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 § 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) 1-2, 6 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chikami (DE3149208A) in view of Verdier (US20100230083A1).
Regarding claim 1, Chikami teaches a vapor chamber (see annotated Fig. 2 below, hereinafter Fig. A) having a working fluid in an internal space formed between a first plate and a second plate, wherein the first plate comprises a plate part, and a first circumferential edge wall part which extends from a circumferential edge of the plate part toward the second plate, wherein the second plate comprises a plate part, and a second circumferential edge wall part which extends from a circumferential edge of the plate part toward the first plate, wherein the vapor chamber comprises a joining part and at least one extending part without any through hole, wherein the first circumferential edge wall part of the first plate and the second circumferential edge wall part of the second plate are joined by the joining part.
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Fig. A – Annotated Fig. 2
Chikami does not teach the material is metal, the first circumferential edge wall part of the first metal plate and the second circumferential edge wall part of the second metal plate are joined by the joining part, and wherein a base end of the extending part is joined with the joining part, and wherein a length of the extending part from the base end to a leading end thereof is 10 mm or less.
Chikami does, however, further teach wherein a length of the extending part from the base end to a leading end thereof is chosen based on the amount of working fluid and diameter of the vapor chamber (Page 2), therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chikami to include the claimed dimensions, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. MPEP 2144.05(II).
Verdier teaches wherein the material is metal, a first edge wall part and a second edge wall part are joined by the joining part, and wherein the base end of the extending part is joined with the joining part (bar 4 is laser welded to both edges of 1 along the length, see Fig. 8-9).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chikami to include the joining
part and material of Verdier, in order to provide a material and connection between the elements capable of resisting operating stresses at high temperatures (¶[0123]).
Regarding claim 2, Chikami teaches the limitations of claim 1, and Chikami further teaches the at least one of the extending parts extends from the joining part toward the internal space of the vapor chamber (Fig. A).
Regarding claim 6, Chikami as modified teaches the manufacturing method of the
vapor chamber according to claim 1, and Verdier further teaches the manufacturing method
comprising: a laser processing step of forming the joining part and the extending part by laser
(¶[0128]).
Regarding claim 15, Chikami teaches the limitations of claim 1, and Chikami further teaches the extending part supports, from an inner side in a thickness direction of the vapor chamber, the first circumferential edge wall part of the first metal plate and the second circumferential edge wall part of the second metal plate which are abutting each other (as modified above).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claim(s) 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.
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 ERIC S RUPPERT whose telephone number is (571)272-9911. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 4 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Len Tran can be reached at 571-272-1184. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIC S RUPPERT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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