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
Claims 25,31 and 34-39 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 5/1/2026.
Applicant's election with traverse of species A in the reply filed on 5/1/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the search and examination of the entire application could be made without serious burden. This is not found persuasive because the application is a national stage application, which contains claims directed to more than one species of the generic invention and theses species are deemed to lack unity of invention, they are not so linked as to form a single general invention concept under PCT rule 13.1.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 27 and 32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 27 and 32 recite the limitation "the sheet" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is not clear whether applicant refers “the sheet” to “at least one sheet” in line 3 or any other sheet.
Claims 27 and 32 are further rejected as can be best understood by the examiner in which “the sheet” refers to “at least one sheet”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 22-24, 26-30 and 33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takahashi et al. (JP 2020038051A).
Regarding claim 22, Takahashi et al. discloses (figures 3-4, 10-11 and paragraph 69) a wick sheet (10) for a vapor chamber (1), the wick sheet comprising a plurality of vapor passages (16) through which vapor of a working fluid passes; a plurality of liquid channels (14) through which liquid of the working fluid passes, wherein widths of the plurality of vapor passages (16) are different from each other, and the width of the vapor passage of which a length in an extension direction is long is wider than the width of the vapor passage of which a length in an extension direction is short. (width of the outer channels is larger than the inner channel, paragraph 69)
Regarding claim 23, Takahashi et al. discloses (figure 3) that the width of the vapor passage changes at a width change part midway (at 18C) in the extension direction of the vapor passage, and the width of the vapor passage is uniform on each of one side of the width change part and the other side of the width change part in the extension direction of the vapor passage. (the linear part width of channel 16 is constant).
Regarding claim 24, Takahashi et al. further discloses (figure 3 and paragraph 69) that the lengths of the plurality of vapor passages (16) in the respective extension direction are different from each other (the outer and the inner channels 16 have different lengths), and the width of the vapor passage widens as the length of the vapor passage in the extension direction increases. (the width of the longer length of the outer channel is larger than the width of the shorter length of the inner channel)
Regarding claim 26, Takahashi et al. further discloses a vapor chamber filled with a working fluid, the vapor chamber comprising at least one sheet (20), and the wick sheet according to claim 22, laminated on the sheet (10).
Regarding claim 27, Takahashi et al further discloses (figure 22 an electronic device (40) comprising a housing (41); a heat source (30) accommodated in the housing; and the vapor chamber (1) being in thermal contact with the heat source (30)
Regarding claim 28, Takahashi et al. further discloses (figures 3-4 and paragraph 69) that a wick sheet for a vapor chamber, the wick sheet comprising a first main body surface (10a); a second main body surface (10b) on an opposite side to the first main body surface; a plurality of vapor passage (16) through which vapor of a working fluid passes; and a plurality of liquid channels (14) through which liquid of the working fluid passes, wherein widths of the plurality of vapor passages (16) at the first main body surface are different from each other, and the width of the vapor passage at the first main body surface, of which a length in an extension direction is long, is wider than the width of the vapor passage at the first main body surface, of which the length in an extension direction is short. (width of the outer channels is larger than the inner channel, paragraph 69)
Regarding claim 29, Takahashi further discloses (figure 3) that the width of the vapor passage at the first main body surface changes at a width change part midway (18c) in the extension direction of the vapor passage, and the width of the vapor passage at the first main body surface is uniform on each of the one side of the width change part and the other side of the width change part in the extension direction of the vapor passage. (the linear part width of channel 16 is constant).
Regarding claim 30, Takahashi further (paragraph 69) discloses that the lengths of the plurality of vapor passage in the respective extension directions are different from each other, and the width of the vapor passage at the first main body surface widens as the length of the vapor passage in the extension direction increases. (width of the outer channels is larger than the inner channel, paragraph 69)
Regarding claim 32, Takahashi further discloses (figure 1) a vapor chamber filled with a working fluid, the vapor chamber comprising at least one sheet (20); and the wick sheet according to claim 28, laminated on the sheet.
Regarding claim 33, Takahashi et al further discloses (figure 22 an electronic device (40) comprising a housing (41); a heat source (30) accommodated in the housing; and the vapor chamber (1) being in thermal contact with the heat source (30)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chen et al. (CN 107401941A) discloses an ultra-thin heat equalizing plate.
Takahashi et al. (JP 2019066175A) discloses a vapor chamber.
Dakemachu et al. (WO 2019065969A1) discloses a vapor chamber mounted in electronic device.
Oda et al. (US 20230026517A1) discloses a wick sheet.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THO V DUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-4793. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 10-6PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Atkisson Jianying can be reached at 571-270-7740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THO V DUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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