DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-9 and 19-20 (filed 07/07/2026) have been considered in this action. Claims 1-9 and 19-20 are filed in the same format as originally filed. Claims 10-18 have been canceled.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-9 and 19-20, in the reply filed on 07/07/2026 is acknowledged.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: THERMAL MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL SYSTEM USING FIRST THERMOELECTRIC ELEMENT FOR HEATING AND SECOND THERMOELECTRIC ELEMENT FOR COOLING.
Claim Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities:
A missing word such as ‘configured’ is not present between the terms “further” and “to” such that the current phrasing “wherein the system is further to apply…” does not make grammatical sense, and for the sake of compact prosecution shall be interpreted to state “further configured to apply”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ghosal et al. (US 20210285698, hereinafter Ghosal).
In regards to Claim 1, Ghosal teaches “A method comprising: with a control system, controlling a first thermoelectric component of a heating system in thermal connection with an enclosure defined by a housing, the first thermoelectric component being positioned external to the housing to provide heat to a device within the enclosure;” (Fig. 8 and [0046] A control circuit 790 may be disposed adjacent to the chamber 730 to measure the temperature within and provide control feedback to the thermoelectric converter 740, such that the thermoelectric converter 740 is cycled on and off to maintain a controlled temperature within the chamber 730 [0047] FIG. 8 shows a diagram of a dual temperature portable thermoelectric container 800 that includes a thermally insulated housing 710 and an interior container 720 that forms a chamber 730......As shown, the cold side 770 is in communication with the interior container 720, the hot side 780 is in contact with the ambient environment, the cold side 870 is in thermal communication with the ambient environment, and the hot side 880 is in thermal communication with the interior container 720. In this configuration, the thermoelectric converter 740 may operate to cool the chamber 730 or maintain the chamber 730 at a temperature below the ambient environment while the thermoelectric converter 840 is off, or the thermoelectric converter 840 to heat the chamber 730 may operate to maintain the chamber 730 at a temperature above the ambient environment while the thermoelectric converter 740 is off) “with the control system, controlling a second thermoelectric component of a cooling system in thermal connection with the enclosure, the second thermoelectric component being positioned within the housing to provide cooling to the device” (Fig. 8 and [0047] The power supplies 750, 850 can provide power to different thermoelectric converters 740, 840, respectively, or the power supply 750 may supply power to multiple thermoelectric converters 740, 850 (not shown). As shown, the cold side 770 is in communication with the interior container 720, the hot side 780 is in contact with the ambient environment, the cold side 870 is in thermal communication with the ambient environment, and the hot side 880 is in thermal communication with the interior container 720. In this configuration, the thermoelectric converter 740 may operate to cool the chamber 730 or maintain the chamber 730 at a temperature below the ambient environment while the thermoelectric converter 840 is off, or the thermoelectric converter 840 to heat the chamber 730 may operate to maintain the chamber 730 at a temperature above the ambient environment while the thermoelectric converter 740 is off. A control circuit 890 may be disposed adjacent to the chamber 730 to measure the temperature within and provide control feedback to the thermoelectric converter 840, such that the thermoelectric converter 840 is cycled on and off to maintain a controlled temperature within the chamber 730).
In regards to Claim 2, Ghosal further teaches “The method of claim 1, further comprising, with the control system, applying both heating and cooling to maintain the device at a target temperature” ([0046] A control circuit 790 may be disposed adjacent to the chamber 730 to measure the temperature within and provide control feedback to the thermoelectric converter 740, such that the thermoelectric converter 740 is cycled on and off to maintain a controlled temperature within the chamber 730. In some embodiments, a PCM material may be disposed in the interior container 720 or in the housing 710 adjacent to the chamber 710. The control circuit 790 may include a temperature sensor, such as a thermocouple or thermistor, to provide electrical feedback proportional to the temperature inside the chamber 730. The control circuit 790 may use digital pulse width modulation, analog PID loops, or other suitable temperature regulation control as would be understood by a person of skill in the art....A control circuit 890 may be disposed adjacent to the chamber 730 to measure the temperature within and provide control feedback to the thermoelectric converter 840, such that the thermoelectric converter 840 is cycled on and off to maintain a controlled temperature within the chamber 730; wherein the controlled temperature is a target temperature).
In regards to Claim 3, Ghosal further teaches “The method of claim 1, further comprising, with the control system, applying both heating and cooling to maintain the device within a desired temperature range” ([0047] In some embodiments, the control circuits 790, 890 may communicate to provide a temperature deadband or other means to prevent continuous cycling of the thermoelectric converters 740, 840; wherein a temperature deadband is a desired temperature range).
