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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on September 8, 2025 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 7, 10, 16-19, and 21-22 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims 1, 7, 10, 16-18, and 21-22, instances of “p-OLED” should likely read --µ-OLED--.
In claim 19, line 2, “the-at” should likely read --the--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-3, 7-10, 15-16, and 18-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogawa (US Publication No. 2023/0280596) in view of Maric (US Publication No. 2021/0373592), Yoon (US Publication No. 2015/0253613), and Saaidi (US Publication No. 2022/0240413).
Regarding claim 1, Ogawa discloses a head-mounted device (Figure 1, HMD 100) comprising: an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel (Figure 4, display panel 39; see Paragraph [0012]); an electronic component (processor 38a); a heat sink (comprised of partition wall 83 and rear wall connected to airflow generating device 81; see annotated Figure 7B below) comprising: a top plate (rear wall connected to 81) in contact (at least thermal contact; see Paragraph [0127]-[0130]) with the electronic component (38a); a bottom plate (83) in contact (at least in thermal contact; see Paragraph [0127]-[0130]) with the OLED display panel (39); and an electrical connector (drive circuit substrate 38; see Paragraphs [0127], [0138]) electrically coupling the electronic component (38a) to the OLED display panel (39), wherein a gap (space accommodating 81) is defined between the top plate (rear wall connected to 81) and the bottom plate (83); and a fan (air generating device 81; see Paragraph [0126]) disposed in the gap (space accommodating 81, including airflow path 82) between the top plate (rear wall connected to 81) and the bottom plate (83) so as to overlap the electronic component (38a) and the OLED display panel (39) (Figure 7B, fan 81 being located behind display 39 and being integrated within lens barrel along with display 39; see also Paragraphs [0126]-[0140], fan 81 overlapping display 39 and processor 38a at least along some direction, considering display 39, processor 38a, and fan 81 are all located within barrel 10), the fan (81) comprising a blower (see Paragraph [0126]) configured to direct air through the gap (space accommodating 81, including 82).
Ogawa does not explicitly disclose wherein the OLED display panel is a µ-OLED display panel. However, Maric teaches a display device (device 100) comprising a µ-OLED display panel (Figure 20 and Paragraph [0057], displays being micro-OLEDs).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have substituted the OLED displays of Ogawa for the µ-OLED displays of Maric according to known methods to yield the predictable results of providing a display panel for a head-mounted display device. Doing so would have also provided a brighter display with higher pixel density for improved picture quality.
Ogawa in view of Maric does not teach a U-shaped heat sink, wherein a portion of the electrical connector extends across a gap defined between the top plate and the bottom plate.
However, Yoon teaches a display device comprising: a display panel (display panel 100, 200); an electronic component (IC chip 42); and a U-shaped heat sink (comprised of mold frame 50 and base film 41) comprising: a top plate (bottom frame 51) in contact (thermal contact) with the electronic component (42); a bottom plate (guide frame 53) in contact with the display panel (100, 200); and an electrical connector (41) electrically coupling the electronic component (42) to the OLED display panel (100, 200), wherein a portion of the electrical connector (41) extends across a gap (space between 51 and 53) defined between the top plate (51) and the bottom plate (53).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have arranged the OLED display panel and electronic component in Ogawa as modified by Maric on opposite sides of the heat sink, as taught in Yoon, such that the electrical connector extends across a gap defined between the top plate and the bottom plate, as taught in Yoon. Doing so would have increased heat dissipation and protected the display panel by thermally decoupling the electronic component from the OLED display (see Figures 1-3 and Paragraphs [0083], [0098] in Yoon).
Additionally, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat sink in Ogawa as modified by Maric to include a U-shape, as taught in Yoon. Doing so would have helped direct the fold of the electrical connector used to establish the electrical connection between the display panel on one side of the heat sink and the electronic component on the other side of the heat sink (see Figure 3 and Paragraphs [0085]-[0086] in Yoon).
Ogawa in view of Maric and Yoon does not teach a spacer disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate configured to prevent air exhausted by the U-shaped heat sink from re-entering the U-shaped heat sink.
