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
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1, 7 and 20-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BARROWCLIFT et al. (US 2023/0163382 A1, hereinafter BARROWCLIFT) in view of SOHN et al. (US 2015/0357614) and in further view of LI et al (CN 110739418A, hereinafter LI).
Regarding claim 1, BARROWCLIFT discloses a power supply comprising:
a non-waterproof outer housing (See Fig.1, and Par.82 disclose a portable power supply 5 comprising a housing 25 with a plurality of air inlets 45 at the bottom and air outlets at the top 50. The air inlet and outlets can also allow for entry of water. Therefore, the housing 25 is interpreted to be non-waterproof);
a plurality of waterproof electronics modules (WEMs) disposed inside of the outer housing, wherein one of the WEMs is a battery pack (See Pars.109-110 and 124, disclose a plurality of sealed subsystems that are rated against water ingress);
a first fan affixed in a first opening of the outer housing and configured to draw air from outside to inside of the outer housing (See Figs.10-11 and Par.97, discloses a fan for pulling air from the outside and passing it through the housing to reduce the temperature).
However, BARROWCLIFT does not disclose the first fan is waterproof and a second waterproof fan affixed in a second opening of the outer housing and configured to draw air from inside to outside of the outer housing.
SOHN discloses a battery case comprising a housing, a first fan affixed in a first opening of the outer housing and configured to draw air from outside to inside of the outer housing (See Fig.1, Item#40 and Par.9, discloses a cooling fan for introducing air to the space inside the inner housing 10); and
a second fan affixed in a second opening of the outer housing and configured to draw air from inside to outside of the outer housing (See Fig.1, second fan 40 and Par.9, disclose another cooling fan for discharging cooling air to the outside).
BARROWCLIFT and SOHN are analogous art since they both deal with power supplies.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT with the teachings of SOHN installing a first cooling fan for air intake into the housing and a second fan for discharging the air from inside the housing to the outside for the benefit of reducing the heat generated inside the housing by creating air flow through the power supply housing.
However, BARROWCLIFT and SOHN do not disclose the fans are waterproof.
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LI discloses a waterproof power supply comprising a first waterproof fan affixed in a first opening of the outer housing (See Fig.1, Item#8-10, and Pars.7 and 29, discloses a fan 9 , placed inside a heat dissipation box 8 and located on the inner wall of the heat sink near the inner cavity of the outer shell, and the fan is located at the inner end of the second baffle [Fig.2]. Waterproof covers 10 are provided on both the left and right outer walls of the heat sink, and the heat sink is located within the inner cavity of the waterproof cover); and
a second waterproof fan affixed in a second opening of the outer housing (See Fig.1, discloses a second waterproof fan 8-10 on the outside of the housing comprising a fan 9 place din heat dissipation box 8 and a waterproof cover 10. The heat dissipation box comprising baffles 83-84 [Fig.2).
BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI are analogous art since they all deal with cooled water supplies.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT and SOHN with the teachings of LI by adopting the waterproof structure of the fans for the benefit of protecting the power supply by further reducing the ingress of water inside the housing.
Regarding claim 7, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI disclose the power supply of claim 1, wherein the first and second openings are on opposing sides of the outer housing (See SOHN, Fig.1, Item#40 and Par.9, discloses a cooling fan for introducing air to the space inside the inner housing 10 and a second fan 40 on the opposite side for expelling/discharging air from inside the housing to the outside).
Regarding claim 20, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI disclose the power supply of claim 1 as discussed above, wherein a bottom side of the outer housing includes a plurality of holes arranged to drain moisture from inside of the outer housing (See BARROWCLIFT, Fig,1 and Par.89, disclose a plurality of air inlets 45 which may also be configured as liquid drain openings of the portable power supply 5).
Regarding claim 21, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI disclose the power supply of claim 1 as discussed above, wherein the power supply is portable (See BARROWCLIFT, Par.82, discloses a portable power supply).
Claim(s) 2-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BARROWCLIFT in view of SOHN and LI and in further view of PAUKEN et al. (US 2024/01210749 A1, hereinafter PAUKEN).
