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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 13-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 24, 2026.
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 first and second heat sinks (claim 2), the first and second inlet and outlet vents (claims 3-4), the first and second independent airflow paths (claims 3-4), the baffles (claim 5), the fins (claim 6), the fan (claim 7), the thermal interface material (claim 8), the inductor(s), capacitor(s), and/or resistor(s) (claim 10), the one or more transformers (claim 11), and the one or more optical components (claim 12) must be shown or the features canceled from the claims. 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
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pub. No. 2003/0099076 A1 (hereinafter “Elkayam”) in view of U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0019445 A1 (hereinafter “Blaha”).
Elkayam discloses a power over Ethernet switch (Ethernet switch 26), comprising:
a power supply (power supply 50) containing a DC-DC converter (half-bridge circuit 54) configured to input a high-voltage power and output a low-voltage power (see ¶ 0074 and Fig. 2; half-bridge circuit 54 converts 400V DC into 48V DC and 12V DC); and
a power distribution system (power over LAN support circuitry 55 and power distribution and control circuitry 56) that combines the low-voltage power with Ethernet data signals to form a combined signal and distributes the combined signal (see ¶ 0075);
wherein the power supply and power distribution system are integrated into the power over Ethernet switch (see Fig. 1).
Although one could argue that a “network stack” is inherently disclosed, or at least suggested (i.e. the Ethernet signals must be generated by something), Elkayam does not explicitly mention the component that provides its Ethernet signals.
Blaha discloses a conventional Ethernet switch conforming to IEEE 802.3 and IEEE 802.3af standards (see ¶ 0003), wherein an Ethernet PHY module (102) communicates with a Media Access Controller and a switching function to provide Ethernet data signals. Blaha further discloses that the switch is PSE-capable and provides a 48V DC signal to a powered device (see ¶ 0006).
Blaha is considered to be analogous art because it is in the same field of endeavor as the claimed invention. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the present application, to include a conventional network stack (e.g. the MAC/PHY architecture disclosed in Blaha) in the Ethernet switch taught by Elkayam. Both references are directed to Ethernet switching equipment consistent with IEEE 802.3af standards, and the MAC/PHY architecture provides conventional means for providing Ethernet data in such devices.
Claims 2-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Elkayam in view of Blaha as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of CN 210166744 U (hereinafter “Yu”).
Regarding claim 2, Elkayam in view of Blaha teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 as stated above. Neither Elkayam nor Blaha disclose heat sinks.
Yu discloses first (first radiator 6) and second heat sinks (second radiator 7) thermally isolated from each other via first 301 and second 302 sealing plates (see Figs. 7-8).
Yu is considered to be analogous art because it is pertinent to the problem faced by the inventor of thermal management. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the present application, to thermally couple a first heat sink to the power supply and a second heat sink to the network stack in order to dissipate heat generated by the power supply and network stack. Thermally isolating the heat sinks from each other would prevent air from the first and second heat sinks from escaping into the gap between the two, thereby improving overall heat dissipation (see ¶ spanning pp. 1-2 and p. 5, ¶ 4).
Regarding claim 3, Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu teaches all of the limitations of claim 2 as stated above. Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu further teaches
a first inlet vent positioned to direct external air over the first heat sink (Yu: see annotated Fig. 8 below);
a first outlet vent positioned to exhaust air warmed by the first heat sink (Yu: see annotated Fig. 8 below); and
a first independent airflow path defined from the first inlet vent, across the first heat sink, and out the first outlet vent (Yu: path from first inlet vent to first outlet vent as shown in annotated Fig. 8 below).
Regarding claim 4, Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu teaches all of the limitations of
claim 3 as stated above. Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu further teaches
a second inlet vent positioned to direct external air over the second heat sink (Yu: see annotated Fig. 8 below);
a second outlet vent positioned to exhaust air warmed by the second heat sink (Yu: see annotated Fig. 8 below); and
a second independent airflow path defined from the second inlet vent, across the second heat sink, and out the second outlet vent (Yu: path from second inlet vent to second outlet vent as shown in annotated Fig. 8 below).
