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 .
Email Communication
Applicant is encouraged to authorize the Examiner to communicate via email by filing form PTO/SB/439 either via USPS, Central Fax, or EFS-Web. See MPEP 502.01, 502, 502.05.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed 9/10/2024, 3/11/2025, 7/22/2025 have been fully considered and are attached hereto.
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
Limitations of claims 8-9
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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claims 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Claims 17-20 only require that the cooling liquid be filled within the cavity which is already required by claims 13-16 (respectively) and thus claims 17-20 do not further limit claims 13-16.
Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
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)(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, 4-7, 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chuang et al. (US 2024/0260228 – hereinafter, “Chuang”).
With respect to claim 1, Chuang teaches (In Fig 20B) a chassis, comprising: a housing (2002), forming an accommodating cavity, wherein the accommodating cavity is configured for accommodating cooling liquid (2004) and a heating component (2010) immersed in the cooling liquid; a condenser (2014), disposed in the accommodating cavity and configured for condensing the cooling liquid in a gas phase; a cooling liquid interface (2020), disposed on the housing (See Fig 20B); and an exhaust component (2007), located on the housing and at least configured for exhausting gas in the accommodating cavity when the cooling liquid is injected into the accommodating cavity through the cooling liquid interface (Where, while not described, 2007 is able to exhaust gas when cooling liquid is injected into the cavity via the cooling liquid interface).
With respect to claim 4, Chuang further teaches (In Fig 2A) a condensate liquid (“water”) is provided in the condenser, and the condenser comprises: a liquid inlet (Inlet in the housing associated with 203) disposed on the housing for the condensate liquid to flow in, and a liquid outlet (Outlet in the housing associated with 205) disposed on the housing for the condensate liquid to flow out; the liquid inlet is communicated with an external heat exchange device (211); the liquid outlet is communicated with the heat exchange device (211, see Fig 2A, see also ¶ 0082).
With respect to claim 5, Chuang further teaches an electronic apparatus, comprising: the chassis according to claim 1; the cooling liquid, accommodated in the accommodating cavity formed by the housing of the chassis (See Fig 20B); and the heating component, immersed in the cooling liquid (See Fig 20B), wherein the heating component comprises at least one computing board (¶ 0217, “As a specific example, the first electronic components 2010 include high performance processor and/or memory chips, whereas the second electronic components 2010 lower thermal output components (e.g., Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) adapter cards, solid state drives (SSDs), etc.). While the first and second electronic components 2010, 2012 are represented in FIG. 20A as being separated and distinct from one another (e.g., associated with separate circuit boards), in some examples, a single circuit board may extend across the interface of the two layers of liquid with some components on the board in the two-phase cooling fluid 2004 and other components on the board in the single-phase cooling fluid 2006.”).
With respect to claim 6, Chuang further teaches a first surface of the computing board faces towards a top of the housing, and an angle between the first surface and a vertical direction is greater than 0 degree and less than 90 degrees, wherein the first surface is provided with an integrated circuit device which generates heat (See Fig 20B, see also ¶ 0217 which describes that the board includes heat generating elements).
With respect to claim 7, Chuang further teaches that the angle between the first surface and the vertical direction is greater than or equal to 5 degrees, and less than or equal to 85 degrees (See Fig 20B, see also ¶ 0221, “For instance, as shown in the illustrated example of FIG. 20B, the electronic components 2010, 2012 are angled relative to the vertical (e.g., at oriented at a non-vertical angle). The electronic components 2010, 2012 can be angled at any angle relative to the vertical from 0 degrees (vertical) to 90 degrees (horizontal).”).
With respect to claim 12, Chuang further teaches (In Fig 2A) a condensate liquid (“water”) is provided in the condenser, and the condenser comprises: a liquid inlet (Inlet in the housing associated with 203) disposed on the housing for the condensate liquid to flow in, and a liquid outlet (Outlet in the housing associated with 205) disposed on the housing for the condensate liquid to flow out; the liquid inlet is communicated with an external heat exchange device (211); the liquid outlet is communicated with the heat exchange device (211, see Fig 2A, see also ¶ 0082).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 2-3, 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chuang in view of Gao et al. (US 2017/0074600 – hereinafter, “Gao”).
