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 .
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.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 1, “the system” should be “the data center cooling system”
Claim 1, line 13, “cooler” should be “cooler,”
Claims 2-7, lines 1 of each, “The system” should be “
Claim 2, line 10, “secondary cooling” should be “secondary cooling” having antecedence in Claim 1, line 12;
Claim 2, line 11, “one side of” should “with”;
Claim 3, line 5, “refrigerant vapor” should be “a refrigerant vapor”; and
Claim 3, line 7, “one side of” should “with”;
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4, line 2, “the cooling water” lacks antecedent basis. Even though Claim 1, line requires “circulating water”, the Examiner believes that the circulating water used for primary cooling and additional for secondary cooling is a different “water” than used in the condenser of portion of the refrigerant circulation.
Claim 4, line 4, “the refrigerant vapor” lacks antecedent basis. Should claim 4 be dependent on claim 3?
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3 and 5-10 are objected to (see claim objections, above), but would be allowable if corrected.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claim 1, 8, and 10 and all claims dependent thereof are allowable over the art of record because the prior art does not teach or suggest that a first plate cooler being connected to a data center through a first branch, the first plate cooler being configured to carry out primary cooling on circulating water in the data center, a mechanical refrigerating device being [selectively] connected to the first plate cooler through a second branch, the mechanical refrigerating device being connected to the data center, and the mechanical refrigerating device being configured to carry out secondary cooling on the circulating water; a cooling tower configured to form a cooling water circulation with the first plate cooler and [the cooling tower further configured] to form a refrigerant circulation with the mechanical refrigerating device; a first solenoid valve arranged on the first branch, the first solenoid being configured to control to open or close the first branch based on a detection result of a psychrometer arranged in the data center; and a second solenoid valve arranged on the second branch, the second solenoid being configured to control to open or close the second branch based on the detection result of the psychrometer. The aforementioned limitations in combination with all remaining limitations of the respective claims are believed to render said claims 1, 8, and 10, and all claims dependent thereof patentable over art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 12,484,194 discloses a refrigeration circuit 14 having a condenser 28, and a cooling water circulation 16 having a first plate cooler 20 that operate individually or simultaneously.
US 2025/0383131 (fig. 4) discloses a free cooling mode that bypasses the refrigeration portion.
US 2013/0205822 (fig. 40) discloses a free cooling (22,26) in combination with a refrigerating device (8).
US 8,117,859 (fig. 1) and 8,261,561 (fig. 1) disclose a valve (36-1) to allow fluid to bypass a pump (24) and another valve (36-3) to bypass a compressor (30).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT J HOFFBERG whose telephone number is (571) 272-2761. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon - Fri 9 AM - 5 PM.
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RJH 6/26/2026
/ROBERT J HOFFBERG/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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