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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koike et al. (US 8,120,171, hereinafter, Koike.)
Regarding claims 1 and 20, in figs. 1 and 4, Koike discloses an electronic control unit 22 for an electrical machine of an electrically powered drive system, the electronic control unit comprising:
at least one semiconductor board in the PDU 22 having including a plurality of power semiconductors 26,
a baseplate 40/84 for dissipating heat-generated in the electronic control unit;
a holding bracket 56 attached to the baseplate; and
at least one resilient biaser biasing means 56, for example, arranged between the holding bracket[ and the plurality of power semiconductors for, the at least one resilient biaser biasing the plurality of power semiconductors towards the baseplate;
wherein the holding bracket comprises means for includes at least one connector 62/82 attaching the at least one resilient biaser biasing means to the holding bracket.
Regarding claim 2, wherein the at least one resilient biaser biasing means is provided by includes a plurality of leaf springs. See figs. 11-12.
Regarding claim 3, wherein the plurality of leaf springs comprise include a central fixing part and a plurality of biasing arms which extending integrally from the central fixing part and, the plurality of biasing arms biasing at least one associated power semiconductor of the plurality of power semiconductors towards the baseplate via contacting at least one of the at least one associated power semiconductors or and the at least one semiconductor board for biasing the power semiconductors towards the baseplate , see fig. 4.
Regarding claim 4, wherein: the plurality of biasing arms of at least one leaf spring of the plurality of leaf springs comprises includes at least four[[ such]] biasing arms; which extend integrally from the central fixing part and the at least four biasing arms each bias a respective power semiconductor of the plurality of power semiconductors towards the baseplate via contacting at least one of the respectively one of the power semiconductors or and the at least one semiconductor board for biasing the power semiconductors towards the baseplate. See figs 1-4.
Regarding claim 5, wherein the plurality of leaf springs comprise each further include at least one fixing opening disposed in the central fixing part.See figs. 1-4.
Regarding claim 6, wherein:
the at least one connector includes a plurality of holding pins 56d which projecting from the holding bracket, and the holding bracket and the plurality of holding pins are formed integrally. See fig. 4.
Regarding claim 7, wherein: the at least one resilient biaser includes a plurality of leaf springs; the plurality of holding pins extend through[[ the]] a plurality of corresponding fixing openings in of the plurality of leaf springs and wherein the plurality of leaf springs are attached floatingly to the holding bracket by via deformation of the plurality of holding pins, fig. 4.
Regarding claim 8, wherein at least one leaf spring of the plurality of leaf springs comprises includes two fixing openings of the plurality of fixing openings for that position the at least one leaf spring with respect to the holding bracket. Figs. 4 and 11-12.
Regarding claim 9, wherein the holding bracket is attached to the baseplate by via a plurality of screws 82. See figs. 4 and 10.
Regarding claim 10, wherein the plurality of screws[[ (7)]] are located arranged at at least one of at least one edge and at least one corner of the holding bracket, and are disposed spaced apart from the plurality of power semiconductors. Figs. 4 and 10.
Regarding claim 11, wherein the holding bracket is provided with further includes at least two positioning holes for receiving respectively a plurality of- first positioning pins which are at least one of connected fixed to and received in the baseplate. Figs. 10 and 11-12.
Regarding claim 12, wherein the holding bracket-(6) comprises further includes a plurality of second positioning pins extending in a direction away from the baseplate[ for]], and wherein the positioning pins are structured and arranged to position a control board 54 in relation to the holding bracket.
Regarding claim 13, wherein the base plate includes at least one of a plurality of heat dissipation pins and a plurality of heat dissipation fins 84. See fig. 10.
Regarding claim 14, Koike further comprising a thermal heat transfer layer 52, for example, disposed on the baseplate in an area of the at least one semiconductor board. See fig. 10.
Regarding claim 15, wherein the plurality of power semiconductors are arranged on a surface of the at least one semiconductor board facing away from the baseplate and do not directly contact the baseplate. See fig. 4.
Regarding claim 16, wherein: the at least one resilient biaser includes a plurality of leaf springs; and
the plurality of leaf springs each bias the at least one semiconductor board against the baseplate via contacting and pressing at least one associated power semiconductor of the plurality of power semiconductors towards the baseplate. Figs. 4 and 10.
Regarding claim 17, wherein the plurality of power semiconductors are arranged on a surface of the at least one semiconductor board facing toward the baseplate. Fig. 4.
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) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koike as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Negrut (US 7,746,653.)
Regarding claim 18, Koike discloses all of the claimed limitations as mentioned above, except
The power semiconductor of the plurality of power semiconductors directly against the baseplate via contacting and pressing the at least one semiconductor board towards the baseplate.
Negrut, in fig. 1A, discloses an analogous device including power semiconductors 106 on a board 114. Negrut further discloses the power semiconductor device formed directly on the board against the baseplate 116/118. The arrangement facilitates the forming and moving the power semiconductors.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the application was filed to arrange the devices as taught in order to take the advantage.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 19 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.
The prior art of record does not show the plurality of holding pins each have a free end, an axial end face disposed at the free end, and a conical recess disposed in the axial end face.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN W HA whose telephone number is (571)272-1707. The examiner can normally be reached M-T: 8:00AM-6:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, WAEL FAHMY can be reached at (571)-272-1705. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHAN W HA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814
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