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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicants election without traverse of the invention of Group III, Claims 10 through 14, in the reply filed on January 14, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 2 through 6, 8 and 15 through 20 have been withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on January 14, 2026.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: --Methods of Manufacturing Highly Integrated Power Electronics--.
Claim Interpretation
Applicants utilize several terms in the specification and claims to describe a single structural element. For example, the phrase of “power device – substrate assembly” describes element 20 in Figure 1, or the phrase of “high integrated power electronics embedded PCB” describes element 2 in Figure 1. The terms in each phrase do not necessarily describe separate structural elements. For purposes of examination, each phrase can broadly be interpreted as a single element.
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 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication 2022/0361367 to Dilberovic (hereinafter “Dilberovic”).
Claim 1: Dilberovic discloses a method comprising:
mounting a cold plate substrate (e.g. 11-1 or 11-2 of 10-2, Fig. 4A) onto a first [bottom] side of a power device-substrate assembly (e.g. 30, 40, Fig. 2);
mounting a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB)(e.g. 13, 14, Fig. 3) onto a second [top] side of the power device-substrate assembly (e.g. ¶¶ [0060], [0073], [0074]); and
mounting a cold plate manifold (e.g. 10-1, 16, Fig. 3) onto the multi-layer PCB and forming a cold plate (e.g. 11-1 or 11-2 of 10-1, Fig. 4A) and a high integrated power electronics embedded PCB-cold plate assembly (e.g. 100) with the cold plate (e.g. Fig. 1).
The battery management module (30) and cell holder (40) of Dilberovic is considered to be a power-device substrate assembly because it is disclosed as a support assembly for battery or battery cells that supply electrical power (e.g. ¶¶ [0002], [0003]).
Claim 7: Dilberovic discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the second [top] side of the power device-substrate assembly is oppositely disposed from the first [bottom] side of the power device-substrate assembly (e.g. Fig. 1).
Dilberovic teaches that the mounting of the cold plate substrate onto the first [bottom] side of the power device-substrate assembly, mounting of the multi-layer PCB onto the second [top] side of the power device-substrate assembly, and the mounting of the cold plate manifold onto the multi-layer PCB can each be done with fasteners (e.g. 42, Fig. 2). However, Dilberovic alternatively teaches in another embodiment that all of these mounting steps can be done by bonding with an adhesive (e.g. ¶ [0026]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have substituted the adhesive [in one embodiment] for the fasteners [in the other embodiment], such that all of the mounting steps can be done with bonding, as taught by Dilberovic, to achieve the same purpose in forming art-recognized equivalent high integrated power electronics embedded PCB.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dilberovic as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Publication 2020/0343160 to Mizerak et al (hereinafter “Mizerak”).
Dilberovic discloses the claimed manufacturing method as relied upon above in Claim 1. The modified Dilberovic method does not teach that bonding of the cold plate manifold to the multi-layer PCB is done with an epoxy.
Mizerak teaches that it is known to bond a cold plate manifold (e.g. 212, Fig. 2) to a PCB (e.g. 213) with an epoxy adhesive (e.g. 214, ¶ [0038]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the adhesive of Dilberovic by using an epoxy, as taught by Mizerak, to achieve the very same purpose of bonding a cold plate manifold to a PCB.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dilberovic as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Publication 2021/0037676 to Malouin et al (hereinafter “Malouin”).
Dilberovic discloses the claimed manufacturing method as relied upon above in Claim 1, further including that the cold plate manifold is made from an insulating material of a polymer (e.g. ¶ [0050]). The modified Dilberovic method does not teach that the polymer cold plate manifold is formed by 3D printing.
Malouin discloses that cold plate manifolds can be formed by 3D printing to provide an accurate shape for the cold plate manifold (e.g. ¶ [0075]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed the cold plate manifold of Dilberovic by 3D printing, as taught by Malouin, to provide an accurate shape for the cold plate manifold.
Claims 11 through 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dilberovic in view of Malouin, as applied to Claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of Mizerak.
Dilberovic discloses the claimed manufacturing method as relied upon above in Claims 1 and 10.
Dilberovic further discloses:
Claim 12: The method according to claim 11 further comprising installing a plurality of mechanical fasteners (e.g. mounting means 42, nuts, bolts, etc., ¶ [0025]) to reinforce the cold plate manifold bonded to the multi-layer PCB.
Claim 13: The method according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of mechanical fasteners extend through the cold plate manifold and engage the multi-layer PCB (e.g. through 10-1, see Fig. 1).
Claim 14: The method according to claim 13, wherein the multi-layer PCB comprises a plurality of embedded lugs (e.g. nuts) and the plurality of mechanical fasteners (e.g. bolts) engage the plurality of embedded lugs (e.g. ¶ [0025]).
It is further noted that Dilberovic discloses that assembly can occur with both mechanical fasteners and by bonding with an adhesive (e.g. ¶ [0026]).
The modified Dilberovic method does not teach that the 3D printed polymer cold plate manifold is epoxy bonded to the multi-layer PCB [as required in Claim 11 and 12].
To reiterate [from Claim 9], Mizerak teaches that it is known to bond a cold plate manifold (e.g. 212, Fig. 2) to a PCB (e.g. 213) with an epoxy adhesive (e.g. 214, ¶ [0038]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the adhesive of Dilberovic by using an epoxy, as taught by Mizerak, to achieve the very same purpose of bonding a cold plate manifold to a PCB.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
a) Japanese Patent Publication, JP 2012-142577, discloses a process of making a high integrated power electronics embedded PCB (e.g. Figs. 1A, 1B, see SOLUTION).
b) Non-Patent Literature IEEE Publication to Kearney et al, entitled "PCB Embedded Power Electronics for Low Voltage Applications", discloses a cold plate manifold (e.g. Fig. 2, see entire document).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to A. DEXTER TUGBANG whose telephone number is (571)272-4570. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JESSICA HAN can be reached at (571) 272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/A. DEXTER TUGBANG/ Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2896