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
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) 17-20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 31 and 37 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GUPTA et al. (US PGPub No. 2022/0201901 A1) in view of Germagian (US Patent No. 7,259,963) and Vidacovich (WO 02/32202 A1).
Regarding claim 17, Gupta teaches a cooling device (a cooling assembly for an electronic device 260, Fig. 7A) for a medical treatment device (intended use, very limited patentable weight, the cooling assembly can be used to cool a medical treatment device), the cooling device comprising:
a housing (housing chassis 130, detailed in Fig. 3 and cooling chassis 140, detailed in Fig. 4. They joined together in Fig. 7A) having air inlets (openings of fan assembly 220b in Fig. 4 where fans are placed within the openings), an air outlet (440, Fig. 4), and a housing interior (interior volume of the housing chassis 130 and cooling chassis 140) defined by a housing wall (the rectangular housing walls of the chassis 130 and 140);
an air channel (an air channel with an air flow 460 within a heat exchanger 210 shown in Fig. 7A, see also Fig. 6) arranged in the housing interior (the heat exchanger 210 is in the interior volume), wherein a wall of the air channel (a tubular wall of the heat exchanger 210 having two opposite flat horizontal plates and two lateral vertical sides, and also including walls of the fan assembly 220b) defines a continuous inner cavity (the tubular wall of the heat exchanger 210 define a tubular inner cavity to carry the air flow 460) fluidically connected to the air inlet and the air outlet (the cavity fluidly connects from the openings at the fan assembly 220b to the air outlet 440), and wherein the inner cavity, the air inlet, and the air outlet are hermetically sealed from the housing interior by the air channel (“The heat exchanger 210 in turn enables the transfer of heat between air flowing along the closed-loop airflow path 700 and ambient air, without permitting contaminants from the ambient air to mix into air in the closed-loop airflow path 700”, paragraph 0055. Therefore, the air inlet and the air outlet, which are part of the ambient air flow 460, are hermetically sealed from the housing interior by the air channel);
at least two first fans (three shown in Fig. 7A) arranged in the inner cavity (inside the continuous inner cavity bounded by the walls of fan assembly 220b) and adapted to provide a first air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet (the fans generate the airflow 460 through the air channel), wherein two of the at least two first fans are arranged in openings of the air inlets (two of the three fans are arranged within respective two openings of the fan assembly 220b); and
at least one second fan (fans in a fan assembly 220a, Figs. 4 and 7A) arranged in the housing interior (within the interior volume of the chassis 130 and 140) and adapted to provide a second air flow at least partially flowing around the air channel (a closed-loop airflow path 700 flowing around the air channel carrying the ambient airflow 460).
Gupta fails to disclose:
wherein the air outlet is inclined relative to the air inlets; and
the air channel comprising:
a plurality of inner heat exchange elements in the inner cavity, the inner heat exchange elements extending substantially in a longitudinal direction of the air channel and protruding from the wall of the air channel into the inner cavity; and
a plurality of outer heat exchange elements on the wall of the air channel, the plurality of outer heat exchange elements protruding into the housing interior, the plurality of outer heat exchange elements being arranged perpendicular to the inner heat exchange elements.
Germagian discloses an air directional member 44 is provided wherein the air outlet is inclined relative to the air inlets (see Fig. 4B, air outlet 62 is inclined relative to the air inlets 55).
Therefore, an air outlet of the air flow 460 at the heat exchanger 210 may be provided with the air directional member 44 as taught by Germagian to change a direction of the exit flow.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided wherein the air outlet is inclined relative to the air inlets in Gupta as taught by Germagian in order to direct an exit airflow to a desired area.
Vidacovich (Fig. 3) discloses a plurality of inner heat exchange elements (fins between channels 45) in the inner cavity (a volume in a layer of a heat exchanger 28 having both channels 45 and the fins), the inner heat exchange elements extending substantially in a longitudinal direction of the air channel (side walls of the fins adjacent the channels 45 extend in horizontal direction of Fig. 3) and protruding from the wall of the air channel into the inner cavity (the fins protrude from a rectangular tubular wall of the layer into the volume); and
a plurality of outer heat exchange elements (fins 44) on the wall of the air channel (arranged on a side of the tubular wall of the layer opposite from the side with the fins with the channels 45), the plurality of outer heat exchange elements protruding into the housing interior (the fins 44 protrudes in an air channel that circulates air within an interior of a cabinet 10, page 6, lines 8-13), the plurality of outer heat exchange elements being arranged perpendicular to the inner heat exchange elements (the side walls of the fins are perpendicular).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided a plurality of inner heat exchange elements in the inner cavity, the inner heat exchange elements extending substantially in a longitudinal direction of the air channel and protruding from the wall of the air channel into the inner cavity; and
a plurality of outer heat exchange elements on the wall of the air channel, the plurality of outer heat exchange elements protruding into the housing interior, the plurality of outer heat exchange elements being arranged perpendicular to the inner heat exchange elements in Gupta as taught by Vidacovich in order to increase heat transfer efficiency between airflows 460 and 700 of Gupta as a result of adding fins in the two channels in the heat exchanger 210.
