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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
1. Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities:
a. Claim 10 last line change the double full stop to a single full stop i.e. change “..” to --.--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
2. In the event that 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 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) 1-2 & 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gao et al. US2018/0324976.
Per claim 1 Gao et al. teaches a combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system (500, see fig.5A) at least comprising a closed area (100, see fig.2 & 5A, “portion including 501, 502, 503, 505A,B & 506A,B”), a combined device group (501, 502 & 503, see fig.5A-5B), a circulating liquid-cooling system (203, 116; [0020], [0033], see fig.5A, “pipes shown in the figures”), and a plurality of air cooling devices (510 & 514), wherein the combined device group and the circulating liquid-cooling system are installed inside the closed area (see fig.5A), and the plurality of air cooling devices (514 & 510) are installed outside the closed area (101, see fig.2 & 5A); the combined device group comprises a first device group and a second device group (see fig.5A-5B), and a closed hot aisle (505B) is formed between the first device group and the second device group (see fig.5A & 5B); both the first device group and the second device group comprise a plurality of server cabinets (see fig.5A-5B); the circulating liquid-cooling system is connected to primary heating sources of the plurality of server cabinets to carry out liquid-cooling heat dissipation on the primary heating sources of the plurality of server cabinets ([0033]); and the plurality of air cooling devices are connected to an air outlet of an exhaust duct (532B) of the closed hot aisle to refrigerate hot air discharged from the closed hot aisle to carry out air-cooling heat dissipation on the plurality of server cabinets (see fig.5A; [0037] & [0040]).
Per claim 2 Gao et al. teaches the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system according to claim 1, wherein the circulating liquid-cooling system (203 & 116, see fig.2 & 5A) and the plurality of server cabinets (501, 502 & 503) positioned in the same device group are arranged side by side (see fig.5A).
Per claim 9 Gao et al. teaches the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the combined device groups are provided, and the plurality of combined device groups are arranged in the closed area in a linear array (see fig.5B).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. In the event that 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 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 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.
Claim(s) 3-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao et al. US2018/0324976 in view of Roy US8180495.
Per claim 3 Gao et al. teaches the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system according to claim 2,
Gao et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the first device group and the second device group are arranged in parallel at intervals; and a partition board is respectively provided between an end of the first device group and an end of the second device group, such that the closed hot aisle is formed between the first device group, the second device group, and the two partition boards.
Roy however discloses wherein a first device group (110c-1 - 110c-6, see fig.1B) and the second device group (110d-1 – 110d-6, see fig.1B) are arranged in parallel at intervals (see fig.1B); and a partition board (see fig.1B, “sides at ends of 210a,b,c”) is respectively provided between an end of the first device group and an end of the second device group (see fig.1B), such that the closed hot aisle is formed between the first device group, the second device group, and the two partition boards (see fig.1B; col.13, line 3-27, 34-40).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have a partition board between respective first and second group of devices as taught by Roy in the combined air-cooling and liquid cooling refrigeration system of Gao et al., because it creates an enclosed space for the heat to effectively dissipate and be cooled, thus ensuring proper ventilation of the heat from the first and second device groups.
Per claim 4 Gao et al. in view of Roy teaches the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system according to claim 3, wherein the circulating liquid-cooling system comprises at least a liquid inlet pipe (see fig.1 & 5A; [0020]-[0023]), a liquid outlet pipe (see fig.5A; [0042]), and a plurality of liquid-cooling shunts ([0029], “manifold”); the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe are connected to an external cooling device ([0020]-[0023], [0042], CDU) to refrigerate circulating liquids in the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe ([0042]); one end of each of the plurality of liquid-cooling shunts ([0042], “manifold”) is communicated with the liquid inlet pipe, and other end of each of the plurality of liquid-cooling shunts is communicated with the liquid outlet pipe ([0042]); and each of the plurality of liquid-cooling shunts is connected in series with one end of a heat transfer component, and other end of the heat transfer component comes into contact with the primary heating source of the server cabinet (see fig.1-7; [0020]-[0023]).
Per claim 5 Gao et al. in view of Roy teaches the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system according to claim 4, wherein the external cooling device comprises one or more of a cooling tower (150, see fig.5A), a dry cooler, and an evaporator.
Claim(s) 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao et al. US2018/0324976 in view of Roy US8180495 as applied to claim 4 above and further in view of Li et al. CN105258332.