Regarding claim 2, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI disclose the power supply of claim 1 as discussed above, the power supply is an AC power supply and the plurality of WEMs include:
the battery pack, configured to output DC power at a first DC voltage (See BARROWCLIFT, Fig.1, discloses a battery pack 10), and
a DC/AC converter configured to accept DC power at the first DC voltage and to output AC power at one or more AC voltages (See BARROWCLIFT, Fig.1 and Par.83 disclose an inverter 20 for receiving power from battery pack 10 and converting to AC. Par.94, discloses interfaces for transmitting the generated AC).
However, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI do not disclose one or more DC/DC converters configured to accept DC power at the first DC voltage and to output DC power at respective one or more second DC voltages.
PAUKEN discloses a power station comprising a battery pack, configured to output DC power at a first DC voltage (See Fig.6 and Par.47, disclose a power station 20 comprising an onboard battery 34), and
one or more DC/DC converters configured to accept DC power at the first DC voltage and to output DC power at respective one or more second DC voltages (See Pars.29 and 47, discloses a DC/DC converter connected to the onboard battery to receive the DC voltage from the onboard battery and convert it to a second DC voltage. Par.32 and 39 also discloses DC output receptacles 50).
BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and PAUKEN are analogous art since they all deal with power supplies.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI with the teachings of PAUKEN by adding a DC/DC converter to accept DC power at the first DC voltage and to output DC power at respective second DC voltage for the benefit of allowing the station to distribute DC power to an external device.
Regarding claim 3, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and PAUKEN disclose the power supply of claim 2, further comprising:
a first waterproof cable assembly that couples the battery module to a first one of the DC/DC converters (See Claim 2 rejection above, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and PAUKEN disclose a power supply with waterproof modules [BARROWCLIFT] comprising a battery and a DC/DC converter receiving power from the battery [PAUKEN]. The examiner explains that is it inherent that the wiring assembly will be waterproof by using seals between the battery pack and the DC/DC converter in order to prevent water from entering the DC/DC converter. Otherwise, the waterproof nature of the subsystems as intended by BARROWCLIFT is not achieved. This is evidenced by FAN CN 112770570A, which discloses a waterproof inverter comprising waterproof joints [Figs.1-2, Item#9] to connect the inverter to other components while maintaining the waterproof nature of the inverter); and
a second waterproof cable assembly that couples the battery module to the DC/AC converter (See BARROWCLIFT, Fig.1 and Par.83 disclose an inverter 20 for receiving power from battery pack 10 and converting to AC. Par.94, discloses interfaces for transmitting the generated AC. The inverter as disclosed by BARROWCLIFT is waterproof [ Pars.109-110 and 124, disclose a plurality of sealed subsystems that are rated against water ingress], The examiner explains that is it inherent that the wiring assembly will be waterproof by using seals between the battery pack connection and the DC/DC converter connection in order to prevent water from entering the DC/AC converter. Otherwise, the waterproof nature of the subsystems as intended by BARROWCLIFT is not achieved).
Regarding claim 4, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and PAUKEN disclose the power supply of claim 2 as discussed above, wherein the plurality of WEMs also includes a user interface module affixed to an inner surface of the outer housing (See BARROWCLIFT, Fig.2 and Par.92, disclose a user operations screen for providing information to the user and to allow the user to switch the power supply on and off).
Regarding claims 5-6, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and PAUKEN disclose the power supply of claim 4, further comprising one or more of the following:
a third waterproof cable assembly that couples a first one of the DC/DC converters to the user interface module; and
a fourth waterproof cable assembly that couples the DC/AC converter to the user interface module (See BARROWCLIFT, discloses an inverter [Fig.10, Item#20] and a user operations screen/interface for providing information to the user and to allow the user to switch the power supply on and off [Fig.2, Item#55 and Par.92]. The examiner explains that even though BARROWCLIFT us silent regarding where the interface receives its power from, that the interface 55 requires power in order to operate, the power can be provided directly from the battery pack if the power requirements, through the DC/DC converter [as modified by PAUKEN] if the interface required another level of DC power different than that provided by the battery or through the inverter [BARROWCLIFT, Fig.10, Item#20] if the interface required AC power. The examiner further explains as evidenced by FAN CN 112770570A, that it is implicit to provide waterproof joints for connecting cables from any of the power supply subsystems [inverter, converter, battery pack, …etc] which discloses a waterproof inverter comprising waterproof joints [Figs.1-2, Item#9] to other components while maintaining the waterproof requirement of the subsystems as stated by BARROWCLIFT. The examiner explains that LCDs for example require both DC for its internal components and AC for driving the liquid crystal pixels/molecules. This would require connection to both the DC/DC converter and the inverter to receive both types of power. This is achieved using waterproof joints/connectors to maintain the waterproof rating of the subsystems as disclosed by BARROWCLIFT).
