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 § 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.
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, 6, and 11, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (CN 109521860 A) in view of (Heydari 2023/0403829).
Regarding Claim 1; LV disloses a server, comprising a liquid cooling system (whereas the abstract discloses a water cooling system for a GPU server), a plurality of first electronic components each suggested as configured to have a first function, and a plurality of second electronic components each configured to have a second function (as constituted by a GPUs closer to 14 are configured to have a different power consumption than the GPUs closer to 9—as depicted by Fig. 2), wherein the liquid cooling system comprises a plurality of first cooling plates in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of first electronic components (whereas cold plates 11 are coupled to the first components—as depicted by Fig. 2), a plurality of second cooling plates in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of second electronic components (whereas other cold plates 11 are coupled to the second components—as depicted by Fig. 2), a liquid distributor (9), and a liquid collector (14); each of the plurality of first electronic components is fitted against a corresponding one of the plurality of first cooling plates, and each of the plurality of second electronic components is fitted against a corresponding one of the plurality of second cooling plates (wherein the cold plates are disposed on the GPUs and fixed by screw to a GPU board); and wherein at least two of the plurality of first cooling plates are connected in series between a first liquid distribution port of the liquid distributor and a first liquid collection port of the liquid collector, and at least two of the plurality of second cooling plates are connected in series and/or in parallel between a second liquid distribution port of the liquid distributor and a second liquid collection port of the liquid collector (as disclosed by page 5—para. 4—whereas the respective cold plates are coupled in series to a respective distributor port and a respective collector port---as depicted by Fig. 2). Except, LV does not explicitly disclose the functions as a first function and a second function. However, Heydari discloses first electronic components configured to have a first function and second electronic components configured to have a second function (as depicted by Fig. 2A—whereas a respective cold plates of cold plates 212A/212B and 212C/212D are respectively coupled in series to first and second ports of a liquid distributor, wherein the and as set forth by para.’s 0112, 0149, 0152-0153 and/or 0531—wherein the cold plates are coupled to processors or switches having different heating schemes constituted by different workloads), 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 respective first and second components as having different functions since it was known in the art that processors which generate a different amount of heat may be cooled in an economical manner and/or to prevent circulating heated liquid of a higher heat generating processor over a more heat sensitive processor.
Regarding Claim 2; LV disloses the already modified server according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first electronic components are arranged in a plurality of rows and/or a plurality of columns, the first cooling plates in each of the plurality of rows are arranged in, and the first cooling plates in each of the plurality of columns are arranged in series (as depicted by Fig. 2).
Regarding Claim(s) 6 and 11; LV disloses the already modified server according to claim(s) 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of first cooling plates and the plurality of second cooling plates are in communication with the liquid collector and the liquid distributor through a plurality of guide tubes (via 13), and each of the first liquid distribution port, the first liquid collection port, the second liquid distribution port, and the second liquid collection port is in communication with the corresponding one of the plurality of guide tubes through a shut-off assembly (as depicted by Fig. 2—whereas each of the aforementioned is fluidly coupled to a quick release connector-7); the shut-off assembly comprises a first connection device and a second connection device that are detachable and separatable from each other; the first connection device is arranged at an orifice of the corresponding one of the plurality of guide tubes, and is configured to block the guide tube when being disassembled from the second connection device (as constituted by the quick release connector forming a joint); and the second connection device is arranged at the liquid distributor or the liquid collector (respectively via 15 or via 8), and is configured to block the corresponding port when being disassembled from the first connection device (whereas the quick release connector constitutes a configuration to block each port).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5, 7, 12-14, 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.
Regarding Claim 3; the server according to claim 1, wherein the number of the first liquid distribution port is plural, and the number of the first liquid collection port is plural, each of the first liquid distribution ports together with a corresponding one of the first liquid collection ports form a pair of first liquid distribution port and first liquid collection port; the plurality of first electronic components are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, the first cooling plates in each of the plurality of rows are arranged in parallel, the first cooling plates in each of the plurality of rows are in communication with the corresponding pair of first liquid distribution port and first liquid collection port; the plurality of second electronic components are arranged in one column, and the plurality of second cooling plates are connected in series, wherein the plurality of first electronic components are GPUs, and the plurality of second electronic components are switches.
Regarding Claim 7; the server according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of guide tubes is provided with a first detector extending along the guide tube, to detect leakage at the guide tube; and each of the plurality of first cooling plates and the plurality of second cooling plates is provided with a second detector, to detect leakage at the corresponding first cooling plate or the corresponding second cooling plate; a part of the plurality of first detectors and a part of the plurality of second detectors, corresponding to a part of the plurality of guide tubes and a part of the plurality of first cooling plates which are connected between the first liquid collection port and the first liquid distribution port, are connected in series to form a circuit; another part of the plurality of first detectors and another part of the plurality of second detectors, corresponding to another part of the plurality of guide tubes and a part of the plurality of second cooling plates which are connected between the second liquid collection port and the second liquid distribution port, are connected in series to form another circuit; and the server further comprises a collector for collecting an on/off state of each of the circuit and the another circuit.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 12029011 B2
Chiu; Yao-Tsung
Fig. 3
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/COURTNEY L SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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