However, Saaidi teaches a heat sink (see Figures 3-5) comprising a top plate (first base 53), a bottom plate (second base 83), and a fan (air moving device 30) disposed in a gap (space between 53 and 83) between the top plate (53) and the bottom plate (83), the fan (30) comprising a blower (blades of 30) configured to direct air through the gap (space between 53 and 83); and a spacer (comprised of closed sidewalls 73 (see Figures 4c-4d) and separation wall 58 (see Figures 3a-3b and 5a)) and disposed between the top plate (53) and the bottom plate (83) configured to prevent air exhausted by the heat sink from re-entering the heat sink (see Paragraphs [0017], [0020], [0051], and [0059]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have combined the spacer walls of Saaidi between the top and bottom walls of the U-shaped heat sink of Ogawa as modified by Maric and Yoon. Doing so would have improved heat transfer by separating the cooling sections and preventing recirculation of the exhausted air (see Paragraphs [0017], [0020], [0051], and [0059] in Saaidi).
Regarding claim 2, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, and further teaches (in Ogawa) wherein the electronic component (38a) comprises at least one of: memory, circuitry, a processor, or an integrated circuit (IC) (see Paragraph [0110] and Figure 4).
Regarding claim 3, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 2, and further teaches (in Ogawa) wherein the IC is a display driver integrated circuit (DDIC) (see Paragraph [0110]).
Regarding claim 7, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, and further teaches (in Saaidi) a standoff (fins 54) disposed between and physically coupling the electronic component (38a coupled to rear wall of Ogawa as modified by Yoon, the rear wall of Ogawa corresponding to 53 in Saaidi) and the µ-OLED display panel (39, as modified by Maric, coupled to wall 83 in Ogawa as modified by Yoon, where 83 in Ogawa corresponds to 83 in Saaidi; see Figures 2 and 5 in Saaidi) with the gap (space between 53 and 83) therebetween, and further teaches (in Ogawa) wherein the gap (space between 83 and rear panel of 81) thermally decouples the electronic component (38a, as modified by Yoon) from the µ-OLED display panel (39, as modified by Yoon and Maric).
Because the top and bottom plates of Ogawa as modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi are directly, physically coupled to the electronic component and µ-OLED, as taught in Yoon and as shown in the instant application, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have combined the stand-off fins of Saaidi between the top and bottom plates of Ogawa as previously modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi. Doing so would have increased heat dissipation, allowing heat to be transferred to the standoffs and be cooled by the fan (see Paragraphs [0042]-[0049], [0063] in Saaidi).
Regarding claim 8, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, and further teaches (in Yoon) wherein the electrical connector (41) includes a flexible circuit (see Paragraphs [0058] and [0071]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have modified the electrical connector of Ogawa as previously modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi to be a flexible circuit, as taught in Yoon. Doing so would have allowed the electrical connector to bend around the top and bottom plates, reducing the bezel area and allowing the electronic component to remain thermally decoupled from the display (see Figures 1-3 and Paragraphs [0083], [0098] in Yoon).
Regarding claim 9, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 8, and further teaches (in Yoon) wherein the flexible circuit (41) comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) (PCB 30).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have combined the PCB of Yoon to the flexible circuit of Ogawa as previously modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi. Doing so would have allowed the electrical connector to supply the drive signals to the display panel (see Paragraph [0074] in Yoon).
Regarding claim 10, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, and further teaches (in Yoon) wherein the electronic component (42) is a first electronic component (Figure 1, first 42), and the electrical connector (41) is a first electrical connector (Figure 1, first 41), the device further comprising a second electronic component (Figure 1, second 42) and a second electrical connector (Figure 1, second 41) electrically coupling the second electronic component (second 42) to the µ-OLED display panel (100, 200), the second electrical connector (second 41) including a flexible circuit (see Paragraphs [0058] and [0071]) comprising a PCB (PCB 30), the second electronic component (second 42) being disposed in contact with the top plate (51, corresponding to rear wall connected to 81) and arranged adjacent to the first electronic component (first 42).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have combined a second electrical connector, second electrical driver component, and PCB in Yoon to the display device of Ogawa as previously modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi. Combining a second connector and a second driver component would have improved display quality and increased the display’s data processing efficiency (see Paragraphs [0071]-[0074] in Yoon; see Paragraph [0110]-[0112] in Ogawa). Combining the PCB would have allowed the electrical connectors to supply the drive signals to the display panel (see Paragraph [0074] in Yoon).
