13 and vapor connector 14 are in one-to-one correspondence with each server node 10, and are respectively disposed opposite to and adaptively plug-connected to a liquid connector 102 and a vapor connector 103 on a device chassis 101 of the server node 10”; Par. 0066 “The liquid connector 102 and the vapor connector 103 on the server node 10 side are located at a rear end of the device chassis 101”; Yao).
As to Claim 21, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald discloses:
wherein opposing lateral walls of the coolant distribution unit housing (side walls of 1 of Yao) extend substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the housing 20 (side walls of 1 are parallel to longitudinal axis of 20; Yao).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao (US 20250194050 A1) in view of Ostwald (US 8035972 B2), Ahuja (US 20230380102 A1) and Archibald (US 20230147728 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Wei (CN 110856430 A). See previous PTO-892 for translation.
As to Claim 3, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald does not disclose:
wherein the heat exchanger is a brazed plate heat exchanger.
However, Wei discloses:
wherein the heat exchanger is a brazed plate heat exchanger (Par. 0015 “Preferably, the plate heat exchanger uses a high-efficiency brazed plate”; Par. 0030 “The plate heat exchanger 302 uses a high efficiency brazed plate and can perform water-to-water heat exchange, or it can use other liquids for heat exchange”);
in order to provide a highly efficient heat exchanger (Par. 0015).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald as further suggested by Wei e.g., providing:
wherein the heat exchanger is a brazed plate heat exchanger;
in order to provide a highly efficient heat exchanger.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao (US 20250194050 A1) in view of Ostwald (US 8035972 B2), Ahuja (US 20230380102 A1) and Archibald (US 20230147728 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Alshinnawi (US 20140029193 A1).
As to Claim 4, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald does not disclose:
wherein the electronic control system is configured to automatically adjust coolant flow based on temperature readings of the electronic devices.
However, Alshinnawi discloses:
wherein the electronic control system is configured to automatically adjust coolant flow based on temperature readings of the electronic devices (Par. 0020 “The system board controller may include the processor 24 and control logic executable by the processor 24 for dynamically selecting a cooling fluid flow rate according to a system parameter”; “the system board 22 may include a temperature sensor, which may be embedded within the processor 24 for sensing a system temperature or processor temperature, and the control logic may be used for selecting a fluid flow rate as a function of the measured temperature”);
in order to dynamically select the fluid flow rate of the cooling fluid to provide cooling based on system parameters (Par. 0020).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald as further suggested by Alshinnawi e.g., providing:
wherein the electronic control system is configured to automatically adjust coolant flow based on temperature readings of the electronic devices;
in order to dynamically select the fluid flow rate of the cooling fluid to provide cooling based on system parameters.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao (US 20250194050 A1) in view of Ostwald (US 8035972 B2), Ahuja (US 20230380102 A1) and Archibald (US 20230147728 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Czamara (US 8967392 B1).
As to Claim 7, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald does not disclose:
further comprising a stabilizing feature for securing the rack assembly to a floor to prevent tipping under load.
However, Czamara discloses:
further comprising a stabilizing feature 113 for securing the rack assembly 106 to a floor 111 to prevent tipping under load (col. 6, Lines 23-25 “Racks 106 are secured to floor 111 by way of anchor brackets 113. Anchoring racks 106 on floor 111 may provide additional stabilize rack computing systems 102”);
in order to provide additional stabilization to racks 106 (col. 6, Lines 23-25).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald, Ahuja and Archibald as further suggested by Czamara e.g., providing:
further comprising a stabilizing feature for securing the rack assembly to a floor to prevent tipping under load;
in order to provide additional stabilization to the racks.
Claims 10-14 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao (US 20250194050 A1) in view of Ostwald (US 8035972 B2) and Ahuja (US 20230380102 A1).
As to Claim 10, Yao discloses:
A server rack assembly (see Fig. 1A) comprising:
a housing (cabinet body 20) comprising:
at least one rack (each portion of 20 holding a server node 10 defined as a rack) configured to support heat-generating electronic devices (server nodes 10),
a front space region (F in Fig. 1A),
a rear space region (B in Fig. 1A), and
a plurality of side walls (sides of body 20);
a coolant distribution unit (CDU 30) located within a coolant distribution unit housing 1 1 (Par. 0063 “the CDU 30 may include an external housing 1”) and proximate the rear space region B and one of the plurality of side walls (CDU 30 is disposed proximate rear side B and sides of 20), wherein the coolant distribution unit housing 1 comprises a first pump (pump 5) for pumping liquid coolant (Par. 0080 “a liquid supply pump 5 may be disposed in the liquid storage part 11, to pump the liquid coolant to the flow distribution manifold 17 from the liquid storage part 11, so that the liquid coolant is distributed to each server node”), wherein the coolant distribution unit 30 is designed for zero-U placement as to not occupy any rack space reserved for electronic devices (Par. 0007 “After assembly, the CDU is located on a rear side of the device chassis without occupying the effective device arrangement space”),
a manifold 17 connected to the coolant distribution unit 30, and
a plurality of manifold connection points 13 between the manifold 17 and the heat-generating electronic devices 10 (Par. 0080 “the liquid coolant in the liquid storage part 11 is separately transported to each liquid connector 13 through a flow distribution manifold 17, and enters a corresponding device chassis 101 through the liquid path established by using the liquid connector 13 and the liquid connector 102”; connectors 13 are between 17 and 10).