Claim(s) 8, 14-16 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BARROWCLIFT in view of SOHN and LI and in further view of GOLDMAN et al. (US 2023/0083678 A1, hereinafter GOLDMAN).
Regarding claim 8, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI disclose the power supply of claim 1 as discussed above, wherein each WEM includes the following:
a shell made from material that is waterproof (See BARROWCLIFT Pars.109-110 and 124, disclose a plurality of sealed subsystems that are rated against water ingress); and
one or more electronic components or an electronic assembly, encased within the shell (See BARROWCLIFT, Fig.10, Item#20, discloses an inverter. The inverter inherently includes electronic components).
However, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI do not explicitly disclose that the shell for each WEM includes a heat conductive shell.
GOLDMAN discloses a battery module comprising a shell that is waterproof and heat conductive (See Fig.7 and Par.60, discloses the battery shell is IP67 sealed and made of thermally conductive material).
BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN are analogous art since they all deal with power sources.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI with the further teachings of GOLDMAN by adopting a shell made from a thermally conductive material for the benefit of facilitating thermal management of the waterproof electronic modules (See GOLDMAN, Par.60).
Regarding claims 14-16, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN disclose the power supply of claim 8 as discussed above, However BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN do not explicitly disclose wherein for at least one of the WEMs, the shell is formed such that, when the power supply is in an upright orientation, an outer upper surface of the shell slopes downward from center to edges, such that moisture will drain off the outer upper surface.
BARROWCLIFT further teaches an inclined drainage for draining water (See Fig.4, and Pars.90-91, disclose a sloped portion 125 and a drainage trough).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN as applied to claim 8 with the further teachings of BARROWCLIFT such that the outer upper surface of the shell slopes downward from center to edges for the benefit of draining water that falls through the outer housing on top of the shells of the WEMs.
Regarding claim 19, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI disclose the power supply of claim 1 as discussed above, wherein each of the WEMs is IP 6 and 9k compliant (See BARROWCLIFT, Pars.110).
However, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI do not explicitly disclose wherein each of the WEMs is compliant with IP67.
GOLDMAN discloses a battery module each of the WEMs is compliant with IP67 (See Fig.7 and Par.60, discloses the battery shell is IP67 sealed and made of thermally conductive material).
BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN are analogous art since they all deal with power sources.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT, SOHN and LI with the further teachings of GOLDMAN by a battery shell that is IP67 compliant for the benefit of providing WEMs that are dust proof and protected against water immersion.
Claim(s) 9-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BARROWBARROWCLIFT in view of SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN and in further view of WYATT et al. (US 2015/0037646 A1, hereinafter WYATT).
Regarding claims 9-10, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN disclose the power supply of claim 8 as discussed above, wherein for at least one of the WEMs, the shell includes a plurality of outward or inward protrusions of the material, arranged to improve conduction of heat from inside to outside of the waterproof electronics module.
WYATT discloses a battery pack comprising a shell, the shell includes a plurality of protrusions arranged to improve conduction of heat from inside to outside of the waterproof electronics module (See Figs.7-9, Items#60 and 62, Pars.156-157 disclose fins on the outside of the casing to dissipate heat).
BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI, GOLDMAN and WYATT are analogous art since they all deal with power supplies.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN with the teachings of WYATT by adding the fins to the WEM module walls for the benefit of dissipating heat away from the WEMs.
Even though WYATT does not explicitly disclose the plurality of protrusions are inward or outward, the examiner explains that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to try different configurations of the protrusions from a finite set of solutions (vertical, sloped inward, sloped outward) to arrive at the configuration with the best thermal dissipation properties.
Regarding claim 11, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI, GOLDMAN and WYATT disclose the power supply of claim 10 as discussed above, wherein for at least one of the WEMs, the plurality of inward protrusions of the material are arranged to be in contact with one or more of the following that generate heat inside the waterproof electronics module:
one or more electronic components, and one or more portions of an electronic assembly (See WYATT, Par.130, discloses a plurality of layers in conjunction with the heat sink side plates 60 comprising the fins to dissipate heat from the battery module. Pars.136-137 discloses a thermal gap pad 108 which is coupled between internal fins 112 of the power assembly 84 and heat sink plate 60-62. Fig.7 discloses a PCB 72 mounted to the top plate 100. The thermal gap pad 108 provides a connection between the top plate 100 and the heat sink side plates 60 and 62).
