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 .
Status of the Claims
The status of the claims as filed in the reply dated 5/16/2026 are as follows:
Claim 8 is canceled,
Claims 22-29 are new,
Claims 1-7 and 9-29 are currently pending.
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) 1-7 and 9-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Novek (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021/0325125, previously cited) in view of Gao (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022/0377942, previously cited).
Regarding claim 1, Novek discloses a process for installing a two phase fluid into a heat transfer loop comprising:
adding an at least partially insoluble fluid (“reagent”) into the heat transfer loop to displace at least a portion of a gas from the heat transfer loop (¶0185, “ a fluid employed for heat transfer to and/or from a thermal storage reservoir may comprise a liquid or gas or both which may be insoluble in one or more or all reagents in a thermal storage medium, wherein said liquid is directly contacted with at least a portion of said thermal storage medium, or heterogeneously mixed with at least a portion of said thermal storage medium, or a combination thereof during heat transfer or heat exchanger. For example, said fluid may comprise a gas-liquid phase transition fluid, which may cool a thermal storage reservoir by entering the heat transfer reservoir as a liquid and boiling to form a gas and exiting as a gas”);
adding a two phase fluid (“fluid employed for heat transfer”) into the heat transfer loop to displace at least a portion of the partially insoluble fluid from the heat transfer loop (¶0185); and
separating at least a portion of the displaced at least partially insoluble fluid from the two phase fluid (¶0185, via the thermal storage);
wherein the at least partially insoluble fluid is at least partially insoluble in the two phase fluid (¶0185); and
However, Novek does not explicitly disclose wherein the heat transfer loop comprises a direct to chip cooling system comprising a cold plate. Gao, however, discloses a heat transfer system (fig 3) wherein a heat transfer loop comprises a direct to chip cooling system comprising a cold plate (303). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Novek to provide the cold plate of Gao in order to allow for cooling of a chip.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the two phase fluid (“fluid employed for heat transfer”) comprises butane (¶0185).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the at least partially insoluble fluid (“reagent”, ¶0185) comprises water (¶0178).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the at least partially insoluble fluid (“reagent”) comprises a liquid (“water”, ¶0178).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the gas comprises an inert gas (¶0319).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the gas comprises air (¶0190).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein at least a portion of the two phase fluid comprises a liquid (¶0185).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses treating at least a portion of the at least partially insoluble fluid to prevent or reduce corrosion (¶0310).
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the two phase fluid comprises ammonia (¶0247).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein at least a portion of the two phase fluid comprises a liquid phase when displacing at least a portion of the at least partially insoluble fluid (¶0185).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein said separating comprises employing a density- based liquid-liquid separation (¶0198).
Regarding claim 13, Novek discloses a process for installing a two phase fluid into a heat transfer loop comprising:
adding at least a portion of a fluid comprising an at least a partially insoluble fluid (“reagent”) into the heat transfer loop to displace a least a portion of a fluid comprising a two phase fluid from the heat transfer loop wherein at least a portion of the two phase fluid comprises a liquid phase or liquid state and at least a portion of the displaced fluid comprises a gas (¶0185, “ a fluid employed for heat transfer to and/or from a thermal storage reservoir may comprise a liquid or gas or both which may be insoluble in one or more or all reagents in a thermal storage medium, wherein said liquid is directly contacted with at least a portion of said thermal storage medium, or heterogeneously mixed with at least a portion of said thermal storage medium, or a combination thereof during heat transfer or heat exchanger. For example, said fluid may comprise a gas-liquid phase transition fluid, which may cool a thermal storage reservoir by entering the heat transfer reservoir as a liquid and boiling to form a gas and exiting as a gas”); and
separating at least a portion of the displaced two phase fluid from the at least partially insoluble fluid (¶0185);
wherein the at least partially insoluble fluid is at least partially insoluble in the two phase fluid (¶0185); and
However, Novek does not explicitly disclose wherein the heat transfer loop comprises a direct to chip cooling system comprising a cold plate. Gao, however, discloses a heat transfer system (fig 3) wherein a heat transfer loop comprises a direct to chip cooling system comprising a cold plate (303). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Novek to provide the cold plate of Gao in order to allow for cooling of a chip.
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the two phase fluid (“fluid employed for heat transfer”) comprises butane (¶0185).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the at least partially insoluble fluid (“reagent”, ¶0185) comprises water (¶0178).
