DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 4 and 9 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 12/04/2025.
Applicant's election with traverse of Species I (claims 1-3, 5-8, 10, and 11) in the reply filed on 12/04/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is not a search and examination burden because of there being a reasonable number of species. This is not found persuasive because each species would require, at least one of the following, independently search or searched in a different manner from the other species, because of the structural differences between the previously identified species, text or queries searches, image searches, electronic data base searches, AI searches, or fields of search. Additionally, because each species is different, each distinct species may also require its own differently written rejection, responses to different arguments, and additional time would be required for reading, understanding, and investigating the different species.
Accordingly, the search and/or examination would be burdensome. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) filed on 07/31/2025 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(3)(i) because it does not include a concise explanation of the relevance for the non-patent literature document in each of the IDS listed above, as it is presently understood by the individual designated in 37 CFR 1.56(c) most knowledgeable about the content of the information, of each reference listed that is not in the English language. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered. Note that none of the Office Actions and none of the Search Reports are in English or contain a concise explanation of the relevance of the document(s) in English.
Additionally, the information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) filed on 07/31/2025 list foreign documents. As for these foreign documents, only that portion which has been provided in English has been considered, and any portion not provided in English has not been considered.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 01/29/2025.
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)(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) 1-3, 5-8, 10, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Li et al. (US 2022/0136628), (hereinafter, Li).
Note: the above listed reference has a filing date of 02/02/2021.
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Re Clm 1: Li discloses a connecting device (see Figs. 1-20 and see the Fig. above) of a liquid cooling module, comprising:
a floating connector (120, 143, 140, 110, and 160), having a channel for a fluid passing through (the central bore) and comprising
an anti-rotation structure (the 4001s and the 4002s of 142);
a case (130, 130a, and 130b), comprising a through hole (the central opening which also incorporates the opening formed by the four 136s); and
an elastic sheet (three of the 150s and see [0033]), comprising: a first extending structure (1001) affixed to the case (see above); a second extending (1002) structure connected to the floating connector (see above); a curved structure (1003), wherein a head end (1013) of the curved structure is connected to the first extending structure (see above), and a tail end of the curved structure (1023) is connected to the second extending structure (see above),
wherein the floating connector passes through the through hole (see Figs. 2-4), and the anti-rotation structure is accommodated in the through hole to restrict the rotation angle of the floating connector (see Figs. 2-4),
wherein the anti-rotation structure comprises a lateral side (on the lateral side of 4002), the through hole comprises a wall facing the lateral side (see above), and the lateral side and the wall are concave and convex, respectively (see Figs. 2-4 and above).
Re Clm 2: Li discloses wherein the second extending structure has a plate (1012) in contact with the floating connector in a detachable manner (see Figs. 1-20 and see the Fig. above).
Re Clm 3: Li discloses wherein the first extending structure is substantially parallel to the second extending structure (see above, even though the first extending structure and the second extending structure are not parallel with each other they are substantially parallel with each other).
Re Clm 5: Li discloses wherein the through hole comprises a wall (at 7001), and a gap is formed between the anti-rotation structure and the wall (the gap is formed between 7001 and 4002).
Re Clm 6: Li discloses wherein the floating connector further comprises a guiding hole disposed adjacent to the channel (the hole that contains 160).
Re Clm 7: Li discloses wherein the connecting device further comprises a spring connected to the case and the floating connector (the fourth of the 150s and see [0033]).
Re Clm 8: Li discloses a connecting device (see Figs. 1-20 and see the Fig. above) of a liquid cooling module, comprising:
a floating connector (120, 143, 140, 110, and 160), having a channel (the central bore) for a fluid passing through; and comprising
an anti-rotation structure (the 4001s and the 4002s of 142);
a case (130, 130a, and 130b), comprising a through hole (the central opening which also incorporates the opening formed by the four 136s); and
a plurality of elastic sheets (two of the 150s and see [0033]), wherein each of the elastic sheets comprises: a first extending structure (1001), affixed to the case (see above); a second extending structure (1002), connected to the floating connector (see above); and a curved structure (1003), wherein a head end (1013) of the curved structure is connected to the first extending structure (see above), and a tail end (1023) of the curved structure is connected to the second extending structure (see above),
wherein the connecting portions of the elastic sheets and the floating connector are symmetrically disposed relative to a central axis of the floating connector (see above),
wherein the floating connector passes through the through hole (see Figs. 2-4), and the anti-rotation structure is accommodated in the through hole to restrict the rotation angle of the floating connector (see Figs. 2-4),
wherein the anti-rotation structure comprises a lateral side (on the lateral side of 4002), the through hole comprises a wall facing the lateral side (see above), and the lateral side and the wall are concave and convex, respectively (see Figs. 2-4 and above).
Re Clm 10: Li discloses wherein the floating connector further comprises a guiding hole disposed adjacent to the channel (the hole that contains 160).
Re Clm 11: Li discloses wherein the connecting device further comprises a spring connected to the case and the floating connector (the fourth of the 150s and see [0033]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following documents have structural features (tubular members connected to a cooling means) which are similar to the applicant’s claimed invention; US-10791648-B1, US-20020191374-A1, US-20100320753-A1, US-20130277008-A1, US-20160061364-A1, US-20160227668-A1, US-20200214172-A1, US-20210381421-A1, and US-20230050005-A1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES A LINFORD whose telephone number is (571)270-3066. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Troutman can be reached on (571) 270-3654. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JAMES ALBERT LINFORD
Examiner
Art Unit 3679
03/05/2026
/Matthew Troutman/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3679