Regarding claim 15, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the heat mounted device of claim 1, and further teaches (in Saaidi) wherein the fan (30; see Figure 3c) is configured to pull air radially inward (via cooling section 51) and push exhausted air axially towards the electronic component (toward 53, where driver 38a is coupled to top plate in Ogawa as modified by Yoon, top plate in Ogawa as modified by Yoon corresponding to 53 in Saaidi), the fan (30) including the spacer (58, 73; see Figure 3c, where 58 is connected to 30) being configured to direct exhausted air toward axially towards the electronic component (toward 53) and to inhibit re-entry of the exhausted air into the fan (30; see Paragraphs [0017], [0020], [0051], and [0059] in Saaidi).
Regarding claim 16, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, and further teaches (in Ogawa) wherein the device (100) includes a housing (main portion 11), and the electronic component (38a) and the µ-OLED display panel (39, as modified by Maric) are disposed within the housing (11) of the device (100) (see Paragraph [0045]).
Regarding claim 18, Ogawa discloses a head-mounted device (Figure 1, HMD 100) comprising: a housing (comprised of lens barrels 10 and 20); and a display assembly (see Figures 2-4 and 7A-7B) disposed in the housing (10, 20), the display assembly comprising: a first organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel (Figure 4, display panel 39 of 10; see Paragraphs [0045], [0086], [0112]); a first electronic component (Figure 4, processor 38a of 10); a heat sink (comprised of partition wall 83 and rear wall connected to airflow generating device 81) comprising: a top plate (rear wall connected to 81) in contact (at least thermal contact; see Paragraph [0127]-[0130]) with the first electronic component (38a); a bottom plate (83) in contact (at least in thermal contact; see Paragraph [0127]-[0130]) with the first OLED display panel (39 in 10); and a first electrical connector (drive circuit substrate 38; see Paragraphs [0127], [0138]) electrically coupling the first electronic component (38a in 10) to the first OLED display panel (39 in 10), wherein a first gap (space accommodating 81 in 10, including path 82) is defined between the top plate (rear wall connected to 81 in 10) and the bottom plate (83 in 10); and a first fan (air generating device 81 in 10) disposed in the first gap (space accommodating 81 in 10) between the top plate (rear wall connected to 81 in 10) and the bottom plate (83 in 10) so as to overlap the first electronic component (38a in 10) and the first OLED display panel (39 in 10) (Figure 7B, fan 81 being located behind display 39 and being integrated within lens barrel along with display 39; see also Paragraphs [0126]-[0140], fan 81 overlapping display 39 and processor 38a at least along some direction, considering display 39, processor 38a, and fan 81 are all located in barrel 10), the first fan (see Figures 1, 3, 7A-7B) comprising a first blower (81) configured to direct air through the first gap (space accommodating 81 in 10);
a second OLED display panel (Figure 4, display panel 39 in 20; see Paragraphs [0048], [0086], [0112]); a second electronic component (Figure 4, processor 38a in 20); a second electrical connector (Figure 4, drive circuit 38 in 20) electrically coupling the second electronic component (38a in 20) to the second OLED display panel (39 in 20); and a second fan (air generating device 81 in 20) comprising a second blower (see Paragraph [0126]) configured to direct air through a second gap (space accommodating 81 in 20).
Ogawa does not explicitly disclose wherein the first and second OLED display panels are µ-OLED display panels. However, Maric teaches a display device (device 100) comprising a µ-OLED display panel (Figure 20 and Paragraph [0057], displays being micro-OLEDs).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have substituted the OLED displays of Ogawa for the µ-OLED displays of Maric according to known methods to yield the predictable results of providing a display panel for a head-mounted display device. Doing so would have also provided a brighter display with higher pixel density for improved picture quality.
Ogawa in view of Maric does not teach a U-shaped heat sink, wherein a portion of the first electrical connector extends across a gap defined between the top plate and the bottom plate, and wherein a second gap is located between the second µ-OLED display panel and the second electronic component.
However, Yoon teaches a display device comprising: a display panel (display panel 100, 200); an electronic component (IC chip 42); and a U-shaped heat sink (comprised of mold frame 50 and base film 41) comprising: a top plate (bottom frame 51) in contact (thermal contact) with the electronic component (42); a bottom plate (guide frame 53) in contact with the display panel (100, 200); and an electrical connector (41) electrically coupling the electronic component (42) to the OLED display panel (100, 200), wherein a portion of the electrical connector (41) extends across a gap (space between 51 and 53) defined between the top plate (51) and the bottom plate (53).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have arranged the µ-OLED display panels and electronic components in Ogawa as modified by Maric on opposite sides of the heat sinks, as taught in Yoon, such that the electrical connectors extend across gaps defined between the top plates and the bottom plates, as taught in Yoon. Doing so would have increased heat dissipation and protected the display panel by thermally decoupling the electronic component from the OLED display (see Figures 1-3 and Paragraphs [0083], [0098] in Yoon).
