DETAILED ACTION
The present office action is in response to claims filed on 07/11/2024. Claims 1 – 20 are pending in the application.
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, 7, and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites “air” in line 3, which should recite “the air” for proper antecedent basis.
Claim 7 recites “the shape” in line 1, which should recite “a shape” for proper antecedent basis.
Claim 19 recites “air” in line 3, which should recite “the air” for proper antecedent basis.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by McMahan (U.S. Patent No. 7,862,410).
Regarding Claim 1, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
An exhaust air system (10), comprising:
a housing (the housing of 10) with an air inlet (15) that allows air (warm air from 110) to enter the housing (the housing of 10) and an air outlet (32) that allows the air (warm air from 110) to exit the housing (the housing of 10);
a vertical array of multiple fans (28A, 28B, 30A, 30B) that includes at least one upper fan (28B) and at least one lower fan (30A), wherein the at least one upper fan (28B) is disposed above (as illustrated in Figure 3A) the at least one lower fan (30A) and is positioned with a horizontal offset (as illustrated in Figure 3A, 28B and 30A are offset horizontally such that 28B is closer to 15 than 30A in the horizontal direction) in a horizontal direction (the direction from left to right) from the at least one lower fan (30A) so that the at least one upper fan (28B) is closer to the air inlet (15) in the horizontal direction (the direction from left to right) than the at least one lower fan (30A); and
a deflector plate (the top horizontal plate of 35, as illustrated in Figure 6D) disposed within (in the closed position of 10, 35 is disposed within 122) an air inlet plenum (122) for the vertical array of multiple fans (28A, 28B, 30A, 30B), wherein the deflector plate (the top horizontal plate of 35, as illustrated in Figure 6D) facilitates a flow of air (the flow of warm air from 110) entering the housing (the housing of 10) via the air inlet (15) toward the (by blocking the bottom of the plenum, the warm air is directed in an upward direction toward 28B) the at least one upper fan (28B).
Regarding Claim 2, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
The deflector plate (the top horizontal plate of 35, as illustrated in Figure 6D) prevents (as illustrated in Figure 7) the flow of air (the flow of warm air from 110) entering the housing (the housing of 10) from passing through an eddy region (the region located below 30B, where no fans are disposed) of the air inlet plenum (122).
Regarding Claim 3, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
The deflector plate (the top horizontal plate of 35, as illustrated in Figure 6D) comprises a flat plate (as illustrated in Figure 7, the top horizontal plate of 35 is a flat plate) that is disposed within (in the installed position of 10) the inlet air plenum (122).
Regarding Claim 4, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
A leading edge (the distal free edge of the top horizontal plate of 35, as illustrated in Figure 6D) is coupled to (in the installed position, via 13) an edge (41) of the air inlet (15).
Regarding Claim 5, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
A trailing edge (the edge of the top horizontal plate of 35 that is attached to 10, as illustrated in Figure 6D) is coupled to (via 10) a top wall (the top wall defining 122) of the inlet air plenum (122).
Regarding Claim 7, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
A shape (the horizontal flat shape) of the deflector plate (the top horizontal plate of 35, as illustrated in Figure 7) is based at least in part on (both lie in the left to right direction) on the horizontal offset (as illustrated in Figure 3A, 28B and 30A are offset horizontally such that 28B is closer to 15 than 30A in the horizontal direction).
Regarding Claim 8, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
The at least one upper fan (28A) includes a first fan (28A) for directing a first portion of air (the top portion of 130) entering the housing (the housing of 10) toward the air outlet (32) and a second fan (28B) for directing a second portion of air (the middle top portion of 130) entering the housing (the housing of 10) toward the air outlet (32).
Regarding Claim 9, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
The first fan (28A) and the second fan (28B) are adjacent to (as illustrated in Figure 3A) each other.
Regarding Claim 10, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
The at least one lower fan (30A) includes a first fan (30A) for directing a first portion of air (the middle bottom portion of 130) entering the housing (the housing of 10) toward the air outlet (32) and a second fan (30B) for directing a second portion of air (the bottom portion of 130) entering the housing (the housing of 10) toward the air outlet (32).
Regarding Claim 11, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
The first fan (30A) and the second fan (30B) are adjacent to (as illustrated in Figure 3A) each other.
Regarding Claim 18, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, 6E, and 7):
The air inlet (15) is offset from (as illustrated in Figure 6E, 15 and 32 are offset in the horizontal direction such that no portion of 15 overlaps vertically with 32) the air outlet (32) in the horizontal direction (the direction from left to right) so that no portion of the air inlet (15) vertically overlaps (as illustrated in Figure 6E) a portion of the air outlet (32).
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 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.
Claims 14, 15, 16, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McMahan (U.S. Patent No. 7,862,410) in view of Barath et al. (U.S. Patent No. 7,783,055).
