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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Chen et al (US 2021/0307198 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Chen discloses (Figure 1-4B) a heat dissipation liquid cooling sink, comprising a base (base 30), a cap shell connected to the base (at upper cover 200 and housing 20), and a liquid chamber defined by both the base and the cap shell (at cavity 201), the base comprising at least one cooling fin set (at fins 341 of thermally conducting structure 34 and flow diverting structures 32 and 33) , the cap shell provided with a liquid inlet (at one of inlet 21 or 22) and a liquid outlet (at drain channel 23), and the heat dissipation liquid cooling sink is characterized in that: the heat dissipation liquid cooling sink comprises a flow guiding structure located within the liquid chamber and stacked on the at least one cooling fin set (at the inner wall of housing 20 forming the cavity 201 and the blocking plate 35 with the variants B35-D35 seen in figure 2B-2D, which together form a structure for guiding fluid to the lower chamber 301), the flow guiding structure is defined with at least one liquid inlet passage (at connection opening 350 and communication slits 351) and a liquid outlet passage (at the cutout in the plate 35 accommodating the fan blade assembly 261 seen clearly in figure 3D where fluid flows out to the fan blade assembly 261 per paragraph 0051), the at least one liquid inlet passage comprises a liquid intake position for introducing liquid from the liquid chamber and a liquid exit position for discharging liquid to a top portion of the at least one cooling fin set (at 350 or B351-D351 where fluid is directed downward onto the fins of thermally conducting structure 34 per paragraph 0046 and 0048) , the liquid outlet passage is communicated with the liquid outlet (fluid flows from the thermally conducting structure 34 to the gathering structure 31, past the blocking plate 35 to the fan blade assembly 261 and out through the drain channel 23 per paragraph 0048), the heat dissipation liquid cooling sink is provided with a first path where liquid directly flowing from the liquid chamber (201) to the at least one cooling fin set ( where fluid flows through opening 350 to the fins of thermally conducting structure 34) and a second path where liquid flowing from the at least one liquid inlet passage(22) to the at least one cooling fin set ( where fluid flows through one of slits B351-D351 to the fins of thermally conducting structure 34), and a position where the first path flowing into the at least one cooling fin set is different from a position where the second path flowing into the at least one cooling fin set (as seen in figure 2B-2D).
Regarding claim 2, Chen discloses the claim limitations of claim 1 above and Chen further discloses the flow guiding structure (35) is formed on a side of the cap shell (at upper cover 200 and housing 20) facing the base (35 is between housing 20 and base 30 as seen in figure 1C and 3A-3C).
Regarding claim 3, Chen discloses the claim limitations of claim 2 above and Chen further discloses the heat dissipation liquid cooling sink comprises a flow guiding base (35) provided in the liquid chamber and connected to the cap shell (at housing 20), and the flow guiding structure is formed jointly by the flow guiding base and the cap shell (at the inner wall of housing 20 forming the cavity 201 and the blocking plate 35 with the variants B35-D35 seen in figure 2B-2D, which together form a structure for guiding fluid to the lower chamber 301) .
Regarding claim 4, Chen discloses the claim limitations of claim 3 above and Chen further discloses the flow guiding base (35) is formed with at least one first opening for constituting the at least one liquid inlet passage (at connection opening 350 and communication slits 351), and a second opening for constituting the liquid outlet passage (at the cutout in the plate 35 accommodating the fan blade assembly 261 seen clearly in figure 3D where fluid flows out to the fan blade assembly 261 per paragraph 0051).
Regarding claim 5, Chen discloses the claim limitations of claim 4 above and Chen further discloses the cap shell is formed with an assembly notch located at the liquid intake position of the at least one liquid inlet passage (at opening 350, with a notch in the housing 20 where the plate 35 rests on the housing at the side with opening 35 as seen in figure 3A), and the flow guiding base (35) comprises an assembly block positioned at the assembly notch (where the plate 35 rests on the housing 35) .
Regarding claim 6, Chen discloses the claim limitations of claim 5 above and Chen further discloses the cap shell (at 20)is provided with a groove on a side facing the flow guiding base (35), and the flow guiding base is provided with a liquid-blocking ring located in the groove and at least one rib connecting to the liquid-blocking ring (At the portions of the housing 20 with the recess for accommodating the plate 35).
Regarding claim 7, Chen discloses the claim limitations of claim 4 above and Chen further discloses the heat dissipation liquid cooling sink further comprises an auxiliary guide plate located in the liquid chamber (201) and connected to the flow guiding base (35), and the flow guiding structure is formed jointly by the cap shell (20), the flow guiding base (35), and the auxiliary guide plate (as the auxiliary guide plate is broadly defined this can be any plate like structure connected to the plate 35 and the housing 20, such as the wall of the housing 20 parallel to the plate 35 which forms a boundary of the cavity 201, as seen in figure 3A).
Regarding claim 9, Chen discloses the claim limitations of claim 3 above and Chen further discloses the at least one cooling fin set is provided in multiple sets at fins 341 of thermally conducting structure 34 and flow diverting structures 32 and 33), and the plurality of cooling fin sets are located on two opposite surfaces of the flow guiding base (at the right and left side of the base 35 respectively, with the left and right sides as seen in 3A-3C).
Regarding claim 10, Chen discloses the claim limitations of claim 1 above and Chen further discloses the heat dissipation liquid cooling sink comprises a driving device (at pump set 26) located inside the cap shell (20) and an impeller connected to the driving device, the impeller comprises a hollow casing (at lower cavity 29) , a plurality of axial blades arranged inside the hollow casing (at the portions of blades arranged in hollow portion 265), and a plurality of centrifugal blades (blades 262) arranged inside the hollow casing and closer to the liquid outlet than the plurality of axial blades (as seen in figure 3D).
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.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al (US 2021/0307198 A1) in view of Lin et al. (US 2019/0317577 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Chen discloses the claim limitations of claim 7 above and However Chen does not explicitly disclose the auxiliary guide plate comprises at least one first through hole for constituting the at least one liquid inlet passage corresponded to the at least one first opening, and a second through hole for constituting the liquid outlet passage corresponded to the second opening.
Lin discloses (Figure 1-8) a heat dissipation liquid cooling sink with a base (164) a liquid chamber and a cap shell (at the housing of pumping unit 108) with a flow guiding structure (at cover plate 160 and cover 170), an auxiliary guide plate (cover 170) located in the liquid chamber and connected to the flow guiding base (at cover plate 160 per paragraph 0052), and the flow guiding structure is formed jointly by the cap shell (108), the flow guiding base (35), and the auxiliary guide plate (170 per paragraph 0052), the auxiliary guide plate comprises at least one first through hole for constituting the at least one liquid inlet passage corresponded to the at least one first opening, and a second through hole for constituting the liquid outlet passage corresponded to the second opening (the portion of opening connected to an inlet opening 162 and an outlet opening 171).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified guide plate of Chen to include an auxiliary guide plate as disclosed by. Doing so would provide a two plate structure for guiding fluid to and from fins that t could provide a sealing function as recognized by Lin (per paragraph 0052).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Rudnicki et al. (US 20170347487 A1), Tsai (US 20190239388 A1), Liu et al. (US 20190360764 A1), Lai (US 20200344912 A1), Chen et al. (US 20210307197 A1), Chen et al. (US 20230111086 A1), and Xiao (US 20240077258 A1) all disclose related heat dissipation liquid cooling sinks.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HANS R. WEILAND whose telephone number is (571)272-9847. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 6-3 EST and alternating Fridays.
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/HANS R WEILAND/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/ERIC S RUPPERT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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