Additionally, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat sink in Ogawa as modified by Maric to include a U-shape, as taught in Yoon. Doing so would have helped direct the fold of the electrical connector used to establish the electrical connection between the display panel on one side of the heat sink and the electronic component on the other side of the heat sink (see Figure 3 and Paragraphs [0085]-[0086] in Yoon).
Ogawa in view of Maric and Yoon does not teach a spacer configured to direct exhausted air axially towards the first electronic component and to inhibit re-entry for the exhausted air into the first fan.
However, Saaidi teaches a heat sink (see Figures 3-5) comprising a top plate (first base 53) and a bottom plate (second base 83); a fan (air moving device 30) disposed in a gap (space between 53 and 83) between the top plate (53) and the bottom plate (83), the fan (30) comprising a blower (blades of 30) configured to direct air through the gap (space between 53 and 83), and a spacer (comprised of closed sidewalls 73 (see Figures 4c-4d) and separation wall 58 (see Figures 3a-3b and 5a)) and disposed between the top plate (53) and the bottom plate (83) and configured to direct exhausted air (from 30) axially towards the first electronic component (toward 53, where driver 38a is coupled to top plate in Ogawa as modified by Yoon, top plate in Ogawa as modified by Yoon corresponding to 53 in Saaidi) and to inhibit reentry of the exhausted air into the first fan (see Paragraphs [0017], [0020], [0051], and [0059]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have combined the spacer walls of Saaidi to the fan between the top and bottom walls of Ogawa as modified by Maric and Yoon. Doing so would have improved heat transfer by separating the cooling sections and preventing recirculation of the exhausted air (see Paragraphs [0017], [0020], [0051], and [0059] in Saaidi).
Regarding claim 19, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 18, and further teaches (in Ogawa) wherein the first blower (81 of 10) is configured to push and/or pull air (along flow path 82 in 10, as modified by Saaidi) through the first gap (space accommodating fan 81 in 10, including path 82) and the second blower (81 of 20) is configured to push and/or pull air (along flow path 82 in 20, as modified by Saaidi) through the second gap (space accommodating fan 81 in 20, including path 82).
Regarding claim 20, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 18, further comprising (in Ogawa and Saaidi): a first intake channel (inlet of 82 in 10 in Figures 7A-7B of Ogawa, corresponding to inlet 5 in Figures 4c-4d of Saaidi); a second intake channel (inlet of 82 in 20 in Ogawa, corresponding to inlet 5 in Figures 4c-4d in Saaidi); a first exhaust channel (outlet of 82 in 10 in Figures 7A-7B of Ogawa, corresponding to outlet 7 in Figures 4c-4d of Saaidi); and a second exhaust channel (outlet of 82 in 20 in Ogawa, corresponding to outlet 7 in Figures 4c-4d of Saaidi), wherein the at least one first blower (81 in 10) is configured to pull air through the first intake channel (see Figure 7A in Ogawa; see Figures 4c-4d in Saaidi) before the air goes through the first gap (space accommodating 81 in 10, including 82 in 10) and push the air out through the first exhaust channel (see Figure 7A in Ogawa; see Figures 4c-4d in Saaidi), and the at least one second blower (81 in 20) is configured to pull air through the second intake channel (see Figure 7A in Ogawa; see Figures 4c-4d in Saaidi) before the air goes through the second gap (space accommodating 81 in 20, including 82 in 20) and push the air out through the second exhaust channel (see Figure 7A in Ogawa; see Figures 4c-4d in Saaidi) (see also Paragraphs [0126]-[0140] in Ogawa).
Regarding claim 21, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, and further suggest (in Ogawa) wherein the fan (81) overlaps a central region of the µ-OLED display panel (Figures 1, 3, 7A-7B, fan 81 positioned within center of lens barrel 10, where 39 is located within 10).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have arranged the fan to overlap a center of the display panel, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950); MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C).