Regarding Claim 14, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
A chamber (chamber formed between the discharge of 28/30 and 14) with one or more walls (14).
However, McMahan lacks showing the chamber is sound-attenuating and the wall is sound-attenuating.
In the same field of endeavor of data center racks, Barath teaches (Figure 6):
It is known in the data center rack (600) art for a discharge plenum (640) to be sound-attenuating (via 614) and a sound-attenuating back wall (604) of the chamber (640) having sound-attenuating material (614).
Further, “rack-mount servers themselves are major noise sources and may produce a noise level of more than 80 dBA, which is regarded as very loud noise”, Col. 3, lines 30-32.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the wall of the chamber taught by McMahan to include sound-attenuating material, as taught by Barath, to provide noise reduction in the data center, since rack-mount servers themselves are major noise sources and may produce a noise level of more than 80 dBA, which is regarded as very loud noise.
Regarding Claim 15, Barath teaches (Figure 6):
The one or more sound-attenuating walls (604) include at least one of
Regarding Claim 16, Barath teaches (Figure 6):
The physical configuration for attenuating sound comprises at least one of a perforated surface, sound-dampening slats, or an array of sound-absorbing shapes (Claim 16 depends from Claim 15. The “physical configuration” of Claim 15 is part of an “at least one of “x” or “y” limitation. Because Barath teaches “y”, “x” is not positively required. This, the limitation of Claim 16 is moot in light of Claim 15).
Regarding Claim 17, Barath teaches (Figure 6):
The material (604) for attenuating sound (as described in Col. 8, lines 50-53) comprises at least one of .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 12, and 13 are objected to as being dependent on 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.
Regarding Claim 6, McMahan shows the claimed invention except the deflector plate comprises a curved plate that is disposed within the inlet air plenum.
There is no motivation in the prior art to modify McMahan’s deflector plate to be curved.
Regarding Claim 12, McMahan shows the claimed invention except an array of turning vanes disposed within the air outlet plenum, wherein the array of turning vanes are for directing a flow of air generated by the vertical array of multiple fans from the horizontal direction to a vertical direction.
As illustrated in Figures 4 and 7, McMahan’s air (100) discharges from the vertical array of multiple fans in the vertical direction, thereby not requiring an array of turning vanes. Modifying McMahan accordingly teaches away from the principle operation of McMahan.
Claim 13 depends from Claim 12.
Claims 19 and 20 are allowed.
Regarding Claim 19, McMahan shows (Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A,6D, and 7):
An exhaust air system (10), comprising:
a housing (the housing of 10) with an air inlet (15) that allows air (warm air from 110) to enter the housing (the housing of 10) and an air outlet (32) that allows the air (warm air from 110) to exit the housing (the housing of 10);
a vertical array of multiple fans (28A, 28B, 30A, 30B) that includes at least one upper fan (28B) and at least one lower fan (30A), wherein the at least one upper fan (28B) is disposed above (as illustrated in Figure 3A) the at least one lower fan (30A) and is positioned with a horizontal offset (as illustrated in Figure 3A, 28B and 30A are offset horizontally such that 28B is closer to 15 than 30A in the horizontal direction) in a horizontal direction (the direction from left to right) from the at least one lower fan (30A) so that the at least one upper fan (28B) is closer to the air inlet (15) in the horizontal direction (the direction from left to right) than the at least one lower fan (30A); and
an air outlet plenum (50A, 50B, 52A, 52B), wherein a flow of air (100) generated by the vertical array of multiple fans (28A, 28B, 30A, 30B) changes from the horizontal direction (as discharged by 28A, 28B, 30A, 30B) to the vertical direction (to discharge through 32).
However, McMahan lacks showing an array of turning vanes disposed within the air outlet plenum, wherein the array of turning vanes are for directing a flow of air generated by the vertical array of multiple fans from the horizontal direction to a vertical direction.
As illustrated in Figures 4 and 7, McMahan’s air (100) discharges from the vertical array of multiple fans in the vertical direction, thereby not requiring an array of turning vanes. Modifying McMahan accordingly teaches away from the principle operation of McMahan.
Claim 20 depends from Claim 19.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and is provided in the Notice of References Cited.
The following prior art teaches related fan arrays:
Ross et al. (U.S. Patent No. 10,624,241): See Figure 1B
Beall et al. (U.S. Patent No. 10,321,608): see Figure 1B
Wang (U.S. Patent No. 8,913,382): see Figure 1B
Yoshikawa (U.S. Patent No. 6,222,729): see Figure 4
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANA K TIGHE whose telephone number is (571)272-9476. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 8:00 - 4:00.
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/DANA K TIGHE/Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/AVINASH A SAVANI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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