In regards to Claim 4, Ghosal further teaches “The method of claim 1, further comprising, applying heating and cooling at varying rates to keep the temperature of the device within a desired temperature range” ([0046] The control circuit 790 may include a temperature sensor, such as a thermocouple or thermistor, to provide electrical feedback proportional to the temperature inside the chamber 730. The control circuit 790 may use digital pulse width modulation, analog PID loops, or other suitable temperature regulation control as would be understood by a person of skill in the art.... In some embodiments, the control circuits 790, 890 may communicate to provide a temperature deadband or other means to prevent continuous cycling of the thermoelectric converters 740, 840; wherein digital pulse width modulation is a form of control that applies varying rates on the basis of a duty cycle (i.e. rate of on and off in a cycle)).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 5, 7-9 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ghosal et al. (US 20210285698, hereinafter Ghosal), in view of Gao (US 20220312646, hereinafter Gao).
In regards to Claim 5, Ghosal teaches the method of controlling a pair of thermoelectric components as incorporated by claim 1 above.
Ghosal fails to teach “The method of claim 1, further comprising, maintaining a model defining an estimated thermal load of the device”.
Gao teaches “The method of claim 1, further comprising, maintaining a model defining an estimated thermal load of the device” ([0035] In one embodiment, the TEC element 1 may be designed to handle different power ranges based on the thermal management system's needs. For instance, the TEC element may be designed to draw and dissipate a low heat load, or may be designed to dissipate high heat loads. In one embodiment, the TEC element may be associated with a coefficient of performance (COP), where COP is equal to a removed heat load from the IT component (e.g., Q.sub.0) divided by the input power of the TEC element. Thus, as COP grows, less input power is need to drive the TEC element to remove a same amount of heat generated by the IT component. In one embodiment, optimal power distribution of the thermal management system may be based on a maximum COP of the TEC element, such that minimal input power is necessary to cool the system. [0040] Specifically, for the IT component to perform in high-power conditions (e.g., times at which a significant amount of load current is required to perform computational operations), the IT component may require a maximum amount of input power from the power source 21. When drawing high power, however, the core temperature of the IT component increases. This results in the input power of the IT component, P.sub.component, (e.g., drawn from the power source) being a combination of power leakage, P.sub.leak, of the component, which increases due to the increase in core temperature, and computing power, P.sub.compute, which is power used by the IT component to perform the necessary computational operations. Thus, P.sub.component=P.sub.leak+P.sub.compute. The controller is configured to determine a temperature threshold (or temperature range) at which the TEC element may cool the IT component while operating in high-power conditions that enables the component to maximize P.sub.compute and minimizing (or eliminating) P.sub.leak, while also minimizing P.sub.TEC. With cooling the IT component to the temperature threshold, the IT component draws less power from the power source, due to at least the elimination of P.sub.leak (e.g., at the optimal temperature P.sub.component=P.sub.compute). As a result, the IT component may be able to perform the same operations under lesser power conditions, since the majority of the power drawn by the IT component is used to perform computations).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have modified the method for providing a controller for controller a first and second thermoelectrical component for respectively heating and cooling an enclosure as taught by Ghosal, with the use of a model for a device being heated or cooled with a thermoelectrical component in which the power/load associated with the IT component is modeled for determining how much power is required based on the performed workload being computed as taught by Gao, because it would gain the stated benefit, namely performing temperature control of the IT equipment with a temperature range using the thermoelectric component while minimizing the amount of leakage current from the thermoelectric component. By combining these elements, it can be considered taking the known use of a modeled load for a device being heated and cooled by a thermoelectric component, and using it to improve the thermoelectric control device of Ghosal in a known way that achieves predictable results.
In regards to Claim 7, the combination of Ghosal and Gao teaches the method of controlling thermoelectric components as incorporated by claim 5 above. Gao further teaches “The method of claim 5, wherein the model takes into account configurations and operating conditions of the device” ([0021] In one embodiment, determining whether the first and second input powers are to be adjusted comprises: determining a temperature threshold at which the IT component is to operate while performing the set of operations by using the first input power to perform a table lookup into a data structure that associates input power values with temperature thresholds; and determining whether the temperature reading exceeds the determined temperature threshold that is associated with the first input power. In another embodiment, determining the first input power drawn from the power source by the active IT component comprises determining a computing workload of the IT component that includes the set of operations that are to be performed by the IT component, wherein the first input power is determined according to the computing workload. [0038] the load sensor may be configured to determine an input power of the IT component by sensing the computing workload of the IT component that includes a set of operations (e.g., functions or tasks) that are to be (or are being) performed by the IT component. For example, the load sensor may determine the computing workload from the controller 28, which may indicate the IT component's performance (e.g., the clock speed of the IT component). From the determined computing workload, the load sensor may determine the input power of the IT component that will be required to perform the operations (e.g., by performing a table lookup using the computing workload into a data structure that associates workloads with power requirements)).