Regarding claim 18, Gupta as modified in claim 17 further discloses wherein the at least one second fan of the housing interior is spaced apart from the wall of the air channel (the fans in the fan assembly 220a are spaced apart or outside the tubular wall in the heat exchanger 210) and/or wherein the at least one second fan of the housing interior and the air channel are arranged at opposing end portions of the housing.
Regarding claim 19, Gupta as modified in claim 17 further discloses wherein the wall of the air channel is spaced apart from the housing wall in a portion between the air inlet and the air outlet (middle portion of the tubular wall in the heat exchanger 210 between the air inlet at the fan assembly 220b and outlet 440 is spaced apart from the rectangular housing walls of the chassis 130 and 140).
Regarding claim 20, Gupta as modified in claim 17 further discloses wherein the at least one second fan of the housing interior is arranged such that the second air flow flows circumferentially around the wall of the air channel (the fans in the fan assembly 220a directs the closed-loop airflow 700 around a circumferential/exterior side of the tubular wall opposite the inner side that carries the airflow 460).
Regarding claim 22, Gupta as modified in claim 17 further discloses wherein an angle of inclination of the air flow at the air outlet relative to the first air flow is 10 degrees to 80 degrees (see Fig. 4B of Germagian, the angle of the air directional member 44 is at approximately a 45-degree angle).
Regarding claim 25, Gupta as modified in claim 17 further discloses wherein the inner heat exchange elements (fins as taught by Vidacovich added in the air channel with the air flow 460) are arranged on opposing sides of the wall of the air channel and wherein the inner heat exchange elements extending towards each other (see annotated figure 3 of Vidacovich below for the portion of the fins that extend in a direction towards each other respectively from opposite sides of “a wall of the air channel”) are arranged with an offset to each other in a circumferential direction of the air channel (see annotated figure below, the offset is in vertical direction, which is along a circumferential direction of the channel 45).
PNG
media_image1.png
602
614
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 27, Gupta as modified in claim 17 further discloses wherein the plurality of outer heat exchange elements (fins 43) extend circumferentially on the wall of the air channel (on outer side or circumferential side of the “a wall of the air channel” in annotated figure above) and are spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction (portions of the fins 43 are spaced apart in a longitudinal direction in annotated figure above).
Regarding claim 28, Gupta as modified in claim 17 further discloses a nozzle (the air directional member 44 taught by Germagian, and meets a definition of “nozzle” as “a projecting vent of something” according to Merrial Webster dictionary) adapted to direct and/or accelerate the first air flow provided in the inner cavity at the air outlet (the air directional member 44 directs an air outflow at an air outlet of a housing 40 in Germagian or the heat exchanger 210 in modified Gupta).
Regarding claim 31, Gupta as modified in claim 17 further discloses a control unit (fan controller 230, paragraph 0033 of Gupta) adapted to receive a temperature measurement of the housing interior, the air channel (“Depending on the relative temperatures inside and outside of the cooling assembly 160”, paragraph 0033, which requires temperature measurement of the closed-loop airflow path 700 and the ambient air flow 460), and/or a medical treatment device cooled by the cooling device (the cooling assembly in Fig. 7A is capable of cooling the intended use of a medical treatment device), and to control the first air flow provided by the at least two first fans in the air channel based on the temperature measurement (“the fan controller 230 provides control of the ambient air fans”, paragraph 0033).
Regarding claim 37, Gupta as modified in claim 17 further discloses wherein a gap is provided between adjacent inner heat exchange elements (a gap or channel 45 between the fins, Fig. 3 of Vidacovich) such that the inner heat exchange elements do not overlap in any direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction (sections of the fins, see annotated figure above, are not overlapping in both the “circumferential direction” and stacking direction of the channels 44 and 45. Both the directions are perpendicular to the “longitudinal direction” in annotated figure 3 of Vidacovich).
Claim(s) 32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GUPTA et al. (US PGPub No. 2022/0201901 A1) in view of Germagian (US Patent No. 7,259,963) and Vidacovich (WO 02/32202 A1) as applied to claim 17 above, and further in view of Wild et al. (US Patent No. 12,268,801 B2).
