DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Papadimitriou (OH Radical Reaction Rate Coefficients, Infrared Spectrum, and Global Warming Potential of HFO-1438ezy(E); 2016).
Regarding claims 1 and 9, Papadimitriou teaches that HFO-1438ezy(E) is an old and well-known refrigerant. It is inherent in the use of a refrigerant that it be used to provide cooling to an article or device being operated via transferring heat to the refrigerant.
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.
Claim(s) 4-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Papadimitriou.
Regarding claims 4-8, Papadimitriou discusses the replacement of other refrigerants with HFO-1438ezy(E) without discussing dilution and therefore suggests the use of 100% of the material.
Claim(s) 2 and 10-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Papadimitriou in view of Juhasz (US 2023/0112841).
Juhasz teaches that it is old and well-known to provide direct cooling (see immersion of device 230 in refrigerant 240) with HFO refrigerants, per claim 2; of electronic components (230), per claim 10 such as integrated circuits (chips; Para. [0004]), per claim 11; including data center servers (Para. [0004]), per claims 12-13; and electric batteries (Para. [0004]), per claims 14-15; immersion of the component (230) in refrigerant fluid (240; see Figures), per claims 16-17.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to try the device and process of Juhasz with the HFO refrigerant of Papadimitriou in order to take advantage of the low global warming and ozone depletion effects of HFO-1432ezy(E).
Claim(s) 3 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Papadimitriou in view of Ramanathan (US 2022/0235255).
Regarding claim 3, Papadimitriou does not specify direct or indirect cooling.
Ramanathan teaches that it is old and well-known to use HFO refrigerants for indirect cooling (Para. [0143]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to try the device and process of Ramanathan with the HFO refrigerant of Papadimitriou in order to take advantage of the low global warming and ozone depletion effects of HFO-1432ezy(E).
Regarding claims 18-20, Papadimitriou does not specify cooling during wafer etching.
Ramanathan teaches that it is old and well-known to use HFO refrigerants during wafer etching (Para. [0100] and [0104]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to try the device and process of Ramanathan with the HFO refrigerant of Papadimitriou in order to take advantage of the low global warming and ozone depletion effects of HFO-1432ezy(E).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Devon Lane whose telephone number is (571)270-1858. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, 9-4.
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, Jerry-Daryl Fletcher can be reached at 571.270.5054. 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.
/DEVON LANE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
Prosecution Insights