In regards to Claim 8, the combination of Ghosal and Gao teaches the method of controlling thermoelectric components as incorporated by claim 5 above. Gao further teaches “The method of claim 5, wherein the model takes into account configurations and operating conditions of a communication system of which the device is a part” ([0014] The system determines a temperature reading of the IT component and determines a computing workload of the IT component. For example, the system may include a load detector that senses a load current supplied to the IT component from a power source. From the workload and the temperature reading, the system determines an optimal operational temperature (or temperature threshold) at which power is optimally distributed between the IT component and the TEC element, while maximizing the computing power efficiency of the IT component by minimizing (or eliminating) power leakage; wherein when the device is an IT equipment, it is part of a communications system [0033] In one embodiment, the piece of IT equipment 24 may be any element (such as a PCB) that is arranged to hold one or more IT components 25 and/or any type of electrical component, such as a controller. In another embodiment, the IT component may be any electrical component (e.g., a processor, etc.) that is designed to perform data processing tasks (or computing operations). More about the IT component and piece of IT equipment is describe herein. [0068] IT equipment 503 may include a host server (referred to as a host node) coupled to one or more compute servers (also referred to as computing nodes, such as CPU server and GPU server). The host server (having one or more CPUs) typically interfaces with clients over a network (e.g., Internet) to receive a request for a particular service such as storage services (e.g., cloud-based storage services such as backup and/or restoration), executing an application to perform certain operations (e.g., image processing, deep data learning algorithms or modeling, etc., as a part of a software-as-a-service or SaaS platform). In response to the request, the host server distributes the tasks to one or more of the performance computing nodes or compute servers (having one or more GPUs) managed by the host server. The performance compute servers perform the actual tasks, which may generate heat during the operations).
In regards to Claim 9, Ghosal teaches the method of controlling thermoelectric components as incorporated by claim 1 above. Ghosal further teaches “The method of claim 1, further comprising, with the control system, applying both heating and cooling to maintain the device within a desired temperature range based on input of a measured parameter from the device” ([0047] The power supplies 750, 850 can provide power to different thermoelectric converters 740, 840, respectively, or the power supply 750 may supply power to multiple thermoelectric converters 740, 850 (not shown). As shown, the cold side 770 is in communication with the interior container 720, the hot side 780 is in contact with the ambient environment, the cold side 870 is in thermal communication with the ambient environment, and the hot side 880 is in thermal communication with the interior container 720. In this configuration, the thermoelectric converter 740 may operate to cool the chamber 730 or maintain the chamber 730 at a temperature below the ambient environment while the thermoelectric converter 840 is off, or the thermoelectric converter 840 to heat the chamber 730 may operate to maintain the chamber 730 at a temperature above the ambient environment while the thermoelectric converter 740 is off. A control circuit 890 may be disposed adjacent to the chamber 730 to measure the temperature within and provide control feedback to the thermoelectric converter 840, such that the thermoelectric converter 840 is cycled on and off to maintain a controlled temperature within the chamber 730... In some embodiments, the control circuits 790, 890 may communicate to provide a temperature deadband or other means to prevent continuous cycling of the thermoelectric converters 740, 840).