Regarding claim 32, Gupta as modified in claim 17 further discloses a control unit (fan controller 230, paragraph 0033 of Gupta) adapted to receive an operating condition (“Depending on the relative temperatures inside and outside of the cooling assembly 160”, paragraph 0033, which requires temperature measurement of the closed-loop airflow path 700 and the ambient air flow 460) and to control the first air flow provided by the at least two first fans in the air channel based on the operating condition (“the fan controller 230 provides control of the ambient air fans”, paragraph 0033).
Gupta fails to disclose an operating condition of a medical treatment device cooled by the cooling device.
Wild teaches a medical treatment device 4 that may generate heat during operation and requires cooling (col. 11, lines 57-67 and col. 12, lines 1-6). Noted that the cooling assembly in Fig. 7A in Gupta and the medical treatment device 4 are analogous and both have air through their interior for cooling.
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art may utilize the cooling assembly in Fig. 7A in Gupta in the medical treatment device 4 in Wild. As a result, the fan controller 230 receives an operating condition (temperature measurement of the closed-loop airflow path 700) of a medical treatment device cooled by the cooling device (the medical treatment device 4 in Wild that is cooled by the closed-loop airflow path 700 in Gupta).
Further, the structure of Gupta isolates an internal circulating air and ambient cooling air. This is particularly beneficial in the medical treatment device that, for example, requires quarantine or a prevention of contagious disease.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided a medical treatment device having a cooling device as set forth in claim 33 in Gupta as taught by Wild in order provide an isolated cooling channels to cool the medical treatment device that requires quarantine or a prevention of contagious disease.
Claim(s) 33-36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GUPTA et al. (US PGPub No 2022/0201901 A1) in view of Germagian (US Patent No. 7,259,963) and Vidacovich (WO 02/32202 A1) and Wild et al. (US Patent No. 12,268,801 B2).
Regarding claim 33, please see the rejection of Gupta in view of Germagian and Vidacovich in claim 17 above for the claimed cooling device.
However, Gupta fails to disclose a medical treatment device.
Wild teaches a medical treatment device 4 that may generate heat during operation and requires cooling (col. 11, lines 57-67 and col. 12, lines 1-6). The medical treatment device 4 further includes extracorporeal blood treatment device (abstract). Note that the cooling assembly in Fig. 7A in Gupta and the medical treatment device 4 are analogous and both have air through their interior for cooling.
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art may utilize the cooling assembly in Fig. 7A in Gupta in the medical treatment device 4 in Wild. It is further noted that the structure of Gupta isolates an internal circulating air and ambient cooling air. This is particularly beneficial in the medical treatment device that, for example, requires quarantine or a prevention of contagious disease.
As a result, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided a medical treatment device having a cooling device as set forth in claim 33 in Gupta as taught by Wild in order provide an isolated cooling channels to cool the medical treatment device that requires quarantine or a prevention of contagious disease.
Regarding claim 34, Gupta as modified in claim 33 further an extracorporeal blood treatment device (the medical treatment device may be extracorporeal blood treatment device, abstract of Wild) and/or extracorporeal circulatory support device.
Regarding claim 35, Gupta as modified in claim 33 further discloses a housing (a rectangular housing in dotted lines in Figs. 1-5 of Wild that defines the medical treatment device 4 itself) wherein the housing of the cooling device is integrated in the housing of the medical treatment device (Gupta in view of Wild has the chassis 130 and 140 as parts of the cooling assembly provided in the medical treatment device 4) wherein the housing of the cooling device is thermally coupled to the housing of the medical treatment device (the chassis 130 and 140 thermally coupled with the rectangular housing of the medical treatment device 4, specifically dissipate heat from the device 4) or wherein the housing of the cooling device is formed at least as part of the housing of the medical treatment device.
Regarding claim 36, please see the rejection of claim 18 above.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see remarks (pages 6 and 7), filed 6/25/2026, with respect to 112(b) rejection to claims 20, 24, 25 and 29-32 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Claims 24, 29 and 30 are cancelled. The rejection of claims 20, 25, 31 and 32 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 17 and 33 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Specifically, the arguments directed to inner and outer heat exchange elements do not rely on new references, Germagian (US Patent No. 7,259,963) and Vidacovich (WO 02/32202 A1) in the rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FOR K LING whose telephone number is (571)272-8752. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm.
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, Jianying Atkisson can be reached at 571-270-7740. 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.
/F.K.L/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/JOEL M ATTEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
Prosecution Insights