Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/772,276

HOMOGENEOUS TEMPERATURE LIQUID-COOLING CONDENSER HEAT-DISSIPATING DEVICE

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jul 15, 2024
Priority
Apr 11, 2024 — CN 202410435870.5
Examiner
ROJOHN III, CLAIRE E
Art Unit
3763
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Winconn Systems Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
66%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 2m
Est. Remaining
84%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 66% — above average
66%
Career Allowance Rate
381 granted / 576 resolved
-3.9% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+18.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
20 currently pending
Career history
590
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
80.9%
+40.9% vs TC avg
§102
17.3%
-22.7% vs TC avg
§112
1.4%
-38.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 576 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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, the vacuum heat dissipation assembly in claim 1 must be shown 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 § 103 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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. 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. Claims 1-3 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Richardson et al. (US Patent No.: 8,561,678 hereinafter “Richardson”) in view of So et al. (US Publication No.: 2015/0184949 hereinafter “So”). With respect to claim 1, Richardson discloses a homogeneous temperature liquid-cooling condenser heat-dissipating device (Fig. 1), comprising side plates (Fig. 1, side plates 15 and 16), an upper positioning plate (Fig. 1, positioning plate 18), a lower positioning plate (Fig. 1, lower positioning plate 19), fluid-cooling heat dissipation tubes (Fig. 1, tubes 12), heat dissipation fins (Fig. 1, fins 14), a fluid-cooling heat dissipation assembly (Fig. 1), the upper positioning plate and the lower positioning plate being connected to ends of the side plates (Fig. 1, upper and lower plates 18 and 19 are connected to side plates 15 and 16), the fluid-cooling heat dissipation tubes being connected to the upper positioning plate and the lower positioning plate (Fig. 1, tubes 12 are connected to upper and lower plates 18 and 19), the heat dissipation fins being connected to one side of the fluid-cooling heat dissipation tubes (Fig. 1, fins 14 connected to one side of tubes 12), the fluid-cooling heat dissipation assembly being connected to the upper positioning plate and the fluid-cooling heat dissipation tubes (Fig. 1), the fluid-cooling heat dissipation assembly and the fluid-cooling heat dissipation tubes forming a fluid cooling circuit (Fig. 1). Richardson is silent to the cooling fluid being water. It is old and well known that water can be used as a cooling fluid and would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have used water as the cooling fluid to have a cheap fluid with a desired cooling properties. Richardson is silent to a vacuum heat dissipation assembly and the vacuum heat dissipation assembly being arranged between the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes and the lower positioning plate and connected to the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes, the vacuum heat dissipation assembly, the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes, and the water-cooling heat dissipation assembly being sequentially connected and in communication with each other to form a heat dissipation passage.. So teaches adding a vacuum heat dissipation assembly to a condenser (Fig. 4a, compressor makes condenser 31 in a vacuum state Para 0029-0030). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the condenser of Richardson to have a vacuum heat dissipation assembly as taught by So to depressurize the refrigerant circulation which increases the boiling point of the refrigerant (Para 0029). With respect to claim 2, Richardson and So teach the homogeneous temperature liquid-cooling condenser heat-dissipating device according to claim 1 as discussed above. Richardson also discloses wherein the water-cooling heat dissipation assembly comprises an upper water chamber (Fig. 1, 20), a lower water chamber (Fig. 1, 22), a water inlet tube (Fig. 1, 26a), and a water outlet tube (Fig. 1, 26b), the upper water chamber and the lower water chamber being fixedly connected (Fig. 1, 20 is connected to 26a and 22 is connected to 26b), in sequence (Fig. 1), to the upper positioning plate and being both connected to and in communication with the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes (Fig. 1), the water inlet tube being fixedly connected to the upper water chamber (Fig. 1, 26a is on 20), the water outlet tube being fixedly connected to the lower water chamber (Fig. 1, 26b is on 22), the water inlet tube, the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes, and the water outlet tube being sequentially connected and in communication with each other to form a water cooling heat dissipation circuit (Fig. 1). With respect to claim 3, Richardson and So teach the homogeneous temperature liquid-cooling condenser heat-dissipating device according to claim 1 as discussed above. Richardson also discloses wherein the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes are arranged as plural ones (Fig. 1, multiple tubes 12), the plural water-cooling heat dissipation tubes being parallel to and opposite to each other and forming multiple rows of water-cooling heat dissipation tubes (Fig. 1, 12), the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes being fixedly connected to the upper