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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, a controller, a auxiliary refrigeration circulation branch, a natural cold source refrigeration circulation branch must be shown and labeled or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 1-20, are 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. Regarding Claim 1;
“the controller is configured to control opening or closing of the communication of refrigeration circulation branches to enter different refrigeration modes” is unclear; whereas the assertion does not assert any particular mechanical, electrical and/or electro-mechanical control features to control any particular features of the refrigeration circulation branches that is opened and closed i.e., including valves of branch lines or enabling/disabling the dry cooler and heat exchanger respectively and thus the assertion does not include all structure to reads on more than one plausible claim construction including opening/closing various valves on the respective lines of the branches or opening/closing various valves of the first circulation branch and/or the second circulation branch of the auxiliary refrigeration circulation branch or selectively enabling/disabling the dry cooler and the heat exchanger to constitute opening/closing communication —if otherwise intended, wherein the dry cooler atleast in-part forms the natural cold source refrigeration circulation branch—as asserted in lines 8-9 and the heat exchanger atleast in-part forms the auxiliary branch—as asserted in lines 10-14. Further, the claim only asserts the controller is configured to control opening or closing, but appears to require selectively opening and closing of i.e. respective valves to allow the cooling system to operate and enter different refrigeration modes. Going further, ”the auxiliary refrigeration branch” in line 12 is unclear; whereas the term is not previously asserted, and does not provide proper antecedence. The claim has not assigned any specific and/or complete fluid communication and circulation paths to respectively define “different refrigeration modes” in line 16, and thus it cannot be readily ascertained if circulation via the auxiliary branch constitutes one refrigeration mode relative to another mode, and each mode having two distinct sequences of fluid communication which wholly excludes portions of the circulation branches or in-part excludes portions of the circulation branches and/or if the dry cooler is selectively stopped or remains operable during each mode using different paths in each mode and/or if the refrigeration device is selectively stopped or remains operable during each mode via different paths. Regarding Claim 8; the second regulating valve” is unclear; whereas the term is not previously asserted in the base claims. Regarding Claim 14; “a second temperature sensor” is unclear; whereas a first temperature sensor has not been asserted in relative base claims so as to sequentially define a second temperature sensor. Regarding Claim 15; “a second temperature sensor” is unclear; whereas a first temperature sensor has not been asserted in relative base claims so as to sequentially define a second temperature sensor. Regarding Claim 17; “a third temperature sensor” and “a third temperature threshold” is unclear; whereas first and second temperature sensor(s) and first and second temperature threshold(s) have not been asserted in relative base claims so as to sequentially define a third temperature sensor or a third temperature threshold. Regarding Claim 19; “a third temperature sensor” , “a third temperature threshold” and “a third duration” is unclear; whereas first and second temperature sensor(s), first and second temperature threshold(s) and first and second durations have not been asserted in relative base claims so as to sequentially define a third temperature sensor, a third temperature threshold or a third duration. Due to the outstanding number of informalities, the Office notes that the above objections are a non-exhaustive list, and thus requests Applicant’s cooperation with reviewing the claims and correcting all remaining informalities present in the claims, but not made of record above. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4, 11, 13, 16, and 18, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (Campbell 2014/0069111) view of (Campbell 2014/0085817).
Regarding Claim 1; Campbell discloses a liquid cooling system (as depicted by Fig.’s 11A-11B), comprising: a liquid cooling cabinet (as constituted by an electronic rack 1100 including liquid cooled electronic subsystems—as set forth by para. 0064), a server suggested as immersed in a cooling liquid of the liquid cooling cabinet (whereas para. 0051 discloses direct cooling of electronic subsystems which define blade servers or server nodes—as further set forth by para.’s 0025 and 0034), a dry cooler (as constituted by an air cooled to liquid heat exchanger-1160), a heat exchanger (as constituted by a liquid to liquid heat exchanger-1128 within an MCU), a refrigeration device (as constituted by a facility coolant loop-1122 which comprises a refrigeration chiller—as set forth by para.’s 0061 and 0065), and a controller (via a system controller-970—as set forth by para. 0058); wherein the liquid cooling cabinet is connected to the dry cooler to form a natural cold source refrigeration circulation branch (as depicted by Fig. 11B—whereas 1160 is fluidly coupled to the rack 1100 atleast via 1163 forms a natural cold source refrigeration circulation branch); the liquid cooling cabinet is connected to a hot side of the heat exchanger to form a first circulation branch (as depicted by Fig.’s 11A-—whereas 1160 is fluidly coupled to a hot side of the liquid to liquid heat exchanger-1128 via s2 and 1125 to form a first circulation branch), and a cold side of the heat exchanger is connected to the refrigeration device to form a second circulation branch (as depicted by Fig.’s 11A-—whereas a cold side of the liquid to liquid heat exchanger-1128 is fluidly coupled to the refrigeration chiller via P1 and 1122 to form a second circulation