Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/954,644

ORDERING OF BAY IDENTIFIERS IN AN ELECTRONIC MODULE

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Nov 21, 2024
Examiner
WANG, HARRY Z
Art Unit
2184
Tech Center
2100 — Computer Architecture & Software
Assignee
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development L.P.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
7m
Est. Remaining
91%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
267 granted / 323 resolved
+27.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
345
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.3%
-37.7% vs TC avg
§103
65.8%
+25.8% vs TC avg
§102
9.9%
-30.1% vs TC avg
§112
13.8%
-26.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 323 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/11/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. 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. Claims 1, 6-8, 13, 15-17, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chan (US 2016/0334855) in view of Bodner (US 2003/0061312) and further in view of Dolzer (US 2018/0013632). Regarding claim 1, Chan teaches an electronic module for use in a system (Fig. 2, HDD module 200 in system 100), comprising: a moveable contact engageable with a housing of the system of the electronic module in the system (Fig. 4, Metal spring plate 23 is a spring contact (i.e. springs are moveable) which engages with a function module 50 that is part of the chassis 300 (i.e. a housing of the system 100); Paragraph 0014, metal spring plate 23 can be a curved elastic structure. A first end of the metal spring plate 23 is electrically coupled to a power supply VCC through the resistor R1, when the metal spring plate 23 is pressed by a function module 50 positioned on the chassis 300); a plurality of bays to receive devices (Fig. 2, HDDs 25 are inserted into bays 20; Paragraph 0012, Each of the HDD units 20 can comprises a plurality of HDDs 25); and a memory comprising a plurality of memory locations, the plurality of memory locations comprising a first memory location, and a second memory location (Fig. 3, Bays 20 are a memory that comprise a first HDD 25 (i.e. a first memory location) and a second HDD 25 (i.e. a second memory location)); and a switch assembly comprising a switch (Figs. 3 and 4, Switch unit 22), the switch assembly to selectively select the first memory location or the second memory location based on a position of the moveable contact (Figs. 3 and 4, Switch unit 22 selects either first HDD or second HDD 25 based on the spring contact 23 in Figure 4; Paragraph 0016, When the chassis 300 is inserted into the housing 40 of the electronic device 400, each metal spring plate 23 is pressed by the function module 50. A second end of each metal spring plate 23 is electrically coupled to ground. Thus, each of the switching units 22 operates in a first state). Chan does not teach the electronic module comprising: a memory comprising a plurality of memory locations to store identifiers of the plurality of bays, the plurality of memory locations comprising a first memory location storing the identifiers of the plurality of bays in a first order, and a second memory location storing the identifiers of the plurality of bays in a second order different from the first order. Bodner teaches the electronic module (Fig. 4, CCM 80a and 80b are electronic modules and part of a rack system; Paragraph 0020, system 100 includes a plurality of chassis 20, each chassis adapted to receive a plurality of servers 30… Paragraph 0021, Each chassis 20 preferably has associated therewith a chassis communication module 80) comprising: a memory (Fig. 3, RAM 84) comprising a plurality of memory locations to store identifiers of the plurality of bays (Figs. 3 and 4, RAM 84 of Figure 3 comprises two separate memory locations 85 shown in Figure 4; Paragraph 0030, RAM 84 in the CCM 80 (FIG. 3) may include storage allocation 85 for configuration data for the servers… Paragraph 0031, a copy of each of the configuration data sets CA-CF is maintained on the CCMs 80 in memory 85), the plurality of memory locations comprising a first memory location storing the identifiers of the plurality of bays in a first order (Fig. 4, CCM 80a with first memory 85 stores identifiers CA-CC; Paragraph 0031, configuration data for each server is shown in FIG. 4 as CA-CF), and a second memory location storing the identifiers of the plurality of bays in a second order different from the first order (Fig. 4, CCM 80b with first memory 85 stores identifiers CD-CF). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chan’s electronic module to incorporate the teachings of Bodner and include bay identification information stored in the separate memory locations of Chan. