DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Following prior arts are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20180211900 A1 (Gutala)
US 20210257277 A1 (Bertrand)
US 20230245950 A1 (Haba50)
US 20220015262 A1 (Rider62)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-16 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The primary reason for allowance of independent claim 1 is that the amended limitations in the context of other limitations in the claim, considering the claim as a whole, is not anticipated nor is obvious over the prior art of record or prior art found during Examiner’s search. Depended claims are allowable, at least, because of their dependence on the allowable independent claim.
Claim Objection (Allowable Subject Matter)
Claim 18 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Remarks/Arguments
Applicants’ arguments with respect to following claims rejection have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 17, 19 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Gutala
Gutala teaches with respect to following claims
21. (New) A thermal management system for an electronic device, comprising: a circuit board; a first die and a second die connected to the circuit board and positioned laterally adjacent to each other such that a side-channel is defined between the first die and the second die, wherein the side-channel acts as an insulating layer [(Fig.3, gap/channel between Dice, they are separating dies so they don’t have a conducting path; para 27-28 )]; and
an additional thermal layer positioned on a top surface of the first die, on a top surface of the second die, and extending over the side-channel between the first die and the second die, wherein the additional thermal layer defines a top of the side-channel. [(TIM, 310 )]
17. (Currently Amended) A thermal management system for electronic device, comprising: a circuit board; a first die and a second die, wherein the first die and the second die are laterally adjacent to each other and connected to the circuit board; a side-channel between the first die and the second die, wherein the side- channel acts as an insulating layer; and one or more thermal elements on top of the first die and the second die, the one or more thermal elements defining one or more top channels on top of the first die and the second die, wherein the side-channel is not fluidly connected with the one or more top channels. [(see analysis of claim 1 and Fig.3, 71-73 are not connected to the gap between dice )]
19. (Currently Amended) The thermal management system of claim 17, wherein the one or more thermal elements are formed on top surfaces of the first die and the second die [(see analysis of claim 1 and Fig.3)]
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Bertrand
With respect to claim 21. Bertrand teaches a thermal management system for an electronic device, comprising: a circuit board; a first die and a second die connected to the circuit board and positioned laterally adjacent to each other such that a side-channel is defined between the first die and the second die, wherein the side-channel acts as an insulating layer [(Fig.3A, para 33; gap/channel between Dies, they are separating dies so they don’t have a conducting path)]; and
an additional thermal layer positioned on a top surface of the first die, on a top surface of the second die, and extending over the side-channel between the first die and the second die, wherein the additional thermal layer defines a top of the side-channel. [(TIM, 332 )]
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 extension fee 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 Shahan Rahaman whose telephone number is (571)270-1438. The examiner can normally be reached on 7am - 3:30pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nasser Goodarzi can be reached at telephone number (571) 272-4195. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/SHAHAN UR RAHAMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2426
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