DETAILED ACTION
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) 1-12, 14-15, and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Suzuki (US 5,862,038) in view of Daikoku (US 5,751,062).
Regarding claim 1, Suzuki teaches an adjustable heat spreader comprising a mounting body (35) for mounting to a support surface (34) having at least one element (33) to be cooled; and at least one heat spreading insert (38) adjustably (e.g. Figs. 12a/b) fitted with the mounting body so that an insert contact surface (bottom of 37) is brought into contact (see Fig. 12b) with the element to be cooled; wherein the mounting body includes a mount contact surface (upper surface of 35) for interfacing with a separable heat sink (41).
Suzuki only teaches vertical adjustment of the heat spreading insert.
Daikoku teaches that it is old and well-known to utilize heat spreading inserts (elements 6 and 7, Fig. 2) which are adjustable along both vertical (along spring 9) and lateral (along the direction parallel to 6a and 7a; see Figs. 2 and 3) axes relative to the surface of the element to be cooled (top surface of 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to modify Suzuki such that the heat spreading inserts are mobile in multiple directions, as taught by Daikoku, in order to increase the precision of the devices contact with the element to be cooled.
Regarding claims 3-4, Suzuki teaches that the heat spreading insert (38) is mounted through an opening in the body and Daikoku further teaches that said insert (6/7) is capable of lateral motion (see Figs. 2-3).
Suzuki further teaches that: the mounting body includes fastening features (36) for fastening with the support surface in a non-adjustable, in use, spatial relationship (e.g. Fig. 12a), per claim 5; the threads (91, 92) constitute a gripping means which assist in the adjustment of the insert relative to the mounting body and the support surface, per claim 6; multiple inserts may be used for multiple elements to be cooled (see Figs. 12a/b), per claim 7; contact is via a first layer (40) of TIM, per claim 9; a second layer of TIM (39) is applied at an opposite side of the insert in proximity to or contacting the heat sink (see Fig. 12a), per claim 10; the second layer (39) of TIM is substantially thicker than the first layer (40; see Figs. 12a/b), per claim 11; a TIM is present between the heat sink (41) and the mount contact surface (Col. 11:57-59), per claim 12; the support surface is a PCB (34) and the element to be cooled is an electronic component on the PCB (33), per claims 14 and 15.
Regarding claim 18, Daikoku further teaches that the lateral sliding is accomplished via rails (6a, 7a).
Regarding claim 17, Suzuki further teaches a mount contact surface (upper surface of 35 which contacts 41) for interfacing with a separable heat sink (41).
Regarding claim 8, a heat sink (41) is fitted against the mount contact surface and the heat spreading insert is adjustably fitted to contact at the insert contact surface with the element to be cooled (sese 40 in Fig. 12b). In the combined teachings this surface will be equivalent to the bottom surface of 6b in Daikoku which is also slidably adjustable.
Claim(s) 13 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki in view of Daikoku and Rademacher (US 2022/0377945).
Suzuki does not specify use of the device with a heat sink forming part of the body of a vehicle.
Rademacher teaches that such heat sinks are commonly used with vehicles (Para. [0050] and [0051]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to utilize the device of Suzuki with a vehicle having a body, as taught by Rademacher, as such vehicles are known to require cooling.
It is noted that the term “body” in the claim is interpreted to encompass all of the physical structures of the vehicle as no positive or negative limitations have been recited to clarify or define it.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-18 have been considered but are moot because the arguments depend entirely on the newly entered limitations and the new ground of rejection above addresses these.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 Devon Lane whose telephone number is (571)270-1858. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, 9-4.
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/DEVON LANE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763