Regarding claim 22, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, and further suggests (in Ogawa) wherein the fan (81) fully overlaps the µ-OLED display panel (see Figures 1, 3, 7A-7B).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have arranged the fan to overlap the display panel, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950); MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C).
Additionally, since the HMD display device of the claimed invention has similar structure and proportion to the HMD display device of Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi, the stated limitation is held to be merely a selection of optimal working parameters established through routine experimentation, and thus obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art. MPEP § 2144.05(II)(A); In re Williams, 36 F.2d 436, 438 (CCPA 1929) ("It is a settled principle of law that a mere carrying forward of an original patented conception involving only change of form, proportions, or degree, or the substitution of equivalents doing the same thing as the original invention, by substantially the same means, is not such an invention as will sustain a patent, even though the changes of the kind may produce better results than prior inventions."). A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to formulate the claimed relationship between the display and fan, considering doing so would have optimized the cooling efficiency of the fan, by balancing the size of the cooling device (fan) with the size of the heat generating device (OLED).
Alternatively, claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogawa (US Publication No. 2023/0280596), Maric (US Publication No. 2021/0373592), Yoon (US Publication No. 2015/0253613), Saaidi (US Publication No. 2022/0240413), and in further view of Huang (US Publication No. 2017/0171998).
Regarding claim 7, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, and further teaches (in Ogawa) wherein the gap (space between 83 and rear panel of 81) thermally decouples the electronic component (38a, as modified by Yoon) from the µ-OLED display panel (39, as modified by Maric), but does not teach a standoff disposed between and physically coupling the electronic component to the µ-OLED display panel with the gap therebetween.
However, Huang teaches a standoff (spacer 230) disposed between and physically coupling (NOTE: similar to configuration shown in Figure 5-6 of instant application) the top plate (first plate 210) and the bottom plate (second plate 220) with the gap therebetween (space between 210 and 220).
Because the top and bottom plates of Ogawa as modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi are directly, physically coupled to the electronic component and µ-OLED, as taught in Yoon and as shown in the instant application, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have combined the standoffs of Huang between the first and second plates such that the standoffs were disposed between and physically coupled to the electronic component and the µ-OLED display panel of Ogawa as modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi. Doing so would have reinforced the display panel and the connection between the top and bottom plates (see Paragraph [0030] in Huang).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogawa (US Publication No. 2023/0280596), Maric (US Publication No. 2021/0373592), Yoon (US Publication No. 2015/0253613), Saaidi (US Publication No. 2022/0240413), and in further view of Park (US Publication No. 2023/0189563).
Regarding claim 11, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, but does not teach a graphite sheet disposed on and thermally coupled to the electronic component.
However, Park teaches a display device comprising an electronic component (driver 420) and a graphite sheet (shielding member 430; see Paragraphs [0122]-[0125]) disposed on and thermally coupled to the electronic component (420).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have combined the graphite sheet of Park to the driver of Ogawa as modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi. Doing so would have helped dissipate heat generated by the electronic driving component (see Paragraph [0121] in Park).
Claims 12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogawa (US Publication No. 2023/0280596), Maric (US Publication No. 2021/0373592), Yoon (US Publication No. 2015/0253613), Saaidi (US Publication No. 2022/0240413), and in further view of Horng (US Publication No. 2003/0196779).
Regarding claim 12, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, but does not teach wherein the at least one blower comprises a cross-flow fan.
However, Horng teaches a cross-flow fan (impeller 2) configured to dissipate heat from an electrical component (circuit board 18).
Because the cooling modules of Ogawa, Saaidi, and Horng are arranged in a similar manner, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have substituted the blower of Ogawa as modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi for the crossflow fan of Horng according to know methods to yield the predictable results of cooling an electronic component. Doing so would have also improved the air flow rate and increased the heat dissipating effect of the housing (see Paragraphs [0004]-[0008] in Horng).
Regarding claim 14, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, but does not teach wherein the fan includes a plurality of fins disposed in the gap, the plurality of fins forming heat sink channels extending between the top plate and the bottom plate.
