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 § 103
1. 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 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 of this title, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 and 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KODAMA (English Translated Japanese Publication No.: 2022158432 A), hereinafter referred to as KODAMA ‘432, in view of MIDORIKAWA (English Translated Japanese Publication No.: 2001050624 A), hereinafter referred to as MIDORIKAWA ‘624.
Regarding claim 1, KODAMA ‘432 discloses a cooling system (1A) comprising a circulation path (10A) for circulating a non-aqueous insulating coolant, and a coolant storage unit (14) in the circulation path and storing the insulating coolant, wherein the insulating coolant has a smaller specific gravity than water, the coolant storage unit contains a water removing portion (23) {as shown in Fig. 3: ¶¶ [0032-0036]}.
However, KODAMA ‘432 fails to explicitly disclose the limitation of the water removing portion is fixed to the coolant storage unit so that at least part of an upper surface of the water removing portion directly contacts the insulating coolant, at least part of the water removing portion is fixed to a bottom surface of the coolant storage unit, and the water removing portion does not block either of an inlet and out for the insulating coolant within the coolant stoae unit.
MIDORIKAWA ‘624 teaches: the concept of the water removing portion (24) being fixed (28) to the coolant storage unit (22) in such a manner that at least part of an upper surface of the water removing portion directly contacts the insulating coolant {as shown in Fig.3A: ¶¶ [0002], [0004] and [0006]}, at least part of the water removing portion is fixed to a bottom surface of the coolant storage unit, and the water removing portion does not block either of an inlet (22B) and out (22A) for the insulating coolant within the coolant stoae unit {as shown in Fig. 3A: ¶ [0006], [0008] and [0011]}.
Since all claimed elements were known in the art at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify KODAMA ‘432 water removing portion by the water removing portion of MIDORIKAWA ‘624 so as to enable the water removing portion being fixed to the coolant storage unit in such a manner that at least part of an upper surface of the water removing portion directly contacts the insulating coolant, at least part of the water removing portion is fixed to a bottom surface of the coolant storage unit, and the water removing portion does not block either of an inlet and out for the insulating coolant within the coolant stoae unit, in order to facilitate increase efficiency of moisture removal {MIDORIKAWA ‘624 – ¶ [0006]}.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the KODAMA ‘432 in view of MIDORIKAWA ‘624 to obtain the invention as specified in claim 1.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of KODAMA ‘432 and MIDORIKAWA ‘624 disclose and teach the cooling system according to claim 1, KODAMA ‘432 discloses wherein the water removing portion contains a porous zeolite or a water-absorbing resin to absorb water {see ¶ [0037]}.
Regarding claim 4, the combination of KODAMA ‘432 and MIDORIKAWA ‘624 disclose and teach the cooling system according to claim 1, KODAMA ‘432 discloses wherein the water removing portion contains a water-absorbing resin to absorb water and the water-absorbing resin is at least one selected from the group consisting of: a crosslinked partially neutralized polyacrylic acid, a neutralized starch-acrylic acid graft polymer, a hydrolyzed starch-acrylonitrile graft polymer, a saponified vinyl acetate-acrylic acid ester copolymer, a crosslinked isobutylene-maleic anhydride copolymer, a hydrolyzed acrylonitrile copolymer, a hydrolyzed acrylamide copolymer, a crosslinked hydrolyzed acrylonitrile copolymer, a crosslinked hydrolyzed acrylamide copolymer, a crosslinked acrylate-acrylamide copolymer, a crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol, a crosslinked modified polyethylene oxide, a crosslinked acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonate copolymer, a crosslinked (meth) acryloylalkanesulfonate copolymer, a crosslinked carboxymethylcellulose salt, and a crosslinked polymer of cationic monomers {see ¶ [0037]}.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of KODAMA ‘432 and MIDORIKAWA ‘624 disclose and teach the cooling system according to claim 4, KODAMA ‘432 discloses wherein the water-absorbing resin is a crosslinked partially neutralized polyacrylic acid or a neutralized starch-acrylic acid graft polymer {see ¶ [0037]}.
Response to Arguments
2. Applicant's arguments filed November 25, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. On page 4, last paragraph, regarding claim 1; Applicant argues that in both the embodiment in Fig. 3A and the embodiment in Fig. 3B, the water removing filter 24 of Midorikawa ‘624 blocks one of the inlets and the outlet.” Assuming, in arguendo, that the Applicant assertion is true, the instant application does not claim these limitations of the inlets and the outlet not been blocked. The instant application merely recites “wherein at least part of the water removing portion is fixed to a bottom surface of the coolant storage unit. There is no assertion that “the water removing portion does not block either of an inlet and outlet in either claim 1 or claim 2 as filed on April, 18, 2024. Thus, Midorikawa ‘624 satisfies all of the structural limitations of the claims as was recited in the claims filing of April 18, 2024, and the rejections are proper and remain. Further, contrary to Applicant argument with regard to claim 2, that “The rejection does not specify that this is in reference to Midorikawa ‘624”; Examiner respectfully submit herewith the exact citation for the rejection of claim 2; “Regarding claim 2, the combination of KODAMA ‘432 and MIDORIKAWA ‘624 disclose and teach the cooling system according to claim 1, KODAMA ‘432 as modified by MIDORIKAWA ‘624, further teach the limitations of wherein at least part of the water removing portion is fixed to a bottom surface (29) of the coolant storage unit {as shown in Fig. 3A: ¶ [0006], [0008] and [0011]}. Thus, a disclosure that Fig. 3A is of MIDORIKAWA ‘624 cited reference.
Conclusion
3. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new grounds 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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EMMANUEL E DUKE whose telephone number is (571)270-5290. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday thru Friday; 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FRANTZ JULES can be reached on (571)272-6681. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/EMMANUEL E DUKE/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
02/11/2026