With respect to claims 2-3, 10-11, Chuang teaches the limitations of claims 1 and 5 as per above but fails to specifically teach or suggest that the condenser comprises a condenser tube, and an inner wall and/or an outer wall of the condenser tube are provided with a rib-like protrusion (Cls. 2, 10) wherein the rib-like protrusion is spirally disposed on the inner wall and/or the outer wall of the condenser tube (Cls. 3, 11).
Gao, however, teaches (In Fig 1) a condenser comprises a condenser tube (2), and an inner wall and/or an outer wall of the condenser tube are provided with a rib-like protrusion (1) wherein the rib-like protrusion is spirally disposed on the inner wall and/or the outer wall of the condenser tube (See Fig 1 and the text thereto).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Gao with that of Chuang such that, in Chuang the condenser comprises a condenser tube, and an inner wall and/or an outer wall of the condenser tube are provided with a rib-like protrusion (Cls. 2, 10) wherein the rib-like protrusion is spirally disposed on the inner wall and/or the outer wall of the condenser tube (Cls. 3, 11), as taught by Gao, since doing so would increase the heat radiating area of the condenser of Chuang (Gao: ¶ 0013).
Claims 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chuang in view of Wyland (US 5,986,885).
With respect to claims 8-9, Chuang teaches the limitations of claim 6 as per above but fails to specifically teach or suggest a chip surface of a chip of the integrated circuit device, which is facing away from the first surface, is provided with a metal pore layer, wherein the metal pore layer comprises metal particles and pores between the metal particles (Cl. 8) where a metal packaging housing of the chip is disposed between the chip surface and the metal pore layer; or, a thermal conductive coating is disposed between the chip surface and the metal pore layer (Cl. 9).
Wyland, however, teaches (In Fig 1) a chip surface (Bottom surface of 30) of a chip (30) of an integrated circuit device is provided with a metal pore layer (40, “porous metal foam”), wherein the metal pore layer comprises metal particles and pores between the metal particles (the porous metal foam of Wyland includes metal particles with pores therebetween) where a metal packaging housing (25) of the chip is disposed between the chip surface (Bottom surface of 30) and the metal pore layer (40); or, a thermal conductive coating is disposed between the chip surface and the metal pore layer.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Wyland with that of Chuang such that, in Chuang a chip surface of a chip of the integrated circuit device, which is facing away from the first surface, is provided with a metal pore layer, wherein the metal pore layer comprises metal particles and pores between the metal particles (Cl. 8) where a metal packaging housing of the chip is disposed between the chip surface and the metal pore layer; or, a thermal conductive coating is disposed between the chip surface and the metal pore layer (Cl. 9), as taught by Wyland, since doing so would provide for a heat transfer system that is efficient in size and in cost (Wyland: Col. 2, ll. 14-15).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-16 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:
With respect to claims 13-16, the allowability resides in the overall structure of the device as recited in dependent claim 13 and at least in part because claim 13 recites, “when a first liquid-surface position of the cooling liquid in the accommodating cavity which is formed by the housing of the chassis of the electronic apparatus, is lower than that of the condenser, configuring the condenser for condensing gas in the accommodating cavity to a first temperature; and injecting the cooling liquid into the accommodating cavity through the cooling liquid interface to a second liquid-surface position, and exhausting the gas in the accommodating cavity through the exhaust component, wherein the second liquid-surface position is higher than the first liquid-surface position”.
The aforementioned limitations in combination with all remaining limitations of claim 13 are believed to render said claim 13 and all claims dependent therefrom patentable over the art of record.
While Chuang teaches many of the limitations of claim 13 as per the above rejection to claim 5, neither Chuang nor any other art of record – either alone or in combination – teach or suggest the above-mentioned limitations of claim 13.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZACHARY M PAPE whose telephone number is (571)272-2201. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9am - 6pm EST.
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/ZACHARY PAPE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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