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make the modifications in order to allow for hot plugging and fast configuration of devices, thus improving performance and providing redundancy and fault tolerance (See Bodner: Paragraphs 0006 and 0007). Neither Chan nor Bodner teaches the electronic module comprising: a contact engageable with a housing of the system based on a mounting orientation of the electronic module in the system. Dolzer teaches the electronic module (Fig. 1, PCB 10; Paragraph 0020, FIG. 1 shows a circuit board 10 in a server system 30) comprising: a contact engageable with a housing of the system (Fig. 1, System 30 is a housing that couples with PCB 10) based on a mounting orientation of the electronic module in the system (Fig. 1, PCB 10 is oriented either vertically or horizontally on the server system 30 based on the contact; Paragraph 0026, In the case that the circuit board 10, which has been constructed for a rack server system, for example, is used in a tower server system, the standardized counting order of connections A to D according to the server type deviates from the order of the connection identifiers of connections A to D on the circuit board without further measures due to the altered orientation of the circuit board 10… Paragraph 0028, if the circuit board 10 is used in other server systems, e.g. in a tower server system, a different mounting direction of the circuit board 10 is provided there. For example, the circuit board 10 is inserted in a manner turned by 90 degrees clockwise). Chan, Bodner, and Dolzer are analogous arts because they are in the same field of endeavor of managing device connections in a chassis server system. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chan/Bodner’s electronic module to incorporate the teachings of Dolzer and enable the connection between the assembly of Chan/Bodner to couple to the server system based on an orientation. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make the modifications in order to provide support for heterogeneous server architectures such as a rack or tower system, thus increasing the number of systems that are compatible with the device (See Dolzer: Paragraphs 0011-0013). Regarding claim 6, the combination of Chan/Bodner/Dolzer teaches the electronic module of claim 1. Chan teaches the electronic module comprising wherein the moveable contact comprises a spring-loaded contact (ig. 4, Metal spring plate 23 is a spring contact (i.e. springs are moveable) which engages with a function module 50 that is part of the chassis 300 (i.e. a housing of the system 100); Paragraph 0014, metal spring plate 23 can be a curved elastic structure. A first end of the metal spring plate 23 is electrically coupled to a power supply VCC through the resistor R1, when the metal spring plate 23 is pressed by a function module 50 positioned on the chassis 300). Regarding claim 7, the combination of Chan/Bodner/Dolzer teaches the electronic module of claim 1. Chan teaches the electronic module comprising wherein the switch assembly is controllable by a control signal (Fig. 4, Switch 22 outputs a control signal with logic 1 or logic 0; Paragraph 0014, A first end of the metal spring plate 23 is electrically coupled to a power supply VCC through the resistor R1, when the metal spring plate 23 is pressed by a function module 50), and wherein the moveable contact when in a first position sets the control signal to a first state (Fig. 4, Switch control signal is a logic 0 when moveable contact 23 is in a first position; Paragraph 0016, When the chassis 300 is inserted into the housing 40 of the electronic device 400, each metal spring plate 23 is pressed… The switching unit 22 outputs a first control signal at a low level, such as logic “0”), and the moveable contact when in a second position sets the control signal to a second state different from the first state (Fig. 4, Switch control signal is a logic 1 when moveable contact 23 is in a second position; Paragraph 0018, When the chassis 300 is pulled out from the housing 40 of the electronic device 400, each metal spring plate 23 is not pressed by the function module 50… Paragraph 0018, Thus, each of the switching units 22 operates in a second state. The switching unit 22 outputs a second control signal at a high level, such as logic “1”, to the indication unit 24 of the hard disk drive units 20). Regarding claim 8, the combination of Chan/Bodner/Dolzer teaches the electronic module of claim 1. Chan teaches the electronic module comprising wherein the memory comprises a first memory device and a second memory device, the first memory location is in the first memory device, and the second memory location is in the second memory device (Fig. 3, Bays 20 are a memory that comprise a first HDD 25 (i.e. a first memory location in first memory device) and a second HDD 25 (i.e. a second memory location in second memory device)). Regarding claim 13, Chan teaches a system (Fig. 2, System 100) comprising: housing (Fig. 2, Housing 300); a controller (Fig. 3, Control chip 21); and an electronic module (Fig. 2, HDD module 200 