Per claim 6 Gao et al. in view of Roy teaches the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system according to claim 4,
Gao et al. in view of Roy does not explicitly teach wherein the air cooling device is connected to a first solenoid valve, and the circulating liquid-cooling system is connected to a second solenoid valve to control the external cooling device to operate independently of the circulating liquid-cooling system.
Li et al. however discloses wherein the air cooling device is connected to a first solenoid valve ([0030]), and the circulating liquid-cooling system is connected to a second solenoid valve to control the external cooling device to operate independently of the circulating liquid-cooling system ([0010], [0029], [0030]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have a solenoid valve as taught by Li et al. in the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system of Gao et al. in view of Roy because it enables rapid actuation for precise, real-time temperature regulation to enhance energy efficiency through accurate flow control.
Per claim 7 Gao et al. in view of Roy and Li et al. teaches the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system according to claim 6, wherein the circulating liquid-cooling system (203, 116; [0020], [0033], see fig.5A, “pipes shown in the figures”) further comprises a heat exchanger ([0023]); and the external cooling device exchanges heat with the circulating liquids in the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe through the heat exchanger ([0023]).
Per claim 8 Gao et al. in view of Roy and Li teaches the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system according to claim 7, wherein the heat exchanger is provided at one end of the first device group and one end of the second device group; and an array cabinet is provided at other end of the first device group and other end of the second device group (see fig.3-4).
Claim(s) 10-14 & 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Roy US8180495 in view of Gao et al. US2018/0324976.
Per claim 10 Roy 495 teaches a data center (see fig.1B) comprising at least a plurality of device rooms (see fig.1C), the combined device group comprises a first device group (110c-1 - 110c-6, see fig.1B) and a second device group (110d-1 – 110d-6, see fig.1B).
Roy does not explicitly teach wherein each of the plurality of device rooms is provided with a combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system, the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system at least comprising a closed area, a combined device group, a circulating liquid-cooling system, and a plurality of air cooling devices, wherein the combined device group and the circulating liquid-cooling system are installed inside the closed area, and the plurality of air cooling devices are installed outside the closed area, and a closed hot aisle is formed between the first device group and the second device group; both the first device group and the second device group comprise a plurality of server cabinets; the circulating liquid-cooling system is connected to primary heating sources of the plurality of server cabinets to carry out liquid-cooling heat dissipation on the primary heating sources of the plurality of server cabinets; and the plurality of air cooling devices are connected to an air outlet of an exhaust duct of the closed hot aisle to refrigerate hot air discharged from the closed hot aisle to carry out air-cooling heat dissipation on the plurality of server cabinets..
Gao et al. however discloses wherein each of a combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system (500, see fig.5A), the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system at least comprising a closed area (100, see fig.2 & 5A, “portion including 501, 502, 503, 505A,B & 506A,B”), a combined device group (501, 502 & 503, see fig.5A-5B), a circulating liquid-cooling system (203, 116; [0020], [0033], see fig.5A, “pipes shown in the figures”), and a plurality of air cooling devices (510 & 514), wherein the combined device group and the circulating liquid-cooling system are installed inside the closed area (see fig.5A), and the plurality of air cooling devices (514 & 510) are installed outside the closed area (101, see fig.2 & 5A), and a closed hot aisle (505B) is formed between the first device group and the second device group (see fig.5A & 5B); both the first device group and the second device group comprise a plurality of server cabinets (see fig.5A & 5B); the circulating liquid-cooling system is connected to primary heating sources of the plurality of server cabinets to carry out liquid-cooling heat dissipation on the primary heating sources of the plurality of server cabinets ([0033]); and the plurality of air cooling devices are connected to an air outlet of an exhaust duct (532B) of the closed hot aisle to refrigerate hot air discharged from the closed hot aisle to carry out air-cooling heat dissipation on the plurality of server cabinets (see fig.5A; [0037] & [0040])..
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have a circulating liquid-cooling system as taught by Gao et al. in the data center of Roy, because it enables effective cooling of the servers in the rooms of the data center, thus ensuring proper functioning of the servers in the data center.
Per claim 11 Roy in view of Gao et al. teaches the data center according to claim 10, wherein the circulating liquid-cooling system (203, 116; [0020], [0033], see fig.5A, “pipes shown in the figures”) and the plurality of server cabinets (501, 502 & 503) positioned in the same device group are arranged side by side (see fig.5A).
