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 U.S.C. § 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Chen (US 2023/0045752 A1) in view of Devine (US 2004/0098953 A1), Saito (US 2019/0357384 A1), and Lau (US 2023/0171923 A1).
Regarding claim 1: Chen discloses:
“A circulating submerged liquid cooling cabinet comprising a cabinet body,” (101 in fig. 2A; para. 0071);
“a lower end of the cabinet body is fixedly connected to a circulation box,” (107 in fig. 2B; para. 0075);
“interior of the circulation box is fixedly connected to a surface cooler,” (126 in fig. 2B; para. 0075);
“an output end of the circulation pump is fixedly connected to a connection pipe,” (116, 117, 122 in fig. 2B; para. 0075);
“one end of the connection pipe is fixedly connected to a flow divider box,” (110 in fig. 2B; para. 0075);
“the flow divider box is fixedly connected to a plurality of evenly distributed sprinkler heads,” (111 in fig. 2B; paras. 0071, 0075);
“the flow divider box is fixedly connected to the cabinet body,” (110 in fig. 2B; para. 0071);
“interior of the cabinet body is fixedly connected to a placing rack,” (113 in fig. 2B; para. 0071);
“interior of the placing rack is provided with an electronic component,” (112 in fig. 2B; para. 0071);
“the circulation box is provided with a gas outlet,” (104 in fig. 2A; para. 0074).
Chen does not expressly disclose “the cabinet body is hinged with a cabinet cover”; “the cabinet cover is provided with a quick opening mechanism”; “wherein an outer side of the cabinet body is provided with a control panel”; “the interior of the circulation box is fixedly connected to a compressor, the compressor is fixedly connected to a cooling pipe”; “the interior of the circulation box is fixedly connected to a refrigeration box”; “interior of the refrigeration box is fixedly connected to a circulation pump”; and “the refrigeration box is fixedly connected to the cabinet body.”
Devine teaches “the cabinet body is hinged with a cabinet cover” (a door 134 mounted to an enclosure 136 by upper and lower hinge pintles 138, about which the door pivots) (134, 136, 138 in figs. 8–11; para. 0067), and “the cabinet cover is provided with a quick opening mechanism” (a biased latch 144 carried on the door, biased to a closed position by a spring 154 and movable by a release handle 150 to permit rapid opening and removal of the door) (144, 150, 154 in figs. 8–11; paras. 0068–0069).
Saito teaches “wherein an outer side of the cabinet body is provided with a control panel” (a control panel disposed on a wall surface structure of the cooling tank, operable via a switch to control power supply to the immersed electronic device) (Saito; para. 0076).
Lau teaches “the interior of the circulation box is fixedly connected to a compressor, the compressor is fixedly connected to a cooling pipe” (compressor 449 connected through the refrigeration-cycle refrigerant line to condenser 447, expansion valve 450, and evaporator 448) (449 in fig. 12; para. 0069); “the interior of the circulation box is fixedly connected to a refrigeration box” (liquid chiller 446, a refrigeration system housing the compressor 449, condenser 447, expansion valve 450, and evaporator 448) (446 in fig. 12; para. 0069); “interior of the refrigeration box is fixedly connected to a circulation pump” (pump 452 within chiller 446, circulating fluid between reservoir 453 and cooling coil 451) (452 in fig. 12; para. 0069); and “the refrigeration box is fixedly connected to the cabinet body” (chiller 446 connected through cooling coil 451 to the immersion tank assembly) (446, 451 in fig. 12; para. 0069), the chiller 446 employing a refrigeration cycle to extract heat from the circulating fluid and reject it through the condenser 447 (para. 0069).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to hinge a cover to the cabinet body of Chen and to provide that cover with a quick opening mechanism as taught by Devine, in order to allow the cover to be swung open and rapidly released for access to the interior of the cabinet to service the electronic components. This is the use of a known technique (a hinged, quick-release access cover) to improve a similar device in the same way, yielding the predictable result of a cover that is readily openable for servicing. KSR rationale (C). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the outer side of Chen’s cabinet body with a control panel as taught by Saito, in order to allow an operator to control and monitor operation of the cooling cabinet (e.g., switching power to the immersed electronic components) from the exterior. This is the use of a known technique to improve a similar device in the same way. KSR rationale (C). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to chill Chen’s circulating coolant with the vapor-compression liquid chiller taught by Lau — providing, within the circulation box, a compressor and cooling pipe and a refrigeration box housing a circulation pump, the refrigeration box connected to the cabinet body — in order to maintain the coolant below ambient temperature and increase cooling capacity. This is the combination of prior art elements according to known methods to yield the predictable result of actively refrigerated circulating coolant. KSR rationale (A).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Chen (US 2023/0045752 A1) in view of Devine (US 2004/0098953 A1), Saito (US 2019/0357384 A1), and Lau (US 2023/0171923 A1), and further in view of Lin (US 5,514,036).