in system 100) comprising: a plurality of bays to receive devices (Fig. 2, HDDs 25 are inserted into bays 20; Paragraph 0012, Each of the HDD units 20 can comprises a plurality of HDDs 25); a moveable contact engageable with the housing of the system of the electronic module in the system (Fig. 4, Metal spring plate 23 is a spring contact (i.e. springs are moveable) which engages with a function module 50 that is part of the chassis 300 (i.e. a housing of the system 100); Paragraph 0014, metal spring plate 23 can be a curved elastic structure. A first end of the metal spring plate 23 is electrically coupled to a power supply VCC through the resistor R1, when the metal spring plate 23 is pressed by a function module 50 positioned on the chassis 300); and a memory comprising a plurality of memory locations, the plurality of memory locations comprising a first memory location, and a second memory location (Fig. 3, Bays 20 are a memory that comprise a first HDD 25 (i.e. a first memory location) and a second HDD 25 (i.e. a second memory location)); and a switch assembly comprising a switch (Figs. 3 and 4, Switch unit 22), the switch assembly to selectively select the first memory location or the second memory location based on a position of the moveable contact (Figs. 3 and 4, Switch unit 22 selects either first HDD or second HDD 25 based on the spring contact 23 in Figure 4; Paragraph 0016, When the chassis 300 is inserted into the housing 40 of the electronic device 400, each metal spring plate 23 is pressed by the function module 50. A second end of each metal spring plate 23 is electrically coupled to ground. Thus, each of the switching units 22 operates in a first state). Chan does not teach the system comprising: the electronic module comprising: a memory comprising a plurality of memory locations to store identifiers of the plurality of bays, the plurality of memory locations comprising a first memory location storing the identifiers of the plurality of bays in a first order, and a second memory location storing the identifiers of the plurality of bays in a second order different from the first order. Bodner teaches the system comprising the electronic module (Fig. 4, CCM 80a and 80b are electronic modules and part of a rack system; Paragraph 0020, system 100 includes a plurality of chassis 20, each chassis adapted to receive a plurality of servers 30… Paragraph 0021, Each chassis 20 preferably has associated therewith a chassis communication module 80) comprising: a memory (Fig. 3, RAM 84) comprising a plurality of memory locations to store identifiers of the plurality of bays (Figs. 3 and 4, RAM 84 of Figure 3 comprises two separate memory locations 85 shown in Figure 4; Paragraph 0030, RAM 84 in the CCM 80 (FIG. 3) may include storage allocation 85 for configuration data for the servers… Paragraph 0031, a copy of each of the configuration data sets CA-CF is maintained on the CCMs 80 in memory 85), the plurality of memory locations comprising a first memory location storing the identifiers of the plurality of bays in a first order (Fig. 4, CCM 80a with first memory 85 stores identifiers CA-CC; Paragraph 0031, configuration data for each server is shown in FIG. 4 as CA-CF), and a second memory location storing the identifiers of the plurality of bays in a second order different from the first order (Fig. 4, CCM 80b with first memory 85 stores identifiers CD-CF). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chan’s system to incorporate the teachings of Bodner and include bay identification information stored in the separate memory locations of Chan. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make the modifications in order to allow for hot plugging and fast configuration of devices, thus improving performance and providing redundancy and fault tolerance (See Bodner: Paragraphs 0006 and 0007). Neither Chan nor Bodner teaches the system comprising the electronic module comprising: a contact engageable with a housing of the system based on a mounting orientation of the electronic module in the system. Dolzer teaches the system comprising the electronic module (Fig. 1, PCB 10; Paragraph 0020, FIG. 1 shows a circuit board 10 in a server system 30) comprising: a contact engageable with a housing of the system (Fig. 1, System 30 is a housing that couples with PCB 10) based on a mounting orientation of the electronic module in the system (Fig. 1, PCB 10 is oriented either vertically or horizontally on the server system 30 based on the contact; Paragraph 0026, In the case that the circuit board 10, which has been constructed for a rack server system, for example, is used in a tower server system, the standardized counting order of connections A to D according to the server type deviates from the order of the connection identifiers of connections A to D on the circuit board without further measures due to the altered orientation of the circuit board 10… Paragraph 0028, if the circuit board 10 is used in other server systems, e.g. in a tower server system, a different mounting direction of the circuit board 10 is provided there. For example, the circuit board 10 is inserted in a manner turned by 90 degrees clockwise). Chan, Bodner, and Dolzer are analogous arts because they are in the same field of endeavor of managing device connections in a chassis server system. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chan/Bodner’s system to incorporate the teachings of Dolzer and enable the connection between the assembly of Chan/Bodner to couple to the server system based on an orientation. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make the modifications in order to provide support for heterogeneous server architectures such as a rack or tower system, thus increasing the number of systems that are compatible with the device (See Dolzer: Paragraphs 0011-0013). Regarding claim 15, the combination of Chan/Bodner/Dolzer teaches the system of claim 13. Dolzer teaches the system comprising wherein the first order and the second order are opposite orders of the identifiers of the plurality of bays (Fig. 2A shows first order and Fig. 2B shows second order, wherein the orders are opposites; Paragraph 0031, In FIG. 2A, counting order goes from left to right, i.e. connection A has number 1, and the numbering increases along with the alphabetic order, till connection D having number 4.FIG. 2 shows another illustration of the connections, as can be provided by the controller 20, e.g. for a tower server system. Here, the order of numbering(s) is decreasing and thus against the alphabetic order of connections A to D). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chan/Bodner’s system to incorporate the teachings of Dolzer and enable the connection between the assembly of Chan/Bodner to couple to the server system based on an orientation. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make the modifications in order to provide support for heterogeneous server architectures such as a rack or tower system, thus increasing the number of systems that are compatible with the device (See Dolzer: Paragraphs 0011-0013). Regarding claim 16, the combination of Chan/Bodner/Dolzer teaches the system of claim 13. Chan teaches the system comprising wherein the moveable contact comprises an electrical switch that is open based on the moveable contact being in a first position, and that is closed based on the moveable contact being in a second position different from the first position (Fig. 4, Moveable contact 23 is part of electrical switch 22 which is open when contact 23 is not pressed (i.e. first position) and is closed when contact 23 is pressed (i.e. second position); Paragraph 0016, When the chassis 300 is inserted into the housing 40 of the electronic device 400, each metal spring plate 23 is pressed by the function module 50… Paragraph 0017, When the chassis 300 is pulled out from the housing 40 of the electronic device 400, each metal spring plate 23 is not pressed by the function module 50), the electrical switch being open causing a control signal to the switch assembly to have a first state (Fig. 4, Switch control signal is a logic 1 when moveable contact 23 is in a first position; Paragraph 0018, When the chassis 300 is pulled out from the housing 40 of the electronic device 400, each metal spring plate 23 is not pressed by the function module 50… Paragraph 0018, Thus, each of the switching units 22 operates in a second state. The switching unit 22 outputs a second control signal at a high level, such as logic “1”, to the indication unit 24 of the hard disk drive units 20), and the electrical switch being closed causing the control signal to the switch assembly to have a second state different from the first state (Fig. 4, Switch control signal is a logic 0 when moveable contact 23 is in a second position; Paragraph 0016, When the chassis 300 is inserted into the housing 40 of the electronic device 400, each metal spring plate 23 is pressed… The switching unit 22 outputs a first control signal at a low level, such as logic “0”). Regarding claim 17, the combination of Chan/Bodner/Dolzer teaches the system of claim 13. Chan teaches the system comprising wherein the memory comprises a first memory device and a second memory device, the first memory location is in the first memory device, and the second memory location is in the second memory device (Fig. 3, Bays 20 are a memory that comprise a first HDD 25 (i.e. a first memory location in first memory device) and a second HDD 25 (i.e. a second memory location in second memory device)). Regarding claim 19, Chan teaches a method comprising a moveable contact (Fig. 4, Metal spring plate 23 is a spring contact (i.e. springs are moveable) which engages with a function module 50 that is part of the chassis 300 (i.e. a housing of the system 100); Paragraph 0014, metal spring plate 23 can be a curved elastic structure. A