branch); the auxiliary refrigeration circulation branch comprises the first circulation branch and the second circulation branch, and the heat exchanger is connected in parallel with the dry cooler (as depicted by Fig. 11A--as constituted by the liquid to liquid heat exchanger coupling S2 and 1125 with the refrigeration chiller loop via 1122; and further coupling the liquid to liquid heat exchanger to the dry cooler—1160 in parallel via 1124, S1, and 1161 and via 1162 to 1125—as set forth by 0017); and the controller is configured to control opening or closing of the communication of refrigeration circulation branches to enter different refrigeration modes, and the refrigeration circulation branches comprise the natural cold source refrigeration circulation branch and the auxiliary refrigeration circulation branch (whereas the branches are respectively opened and closed via by controlling valves S1, S2, and S3-as depicted by Fig.’s 11A-11B--as set forth by para. 0063, wherein the controller is coupled to the system to respectively operate in a normal-mode and an a failure-mode—as further set forth by para.’s 0057-0058, and 0070-0071). Except, Campbell-111’ does not explicitly disclose the server suggested as immersed is actually immersed. However, Campbell-817’ discloses a server is immersed (as constituted by direct immersion cooling of electronic components in an electronic system of a rack using liquid dielectric coolant--as set forth by para. 0033, wherein the electronic system is a server node-as further set forth by para.’s 0024 and 0038), and thus it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the server as immersed since it was known in the art that an enhanced heat transfer to the coolant along with energy efficiency will be achieved.
Regarding Claim 2; Campbell discloses the system according to claim 1, further comprising: a first regulating valve arranged in the natural cold source refrigeration circulation branch, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain a first instruction to enter a natural refrigeration mode, and in response to the first instruction, control the first regulating valve to open the communication of the natural cold source refrigeration circulation branch and control the dry cooler to operate (as already set forth).
Regarding Claim 4; Campbell discloses the system according to claim 1, further comprising a second regulating valve arranged in the first circulation branch, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain a second instruction to enter an auxiliary refrigeration mode, and in response to the second instruction, control the second regulating valve to open the communication of the auxiliary refrigeration circulation branch and control the refrigeration device to operate (as already set forth).
Regarding Claim 11; Campbell discloses the system according to claim 1, wherein, the controller is further configured to obtain a parameter raising instruction for controlling a fan frequency of the dry cooler, and in response to the parameter raising instruction, raise the fan frequency of the dry cooler (whereas the controller automatically adjusts rotational speed of the air moving device responsive to temperature if the coolant supplied to air to liquid heat exchanger defining the dry cooler—as constituted by the assertions in claims 4 or 5, and further set forth by para. 0101).
Regarding Claim 13; Campbell discloses the system according to claim 1, wherein, the controller is further configured to obtain a parameter reduction instruction for controlling a fan frequency of the dry cooler, and in response to the parameter reduction instruction, reduce the fan frequency of the dry cooler (whereas the controller automatically adjusts rotational speed of the air moving device responsive to temperature if the coolant supplied to air to liquid heat exchanger defining the dry cooler—as constituted by the assertions in claims 4 or 5, and further set forth by para. 0101).
Regarding Claim 16; Campbell discloses the system according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid pump arranged between the liquid cooling cabinet and the hot side of the heat exchanger (whereas Fig.’s 11A depicts a pump 1127 between the cabinet and the hot side of the liquid to liquid heat exchanger); wherein the controller is further configured to obtain a frequency raising instruction for controlling a liquid pump frequency of the liquid pump, and in response to the frequency raising instruction, raise the liquid pump frequency of the liquid pump (as set forth by para.’s 0079, 0097 and 0103).
Regarding Claim 18; Campbell discloses the system according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid pump arranged between the liquid cooling cabinet and the hot side of the heat exchanger (whereas Fig.’s 11A depicts a pump 1127 between the cabinet and the hot side of the liquid to liquid heat exchanger); wherein the controller is further configured to obtain a frequency reduction instruction for controlling a liquid pump frequency of the liquid pump, and in response to the frequency reduction instruction, reduce the liquid pump frequency of the liquid pump (as set forth by para.’s 0079, 0097 and 0103).
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claim 3, 5-10, 12, 14-15, 17, and 19-20, are 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. Note: each allowable claim construction including (or-conditions, as examined) is herein deemed as constructively elected, and will be subject to an election by original presentation, if otherwise presented.
Regarding Claim 3; the system according to claim 2, further comprising: a first temperature sensor arranged at a liquid outlet of the liquid cooling cabinet, wherein the first temperature sensor is configured to detect a liquid outlet temperature of the cooling liquid flowing out of the liquid cooling cabinet; and the controller is further configured to obtain an ambient temperature and obtain a first difference of the liquid outlet temperature minus the ambient temperature, and generate the first instruction when the first difference is greater than or equal to a first temperature threshold.