Regarding claim 12, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI, GOLDMAN and WYATT disclose the power supply of claim 11, wherein the plurality of inward protrusions of the material are arranged to be in contact via an intermediate material that is heat conductive (See the rejection of claim 11 above, WYATT discloses the thermal gap pad provides thermal connection between the top plate 100 [on which PCB 72 is mounted] and the heat sink plates 60 and 62).
Claim(s) 13 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BARROWCLIFT in view of SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN and in further view of FAN (CN 112770570A, hereinafter FAN).
Regarding claim 13, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN disclose the power supply of claim 8 as discussed above, wherein each shell includes:
a material that is waterproof and heat conductive (See Claim 8 rejection above, the combination of BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN, discloses a housing that is both waterproof and heat conductive).
However, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN do not disclose each shell includes a first and second pieces; and
a waterproof seal or gasket disposed between the first and second pieces.
FAN discloses a waterproof inverter module comprising a shell which includes:
a first and second pieces (See Fig.2 and Par.21, a cover 10 and bottom shell 4); and
a waterproof seal or gasket disposed between the first and second pieces (See Fig.2, and Pars.6 and 21 discloses a waterproof gasket between the cover and the bottom shell).
BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI, GOLDMAN and FAN are analogous art since they all deal with power supplies.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN with the teachings of FAN by forming each WEM shell from a first piece and a second piece with a waterproof gasket between the first and second pieces for the benefit of providing a WEM which can be opened in need of maintenance to allow the replacement of defective components.
Regarding claim 18, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN disclose the power supply of claim 8 as discussed above, However, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN do not explicitly disclose wherein the shell is fabricated from one of the following heat-conductive materials: aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium, and magnesium alloy.
FAN discloses a waterproof inverter module comprising a shell fabricated from aluminum alloy (See Par.29).
BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI, GOLDMAN and FAN are analogous art since they all deal with power supplies.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN with the teachings of FAN by fabricating the shell using aluminum alloy for the benefit of providing a shell with high strength, light weight and great heat dissipation properties.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BARROWCLIFT in view of SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN and in further view of MALACKOWSKI (US 2007/0244471 A1, hereinafter MALACKOWSKI).
Regarding claim 17, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN disclose the power supply of claim 15 as discussed above, However, BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN do not disclose where the at least one WEM includes a water detection device disposed at the lowest point or area of the inner bottom surface of the shell.
MALACKOWSKI discloses a battery pack (one of the WEM units disclosed by BARROWCLIFT comprises a battery pack) a water detection device (See Par.238 discloses an internal humidity sensor).
BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI, GOLDMAN and MALACKOWSKI are analogous art since they all deal with power supplies.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI and GOLDMAN with the teachings of MALACKOWSKI by adding an internal humidity sensor for the benefit of detecting when water has entered the WEM.
Even though BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI, GOLDMAN and MALACKOWSKI do not disclose the sensor is placed at the lowest point, the examiner explains that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT, SOHN, LI, GOLDMAN and MALACKOWSKI by placing the humidity sensor at the lowest point since the surfaces are sloped such that the water drains to the lowest point.
Claim(s) 22 and 25-26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BARROWCLIFT in view of FAN.
Regarding claim 22, BARROWCLIFT discloses a waterproof electronics module (WEM) (See Pars.109-110 and 124, disclose a plurality of sealed subsystems that are rated against water ingress) configured for use inside of a non-waterproof power supply (See Fig.1, and Par.82 disclose a portable power supply 5 comprising a housing 25 with a plurality of air inlets 45 at the bottom and air outlets at the top 50. The air inlet and outlets can also allow for entry of water. Therefore, the housing 25 is interpreted to be non-waterproof);
Wherein the WEM comprises
a waterproof shell (See Pars.109-110 and 124, disclose a plurality of sealed subsystems that are rated against water ingress); and
one or more electronic components or an electronic assembly, encased within the shell (See Fig.1, discloses an inverter 20, the inverter inherently includes electronic components inside the inverter shell).
