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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The term “substantially” in claims 1, 15, and 19 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “substantially” is not defined by the claims, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. This renders the claims indefinite. However “substantially reducing” appears to be defined in claim 20 and of itself not be considered indefinite.
The term “better” in claim 21 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “better” is not defined by the claims, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. This renders the claims indefinite.
Claims 2-14, 16-18, and 20 are rejected for depending upon a rejected base claim.
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) 15-17 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Escamilla et al. (US 11,089,713; hereinafter Escamilla).
Regarding claim 15, Escamilla (Fig. 1-4) discloses a method for diverting airflow associated with a fan (104) in an electronic equipment (100), comprising: positioning a fan cover (106) on the rear surface of the fan (104) to establish a fluid connection with the rear surface of the fan (104); operating the fan (104) to induce airflow through said fan cover (106); providing a displaceable flap (124) on said fan cover (106); and angularly displacing at least one of said flap (124) of said fan cover (106) to one of two or more predefined angles (Fig. 4 shows the flaps at various angles) based on pre-determined airflow requirements for directing output air towards specific electronic components (108: processors) to substantially minimize thermal blind spots in the electronic equipment (100).
Regarding claim 16, Escamilla discloses the method as claimed in claim 15, wherein Escamilla (Fig. 1-4) further discloses providing a second displaceable flap (124) on said fan cover (106).
Regarding claim 17, Escamilla discloses the method as claimed in claim 16, wherein Escamilla (Fig. 1-4) further discloses providing a plurality of displaceable flaps (124) on said fan cover (106).
Regarding claim 19, Escamilla discloses the method as claimed in claim 15, wherein Escamilla (Fig. 1-4) further discloses substantially minimizing further comprises substantially reducing the temperature of the components in an under cooled area (Abstract - repositioning vanes to redirect air flow to compensate for failure of one of the air movers).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Claims 18 and 20-21 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Schwarz (US 6,007,421) discloses an air mixing device that includes at least two flap members for selectively obscuring heated and cooled air openings.
Anderl et al. (US 9,850,908) discloses fans with variable inlet and outlet vanes.
Cho et al. (US 10,383,256) discloses a fan with a door on the outlet of the fan.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIELLE M CHRISTENSEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3275. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5 PM.
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, Courtney Heinle can be reached at 571-270-3508. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Danielle M. Christensen/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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