Regarding Claim 5; system according to claim 4, further comprising: a first temperature sensor arranged at a liquid outlet of the liquid cooling cabinet, wherein the first temperature sensor is configured to detect a liquid outlet temperature of the cooling liquid flowing out of the liquid cooling cabinet; and the controller is further configured to obtain an ambient temperature and obtain a first difference of the liquid outlet temperature minus the ambient temperature, and generate the second instruction when the first difference is less than a first temperature threshold.
Regarding Claim 6; the system according to claim 2, wherein, the controller is further configured to obtain a third instruction to switch from the natural refrigeration mode to an auxiliary refrigeration mode, and in response to the third instruction, control the first regulating valve to close the communication of the natural cold source refrigeration circulation branch, control the dry cooler to stop operation, control the second regulating valve to open the communication of the first circulation branch, and control the refrigeration device to operate.
Regarding Claim 8; the system according to claim 2, wherein, the controller is further configured to obtain a fourth instruction to switch from an auxiliary refrigeration mode to the natural refrigeration mode, and in response to the fourth instruction, control the first regulating valve to open the communication of the natural cold source refrigeration circulation branch, control the dry cooler to operate, control the second regulating valve to close the communication of the first circulation branch, and control the refrigeration device to stop operation.
Regarding Claim 10; the system according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of liquid cooling cabinets and a first temperature sensor arranged at a liquid outlet of each liquid cooling cabinet, wherein each first temperature sensor is configured to detect a sub-liquid outlet temperature of the cooling liquid flowing out of each liquid cooling cabinet; and the controller is further configured to determine an average value of all sub-liquid outlet temperatures as a liquid outlet temperature.
Regarding Claim 11; the system according to claim 1, wherein, the controller is further configured to obtain a parameter raising instruction for controlling a fan frequency of the dry cooler, and in response to the parameter raising instruction, raise the fan frequency of the dry cooler.
Regarding Claim 12; the system according to claim 11, further comprising: a second temperature sensor arranged at a liquid inlet of the liquid cooling cabinet, wherein the second temperature sensor is configured to detect a liquid inlet temperature of the cooling liquid flowing into the liquid cooling cabinet; and the controller is further configured to obtain a second duration of the liquid inlet temperature greater than a second temperature threshold when the liquid inlet temperature is greater than the second temperature threshold, and generate the parameter raising instruction when the second duration is greater than or equal to a second duration threshold.
Regarding Claim 14; the system according to claim 13, further comprising: a second temperature sensor arranged at a liquid inlet of the liquid cooling cabinet, wherein the second temperature sensor is configured to detect a liquid inlet temperature of the cooling liquid flowing into the liquid cooling cabinet; and the controller is further configured to obtain a second duration of the liquid inlet temperature less than or equal to a second temperature threshold when the liquid inlet temperature is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, and generate the parameter reduction instruction when the second duration is greater than or equal to a second duration threshold.
Regarding Claim 15; the system according to claim 11, further comprising a plurality of liquid cooling cabinets and a second temperature sensor arranged at a liquid inlet of each liquid cooling cabinet, wherein each second temperature sensor is configured to detect a sub-liquid inlet temperature of the cooling liquid flowing into each liquid cooling cabinet; and the controller is further configured to determine an average value of all sub-liquid inlet temperatures as a liquid inlet temperature.
Regarding Claim 17; the system of claim 16, further comprising: a third temperature sensor arranged on the server, wherein the third temperature sensor is configured to detect a surface temperature of the server; and the controller is further configured to obtain a third duration of the surface temperature greater than a third temperature threshold when the surface temperature is greater than the third temperature threshold, and generate the frequency raising instruction when the third duration is greater than or equal to a third duration threshold.
Regarding Claim 19; system of claim 18, further comprising: a third temperature sensor arranged on the server, wherein the third temperature sensor is configured to detect a surface temperature of the server; and the controller is further configured to obtain a third duration of the surface temperature less than or equal to a third temperature threshold when the surface temperature is less than or equal to the third temperature threshold, and generate the frequency reduction instruction when the third duration is greater than or equal to a third duration threshold.
Regarding Claim 20; the system according to claim 16, further comprising a liquid storage tank, where the liquid pump is arranged between the liquid cooling cabinet and the dry cooler, and the liquid storage tank is arranged between the liquid pump and the dry cooler or the liquid pump is arranged between the liquid cooling cabinet and the hot side of the heat exchanger, and the liquid storage tank is arranged between the liquid pump and the hot side of the heat exchanger.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20130283837 A1
Takahashi; Masaki et al.
Fig. 1
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/COURTNEY L SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835