positioning plate and the lower positioning plate (Fig. 1, tubes 12 are connected to 20 and 22), adjacent ones of the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes being spaced from each other (Fig. 1, 12 is spaced by fins 14). With respect to claim 6, Richardson and So teach the homogeneous temperature liquid-cooling condenser heat-dissipating device according to claim 1 as discussed above. Richardson also discloses wherein the side plates are arranged as two side plates and the two side plates are spaced from each other (Fig. 1, 15 and 16 are spaced from each other, and are parallel to and opposite to each other (Fig. 1, 15 and 16), the two side plates being both fixedly connected to the upper positioning plate and the lower positioning plate (Fig. 1, 15 and 16 are connected to 18 and 19). With respect to claim 7, Richardson and So teach the homogeneous temperature liquid-cooling condenser heat-dissipating device according to claim 1 as discussed above. Richardson also discloses wherein the upper positioning plate and the lower positioning plate are formed with a plurality of positioning holes (Fig. 1, 18 and 19 have holes for tubes 12), the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes being arranged between the upper positioning plate and the lower positioning plate and inserted into and fixed to the positioning holes (Fig. 1, tubes 12 are arranged in holes in 18 and 19). With respect to claim 8, Richardson and So teach the homogeneous temperature liquid-cooling condenser heat-dissipating device according to claim 1 as discussed above. Richardson also discloses wherein the heat dissipation fins are arranged in a wavey shape (Fig. 5c shows fins 14 in a wavey shape), and the heat dissipation fins are arranged as plural ones (Fig. 1, multiple fins 14 between tubes 12), the plural heat dissipation fins being parallel to and opposite to each other and fixedly connected to the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes (Fig. 1, fins 14), adjacent ones of the heat dissipation fins being spaced from each other (Fig. 1, 14), the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes and the heat dissipation fins being sequentially arranged (Fig. 1, 14). Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Richardson et al. (US Patent No.: 8,561,678 hereinafter “Richardson”) in view of So et al. (US Publication No.: 2015/0184949 hereinafter “So”) and further in view of de la Cruz et al. (US Patent No.: 8,439,104 hereinafter “Cruz”). With respect to claim 9, Richardson and So teach the homogeneous temperature liquid-cooling condenser heat-dissipating device according to claim 1 as discussed above. Richardson also discloses wherein a water collection box is arranged at a bottom side of the lower positioning plate (Fig. 1, 22), the water collection box being fixedly connected to the lower positioning plate (Fig. 1, 22 is connected to lower plate 19). Richardson does not disclose the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes extending into the water collection box . Cruz teaches extending heat dissipation tubes extending into a water collection box (Fig. 7 and 16, tubes 126 extend into manifold 10 at 127). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the tubes of Richardson to extend into the collection box as taught by Cruz to increase flow area, reduce pressure drop and increase heat transfer (Col. 1, lines 45-56 and Col. 8, lines 21-27). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 4-5 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art does not anticipate nor render obvious the combination set forth in the independent claims, and specifically does not show " the vacuum heat dissipation assembly comprises a vacuum box, vacuum guide tubes, and a vacuum heat absorption tube, the vacuum box being fixedly connected to the lower positioning plate, the vacuum guide tubes being arranged as plural ones and uniformly and fixedly connected to the vacuum box, the vacuum guide tubes corresponding, in number, to the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes and connected to and in communication with the water-cooling heat dissipation tubes, one end of the vacuum heat absorption tube being fixedly connected to the vacuum box and another end extending out of the vacuum box. The closest prior art of record So discloses a vacuum assembly with a compressor to place the refrigerant circuit under a vacuum, but not the box, guide tubes, absorption tubes and locations as claimed. Although it is well known to provide a compressor in a refrigerant circuit or a closed loop heat pipe in a vacuum, there is no teaching in the prior art of record that would, reasonably and absent impermissible hindsight, motivate one having ordinary skill in the art to modify the teachings of the prior art to incorporate the vacuum assembly connected to a condenser as claimed. Thus, for at least the foregoing reasons, the prior art of record neither anticipates nor rendered obvious the present invention as set forth in claim 4. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CLAIRE E ROJOHN III whose telephone number is (571)270-5431. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-5:00 M-F. 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, Len Tran can be reached at (571)272-1184. 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. /CLAIRE E ROJOHN III/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 15, 2024
Application Filed
May 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
66%
Grant Probability
84%
With Interview (+18.3%)
3y 3m (~1y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 576 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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