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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to application No. 18402718 filed on 01/02/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
Acknowledgment is made of Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) form PTO-1449. These IDS has been considered.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Allowable subject matter
Claims 2-3, 9-11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim (independent claims 1 & 8), but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The closest prior art known to the Examiner is listed on the PTO 892 forms of record.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Uhlig et al. (US 2023/0326820).
With respect to dependent claim 2, the cited prior art does not anticipate or make obvious, inter alia, the step of: “further comprising a plurality of metal inserts, each metal insert positioned between a respective one of the plurality of semiconductor devices and the substrate, the metal insert having phase changing properties”.
With respect to dependent claim 3, the cited prior art does not anticipate or make obvious, inter alia, the step of: “further comprising one or heat pipes embedded within the electrically non-conductive substrate”.
With respect to dependent claim 9, the cited prior art does not anticipate or make obvious, inter alia, the step of: “wherein each pulse switching module further comprises a plurality of metal inserts, each metal insert positioned between a respective one of the plurality of semiconductor devices and the substrate, the metal insert having phase changing properties”.
With respect to dependent claims 10-11, the cited prior art does not anticipate or make obvious, inter alia, the step of: “wherein each pulse switching module further comprises one or heat pipes embedded within the electrically non-conductive substrate”.
Claims 16-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner' s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 16-20: The primary reason for the allowance of the claims is the inclusion of the limitation “A pulse power drilling assembly, comprising: a controller; one or more primary capacitors; a pulse transformer”, in all of the claims in combination with the remaining features of independent claim 16.
Uhlig et al. (US 2023/0326820) a pulse switching system, comprising: one or more pulse switching modules (Fig. 1, element 100, additionally this is an intended use recitation that does not structurally distinguish over prior art), each pulse switching module comprising: a baseplate (Fig. 1, element 116, paragraph 0015); an electrically non-conductive substrate (Fig. 1, element 106, paragraph 0011); an adhesive (Fig. 1, element 120, paragraph 0015 discloses an adhesive) applied between the baseplate and the substrate; a plurality of semiconductor devices (Fig. 1, element 108, paragraph 0011) arranged in series with respect to one another on the substrate, the plurality of semiconductor devices having wide band gap properties (paragraph 0050); and an encapsulant material (Fig. 1, element 126, paragraph 0018) deposited over the plurality of semiconductor devices and the substrate. Uhlig et al. do not explicitly disclose the adhesive being a thermally conductive material. Alcoe et al. (US 2008/0237840) teach an adhesive to comprise of thermally conductive material (paragraph 0039-0042). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the teachings of Uhlig et al. according to the teachings of Alcoe et al. with the motivation to optimize heat dissipation.
However, Uhlig et al. modified by Alcoe et al. do not teach or render obvious the above-quoted features recited in independent claim 16.
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 of this title, 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, 4-8, 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uhlig et al. (US 2023/0326820) in view of Alcoe et al. (US 2008/0237840).
Regarding Independent claim 1, Uhlig et al. teach a pulse switching module (Fig. 1, element 100, additionally this is an intended use recitation that does not structurally distinguish over prior art), comprising:
a baseplate (Fig. 1, element 116, paragraph 0015);
an electrically non-conductive substrate (Fig. 1, element 106, paragraph 0011);
an adhesive (Fig. 1, element 120, paragraph 0015 discloses an adhesive) applied between the baseplate and the substrate;
a plurality of semiconductor devices (Fig. 1, element 108, paragraph 0011) arranged in series with respect to one another on the substrate, the plurality of semiconductor devices having wide band gap properties (paragraph 0050); and
an encapsulant material (Fig. 1, element 126, paragraph 0018) deposited over the plurality of semiconductor devices and the substrate.
Uhlig et al. do not explicitly disclose the adhesive being a thermally conductive material.
Alcoe et al. teach an adhesive to comprise of thermally conductive material (paragraph 0039-0042).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the teachings of Uhlig et al. according to the teachings of Alcoe et al. with the motivation to optimize heat dissipation.
Regarding claim 4, Uhlig et al. teach wherein each semiconductor device comprises one of a wide bandgap MOSFET, JFET, GTO, IGBT, or thyristor (paragraph 0013).
Regarding claim 5, Uhlig et al. teach wherein each semiconductor device comprises a wide bandgap diode (paragraph 0013, 0050).
Regarding claim 6, Uhlig et al. teach wherein the encapsulant material comprises a silicone encapsulant (paragraph 0018).
Regarding claim 7, Uhlig et al. teach further comprising one or more control wires electrically coupling the pulse switching module with a controller (paragraph 0013).
Regarding Independent claim 8, Uhlig et al. teach a pulse switching system, comprising:
one or more pulse switching modules (Fig. 1, element 100, additionally this is an intended use recitation that does not structurally distinguish over prior art), each pulse switching module comprising:
a baseplate (Fig. 1, element 116, paragraph 0015);
an electrically non-conductive substrate (Fig. 1, element 106, paragraph 0011);
an adhesive (Fig. 1, element 120, paragraph 0015 discloses an adhesive) applied between the baseplate and the substrate;
a plurality of semiconductor devices (Fig. 1, element 108, paragraph 0011) arranged in series with respect to one another on the substrate, the plurality of semiconductor devices having wide band gap properties (paragraph 0050); and
an encapsulant material (Fig. 1, element 126, paragraph 0018) deposited over the plurality of semiconductor devices and the substrate.
Uhlig et al. do not explicitly disclose the adhesive being a thermally conductive material.
Alcoe et al. teach an adhesive to comprise of thermally conductive material (paragraph 0039-0042).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the teachings of Uhlig et al. according to the teachings of Alcoe et al. with the motivation to optimize heat dissipation.
Regarding claim 12, Uhlig et al. teach wherein each semiconductor device comprises one of a wide bandgap MOSFET, JFET, GTO, IGBT, or thyristor (paragraph 0013).
Regarding claim 13, Uhlig et al. teach wherein the encapsulant material comprises a silicone encapsulant (paragraph 0018).
Regarding claim 14, Uhlig et al. teach further comprising one or more control wires electrically coupling the pulse switching modules with one another and with a controller (paragraph 0013).
Regarding claim 15, Uhlig et al. teach wherein the plurality of semiconductor devices of a first one of the one or more pulse switching modules are further arranged in parallel with respect to a second one of the one or more pulse switching modules (The exact positioning of the semiconductor devices is a design choice that a person skilled in the art could set as appropriate taking into consideration the design parameters and the like. See In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950)).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHAHED AHMED whose telephone number is (571)272-3477. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Gauthier can be reached on 571-270-0373. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHAHED AHMED/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2813