first end of the metal spring plate 23 is electrically coupled to a power supply VCC through the resistor R1, when the metal spring plate 23 is pressed by a function module 50 positioned on the chassis 300) and a plurality of bays on an electronic module (Fig. 2, HDD module 200 in system 100 has plurality of bays), the bays to receive respective devices (Fig. 2, Bays 20 receive devices 25), and the moveable contact engageable with a housing of a system of the electronic module in the system (Fig. 4, Metal spring plate 23 is a spring contact (i.e. springs are moveable) which engages with a function module 50 that is part of the chassis 300 (i.e. a housing of the system 100); Paragraph 0014, metal spring plate 23 can be a curved elastic structure. A first end of the metal spring plate 23 is electrically coupled to a power supply VCC through the resistor R1, when the metal spring plate 23 is pressed by a function module 50 positioned on the chassis 300); storing in a first memory location in a memory of the electronic device (Fig. 3, Bays 20 are a memory that comprise a first HDD 25 (i.e. a first memory location) stores data); storing in a second memory location in the memory (Fig. 3, Second HDD 25 stores data (i.e. a second memory location)); and providing a switch assembly comprising a switch on the electronic module (Figs. 3 and 4, Switch unit 22), the switch assembly to selectively select the first memory location or the second memory location based on a position of the moveable contact (Figs. 3 and 4, Switch unit 22 selects either first HDD or second HDD 25 based on the spring contact 23 in Figure 4; Paragraph 0016, When the chassis 300 is inserted into the housing 40 of the electronic device 400, each metal spring plate 23 is pressed by the function module 50. A second end of each metal spring plate 23 is electrically coupled to ground. Thus, each of the switching units 22 operates in a first state). Chan does not teach the method comprising: storing a first set of identifiers of the plurality of bays in a first memory location in a memory of the electronic module; storing a second set of identifiers of the plurality of bays in a second memory location in the memory, wherein the identifiers of the plurality of bays in the first memory location are in a first order, and the identifiers of the plurality of bays in the second memory location are in a second order different from the first order. Bodner teaches the method (Fig. 4, CCM 80a and 80b perform the method; Paragraph 0020, system 100 includes a plurality of chassis 20, each chassis adapted to receive a plurality of servers 30… Paragraph 0021, Each chassis 20 preferably has associated therewith a chassis communication module 80) comprising: storing a first set of identifiers of the plurality of bays in a first memory location in a memory of the electronic module (Fig. 4, CCM 80a with first memory 85 stores identifiers CA-CC; Paragraph 0031, configuration data for each server is shown in FIG. 4 as CA-CF); storing a second set of identifiers of the plurality of bays in a second memory location in the memory, wherein the identifiers of the plurality of bays in the first memory location are in a first order, and the identifiers of the plurality of bays in the second memory location are in a second order different from the first order (Fig. 4, CCM 80b with first memory 85 stores identifiers CD-CF which are different from CA-CC). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chan’s method to incorporate the teachings of Bodner and include bay identification information stored in the separate memory locations of Chan. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make the modifications in order to allow for hot plugging and fast configuration of devices, thus improving performance and providing redundancy and fault tolerance (See Bodner: Paragraphs 0006 and 0007). Neither Chan nor Bodner teaches the method comprising: a contact engageable with a housing of the system based on a mounting orientation of the electronic module in the system. Dolzer teaches the method (Fig. 1, PCB 10 performs the method; Paragraph 0020, FIG. 1 shows a circuit board 10 in a server system 30) comprising: a contact engageable with a housing of the system (Fig. 1, System 30 is a housing that couples with PCB 10) based on a mounting orientation of the electronic module in the system (Fig. 1, PCB 10 is oriented either vertically or horizontally on the server system 30 based on the contact; Paragraph 0026, In the case that the circuit board 10, which has been constructed for a rack server system, for example, is used in a tower server system, the standardized counting order of connections A to D according to the server type deviates from the order of the connection identifiers of connections A to D on the circuit board without further measures due to the altered orientation of the circuit board 10… Paragraph 0028, if the circuit board 10 is used in other server systems, e.g. in a tower server system, a different mounting direction of the circuit board 10 is provided there. For example, the circuit board 10 is inserted in a manner turned by 90 degrees clockwise). Chan, Bodner, and Dolzer are analogous arts because they are in the same field of endeavor of managing device connections in a chassis server system. