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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pat. No. 7,145,776 to King, Jr. et al. (i.e., Ref. 1 hereafter) in view of U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2017/0147042 to Liu et al. (i.e., Ref. 2 hereafter).
Referring to claim 1, Ref. 1 discloses a server chassis (4, Fig. 1), comprising: a case body (“enclosure 2”); a plurality of first longitudinal partitions (22/23) arranged in the case body and spaced apart from each other, wherein the case body and the first longitudinal partitions (22/23) jointly define a plurality of accommodating slots having a same width (see col. 3, ll. 31-41); and a first storage drive unit (28) including a first storage drive (e.g., SATA drive).
Ref. 1 does not expressly disclose a first frame configured for fixing the first storage drive (28) as claimed, or a second storage drive unit including a second storage drive as claimed.
Ref. 2 discloses a first frame (101, Fig. 5A) configured for fixing a first storage drive (e.g., 2U SSD, see also Fig. 6A), and a first storage drive unit (302/100) having a predetermined length and a predetermined width through cooperation between the first frame (101) and the first storage drive (2U SSD); and
a second storage drive unit (100, Figs. 2A-3B) including a second storage drive (220) and a second frame (200) configured for fixing the second storage drive (220), wherein a size of the second storage drive (220) is different from a size of the first storage drive (2U SSD), and the second storage drive unit (100) has the predetermined length and the predetermined width through cooperation between the second frame (200) and the second storage drive (220);
wherein each of the first storage drive unit (302/100) and the second storage drive unit (100) is selectively installed in any one of the accommodating slots.
All of the component parts are known in the combined references. The only difference is the combination of the "old elements" into a single device. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of Ref. 1 to include a first frame configured for fixing the first storage drive as claimed, and a second storage drive unit including a second storage drive as claimed, as taught by Ref. 2, in order to house a variety of storage drive devices having different dimensions within the same server chassis. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. _, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Referring to claim 2, Ref. 1 in view of Ref. 2 disclose the server chassis of claim 1, further comprising a third storage drive unit (308), wherein the third storage drive unit includes a third storage drive (HDD) and a third frame (101’) configured for fixing the third storage drive, and the third storage drive unit has the predetermined length and the predetermined width through cooperation between the third frame and the third storage drive, and wherein the third storage drive is selectively installed in any one of the accommodating slots. Fig. 5A of Ref. 2.
Referring to claim 3, Ref. 1 in view of Ref. 2 disclose the server chassis of claim 2, wherein the first storage drive is an E3.S 2T solid-state drive (SSD), i.e., double thickness SSD, the second storage drive is an E3.S 1T solid-state drive, i.e., single thickness SSD, and the third storage drive is a 2.5-inch hard disk drive (HDD).
Referring to claim 4, Ref. 1 in view of Ref. 2 disclose the server chassis of claim 1, wherein the first storage drive unit (302) further includes: a first handle (108) pivotally connected to one side of the first frame, wherein the first handle is rotatable to enable the first storage drive unit to exit one of the accommodating slots; and a first buckle (112) connected to another one side of the first frame, wherein the first buckle is configured to hold the first handle, and the first buckle is configured to fix the first handle to the first frame. See Fig. 2A of Ref. 2.
Referring to claim 5, Ref. 1 in view of Ref. 2 disclose the server chassis of claim 1, wherein the second storage drive unit further includes: a second handle (182) pivotally connected to one side of the second frame, wherein the second handle is rotatable to enable the second storage drive unit to exit one of the accommodating slots; and a second buckle (112) connected to another one side of the second frame, wherein the second buckle is configured to hold the second handle, and the second buckle is configured to fix the second handle to the second frame. See Fig. 3A of Ref. 2.
Referring to claim 6, Ref. 1 in view of Ref. 2 disclose the server chassis of claim 1, wherein two outer sides of the first frame and two outer sides of the second frame respectively include a plurality of protrusion portions (i.e., semicircular bulges on 102, Fig. 2A-Ref. 2) , and any two of the first longitudinal partitions adjacent to each other have two side walls that face toward each other and the two side walls respectively have a plurality of tracks (Fig. 2-Ref. 2), and wherein, when any one of the first storage drive unit and the second storage drive unit is installed in one of the accommodating slots, the protrusion portions are respectively and correspondingly disposed in the tracks of the first longitudinal partitions.
Referring to claim 7, Ref. 1 in view of Ref. 2 disclose the server chassis of claim 1 as substantially claimed, except for wherein the predetermined length is within a range from 130 mm to 135 mm, and the predetermined width is within a range from 75 mm to 85 mm. It is recognized that making the dimensions of the server chassis as claimed would have been an obvious matter of design choice, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component or feature (i.e., inward dimensions of the housing). A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
As such, it would have been an obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art of storage devices for drive units, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of Ref. 1 in view of Ref. 2 as claimed, since this would allow the server to fit on most tracks used in the industry.
Referring to claim 8, Ref. 1 in view of Ref. 2 disclose the server chassis of claim 1, wherein the case body has a predetermined height, and wherein the predetermined height is a multiple of a height of the first storage drive unit, and the predetermined height is a multiple of a height of the second storage drive unit. See para. [0024] of Ref. 2.
Referring to claim 9, Ref. 1 in view of Ref. 2 disclose the server chassis of claim 1, further comprising a second longitudinal partition, wherein the second longitudinal partition is arranged in the case body and is spaced apart from the first longitudinal partitions, and a height of the second longitudinal partition is less than a height of any one of the first longitudinal partitions. See Fig. 6A of Ref. 2.
Referring to claim 10, Ref. 1 in view of Ref. 2 disclose the server chassis of claim 1 as substantially claimed, further comprising a compact disc (CD) drive unit, wherein the CD drive unit includes a CD drive and a CD drive carrier that carries the CD drive, and the CD drive unit has the predetermined length and twice the predetermined width through cooperation between the CD drive carrier and the CD drive. See para. [0053] of Ref. 2.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY Q EDWARDS whose telephone number is (571)272-2042. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm.
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/Anthony Q Edwards/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
July 8, 2026
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