Yao does not disclose:
a second pump for pumping liquid coolant and an electronic control system.
However, Ostwald discloses:
a second pump (auxiliary pump 22) for pumping liquid coolant (col. 4, Lines 51-54 “An auxiliary pump 22 is provided in the event that the pump 20 fails or requires service and thereby assures that an adequate supply of coolant is circulated through the cooling system 16”);
in order to ensure an adequate supply of coolant circulating in event of a pump failure (col. 4, Lines 51-54).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao as further suggested by Ostwald e.g., providing:
a second pump for pumping liquid coolant;
in order to ensure an adequate supply of coolant circulating in event of a pump failure (col. 4, Lines 51-54).
Further, Ahuja discloses:
an electronic control system (Par. 0140 “controller circuitry 1912 implements control signals and/or other operations in accordance with control logic (e.g., stored in the memory 1914, etc.) to enable the operations of the CDU when in any of the normal mode, the filtering mode, or the maintenance mode”);
in order to control the operation of the CDU 1708 (Par. 0132).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald as further suggested by Ahuja e.g., providing:
an electronic control system;
in order to control the operation of the CDU.
As to Claim 11, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald and Ahuja discloses:
wherein the manifold (17 of Yao) is vertically oriented along one of the side walls (sides of 20 of Yao) to distribute a coolant to the heat-generating electronic devices 10 (17 is at least indirectly disposed on rear side wall of 20 of Yao; 17 distributes liquid to each server node 10).
As to Claim 12, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald and Ahuja discloses:
wherein the manifold connection points (13 of Yao) include a quick-disconnect coupling for easy maintenance and reconfiguration of electronic devices 10 (Par. 0066 “adaptive quick connectors may be used to quickly establish a vapor path communication relationship and a liquid path communication relationship between each device chassis 101 and the CDU 30. The liquid connector 13, the liquid connector 102, the vapor connector 103, and the vapor connector 14 may be quick connectors with a function of automatic closing upon disconnection, to facilitate on-site operation and management”; Yao).
As to Claim 13, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald and Ahuja discloses:
wherein the coolant distribution unit 30 and the manifold 17 are integrated into a single module (see Fig. 12 of Yao, 17 and 30 are a single module).
As to Claim 14, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald and Ahuja does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the coolant distribution unit further comprises a human machine interface coupled to the electronic control system and configured to monitor a flow rate and a temperature at a plurality of locations in the server rack.
However, Ahuja further discloses:
wherein the coolant distribution unit 1708 further comprises a human machine interface (1902; Fig. 19) coupled to the electronic control system 1912 and configured to monitor a flow rate and a temperature at a plurality of locations in the server rack (Par. 0140 “The example user interface circuitry 1902 enables a user to interface with the CDU controller 1794 via an electronic device such as a PC, smartphone, display screen supported by the CDU housing, etc. In some examples, the user interface circuitry 1902 provides outputs (e.g., visual and/or audible, etc.) to the user. In some examples, the user interface circuitry 1902 receives inputs from a user. The example sensor interface circuitry 1904 enables the CDU controller 1794 to interface with and receives feedback from the various sensors (e.g., the pressure sensors 1738, 1742, one or more of the temperature sensors 1740, 1744, 1766, 1768, and/or the conductivity meter 1774, etc.)”; receives temperature and pressure readings (e.g., pressure readings indicative of flow rate);
in order to allow a user to interface with the CDU and components within CDU (Par. 0140).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald and Ahuja as further suggested by Ahuja e.g., providing:
wherein the coolant distribution unit further comprises a human machine interface coupled to the electronic control system and configured to monitor a flow rate and a temperature at a plurality of locations in the server rack;
in order to allow a user to interface with the CDU and components within CDU.
As to Claim 22, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald and Ahuja discloses:
wherein opposing lateral walls of the coolant distribution unit housing (side walls of 1 of Yao) extend substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the housing 20 (side walls of 1 are parallel to longitudinal axis of 20; Yao).
Claims 15, 17 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao (US 20250194050 A1) in view of Ostwald (US 8035972 B2).