Per claim 12 Roy in view of Gao et al. teaches the data center according to claim 11, wherein the first device group (110c-1 - 110c-6, see fig.1B) and the second device group (110d-1 – 110d-6, see fig.1B) are arranged in parallel at intervals (see fig.1B); and a partition board (see fig.1B, “sides at ends of 210a,b,c”) is respectively provided between an end of the first device group and an end of the second device group (see fig.1B), such that the closed hot aisle is formed between the first device group, the second device group, and the two partition boards (see fig.1B; col.13, line 3-27, 34-40).
Per claim 13 Roy in view of Gao et al. teaches the data center according to claim 12, wherein the circulating liquid-cooling system comprises at least a liquid inlet pipe (see fig.1 & 5A; [0020]-[0023]), a liquid outlet pipe (see fig.5A; [0042]), and a plurality of liquid-cooling shunts ([0029], “manifold”); the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe are connected to an external cooling device ([0020]-[0023], [0042], CDU) to refrigerate circulating liquids in the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe ([0042]); one end of each of the plurality of liquid-cooling shunts ([0042], “manifold”) is communicated with the liquid inlet pipe, and other end of each of the plurality of liquid-cooling shunts is communicated with the liquid outlet pipe ([0042]); and each of the plurality of liquid-cooling shunts is connected in series with one end of a heat transfer component, and other end of the heat transfer component comes into contact with the primary heating source of the server cabinet (see fig.1-7; [0020]-[0023]).
Per claim 14 Roy in view of Gao et al. teaches the data center according to claim 13, wherein the external cooling device comprises one or more of a cooling tower (150, see fig.5A), a dry cooler, and an evaporator.
Per claim 18 Roy in view of Gao et al. teaches the data center according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of the combined device groups are provided, and the plurality of combined device groups are arranged in the closed area in a linear array (see fig.5B).
Claim(s) 15-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Roy US8180495 in view of Gao et al. US2018/0324976 as applied to claim 4 above and further in view of Li et al. CN105258332.
Per claim 15 Roy in view of Gao et al. teaches the data center according to claim 13,
Roy in view of Gao et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the air cooling device is connected to a first solenoid valve, and the circulating liquid-cooling system is connected to a second solenoid valve to control the external cooling device to operate independently of the circulating liquid-cooling system.
Li et al. however discloses wherein the air cooling device is connected to a first solenoid valve ([0030]), and the circulating liquid-cooling system is connected to a second solenoid valve to control the external cooling device to operate independently of the circulating liquid-cooling system ([0010], [0029], [0030]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have a solenoid valve as taught by Li et al. in the combined air-cooling and liquid-cooling refrigeration system of Roy in view of Gao et al. because it enables rapid actuation for precise, real-time temperature regulation to enhance energy efficiency through accurate flow control.
Per claim 16 Gao et al. in view of Roy and Li et al. teaches the data center according to claim 15, wherein the circulating liquid-cooling system (203, 116; [0020], [0033], see fig.5A, “pipes shown in the figures”) further comprises a heat exchanger ([0023]); and the external cooling device exchanges heat with the circulating liquids in the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe through the heat exchanger ([0023]).
Per claim 17 Gao et al. in view of Roy and Li et al. teaches the data center according to claim 16, wherein the heat exchanger is provided at one end of the first device group and one end of the second device group; and an array cabinet is provided at other end of the first device group and other end of the second device group (see fig.3-4).
Email Communication
4. Applicant is encouraged to authorize the Examiner to communicate via email by filing form PTO/SB/439 either via USPS, Central Fax, or EFS-Web. See MPEP 502.01, 502, 502.05.
Conclusion
5. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hwang US2016/0157389 discloses a container data center comprising: a container comprising a first sidewall defining a plurality of air inlets, a second sidewall defining a plurality of air outlets, and a plurality of shielding plates rotatably coupled to sides of the air outlets.
Nguyen US2018/0066859 discloses an air curtain containment system for data centers, the air curtain containment system comprising: one or more ducts comprising: a hot air intake section configured to receive hot air discharged from one or more servers, wherein the one or more servers are disposed in server cabinets.
Applicants are directed to consider additional pertinent prior are included on the Notice of References Cited (PTOL 892) attached herewith. The Examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record within the body of this action for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply. Applicant, in preparing the response, should consider fully the entire reference as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL A MATEY whose telephone number is (571)270-5648. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8-5 EST.
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 5712723740. 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.
/MICHAEL A MATEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835