However, BARROWCLIFT does not disclose wherein the WEM shell comprises:
first and second pieces of a material that is waterproof and heat-conductive, and a waterproof seal or gasket disposed between the first and second pieces; and one or more electronic components or an electronic assembly, encased within the shell.
FAN discloses a waterproof inverter module comprising a shell which includes:
a first and second pieces of a material that is waterproof and heat-conductive (See Fig.2 and Par.21, a cover 10 and bottom shell 4. Par.29, disclose the cover 10 of Fig.2 is made of aluminum alloy and Par.30 discloses the inverter is waterproof); and
a waterproof seal or gasket disposed between the first and second pieces (See Fig.2, and Pars.6 and 21 discloses a waterproof gasket between the cover and the bottom shell).
BARROWCLIFT and FAN are analogous art since they all deal with power supplies.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT with the teachings of FAN by forming each WEM shell from a heat conductive material comprising first piece and a second piece with a waterproof gasket between the first and second pieces for the benefit of providing a WEM which can be opened in need of maintenance to allow the replacement of defective components and also allowing heat removal from WEM by using a heat-conductive shell.
Regarding claim 25, BARROWCLIFT and FAN disclose the power supply of claim 8 as discussed above, However BARROWCLIFT and FAN do not explicitly disclose wherein for at least one of the WEMs, the shell is formed such that, when the power supply is in an upright orientation, an outer upper surface of the shell slopes downward from center to edges, such that moisture will drain off the outer upper surface.
BARROWCLIFT further teaches an inclined drainage for draining water (See Fig.4, and Pars.90-91, disclose a sloped portion 125 and a drainage trough).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT and FAN as applied to claim 8 with the further teachings of BARROWCLIFT such that the outer upper surface of the shell slopes downward from center to edges for the benefit of draining water that falls through the outer housing of the portable power supply on top of the shells of the WEMs.
Regarding claim 26, BARROWCLIFT and FAN disclose the WEM of claim 22 as discussed above, wherein the WEM is a DC/AC converter configured to accept DC power at a first DC voltage and to output AC power at one or more AC voltages (See BARROWCLIFT, Fig.1, discloses an inverter 20).
Claim(s) 23-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BARROWCLIFT in view of FAN and in further view of WYATT.
Regarding claim 23, BARROWCLIFT and FAN disclose the WEM of claim 22 as discussed above, However CLIFF and FAN do not disclose wherein the waterproof shell further comprises one or more of the following arranged to improve conduction of heat from inside to outside of the waterproof electronics module: a plurality of outward protrusions of the material, and a plurality of inward protrusions of the material.
WYATT discloses a battery pack comprising a shell, the shell includes a plurality of protrusions arranged to improve conduction of heat from inside to outside of the waterproof electronics module (See Figs.7-9, Items#60 and 62, Pars.156-157 disclose fins on the outside of the casing to dissipate heat).
BARROWCLIFT, FAN and WYATT are analogous art since they all deal with power supplies.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by BARROWCLIFT and FAN with the teachings of WYATT by adding the fins to the WEM module walls for the benefit of dissipating heat away from the WEMs.
Even though WYATT does not explicitly disclose the plurality of protrusions are inward or outward, the examiner explains that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to try different configurations of the protrusions from a finite set of solutions (vertical, sloped inward, sloped outward) or a combination of differently inclined fins (inward +outward) to arrive at the configuration with the best thermal dissipation properties.
Regarding claim 24, BARROWCLIFT, FAN and WYATT disclose the WEM of claim 23 as discussed above, wherein the plurality of inward protrusions of the material are arranged to be in contact with one or more of the following that generate heat inside the waterproof electronics module:
one or more electronic components, and one or more portions of the electronic assembly See WYATT, Par.130, discloses a plurality of layers in conjunction with the heat sink side plates 60 comprising the fins to dissipate heat from the battery module. Pars.136-137 discloses a thermal gap pad 108 which is coupled between internal fins 112 of the power assembly 84 and heat sink plate 60-62. Fig.7 discloses a PCB 72 mounted to the top plate 100. The thermal gap pad 108 provides a connection between the top plate 100 and the heat sink side plates 60 and 62).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED H OMAR whose telephone number is (571)270-7165. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 am -7:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Drew Dunn can be reached at 571-272-2312. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AHMED H OMAR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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