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
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.
Claims 1-4, 6, 7, 9, 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Le (US 2019/0223324).
Re claim 1: Le discloses An immersion cooling system (100 in fig. 1(a)) for cooling one or more electronic devices (105 in fig. 1(a)), each of the one or more electronic devices comprising one or more heat-generating components (para. 0057),
the cooling system comprising:
a first container (103 in fig. 1(a); para. 0056) adapted for receiving a first heat-transfer liquid (123 in fig. 1(a)), the one or more electronic devices being, at least in part, immersed in the first heat-transfer liquid (fig. 1(a)) such that the first heat-transfer liquid collects, in use, at least a portion of a thermal energy generated by the one or more heat-generating components (123 absorbs heat from 105 in fig. 1(a)); and
a second container (101 in fig. 1(a)) adapted for receiving a second heat-transfer liquid (121 in fig. 1(a)), the first container being, at least in part, immersed in the second container (fig. 1(a)).Re claim 2: Le discloses further comprising: a main liquid inlet (115 in fig. 1(a)); a main liquid outlet (114 in fig. 1(a)); and wherein the second container comprises: a container inlet (113 in fig. 1(a); para. 0054) fluidly connected to the main liquid inlet for receiving the second heat-transfer liquid therefrom (113 connects to 115 for receiving 121 in fig. 1(a)); and
a container outlet (112 in fig. 1(a); para. 0054) fluidly connected to the main liquid outlet for returning the second heat-transfer liquid thereto (112 connects to 114 for returning 121 in fig. 1(a)).Re claim 3:
Le discloses further comprising a pump (133 in fig. 1(a)) configured to cause a circulation of the second heat-transfer liquid from the main liquid inlet to the main liquid outlet (fig. 1(a)).Re claim 4: Le discloses further comprising: at least one liquid cooling unit (103 and all the components on it and inside it in fig. 1(a)), each liquid cooling unit being in thermal contact with a corresponding one of the one or more heat-generating components (105 in fig. 1(a)) and comprising: a liquid inlet (inlet of 132 in fig. 1(a)) fluidly connected to the main liquid inlet for receiving a flow of the second heat-transfer liquid therefrom (fig. 1(a)); a liquid outlet (outlet of 132 in fig. 1(a)) fluidly connected to the container inlet for returning the flow of the second heat-transfer liquid thereto (fig. 1(a)); and an internal liquid conduit extending between the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet (conduit that 121 flows through in fig. 1(a)), the flow of the second heat-transfer liquid channelized in the internal liquid conduit collecting another portion of the thermal energy from the corresponding heat-generating component (fig. 1(a)).Re claim 6: Le discloses further comprising:
at least one liquid cooling unit (103 and all the components on it and inside it in fig. 1(a)), each liquid cooling unit being in thermal contact with a corresponding one of the one or more heat-generating components (105 in fig. 1(a)) and comprising: a liquid inlet (inlet of 132 in fig. 1(a)) fluidly connected to the container outlet for receiving the second heat-transfer liquid therefrom (fig. 1(a)); a liquid outlet (outlet of 132 in fig. 1(a)) fluidly connected to the main liquid outlet for returning the second heat-transfer liquid thereto (fig. 1(a)); and an internal liquid conduit extending between the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet (conduit that 121 flows through in fig. 1(a)), the second heat-transfer liquid flowing in the internal liquid conduit collecting thermal energy from the corresponding heat-generating component (fig. 1(a)).Re claim 7: Le discloses wherein the one or more electronic devices comprise a plurality of electronic devices (105’s in para. 0057), the one or more heat-generating components of the plurality of electronic devices being fluidly connected in parallel to one another (fig. 1(a); para. 0057).Re claim 9: Le discloses wherein the one or more electronic devices comprise a plurality of electronic devices (105’s in para. 0057), the one or more heat-generating components of the plurality of electronic devices being fluidly connected in series to one another (fig. 1(a); para. 0057).Re claim 14: Le discloses wherein the first container defines at least one recess through which the second heat-transfer liquid circulates (recess of 132 allows 121 to circulate once its removed in fig. 1(a)).
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 5, 8, 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Le (US 2019/0223324).Re claim 5: Le does not explicitly disclose wherein the cooling system is configured to operate with a temperature of the second heat-transfer liquid at the main liquid inlet between 30°C and 55°C. However, it would obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the immersion cooling system of Le wherein the cooling system is configured to operate with a temperature of the second heat-transfer liquid at the main liquid inlet between 30°C and 55°C, in order for it to not malfunction when the second heat transfer liquid is carrying away a lot of heat, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.Re claim 8: Le does not explicitly disclose wherein the cooling system is configured to provide a temperature of the second heat-transfer liquid at the container inlet between 30°C and 55°C. However, it would obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the immersion cooling system of Le wherein the cooling system is configured to provide a temperature of the second heat-transfer liquid at the container inlet between 30°C and 55°C, in order for it to not malfunction when the second heat transfer liquid is carrying away a lot of heat, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.Re claim 10: Le does not explicitly discloses wherein the cooling system is configured to provide a temperature of the second heat-transfer liquid at the container inlet between 25°C and 30°C. However, it would obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the immersion cooling system of Le wherein the cooling system is configured to provide a temperature of the second heat-transfer liquid at the container inlet between 25°C and 30°C, in order for it to not malfunction when the second heat transfer liquid isn’t carrying away a lot of heat, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Le (US 2019/0223324) in view of Suzuki (US 2011/0049976).Re claim 15: Le does not explicitly disclose wherein at least one of the first heat-transfer liquid and the second heat-transfer liquid includes a Phase Change Material (PCM). Suzuki discloses wherein at least one of the first heat-transfer liquid and the second heat-transfer liquid includes a Phase Change Material (PCM) (fig. 1; para. 0033). Thus it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the immersion cooling system of Le wherein at least one of the first heat-transfer liquid and the second heat-transfer liquid includes a Phase Change Material (PCM) as taught Suzuki, in order to be able to dissipate more heat from the electronic devices to prevent them from malfunctioning.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for allowance: the limitations of claim 11
(further comprising a first heat-exchanger configured to: receive the second heat-transfer liquid from the main liquid outlet, expel thermal energy from the second heat-transfer liquid, and return the second heat-transfer liquid to the main liquid inlet) in combination with the rest of the limitations of claims 1, 2 are believed to render the combined subject matter allowable over the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 3,200,881 – is considered pertinent because this reference describes a container within another container.
US 2014/0218859 – is considered pertinent because this reference describes servers immersed in an enclosure.
US 2016/0143191 – is considered pertinent because this reference describes electronic devices immersed in a fluid-tight sealed enclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHENGFU J FENG whose telephone number is (571)272-2949. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 900am-530pm EST.
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/ZHENGFU J FENG/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835 January 24, 2026