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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 8 – 20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Inventions II-IV, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 03/30/2026.
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.
Claim(s) 1 – 5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun (US 2017/0067701 A1) in view of Kolb (US 2003/0155987 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Sun (US 2017/0067701 A1) discloses a printed circuit board (PCB) (Fig 2) comprising open circuitry (14; [0023] “such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphic processing unit (GPU), a charging integrated circuit (charging IC), a power choke, a radio frequency power amplifier (RFPA), a power management processor (i.e., a power management integrated circuit (PMIC)”) and comprising a (three-dimensional (3D) printed) material (100) (that is deposited in a single process) over at least one area of the PCB (12), the (3D printed) material ([0024]) comprising at least a thermally-conductive material ([0024] “graphite thermal conductor”) to enable at least one thermal conductive trace (100 is thermal trace or path as seen in Fig 2) by the thermally-conductive material ([0024]) and being over the open circuitry (14), wherein the at least one thermal conductive trace (100) is to provide heat spreading from at least one hot area (area or portion about 14; [0024] “heat generating component) of the PCB (12) to a remote area ([0024]; see Fig 2 showing 100 is lead from 14 towards a remote area of 12; note that this claimed area is not structurally limited nor a periphery of this area is defined) of the PCB (12).
Sun does not disclose the (3D printed) material comprising at least a thermally-conductive material to enable at least one thermal conductive trace by the thermally-conductive material being over an electrically-insulating material of the (3D printed) material.
Kolb (US 2003/0155987 A1) teaches of a printed circuit board (PCB) (Fig 1-5,6C) comprising material (102,104) comprising at least a thermally-conductive material (104; [0119-0122] “secondary effect of conductive coating 104 is that it is thermally conductive. The heat generated by coated printed circuit board regions are transferred through dielectric coating 102 to conductive coating 104 which conducts through the surface of the board. The heat can then travel off the printed circuit board, primarily by dissipating through convection or through conduction to a heat sink”) to enable at least one thermal conductive structure (102,104) by the thermally-conductive material ([0119-0122]) being over an electrically-insulating material (102; [0071,0119-0122]) of the material.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the board as disclosed by Sun, comprising at least a thermally-conductive material being over an electrically-insulating material of the material as taught by Kolb, in order to provide a conformal coating, adherence to surfaces of the circuit board and circuitry, provide protection, and effectively provide heat dissipation (Kolb, [0069-0071,0119-0125]), such that the combination of Sun in view of Kolb would teach the (3D printed) material comprising at least a thermally-conductive material to enable at least one thermal conductive trace by the thermally-conductive material being over an electrically-insulating material of the (3D printed) material.
Claim states a “three-dimensional (3D) printed” and “3D printed” and “that is deposited in a single process” but “three-dimensional (3D) printed” and “3D printed” and “that is deposited in a single process” does not represent product structure but only refers to the process by which the material is formed. Thus the Claim is a product claim that recites a process step(s) of three-dimensional printing and single processing and is thus treated as a product-by-process claim. See MPEP 2113.
Regarding Claim 2, Sun in view of Kolb teaches the limitations of the preceding claim, including the thermally conductive trace (as taught by Sun with the composition as taught by Kolb).
Sun further teaches the PCB (Fig 2) of claim 1, wherein the thermal conductive trace (100; with the composition as taught by Kolb) comprises the thermally-conductive material (104 as taught by Kolb) along with the electrically-insulating material (102 as taught by Kolb), (from the single process), over areas of the PCB (see Fig 2 of Sun) that comprise the open circuitry (14).
Claim states “from the single process” but “from the single process” does not represent product structure but only refers to the process by which the material is formed. Thus the Claim is a product claim that recites a process step(s) of single processing and is thus treated as a product-by-process claim. See MPEP 2113.
Regarding Claim 3, Sun in view of Kolb teaches the limitations of the preceding claim, including the thermally conductive trace (as taught by Sun with the composition as taught by Kolb).
Sun further teaches the PCB (Fig 2) of claim 1, wherein the remote area (see Fig 2 showing 100 is lead from 14 towards a remote area of 12; note that this claimed area is not structurally limited nor a periphery of this area is defined) and the at least one thermal conductive trace (100) are to expand a surface area of the heat spreading or are to allow heat dissipation using a heat removal system ([0024] “transmits the heat generated by the heat generating component 14 to other components having relatively lower temperature, for example other portions of the circuit board 12 located far away from the heat generating component 14, the housing 16 or other components of the electronic device 10”).
Regarding Claim 4, Sun in view of Kolb teaches the limitations of the preceding claim, including the thermally conductive trace (as taught by Sun with the composition as taught by Kolb).