However, Horng teaches wherein a fan (comprised of impeller 2 and fins 11) includes a plurality of fins (11) disposed in a gap (between base of 1 and cover plate 3, corresponding to space between 83 and rear wall connected to 81 in Ogawa), the plurality of fins (11) forming heat sink channels (channels 12) extending between the top plate (base of 1) and the bottom plate (3).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have combined the fins of Horng to the fan of Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi. Doing so would have increased heat dissipation by allowing heat generated by the electronic component to be dissipated through the fins (see Paragraph [0020] in Horng).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogawa (US Publication No. 2023/0280596), Maric (US Publication No. 2021/0373592), Yoon (US Publication No. 2015/0253613), Saaidi (US Publication No. 2022/0240413), and in further view of Chen (US Publication No. 2020/0378388).
Regarding claim 13, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, but does not teach wherein the fan comprises at least two blowers.
However, Chen teaches a fan (fan structure 100) comprising at least two blowers (first fan 120 and second fan 140).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have substituted the single blower in Ogawa as modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi for the contra-rotating blowers in Chen, considering it is well established that a mere duplication of parts has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced, and doing so would have simply increased heat dissipation with an additional fan. See MPEP § 2144.04 and In re Harza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960). Doing so would have also improved heat dissipation by providing a fan capable of producing higher wind speeds (see Paragraph [0021] in Chen).
Alternatively, claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogawa (US Publication No. 2023/0280596), Maric (US Publication No. 2021/0373592), Yoon (US Publication No. 2015/0253613), Saaidi (US Publication No. 2022/0240413), and in further view of Korta (US Publication No. 2022/0377935).
Regarding claim 15, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the heat mounted device of claim 1, and further suggests (in Saaidi) wherein the fan (30; see Figure 3c) is configured to pull air radially inward (via cooling section 51) and push exhausted air axially towards the electronic component (toward 53, where driver 38a is coupled to top plate in Ogawa as modified by Yoon, top plate in Ogawa as modified by Yoon corresponding to 53 in Saaidi), the fan (30) including the spacer (58, 73; see Figure 3c, where 58 is connected to 30) being configured to direct exhausted air toward axially towards the electronic component (toward 53) and to inhibit re-entry of the exhausted air into the fan (30; see Paragraphs [0017], [0020], [0059]).
Additionally, Korta explicitly teaches a fan (30) including a spacer (baffle 29, corresponding to 58 in Saaidi; Paragraph [0051], baffle 29 being sealed around housing of fan 25).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have modified the connection between the fan and spacer in Ogawa as modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi to be sealed together such that the fan included the spacer, as taught in Korta (NOTE: compare with Figure 7 of the instant application). Doing so would have ensured there was no air leakage between the inlet and outlet channels to prevent air-recirculation (see Paragraphs [0019]-[0021] in Korta; see Paragraph [0051] in Saaidi).
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogawa (US Publication No. 2023/0280596), Maric (US Publication No. 2021/0373592), Yoon (US Publication No. 2015/0253613), Saaidi (US Publication No. 2022/0240413), and in further view of Aurongzeb (US Publication No. 2017/0263179).
Regarding claim 17, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi teaches the head-mounted device of claim 1, but does not teach the device further comprising a graphite sheet disposed on the back of the µ-OLED display panel, wherein the graphite sheet is configured to conduct heat generated by the µ-OLED display panel away from the µ-OLED display panel.
However, Aurongzeb teaches a display device comprising an OLED display panel (Figure 8, front OLED 64) and a graphite sheet (front graphite 86) disposed on the back of the OLED display panel (back of 64), wherein the graphite sheet (86) is configured to conduct heat generated by the OLED display panel (64) away from the OLED display panel (64; Paragraph [0034], heat being transferred from display 64 through graphite sheet 86 to cooling circuit 78 integrated within midframe 72, where midframe 72 and cooling circuit 78 correspond to heat sink and fan of Ogawa as modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have combined the graphite sheet of Aurongzeb to the µ-OLED display of Ogawa as modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi. Doing so would have improved heat dissipation of the display device (see Paragraph [0034] in Aurongzeb).
Alternatively, claims 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogawa (US Publication No. 2023/0280596) in view of Maric (US Publication No. 2021/0373592), Yoon (US Publication No. 2015/0253613), Saaidi (US Publication No. 2022/0240413), and Korta (US Publication No. 2022/0377935).
