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 § 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) 1, 2 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hung (US 2021/0045247) in view of Clayton (US 2014/0104775),
Whitmire (US 2016/0104574), Sarraf (US 9,583,153), and Chen (US 2009/0116204) and further in view of SEO et al.(US 2019/0373730).
Regarding claim 1, Hung, figure 7A, discloses an apparatus, comprising: a
number of capacitors (see figure, capacitor not labeled); and a connector (76) coupled
to the number of capacitors (see figure), the connector configured to removably couple
(see explanation below) the number of capacitors to a printed circuit board assembly
(PCBA) of a solid state drive (SSD) [assembly 70 with connector mechanically and
electrically connected to the main board 62, paragraph 0036].
Hung does not explicitly disclose wherein the number of capacitors are coupled to a number of memory devices of the SSD to provide backup energy in response to the SSD having an unexpected loss of power. However, SEO et al. discloses using multiple memory devices on a circuit board(para 0093), it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing date of the application to provide multiple memory devices on a circuit board as shown by SEO et al. with the circuit board of Hung, since, multiple memory devices on a circuit board are commonly used so as to provide the proper memory storage capacity which allows for increased functionality of the circuit board. Since the primary reference of Hung et al. discloses a capacitor subassembly to provide backup power to the circuit board (abstract). The limitation of the capacitors being coupled to the multiple memory devices is disclosed.
Hung does not explicitly disclose the number of capacitors are coupled to the
connector via glue, and the connector is connected the PCBA via screw.
Hung discloses a connection may be by solder, or any suitable connector
technology (paragraph 0028). Also, it is old and known in the art to alternately use a solder, glue, adhesive, conductive pastes for the electrical and mechanical connections.
Clayton, figure 1-3, discloses components (capacitors) connected to connected
to a flex board, and further discloses that the capacitors may be attached by any known
technique, such solder, epoxy, or various conductive adhesive (glue is also one kind of
adhesive), paragraph 0079. Whitmire, figure 5-6, discloses a replacement capacitor (24) connected with an adhesive or double sided adhesive tape (paragraph 0025).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art
at the time of effective filing date of the application to provide structure of Hung with the
number of capacitors are coupled to the connector via glue, as taught by Clayton, and
Whitmire, in order to have desired electrical and mechanical bonding.
Regarding the connector coupled to the printed circuit board assembly via screw:
Sarraf, figure 2A, discloses an assembly with multiple capacitor (234) mounted
on a board (230), the board is connected to the main printed circuit board (220) with
screws.Chen, figure 3, discloses an assembly with multiple capacitor (5) mounted on a
base board (2), the base board is connected to a printed circuit board (1) with screws.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art
at the time of effective filing date of the application provide the modified board of Hung
with connector connected to the printed circuit board with the screw, as taught by
Sarraf, and Chen, in order to facilitate better removability.
Regarding claim 2, the modified structure of Hung further discloses wherein the
connector is configured to maintain electrical connection between the number of
capacitors and the PCBA (see figure, paragraph 0036).
Regarding claim 4, the modified structure of Hung further discloses wherein the
connector comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) [daughter board 76, paragraph
0036).
Claim(s) 6 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
the modified structure of Hung, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Chen (US 2021/0367360), and Whitmire (US 2016/0104574).
Regarding claim 6, Hung does not disclose wherein the number of capacitors
comprise at least one of: an aluminum electrolytic capacitor or a tantalum capacitor.
However, Hung discloses that tantalum capacitor or Aluminum electrolytic
capacitor may be used depending upon requirements (paragraph 0024).
Additionally, use of an aluminum electrolytic capacitor and a tantalum capacitor is
old and known in the art. Chen discloses use of Tantalum capacitor and Aluminum electrolyte capacitor (paragraph 0032-0033). Whitmire discloses use of Tantalum capacitor and Aluminum electrolyte capacitor (paragraph 0031). Whitmore further discloses that it may be desirable to replace one capacitor that has a different size and shape (paragraph 0003). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing date of the application to provide the apparatus of Hung with the number of capacitors comprise at least one of: an aluminum electrolytic capacitor or a tantalum capacitor, as taught by Chen, Whitmire, (and Hung itself), to have the capacitor with desired capacity).
Regarding claim 5, Hung does not disclose wherein a first capacitor of the
number of capacitors is a different type of capacitor than a second capacitor of the
number of capacitors. However, Hung discloses that modular approach advantageously allow flexibility in size and capacitance (paragraph 0032). Also, the type of capacitor to be used will depending upon the required capacitance value, in the available space.
Further, Whitmire, as explained above discloses use of capacitor with different
size or shape. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing date of the application to provide apparatus of Hung with a first capacitor of the number of capacitors is a different type of capacitor than a second capacitor of the number of capacitors, as taught by Whitmire (and Hung itself), in order to have required capacitance in the available space.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments that the prior art does not disclose the limitation “wherein the number of capacitors are coupled to a number of memory devices of the SSD to provide backup energy in response to the SSD having an unexpected loss of power” with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot in that a new reference was used to disclose this limitation.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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