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Claims 1-10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 31, 2026.
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.
Claims 11-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2021/0274680 to Ye et al., hereinafter referred to as Varela, in view of US 2022/0248543 to Bangera et al., hereinafter referred to as Bangera.
In reference to claim 11, Ye as modified by Bangera discloses the claimed invention.
Ye discloses a pump assembly (141/142) insertably/removably connected to a housing (10). Ye fails to disclose the pump assembly comprising: a movable portion that is positioned outside the housing in a state of being inserted into the housing and is displaceable between a first position and a second position; and a restriction portion that restricts movement of the movable portion to the first position when the movable portion is positioned in the second position.
Bangera teaches that in the comparable/analagous art of attaching and removing connecting modules (114) to engage and disengage with a computing resource (100), it is a known technique to include a movable portion (216) that is positioned outside a housing (102) in a state of being inserted (as illustrated in figure 6b) into the housing and is displaceable between a first position (as seen in figure 2 and 3b) and a second position (as seen in figure 1 and 3a); and a restriction portion (240) that restricts movement of the movable portion (216) to the first position when the movable portion is positioned in the second position (as seen in figure 1 and 3A). Bangera teaches that this method allows a user-friendly connecting module which reduces effort and time to be invested by the user to install or remove the connecting module from computing resources [0004]. One skilled in the art would recognize that the connecting lever and actuator of Bangera would be applicable to a wide number of applications where a module includes a body configured to engage and disengage with a computing resource, where a front side of the body is accessible to a user and a rear side is configured to releasably couple with the computing resource [0005]. One skilled in the art would understand that such a locking mechanism could be applied to the pump assembly of Ye in the same way and the results would have been predictable (easy connection/disconnection of the pump assembly to the server). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed, to modify Ye by Bangera such that, the pump assembly included a movable portion that is positioned outside the housing in a state of being inserted into the housing and is displaceable between a first position and a second position; and a restriction portion that restricts movement of the movable portion to the first position when the movable portion is positioned in the second position, since the nature of the problem of complicated assembly and disassembly of connecting modules to a server may lead inventors to look at references relating to possible solutions to that problem.
In reference to claim 12, Ye as modified by Bangera discloses the claimed invention.
Bangera teaches the restriction portion (240) includes an operation portion (310) displaceable between a third position (as see in figure 3a) and a fourth position (as seen in figure 3b), and when the operation portion moves from the third position (Fig. 3a) to the fourth position (figure 3b), a state where movement of the movable portion (216) to the first position is restricted is released, see figure 3b. Accordingly, when Ye is modified to include the locking assembly and restriction portion (240) of Bangera as applied in claim 11 supra, the limitations of claim 12 would be met by the combination.
In reference to claim 13, Ye as modified by Bangera discloses the claimed invention.
Bangera teaches the restriction portion (240) restricts movement of the movable portion (216) to the first position by the operation portion (310) moving from the fourth position (figure 3b) to the third position (figure 3a) along with movement of the movable portion from the first position (figure 3b) to the second position (figure 3a), via element 314. Accordingly, when Ye is modified to include the locking assembly and restriction portion (240) of Bangera as applied in claim 11 supra, the limitations of claim 13 would be met by the combination.
In reference to claim 14, Ye as modified by Bangera discloses the claimed invention.
Bangera teaches the restriction portion (240) includes an elastic portion (318) to bias the operation portion (310) in a direction from the fourth position (figure 3b) toward the third position (3a). Accordingly, when Ye is modified to include the locking assembly and restriction portion (240) of Bangera as applied in claim 11 supra, the limitations of claim 14 would be met by the combination.
In reference to claim 15, Ye as modified by Bangera discloses the claimed invention.
Ye fails to disclose the housing includes a protrusion portion protruding in a direction intersecting an insertion/removal direction of the pump assembly. However Bangera teaches that in the comparable art of attaching and removing a connecting module (114) to engage and disengage with a computing resource (100), it is a known technique to have the housing (102) include a protrusion portion (402) protruding in a direction (up/down) intersecting an insertion/removal (in/out) direction of the connection assembly; and the movable portion (216) includes an opposing portion (406) positioned on a deeper side in an insertion direction (in/out) of the pump assembly relative to the protrusion portion and opposing the protrusion portion in the insertion/removal direction in a state where the pump assembly is inserted into the housing and the movable portion is positioned in the second position (see figure 5 and [0050]). Bangera teaches that this method allows a user to lock the lever and connecting module into the inserted position. One skilled in the art would recognize that this connecting lever and actuator would be applicable to a wide number of applications where a module includes a body configured to engage and disengage with a computing resource, where a front side of the body is accessible to a user and a rear side is configured to releasably couple with the computing resource [0005]. One skilled in the art would understand that such a locking mechanism could be applied to the pump assembly of Ye in the same way and the results would have been predictable (locking the pump assembly in the engaged position). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed, to modify Ye by Bangera such that, the housing includes a protrusion portion protruding in a direction intersecting an insertion/removal direction of the pump assembly; and the movable portion includes an opposing portion positioned on a deeper side in an insertion direction of the pump assembly relative to the protrusion portion and opposing the protrusion portion in the insertion/removal direction in a state where the pump assembly is inserted into the housing and the movable portion is positioned in the second position, since the nature of the problem of securing the pump assembly to the server may lead inventors to look at references relating to possible solutions to that problem.
In reference to claim 16, Ye as modified by Bangera discloses the claimed invention.
Bangera discloses the movable portion (216) is displaceable between the first position (fig. 3b) and the second position (3a) by rotating about a rotation axis (226, see figure 2a) extending along a direction (up/down) intersecting the insertion/removal (in/out) direction; and the opposing portion (406) changes from a state of opposing the protrusion portion in the insertion/removal direction to a state of not opposing the protrusion portion in the insertion/removal direction by the movable portion moving from the second position to the first position in a state where the pump assembly is inserted into the housing. Accordingly, when Ye is modified to include the locking assembly and restriction portion (240) of Bangera as applied in claim 11 supra, the limitations of claim 16 would be met by the combination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US2021/0352830 to Varela showing that locking a pump unit to a server tray is a known problem to be solved in the industry [0117-0118].
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CASSEY D BAUER whose telephone number is (571)270-7113. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs: 10AM-8PM (ET).
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, Frantz Jules can be reached at 571-272-6681. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/CASSEY D BAUER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
Prosecution Insights