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
Restriction to one of the following inventions is required under 35 U.S.C. 121:
I. Claims 21-30, drawn to a cooling module for an electronic circuit module, classified in H05K 7/20.
II. Claims 31-40, drawn to a method of cooling an electronic circuit module of an electronic circuit assembly, classified in F28D 15/00.
The inventions are independent or distinct, each from the other because:
Inventions I and II are related as product and process of use. The inventions can be shown to be distinct if either or both of the following can be shown: (1) the process for using the product as claimed can be practiced with another materially different product or (2) the product as claimed can be used in a materially different process of using that product. See MPEP § 806.05(h). In the instant case product as claimed can be used in a materially different process of using that product. For instance, the product as claimed can be used to not direct the partly hot fluid from one end portion of the intermediate fluid channel to another end portion of the intermediate fluid channel to absorb the heat from the second chipset, and generate a hot fluid. But rather, the product as claimed can be used to direct the partly hot fluid in parallel to the second chipset directly to the outlet fluid-flow path. Or, the product can be used to cool only a single chipset without a second chipset.
During a telephone conversation with Laura Nguyen (Reg. No. 77,236) on 22 September 2026 a provisional election was made without traverse to prosecute the invention of the apparatus drawn to a cooling module for an electronic circuit module, claims 21-30. Affirmation of this election must be made by applicant in replying to this Office action. Claims 31-40 are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention.
Applicant is reminded that upon the cancelation of claims to a non-elected invention, the inventorship must be corrected in compliance with 37 CFR 1.48(a) if one or more of the currently named inventors is no longer an inventor of at least one claim remaining in the application. A request to correct inventorship under 37 CFR 1.48(a) must be accompanied by an application data sheet in accordance with 37 CFR 1.76 that identifies each inventor by his or her legal name and by the processing fee required under 37 CFR 1.17(i).
The examiner has required restriction between product or apparatus claims and process claims. Where applicant elects claims directed to the product/apparatus, and all product/apparatus claims are subsequently found allowable, withdrawn process claims that include all the limitations of the allowable product/apparatus claims should be considered for rejoinder. All claims directed to a nonelected process invention must include all the limitations of an allowable product/apparatus claim for that process invention to be rejoined.
In the event of rejoinder, the requirement for restriction between the product/apparatus claims and the rejoined process claims will be withdrawn, and the rejoined process claims will be fully examined for patentability in accordance with 37 CFR 1.104. Thus, to be allowable, the rejoined claims must meet all criteria for patentability including the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 101, 102, 103 and 112. Until all claims to the elected product/apparatus are found allowable, an otherwise proper restriction requirement between product/apparatus claims and process claims may be maintained. Withdrawn process claims that are not commensurate in scope with an allowable product/apparatus claim will not be rejoined. See MPEP § 821.04. Additionally, in order for rejoinder to occur, applicant is advised that the process claims should be amended during prosecution to require the limitations of the product/apparatus claims. Failure to do so may result in no rejoinder. Further, note that the prohibition against double patenting rejections of 35 U.S.C. 121 does not apply where the restriction requirement is withdrawn by the examiner before the patent issues. See MPEP § 804.01.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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(s) 21-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kang (US 2014/0268571 A)
Re. claim 21: Kang discloses a cooling module for an electronic circuit module, comprising:
a first cooling component (10 and upstream 2 combined) comprising a fluid inlet (12), a fluid outlet (outlet of upstream 2), a first fluid channel (14) extending from the fluid inlet, and a second fluid channel (channel through upstream 2) extending to the fluid outlet, the first and second fluid channels are discrete fluid channels; and (see fig. 1; para. 0021-0022)
a second cooling component (downstream 2) comprising an intermediate fluid channel (channel through downstream 2), (see fig. 1; para. 0021-0022)
wherein the second cooling component is positioned within a recess portion (11a) of the first cooling component such the first fluid channel and the intermediate fluid channel are fluidically connected to each other via an inlet fluid-flow path (inlet of downstream 2) established between the first and second cooling components, and the second fluid channel and the intermediate fluid channel are fluidically connected to each other via an outlet fluid-flow path (path between upstream 2 and downstream 2) established between the first and second cooling components so as to form a fluid-flow path between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet through the first fluid channel, the intermediate fluid channel, and the second fluid channel. (see fig. 1; para. 0021-0022)
Re. claim 22: Kang discloses wherein each of the first fluid channel (within upstream 2) and the intermediate fluid channel (within downstream 2) comprises micro-channels (24, 25, 26). (see fig. 1, 5, 6; para. 0026-0028)
Re. claim 23: Kang discloses wherein the first cooling component (10 and upstream 2 combined) further comprises a pair of first fluid connectors (21a, 21b of upstream 2), and wherein the second cooling component comprises a pair of second fluid connectors (22a, 22b of downstream 2). (see fig. 4; para. 0025-0026)
Re. claim 24: Kang discloses wherein a first connector (21a of upstream 2) of the pair of first fluid connectors is movably connected (the entire manifold element 2 is removably connected and the manifold 2 includes the connectors) to another first connector of the pair of second fluid connectors to establish the inlet fluid-flow path. (see fig. 1, 4; para. 0025-0026)
Re. claim 25: Kang discloses wherein a second connector of the pair of
first fluid connectors (21a of upstream 2) is movably connected to another second connector of the pair of second fluid connectors to establish the outlet fluid-flow path. (the entire manifold element 2 is removably connected and the manifold 2 includes the connectors) (see fig. 1, 4; para. 0025-0026)
Re. claim 26: Kang discloses wherein the first fluid channel (14) extends between the fluid inlet (12) and a first connector (21a of upstream 2) of the pair of first fluid connectors, and wherein the second fluid channel (channel through upstream 2) extends between a second connector (21b of upstream 2) of the pair of first fluid connectors and the fluid outlet (outlet of upstream 2). (see fig. 1, 4; para. 0025-0026)
Re. claim 27: Kang discloses wherein the intermediate fluid channel (channel through downstream 2) extends between the first connector (22a of downstream 2) and the second connector (22b of downstream 2) of the pair of second fluid connectors.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 28-30 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:
Re. claim 28: the limitations of “wherein each connector of the pair of first fluid connectors is one of a fluid piston or a fluid bore, and wherein each connector of the pair of second fluid connectors is another one of the fluid piston or the fluid bore” in combination with the remaining limitations in the claim cannot be found in the prior art. While fluid piston or fluid bore connectors are known in the art, one of ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to modify the teachings of Kang to include either type of connector. Fluid piston and fluid bore connections require axial clearance in order to be connected and disconnected. The apparatus of Kang does not provide the required clearance for these types of connectors. Kang would require a complete re-design in order to accommodate the connectors being one of a fluid piston or a fluid bore.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Dede et al. (US 2019/0269033 A1) discloses a recessed manifold structure for cooling of electronic assemblies using fluid. Campbell et al. (US 2015/0109729 A1) discloses fluid cooling of electronic components using fluid bore and fluid piston connections.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADAM B DRAVININKAS whose telephone number is (571)270-1353. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9a-6p MT.
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, JAYPRAKASH (JP) N GANDHI can be reached at 571-272-3740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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September 25, 2026
/ADAM B DRAVININKAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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