Ghosal fails to teach “wherein the measured parameter includes at least one of a computational load of the device, an operating frequency of the device, and a wavelength of a laser associated with the device” ([0014] The system determines a temperature reading of the IT component and determines a computing workload of the IT component. For example, the system may include a load detector that senses a load current supplied to the IT component from a power source. From the workload and the temperature reading, the system determines an optimal operational temperature (or temperature threshold) at which power is optimally distributed between the IT component and the TEC element, while maximizing the computing power efficiency of the IT component by minimizing (or eliminating) power leakage; [0038] the load sensor may be configured to determine an input power of the IT component by sensing the computing workload of the IT component that includes a set of operations (e.g., functions or tasks) that are to be (or are being) performed by the IT component. For example, the load sensor may determine the computing workload from the controller 28, which may indicate the IT component's performance (e.g., the clock speed of the IT component). From the determined computing workload, the load sensor may determine the input power of the IT component that will be required to perform the operations (e.g., by performing a table lookup using the computing workload into a data structure that associates workloads with power requirements).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have modified the system that applies heating and cooling to an enclosure to maintain a desired temperature deadband using a measured temperature as taught by Ghosal, to include the use of measured computing load for determining how much energy needs to be applied to maintain a processor at a desired temperature range when executing that particular compute load as taught by Gao, because it would gain the stated benefit of Gao, namely optimization of computing power and thermoelectric component power such that energy is not wasted ([0038]). By combining these elements, it can be considered taking the known use of a measured computing workload for estimating how much energy would be required to heat or cool that computing workload, and using it to improve the thermoelectric control method of Ghosal by incorporating those features into Ghosal in a known way that achieves predictable results.
In regards to Claim 19, Ghosal teaches “…control a first thermoelectric component of a heating system in thermal connection with an enclosure defined by a housing, the first thermoelectric component being positioned external to the housing to provide heat to a device within the enclosure” ([0046] A control circuit 790 may be disposed adjacent to the chamber 730 to measure the temperature within and provide control feedback to the thermoelectric converter 740, such that the thermoelectric converter 740 is cycled on and off to maintain a controlled temperature within the chamber 730 [0047] FIG. 8 shows a diagram of a dual temperature portable thermoelectric container 800 that includes a thermally insulated housing 710 and an interior container 720 that forms a chamber 730......As shown, the cold side 770 is in communication with the interior container 720, the hot side 780 is in contact with the ambient environment, the cold side 870 is in thermal communication with the ambient environment, and the hot side 880 is in thermal communication with the interior container 720. In this configuration, the thermoelectric converter 740 may operate to cool the chamber 730 or maintain the chamber 730 at a temperature below the ambient environment while the thermoelectric converter 840 is off, or the thermoelectric converter 840 to heat the chamber 730 may operate to maintain the chamber 730 at a temperature above the ambient environment while the thermoelectric converter 740 is off) “control a second thermoelectric component of a cooling system in thermal connection with the enclosure, the second thermoelectric component being positioned within the housing to provide cooling to the device.” ([0047] The power supplies 750, 850 can provide power to different thermoelectric converters 740, 840, respectively, or the power supply 750 may supply power to multiple thermoelectric converters 740, 850 (not shown). As shown, the cold side 770 is in communication with the interior container 720, the hot side 780 is in contact with the ambient environment, the cold side 870 is in thermal communication with the ambient environment, and the hot side 880 is in thermal communication with the interior container 720. In this configuration, the thermoelectric converter 740 may operate to cool the chamber 730 or maintain the chamber 730 at a temperature below the ambient environment while the thermoelectric converter 840 is off, or the thermoelectric converter 840 to heat the chamber 730 may operate to maintain the chamber 730 at a temperature above the ambient environment while the thermoelectric converter 740 is off. A control circuit 890 may be disposed adjacent to the chamber 730 to measure the temperature within and provide control feedback to the thermoelectric converter 840, such that the thermoelectric converter 840 is cycled on and off to maintain a controlled temperature within the chamber 730).
Ghosal fails to teach “A system comprising: a processor; and a memory comprising machine readable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the system to:”. While Ghosal teaches control circuits for performing the claimed features, Ghosal fails to explicitly recite the control circuits in the form of a processor and memory.
Gao teaches “A system comprising: a processor; and a memory comprising machine readable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the system to:” ([0039] The controller 28 may be a special-purpose processor such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a general purpose microprocessor, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal controller, or a set of hardware logic structures (e.g., filters, arithmetic logic units, and dedicated state machines). In one embodiment, the controller may be a circuit with a combination of analog elements (e.g., resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc.) and/or digital elements (e.g., logic-based elements, such as transistors, etc.). The controller may also include memory. As shown, the controller 28 is communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor 26 and the load sensor 27 to receive one or more electrical signals indicating a temperature reading of the IT component 25 and a current load of the IT component, respectively. The controller is also communicatively coupled to the three switches S.sub.1-S.sub.3 and to the power adjusting device 22).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have modified the use of a controller in the form of control circuits to control the heating and cooling of two thermoelectric components, and replace the control circuits with a processor that operates as a controller for controlling thermoelectric components as taught by Gao, because it can be considered taking the replacement of one known element (Control circuits) with another (processor and memory) that function in substantially similar ways. The use of processors as control circuits is well-established, and thus the programming of a processor to perform the functions of a control circuit would be considered the replacement of one form of controller with another that operates in substantially similar ways. It can be considered that processors with memory are more flexible than hard coded control circuits, and thus their replacement is a well-established benefit in the form of flexibility (re-programming a processor with memory).