As to Claim 15, Yao discloses:
A data center cooling system (Par. 0125 “The computing device may be of a product type such as a computer or a server, and is particularly applicable to a data center server with a high power, a high integration degree, and an ultra-large scale”) comprising:
a housing (cabinet body 20; Fig 1A) comprising:
at least one rack (each portion of 20 holding a server node 10 defined as a rack) configured to support heat-generating electronic devices (server nodes 10),
a front space region (F in Fig. 1A),
a rear space region (B in Fig. 1A), and
a plurality of side walls (sides of body 20);
a cooling fluid source (Par. 0073 “the cooling water inlet 16 and the cooling water outlet 15 that are connected to a cold source side are respectively formed”); and
a coolant distribution unit (CDU 30) connected to the cooling fluid source (15,16 of 30 are connected to source) and located within a coolant distribution unit housing 1 (Par. 0063 “the CDU 30 may include an external housing 1”), wherein the coolant distribution unit housing 1 comprises a first pump 5 for pumping liquid coolant (Par. 0080 “a liquid supply pump 5 may be disposed in the liquid storage part 11, to pump the liquid coolant to the flow distribution manifold 17 from the liquid storage part 11, so that the liquid coolant is distributed to each server node”), wherein the coolant distribution unit 30 is mounted within the rear space region B of a cabinet 20 (30 is mounted within a rear region B of 20), wherein the coolant distribution unit 30 is designed for zero-U placement as to not occupy any rack space reserved for electronic devices (Par. 0007 “After assembly, the CDU is located on a rear side of the device chassis without occupying the effective device arrangement space”).
Yao does not disclose:
a second pump for pumping liquid coolant.
However, Ostwald discloses:
a second pump (auxiliary pump 22) for pumping liquid coolant (col. 4, Lines 51-54 “An auxiliary pump 22 is provided in the event that the pump 20 fails or requires service and thereby assures that an adequate supply of coolant is circulated through the cooling system 16”);
in order to ensure an adequate supply of coolant circulating in event of a pump failure (col. 4, Lines 51-54).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao as further suggested by Ostwald e.g., providing:
a second pump for pumping liquid coolant;
in order to ensure an adequate supply of coolant circulating in event of a pump failure (col. 4, Lines 51-54).
As to Claim 17, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the cooling fluid source includes an external environmental heat exchange system.
However, Ostwald further discloses:
wherein the cooling fluid source includes an external environmental heat exchange system (house cooling system or chiller is heat exchange system in external environment; col. 5, Lines 29-37 “cooling loop piping 60 and appropriate fittings may be used to circulate water from an external chiller or cool water source to the reservoir 18 to maintain the temperature of the liquid circulating through the cooling system 16 at a cool temperature relative to the liquid in the reservoir 18. A heat exchanger 61 is provided to transfer heat from the cooling system 16 to the cooling loop piping 60 that is part of an external cooling system such as a house cooling system or external chiller (not shown)”);
in order to maintain the temperature of the liquid at a cool temperature (col. 5, Lines 29-37).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald as further suggested by Ostwald e.g., providing:
wherein the cooling fluid source includes an external environmental heat exchange system;
in order to maintain the temperature of the liquid at a cool temperature.
As to Claim 23, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald discloses:
wherein opposing lateral walls of the coolant distribution unit housing (side walls of 1 of Yao) extend substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the housing 20 (side walls of 1 are parallel to longitudinal axis of 20; Yao).
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao (US 20250194050 A1) in view of Ostwald (US 8035972 B2) as applied to claim 15 above, and further in view of Miyamura (US 20220046828 A1).
As to Claim 16, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald does not disclose:
wherein the cooling fluid source includes a facility-wide refrigeration system.
However, Miyamura discloses:
wherein the cooling fluid source includes a facility-wide refrigeration system (Par. 0002 “The chiller may be a cooling tower or other external heat exchanger that receives heated coolant from the datacenter and disperses the heat by forced air or other means to the environment (or an external cooling medium) before the cooled coolant is recirculated back into the datacenter to exchange heat with a secondary cooling loop via a coolant distribution unit (CDU)”);
in order to provide cooling to coolant from a datacenter (Par. 0002).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald as further suggested by Miyamura e.g., providing:
wherein the cooling fluid source includes a facility-wide refrigeration system;
in order to provide cooling to coolant from a datacenter.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao (US 20250194050 A1) in view of Ostwald (US 8035972 B2) as applied to claim 15 above, and further in view of Ahuja (US 20230380102 A1).
As to Claim 20, the obvious modification of Yao in view of Ostwald does not disclose:
further comprising a user interface on the coolant distribution unit for manual control and monitoring of cooling parameters.
However, Ahuja discloses:
further comprising a user interface (1902; Fig. 19) on the coolant distribution unit 1708 for manual control and monitoring of cooling parameters (Par. 0140 “The example user interface circuitry 1902 enables a user to interface with the CDU controller 1794 via an electronic device such as a PC, smartphone, display screen supported by the CDU housing, etc. In some examples, the user interface circuitry 1902 provides outputs (e.g., visual and/or audible, etc.) to the user. In some examples, the user interface circuitry 1902 receives inputs from a user”);
in order to allow a user to interface with the CDU and components within CDU (Par. 0140).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yao in view of Ostwald as further suggested by Ahuja e.g., providing:
further comprising a user interface on the coolant distribution unit for manual control and monitoring of cooling parameters;
in order to allow a user to interface with the CDU and components within CDU.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 MATTHEW S MUIR whose telephone number is (571)270-1329. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm.
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, Jayprakash 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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/MATTHEW SINCLAIR MUIR/ Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/Jayprakash N Gandhi/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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