Regarding claim 18, Ogawa discloses a head-mounted device (Figure 1, HMD 100) comprising: a housing (comprised of lens barrels 10 and 20); and a display assembly (see Figures 2-4 and 7A-7B) disposed in the housing (10, 20), the display assembly comprising: a first organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel (Figure 4, display panel 39 of 10; see Paragraphs [0045], [0086], [0112]); a first electronic component (Figure 4, processor 38a of 10); a heat sink (comprised of partition wall 83 and rear wall connected to airflow generating device 81) comprising: a top plate (rear wall connected to 81) in contact (at least thermal contact; see Paragraph [0127]-[0130]) within the first electronic component (38a); a bottom plate (83) in contact (at least in thermal contact; see Paragraph [0127]-[0130]) with the first OLED display panel (39 in 10); and a first electrical connector (drive circuit substrate 38; see Paragraphs [0127], [0138]) electrically coupling the first electronic component (38a in 10) to the first OLED display panel (39 in 10), wherein a first gap (space accommodating 81 in 10, including path 82) is defined between the top plate (rear wall connected to 81 in 10) and the bottom plate (83 in 10); and a first fan (air generating device 81 in 10) disposed in the first gap (space accommodating 81 in 10) between the top plate (rear wall connected to 81 in 10) and the bottom plate (83 in 10) so as to overlap the first electronic component (38a in 10) and the first OLED display panel (39 in 10) (Figure 7B, fan 81 being located behind display 39 and being integrated within lens barrel along with display 39; see also Paragraphs [0126]-[0140], fan 81 overlapping display 39 and processor 38a at least along some direction, considering display 39, processor 38a, and fan 81 are all located in barrel 10), the first fan (see Figures 1, 3, 7A-7B) comprising a first blower (81) configured to direct air through the first gap (space accommodating 81 in 10);
a second OLED display panel (Figure 4, display panel 39 in 20; see Paragraphs [0048], [0086], [0112]); a second electronic component (Figure 4, processor 38a in 20); a second electrical connector (Figure 4, drive circuit 38 in 20) electrically coupling the second electronic component (38a in 20) to the second OLED display panel (39 in 20); and a second fan (air generating device 81 in 20) comprising a second blower (see Paragraph [0126]) configured to direct air through a second gap (space accommodating 81 in 20).
Ogawa does not explicitly disclose wherein the first and second OLED display panels are µ-OLED display panels. However, Maric discloses a display device (device 100) comprising a µ-OLED display panel (Figure 20 and Paragraph [0057], displays being micro-OLEDs).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have substituted the OLED displays of Ogawa for the µ-OLED displays of Maric according to known methods to yield the predictable results of providing a display panel for a head-mounted display device. Doing so would have also provided a brighter display with higher pixel density for improved picture quality.
Ogawa in view of Maric does not teach a U-shaped heat sink, wherein a portion of the first electrical connector extends across a gap defined between the top plate and the bottom plate, and wherein a second gap is located between the second µ-OLED display panel and the second electronic component.
However, Yoon teaches a display device comprising: a display panel (display panel 100, 200); an electronic component (IC chip 42); and a U-shaped heat sink (comprised of mold frame 50 and base film 41) comprising: a top plate (bottom frame 51) in contact (thermal contact) with the electronic component (42); a bottom plate (guide frame 53) in contact with the display panel (100, 200); and an electrical connector (41) electrically coupling the electronic component (42) to the OLED display panel (100, 200), wherein a portion of the electrical connector (41) extends across a gap (space between 51 and 53) defined between the top plate (51) and the bottom plate (53).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have arranged the µ-OLED display panels and electronic components in Ogawa as modified by Maric on opposite sides of the heat sink, as taught in Yoon, such that the electrical connectors extend across gaps defined between the top plates and the bottom plates, as taught in Yoon. Doing so would have increased heat dissipation and protected the display panel by thermally decoupling the electronic component from the OLED display (see Figures 1-3 and Paragraphs [0083], [0098] in Yoon).
Additionally, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat sink in Ogawa as modified by Maric to include a U-shape, as taught in Yoon. Doing so would have helped direct the fold of the electrical connector used to establish the electrical connection between the display panel on one side of the heat sink and the electronic component on the other side of the heat sink (see Figure 3 and Paragraphs [0085]-[0086] in Yoon).
Ogawa in view of Maric and Yoon does not teach a spacer configured to direct exhausted air axially towards the first electronic component and to inhibit re-entry for the exhausted air into the first fan.