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Regarding claim 5, Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu teaches all of the limitations of
claim 4 as stated above. Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu further teaches baffles (Yu: front baffle 303 and rear baffle 304) positioned between the first and second independent airflow paths to isolate air flowing over the first and second heat sinks (Yu: see Figs. 4-8).
Regarding claim 6, Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu teaches all of the limitations of claim 2 as stated above. Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu further teaches that the first heat sink includes fins to increase surface area (Yu: see p. 7, ¶ 1).
Claims 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of U.S. Pub. No. 2003/0221814 A1 (hereinafter “Kamath”).
Regarding claim 7, Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu teaches all of the limitations of claim 2 as stated above. Neither Elkayam, Blaha, nor Yu disclose a fan configured to force airflow across the first heat sink.
Kamath teaches the use of a fan (107) to force airflow across a heat sink (103; see ¶ 0021) in order to cool a heat producing electrical component (see ¶ 0001).
Kamath is considered to be analogous art because it is pertinent to the problem faced by the inventor of thermal management. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the present application, to include a fan to force airflow across the first heat sink. Doing so would help to cool the power supply.
Regarding claim 8, Elkayam in view of Blaha and Yu teaches all of the limitations of claim 2 as stated above. Neither Elkayam, Blaha, nor Yu disclose a thermal interface material positioned between the power supply and the first heat sink.
Kamath teaches the use of a thermal interface material (i.e. thermally conducting grease) positioned between a heat generating component (microprocessor 101) and heat sink (103; see ¶ 0016).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the present application, to position a thermal interface material between the power supply and the first heat sink. Doing so would increase heat transfer from the power supply to the first heat sink.
Claims 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Elkayam and Blaha as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Pub. No. 2006/0251188 A1 (hereinafter “Crawley”) and U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0021771 A1 (hereinafter “Goto”).
Regarding claim 9, Elkayam in view of Blaha teaches all of the limitations of claim 1 as stated above. Blaha further discloses an isolator (see Fig. 1 showing an isolation barrier consisting of signal-isolation transformer 112, power-isolation transformer 114, and optical isolator 116) surrounding Ethernet switch integrated circuits of the network stack (102) configured to electrically isolate Ethernet data signals (see ¶ 0007).
Neither Elkayam nor Blaha explicitly discloses one or more filters coupled to outputs of the DC-DC converter configured to attenuate electrical noise.
Crawley discloses a power over Ethernet device (network device 300) having a DC-DC converter. Crawley notes that DC-DC converters generate large amounts of noise, and accordingly teaches the use of a common-mode suppression circuit (see ¶ 0027).
Goto teaches coupling filters (filter circuit component 2) to outputs of a DC-DC converter (see ¶ 0025) in order to attenuate electrical noise generated therefrom.
Crawley is considered to be analogous art because it is in the same field of endeavor as the claimed invention. Goto is considered to be analogous art because it is pertinent to the problem faced by the inventor of attenuating noise from a DC-DC converter. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the present application, to couple one or more filters to the outputs of the DC-DC converter. Doing so would attenuate noise generated by the DC-DC converter, providing a more regulated and stable source of power to the network stack.
Regarding claim 10, Elkayam in view of Blaha, Crawley, and Goto teaches all of the limitations of claim 9 as stated above. Elkayam in view of Blaha, Crawley, and Goto further teaches that the one or more filters comprise at least one of an inductor, a capacitor, and a resistor selected to attenuate noise in specific frequency bands (Goto: filter circuit component 2 includes reactors L1, L2 and capacitors C1, C2; see ¶ 0027 and Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 11, Elkayam in view of Blaha, Crawley, and Goto teaches all of the limitations of claim 9 as stated above. Elkayam in view of Blaha, Crawley, and Goto further teaches that the isolator includes one or more transformers configured to electrically isolate the Ethernet switch integrated circuits (Blaha: four-pair signal-isolation transformers 112; see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 12, Elkayam in view of Blaha, Crawley, and Goto teaches all of the limitations of claim 9 as stated above. Elkayam in view of Blaha, Crawley, and Goto further teaches that the isolator includes one or more optical components configured to electrically isolate the Ethernet switch integrated circuits (Blaha: optical isolator 116; see Fig. 1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROSS TERRY MULARSKI whose telephone number is (571)272-0284. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm EST.
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/R.T.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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