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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 7/06/2026 has been entered.
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, and 6 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, and wherein the working fluid in the internal space is drawn up from an inner surface of the plate part of the first metal plate and migrates to circulate well in the internal space.
The recitations: “the working fluid in the internal space is drawn up from an inner surface of the plate part of the first metal plate and migrates to circulate well in the internal space” are considered to be statements of intended use. The applicant is reminded that a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the structural limitations of the claim, as is the case here; refer to MPEP 2114(II). In the instant case, Chikami as modified teaches all of the structural limitations of the claim.
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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, wherein 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.
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, thereby providing 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 (via the joining part), 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]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7/6/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
First, Applicant argues Chikami does not teach wherein working fluid flows through the flow path but rather only working fluid vapor.
Examiner contends the limitation at issue is intended use. Further, working fluid in a vapor chamber/heat pipe is two-phase, and thus gaseous or liquid working fluid is considered to read on “working fluid.”
Regarding previously recited claim 15, incorporated into claim 1, Applicant argues the references fail to teach or suggest the extending part supports the edge wall parts abutting each other.
Examiner contends that the combination provides wherein the extending part extends from the inner circumferential joining part, where the two edge walls abut, and thus reads on the limitation at issue.
For at least the reasons stated above, Applicant’s arguments are found unpersuasive and the rejection is maintained.
Conclusion
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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