However, Saaidi teaches a heat sink (see Figures 3-5) comprising a top plate (first base 53) and a bottom plate (second base 83); a fan (air moving device 30) disposed in a gap (space between 53 and 83) between the top plate (53) and the bottom plate (83), the fan (30) comprising a blower (blades of 30) configured to direct air through the gap (space between 53 and 83), and a spacer (comprised of closed sidewalls 73 (see Figures 4c-4d) and separation wall 58 (see Figures 3a-3b and 5a)) and disposed between the top plate (53) and the bottom plate (83) and configured to direct exhausted air (from 30) axially towards the first electronic component (toward 53, where driver 38a is coupled to top plate in Ogawa as modified by Yoon, the top plate in Ogawa as modified by Yoon corresponding to 53 in Saaidi) and to inhibit reentry of the exhausted air into the first fan (see Paragraphs [0017], [0020], [0051], and [0059]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have combined the spacer walls of Saaidi to the fan between the top and bottom walls of Ogawa as modified by Maric and Yoon. Doing so would have improved heat transfer by separating the cooling sections and preventing recirculation of the exhausted air (see Paragraphs [0017], [0020], [0051], and [0059] in Saaidi).
Additionally, Korta explicitly teaches a fan (30) including a spacer (baffle 29, corresponding to 58 in Saaidi; Paragraph [0051], baffle 29 being sealed around housing of fan 25).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective file date of the claimed invention to have modified the connection between the fan and spacer in Ogawa as modified by Maric, Yoon, and Saaidi to be sealed together such that the fan included the spacer, as taught in Korta (NOTE: compare with Figure 7 of the instant application). Doing so would have ensured there was no air leakage between the inlet and outlet channels to prevent air-recirculation (see Paragraphs [0019]-[0021] in Korta; see Paragraph [0051] in Saaidi).
Regarding claim 19, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, Saaidi, and Korta teaches the head-mounted device of claim 18, and further teaches (in Ogawa) wherein the first blower (81 of 10) is configured to push and/or pull air (along flow path 82 in 10, as modified by Saaidi) through the first gap (space accommodating fan 81 in 10, including path 82) and the second blower (81 of 20) is configured to push and/or pull air (along flow path 82 in 20, as modified by Saaidi) through the second gap (space accommodating fan 81 in 20, including path 82).
Regarding claim 20, Ogawa in view of Maric, Yoon, Saaidi, and Korta teaches the head-mounted device of claim 18, further comprising (in Ogawa and Saaidi): a first intake channel (inlet of 82 in 10 in Figures 7A-7B of Ogawa, corresponding to inlet 5 in Figures 4c-4d of Saaidi); a second intake channel (inlet of 82 in 20 in Ogawa, corresponding to inlet 5 in Figures 4c-4d in Saaidi); a first exhaust channel (outlet of 82 in 10 in Figures 7A-7B of Ogawa, corresponding to outlet 7 in Figures 4c-4d of Saaidi); and a second exhaust channel (outlet of 82 in 20 in Ogawa, corresponding to outlet 7 in Figures 4c-4d of Saaidi), wherein the at least one first blower (81 in 10) is configured to pull air through the first intake channel (see Figure 7A in Ogawa; see Figures 4c-4d in Saaidi) before the air goes through the first gap (space accommodating 81 in 10, including 82 in 10) and push the air out through the first exhaust channel (see Figure 7A in Ogawa; see Figures 4c-4d in Saaidi), and the at least one second blower (81 in 20) is configured to pull air through the second intake channel (see Figure 7A in Ogawa; see Figures 4c-4d in Saaidi) before the air goes through the second gap (space accommodating 81 in 20, including 82 in 20) and push the air out through the second exhaust channel (see Figure 7A in Ogawa; see Figures 4c-4d in Saaidi) (see also Paragraphs [0126]-[0140] in Ogawa).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-3 and 7-22 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant’s amendments are directed toward a spacer disposed in the gap between the top and bottom plates of the heat sink to prevent exhaust air recirculation. Examiner agrees the previously presented prior art of record (see Final Action mailed June 9, 2025) does not teach the amendments. However, Examiner submits Saaidi (US Publication No. 2022/0240413) and Korta (US Publication No. 2022/0377935) both teach separation plates/spacers disposed between a top plate and a bottom plate and configured to direct exhaust air out of the heat sink in a manner that prevents recirculation.
For these reasons, and the reasons detailed above, claims 1-3 and 7-22 stand rejected.
Conclusion
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/GAGE CRUM/Examiner, Art Unit 2841