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses adding at least a portion of an inert gas into the heat transfer loop to displace at least a portion of the at least partially insoluble fluid from the heat transfer loop (¶0319).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the inert gas comprises nitrogen (¶0319)
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the inert gas comprises a gas with a concentration of diatomic oxygen of less than 5% by volume (as there is no diatomic oxygen).
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses purging at least a portion of the at least partially insoluble fluid from the heat transfer loop with an inert gas (¶0185).
Regarding claim 20, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses pausing said purging when a concentration of at least partially insoluble fluid vapor within, or exiting the heat transfer loop is less than 1,000 PPM (in the case of liquid-liquid distillation, ¶0185).
Regarding claim 21, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the concentration of the two phase fluid vapor in the inert gas within, or exiting the heat transfer loop in the fluid comprising the inert gas is less than about 100 PPM (in the case of liquid-liquid distillation, ¶0185).
Regarding claim 22, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the two phase fluid comprises a flammable fluid (“Butane”, ¶0185).
Regarding claim 23, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the at least partially insoluble fluid (“reagent”, ¶0185) is non- flammable (“water”, ¶0178).
Regarding claim 24, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the two phase fluid comprises a flammable fluid (“Butane”, ¶0185).
Regarding claim 25, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the at least partially insoluble fluid (“reagent”, ¶0185) is non- flammable (“water”, ¶0178).
Regarding claim 26, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek, as modified, further discloses wherein the heat transfer loop cools at least a CPU (as Gao teaches the cooling of processor chip, see fig 3).
Regarding claim 27, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek, as modified, further discloses wherein the heat transfer loop cools at least a CPU (as Gao teaches the cooling of processor chip, see fig 3).
Regarding claim 28, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the process further comprises operating at or above a temperature wherein the two phase fluid changes from a liquid to a gas and in the absence of solidifying (“said fluid may comprise a gas-liquid phase transition fluid, which may cool a thermal storage reservoir by entering the heat transfer reservoir as a liquid and boiling to form a gas and exiting as a gas, or may heat a thermal storage reservoir by entering the heat transfer reservoir as a gas and condensing to form a liquid and exiting gas a liquid, or a combination thereof”, ¶0185).
Regarding claim 29, the combination of Novek and Gao discloses all previous claim limitations. Novek further discloses wherein the process further comprises operating at or above a temperature wherein the two phase fluid changes from a liquid to a gas and in the absence of solidifying (“said fluid may comprise a gas-liquid phase transition fluid, which may cool a thermal storage reservoir by entering the heat transfer reservoir as a liquid and boiling to form a gas and exiting as a gas, or may heat a thermal storage reservoir by entering the heat transfer reservoir as a gas and condensing to form a liquid and exiting gas a liquid, or a combination thereof”, ¶0185).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/19/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues (pages 7-10) that Novek does not teach suggest displacement of one fluid by another. Both claims 1 and 13 require a deliberate, sequential displacement process in which one fluid is introduced into a heat transfer loop to physically push out and replace another fluid that is already present in the loop. In Novek, no fluid is being removed, pushed out, or replaced by the introduction of another fluid. The paragraph [0185] of Novek describes a steady-state heat transfer operation, not a fluid installation or changeover process. The Examiner respectfully disagrees; the claims do not mention fluids being removed, pushed out, or replaced, rather the claims only require that the fluid displace one another. Novek teaches providing the two claimed fluids in the heat transfer loop which would require displacement of each other in that a fluid that would otherwise be present in the system is substituted by the other.
Applicant argues (pages 10-11) that there is no motivation to combine Novek and Gao. Novek's data-center discussion points in a different technological direction, describing "liquid-liquid phase transition, or solid-liquid phase transition, or both in the temperature range appropriate for data center cooling," rather than gas-liquid two- phase direct-to-chip cooling. For these reasons, the proposed combination is not supported by the requisite articulated reasoning with rational underpinning. The Examiner respectfully disagrees; a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand the cooled fluid of Novek could be used in the chip cooling heat exchanger of Gao rather than in the data center.
Applicant argues (pages 11-12) that Novek is related to a different regime and application. Novek is not directed to safe installation or removal of a two-phase coolant in a direct-to-chip electronics cooling loop; rather, it is directed to heat transfer within a thermal-storage system operating in a solidification-related regime. The Examiner respectfully disagree; both the instant application and that described by Novek relate to a heat transfer loop and the refrigerant provided for the heat transfer loop and thus are related to one another.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARRY E ARANT whose telephone number is (571)272-1105. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10-6 ET.
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/HARRY E ARANT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