Regarding claim 2: Chen, Devine, Saito, and Lau render claim 1 unpatentable as set forth above, including the circulation box (Chen, 107 in fig. 2B; para. 0075). The combination does not expressly disclose “an outer side of the circulation box is fixedly connected to a filter net, and interior of the circulation box is fixedly connected to a fan.” Chen does, however, already employ forced-air cooling fans elsewhere in the cabinet — power-supply fans drawing air through the ventilation holes 104 (Chen, 104 in fig. 2A; para. 0074). Lin teaches “an outer side of the circulation box is fixedly connected to a filter net” (a removable filter unit 3 whose filter element comprises a netted weave 35, held by guides 1 on the exterior of the enclosure 2 adjacent the circulation air intake opening 21, so that all cooling air drawn into the enclosure passes through the filter) (3, 35 in figs. 1, 3; claim 3), and “interior of the circulation box is fixedly connected to a fan” (a fan mounted to draw intake air into the enclosure interior through the air intake opening 21 and the filter) (21 in fig. 1; claim 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the circulation box of the Chen combination with an internal fan and a filter net on its outer side as taught by Lin, in order to force-cool with ambient air the heat-generating refrigeration components (e.g., the compressor and condenser) housed within the circulation box, while the filter net keeps airborne dust and conductive impurities from accumulating inside the box — the dust-accumulation and short-circuit problems Lin expressly identifies. This is the use of a known technique (a fan-and-intake-filter forced-air cooling arrangement for an electronics enclosure) to improve a similar device in the same way, yielding the predictable result of filtered forced-air cooling of the circulation box. KSR rationale (C).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Chen (US 2023/0045752 A1) in view of Devine (US 2004/0098953 A1), Saito (US 2019/0357384 A1), and Lau (US 2023/0171923 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Chen, Devine, Saito, and Lau render claim 1 unpatentable as set forth above. Lau further teaches “the cooling pipe is fixedly connected to the refrigeration box, and the compressor is fixedly connected to the refrigeration box” — the liquid chiller 446 (refrigeration box) houses the compressor 449 and the refrigeration-cycle refrigerant line (cooling pipe) interconnecting the compressor 449, condenser 447, expansion valve 450, and evaporator 448, such that both the compressor and the cooling pipe are fixedly connected to the refrigeration box (446, 449 in fig. 12; para. 0069). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, for the same reasons set forth for the refrigeration-loop limitations of claim 1, to chill Chen’s circulating coolant with Lau’s vapor-compression liquid chiller, in which the compressor and its cooling pipe are connected to and housed within the refrigeration box, in order to obtain the predictable result of actively refrigerated circulating coolant. KSR rationale (A).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Chen (US 2023/0045752 A1) in view of Devine (US 2004/0098953 A1), Saito (US 2019/0357384 A1), and Lau (US 2023/0171923 A1).Regarding claim 4, Chen, Devine, Saito, and Lau render claim 1 unpatentable as set forth above. Lau further teaches “the interior of the cabinet body is fixedly connected to a return pipe, and the return pipe is fixedly connected to the refrigeration box” — the chiller 446 (refrigeration box) circulates fluid by a pump 452 between the chiller and a cooling coil 451 at the immersion tank assembly (cabinet body), the return leg of that circuit forming a return pipe that connects the interior of the cabinet body back to the refrigeration box (446, 451, 452 in fig. 12; para. 0069). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a return pipe connecting the interior of Chen’s cabinet body to the refrigeration box (Lau’s chiller 446), in order to complete the closed coolant circulation loop required by claim 1 — returning the coolant that has cooled the electronic components back to the refrigeration box to be re-chilled and re-circulated. A circulating coolant system necessarily includes a return path back to the chilling and pumping stage, so providing such a return pipe is the combination of prior art elements according to known methods to yield the predictable result of a closed, recirculating refrigerated coolant loop. KSR rationale (A).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Chen (US 2023/0045752 A1) in view of Devine (US 2004/0098953 A1), Saito (US 2019/0357384 A1), and Lau (US 2023/0171923 A1).Regarding claim 5, Chen, Devine, Saito, and Lau render claim 1 unpatentable as set forth above. Chen discloses “the connection pipe is fixedly connected to the cabinet body” — the connection pipe (pump discharging port 117 and spraying coolant supply line 122) is plumbed to the coolant supply header 110 carried on the cabinet body (110, 117, 122 in fig. 2B; paras. 0071, 0075). In the Chen–Lau combination, “the connection pipe is fixedly connected to the refrigeration box,” because the connection pipe extends from the discharge of the circulation pump 116, which pump is housed within Lau’s refrigeration box (chiller 446) per claim 1 (Chen, 116, 117, 122 in fig. 2B, para. 0075; Lau, 446 in fig. 12, para. 0069). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, for the same reasons set forth for claim 1, to route Chen’s connection pipe from the circulation pump housed in Lau’s refrigeration box to the supply header on the cabinet body, so that the connection pipe is fixedly connected to both the refrigeration box and the cabinet body, yielding the predictable result of delivering pumped, refrigerated coolant from the refrigeration box to the cabinet body for distribution. KSR rationale (A).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-10 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 allowance: the limitations of claim 6
(wherein the quick opening mechanism comprises a moving block, a fixing plate, a connecting rod, a connecting plate, a chamfer block, a sealing frame, and a spring; interior of the cabinet cover is slidably connected to the moving block, an outer side of the moving block is fixedly connected to the connecting rod, interior of the cabinet cover is fixedly connected to the fixing plate, one end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the connecting plate, an outer side of the connecting plate is fixedly connected to the chamfer block, interior of the cabinet body is fixedly connected to the sealing frame, and an outer side of the connecting rod is fixedly provided with the spring) in combination with the rest of the limitations of claim 1 are believed to render the combined subject matter
allowable over the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 4,751,872 – ventilation system.
US 3,989,102 – cooling liquid de-gassing system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHENGFU J FENG whose telephone number is (571) 272-2949. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 900am-530pm EST.
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/ZHENGFU J FENG/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835 June 27, 2026
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