In regards to Claim 20, the combination of Ghosal and Gao teaches the system as incorporated by claim 19 above. Ghosal further teaches “The system of claim 19, wherein the system is further to apply both heating and cooling to maintain the device within a desired temperature range” ([0047] In some embodiments, the control circuits 790, 890 may communicate to provide a temperature deadband or other means to prevent continuous cycling of the thermoelectric converters 740, 840; wherein a temperature deadband is a desired temperature range).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ghosal and Gao as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of Kumar et al. (US 20060262818, hereinafter Kumar).
In regards to Claim 6, the combination of Ghosal and Gao teach the method of thermal management as incorporated by claim 5 above.
Gao further teaches “The method of claim 5, further comprising, applying … cooling to the device based on the model” ([0026] The TEC element is arranged to move heat from one surface to another surface, at the cost of extra external electrical power, P.sub.TEC. Specifically, when a voltage, V.sub.TEC, is applied by the voltage source 7 across the two electrical conductors 5 and 9, a current, I.sub.TEC, passes through the semiconductors, causing the TEC element to transfer heat Q.sub.0 from the “cold side” to the “hot side”. Thus, the power applied to the TEC, P.sub.TEC=V.sub.TEC*I.sub.TEC. A temperature difference is generated by the semiconductor 4 as current passes through it, as shown by T.sub.0−T.sub.1. The heat that is ultimately expelled out of the hot side is Q.sub.1, which may be greater than Q.sub.0 because Q.sub.1 may include Q.sub.0 and any heat, Q′ that is generated by the TEC element while the TEC is active. In other words, Q.sub.1=Q.sub.0+Q′. Thus, during operation as part of a thermal management system as described herein, the thermal conductor 2 may be coupled to (e.g., mounted on) an IT component, such that the TEC element draws Q.sub.0 generated by the IT component away from the component and into the thermal conductor 6. Drawing this heat away from the IT component thus cools the IT component while it is active (e.g., performing one or more computational operations) and the TEC element is operational).
The combination of Ghosal and Gao fail to teach “applying heating and cooling to the device based on the model”.
Kumar teaches “applying heating and cooling to the device based on the model” ([0006] Generally, a TEC is a device where current flow through the device will heat one side of the device while cooling the other side of the device. The side that is heated and the side that is cooled are controlled by the direction of the current flow. Thus, current flow in one direction will heat a first side while the same first side will be cooled when the current flow is reversed. Thus, by varying the current direction, a TEC connected to a laser or photodiode may be used to either heat or cool the laser or LED to maintain a constant operating temperature; [0031] The feedback control implemented by the microcontroller may be very flexible due to the nature of modern microcontrollers. For example, the feedback control may include a parameter defining the age of a light generating device. An age value may be stored in a memory where that age value is constantly updated to reflect the amount of time that a light generating device has been in use. The feedback control may vary the amount of current delivered to a TEC controller based on the age value. Thus, the output of the light generating device may be controlled by varying temperature of the light generating device according the age of the light generating device).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have modified the model for applying cooling with a thermoelectrical component as taught by Ghosal and Gao, to further include the age-correction factor that adjusts both heating and cooling of the device based on the age of the device having heating and cooling applied to it as taught by Kumar because it would gain the stated benefit of Kumar, namely that as the heating/cooling dynamics of a laser changes, a control algorithm can be modified to take into account these changes via the age-based parameter ([0010]). By combining these elements, it can be considered taking the know use of a model for controlling a cooling of a device being cooled by a thermoelectric module, and modifying it with the use of an age-related parameter for adjusting both heating and cooling of a device in a known way that achieves predictable results.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 20250109895 – teaches the use of various TECs for providing heating and cooling for an enclosed space
US 20230143199 – teaches independently controlled thermoelectric controllers
US 20220253079 – teaches the use of temperature distribution modeling for a bioreaction chamber
GB 2591728 – teaches a thermal management system with thermoelectric heating and cooling applied
US 20180195776 – teaches a thermoelectric controller with non-linear control dynamics
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN M SKRZYCKI whose telephone number is (571)272-0933. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:30-3:30.
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/JONATHAN MICHAEL SKRZYCKI/ Examiner, Art Unit 2116
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