Kolb further teaches the PCB (Fig 1-5,6C) of claim 1, wherein the thermal conductive trace (as taught by Sun) is conformal (Kolb, Abstract, [0113-0125] “conformal”) over one or more features (204,310) that includes non-planar surfaces (see Fig 3 showing non-planar surfaces over 204,310) and embedded components (406 in Fig 5) within planar surfaces (surface of 202 shown planar in Fig 5 about 406) on the PCB.
Regarding Claim 5, Sun in view of Kolb teaches the limitations of the preceding claim, including the thermally conductive trace (as taught by Sun with the composition as taught by Kolb).
Kolb further teaches the PCB (Fig 1-5,6C) of claim 1, wherein the electrically-insulating material (102) (of the single process) is over at least one electrically-conductive feature (see Fig 2C showing 102 over 206, see Fig 6C showing 102 over the side surface of 601) of the open circuitry (206,601), with the thermally-conductive material (104; [0119-0122]) being over the electrically-insulating material (102), and wherein the thermally-conductive material (104; [0119-0122]) (of the single process) is over at least one non-electrically conductive feature (see Fig 6C showing surface of 202 contacts 104 at 322 without 102 intervening; note that the claim has not defined this “non-electrically conductive feature”) of the PCB (202; [0178]) and is devoid of the electrically-insulating material (102) there under.
Claim states “of the single process” but “of the single process” does not represent product structure but only refers to the process by which the material is formed. Thus the Claim is a product claim that recites a process step(s) of single processing and is thus treated as a product-by-process claim. See MPEP 2113.
Regarding Claim 7, Sun in view of Kolb teaches the limitations of the preceding claim, including the thermally conductive trace (as taught by Sun with the composition as taught by Kolb).
Kolb further teaches the PCB (Fig 17) of claim 1, further comprising: an insulating polymer ([0071-0122]) or non-polymer ([0071-0122]) to form the electrically-insulating material (102) and a conductive particle ([0119]) composite ([0071-0122]) to form the thermally-conductive material (104).
Claim(s) 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun (US 2017/0067701 A1) in view of Kolb (US 2003/0155987 A1) as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Ballenger (US 6,621,705 B1).
Regarding Claim 6, Sun in view of Kolb teaches the limitations of the preceding claim, including the thermally conductive trace (as taught by Sun with the composition as taught by Kolb).
Sun does not disclose the PCB of claim 1, further comprising: at least one heat sink associated with the at least one thermal conductive trace, wherein the at least one heat sink is (printed) of the thermally-conductive material and is devoid of the electrically-insulating material (in the single process).
Ballenger (US 6,621,705 B1) teaches of a PCB (Fig 5) comprising: at least one heat sink (512) associated with at least one thermal conductive trace (510), wherein the at least one heat sink (512) is (printed) of the thermally-conductive material (Column 2, line 56-Column 3, line 28; both trace and sink are formed from copper or aluminum) and is devoid of the electrically-insulating material (in the single process).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the board as taught by Sun in view of Kolb, further comprising: at least one heat sink associated with the at least one thermal conductive trace, wherein the at least one heat sink is (printed) of the thermally-conductive material and is devoid of the electrically-insulating material (in the single process) as taught by Ballenger, in order to allow heat to dissipate at a remote location, provide a direct heat transfer path, provide an effective way of dissipating heat, and increase surface area to create turbulence to the air stream (Ballenger, Column 2, line 56-Column 3, line 28, Column 3, line 65-Column 4, line 25).
Claim states a “printed” and “in the single process” but “printed” and “in the single process” does not represent product structure but only refers to the process by which the material is formed. Thus the Claim is a product claim that recites a process step(s) of printing and single processing and is thus treated as a product-by-process claim. See MPEP 2113.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Fu (US 2018/0190569 A1) teaches of a printed circuit board (PCB) (Fig 1-3) comprising material (106,107) comprising at least a thermally-conductive material (107; [0036]) to enable at least one thermal conductive structure (100) by the thermally-conductive material ([0036-0038]) being over an electrically-insulating material (106; [0016,0036]) of the material. This could be used in a 103 Rejection as it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify a board, comprising at least a thermally-conductive material being over an electrically-insulating material of the material as taught by Fu, in order to provide adherence to outer surfaces of the circuitry, provide formability, effectively provide heat dissipation, implement even and rapid heat dissipation (Fu, [0020-0026, 0037-0038]), and as such that a combination in view of Fu would teach the (3D printed) material comprising at least a thermally-conductive material to enable at least one thermal conductive trace by the thermally-conductive material being over an electrically-insulating material of the (3D printed) material.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROSHN K VARGHESE whose telephone number is (571)270-7975. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 900 am-300 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jessica Han can be reached at 571-272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ROSHN K VARGHESE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896
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