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chan/Bodner’s method to incorporate the teachings of Dolzer and enable the connection between the assembly of Chan/Bodner to couple to the server system based on an orientation. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make the modifications in order to provide support for heterogeneous server architectures such as a rack or tower system, thus increasing the number of systems that are compatible with the device (See Dolzer: Paragraphs 0011-0013). Regarding claim 20, the combination of Chan/Bodner/Dolzer teaches the method of claim 19. Chan teaches the method further comprising: providing a control signal having a state based on the position of the moveable contact, the control signal to control the switch assembly (Fig. 4, Switch 22 outputs a control signal with logic 1 or logic 0; Paragraph 0014, A first end of the metal spring plate 23 is electrically coupled to a power supply VCC through the resistor R1, when the metal spring plate 23 is pressed by a function module 50). Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chan (US 2016/0334855) in view of Bodner (US 2003/0061312) in view of Dolzer (US 2018/0013632) and further in view of Tong (US 2018/0120907). Regarding claim 12, the combination of Chan/Bodner/Dolzer teaches the electronic module of claim 1. Chan teaches the electronic module comprising the moveable contact (Fig. 4, Spring contact 23). The combination of Chan/Bodner/Dolzer does not teach the electronic module comprising wherein the contact is engaged with the housing of the system if the electronic module is mounted in a first orientation in the system, and the contact is disengaged with the housing of the system if the electronic module is mounted in a second orientation in the system. Tong teaches the electronic module comprising wherein the contact is engaged with the housing of the system (Fig. 1, Electronic module 10 engages with contact 42; Paragraph 0012, A plurality of electrically conductive contacts 42 are arranged on a surface of the PCBA next to one of the through-holes 41) if the electronic module is mounted in a first orientation in the system (Fig. 6, Contact with chassis where pins are engaged indicates a chassis type Tower 1), and the contact is disengaged with the housing of the system if the electronic module is mounted in a second orientation in the system (Fig. 6, Contact with chassis is different for chassis type Tower 2, thus one of the contacts is not engaged; Paragraph 0024, second tower type has a config 2 firmware, a binary code of 00000010 as the chassis has just one conductive contact in a position that corresponds to and connects with the second conductive contact of the PCBA). Chan, Bodner, Dolzer, and Tong are analogous arts because they are in the same field of endeavor of managing device connections in a chassis server system. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chan/Bodner/Dolzer’s electronic module to incorporate the teachings of Tong and include detection of chassis types based on engagement of contacts by the assembly module of Chan. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make the modifications in order to provide support for a plurality of different computer devices and chassis types, thus increasing the range of systems that can be used with the server assembly (See Tong: Paragraphs 0001-0002). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-5, 9-11, 14, and 18 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. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US PGPUB 2021/0333850 to Chang discloses a BMC that selects either a first portion of a firmware or a second portion of a firmware based on chassis configuration. US PGPUB 2015/0058506 to Muhsam discloses a first memory and a second memory which are non-volatile and stores configuration information of a server system. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARRY Z WANG whose telephone number is (571)270-1716. The examiner can normally be reached 9 am - 3 pm (Monday-Friday). 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, Henry Tsai can be reached at 571-272-4176. 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. /H.Z.W./Examiner, Art Unit 2184 /HENRY TSAI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2184
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Prosecution Timeline

Nov 21, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
91%
With Interview (+8.0%)
2y 4m (~7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
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