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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Regarding Claim(s) 1, and 10; whereas in line(s) 13-14 and line(s) 11-12 for respective claims, “the first direction to be parallel to the second direction” are depicted to constitute the same direction, and asserted in parallel to constitute the same direction and thus it is unclear how each is respectively deemed as two different directions, and thus it cannot be readily ascertained if a first direction and a second direction is different unless comprising structures which extend from opposite structure etc. OR otherwise deemed to denote first and second planes etc. OR alternatively intended to denote a first flow direction and a second flow direction. Regarding Claim(s) 1, and 10; respectfully asserts in lines(s) 14-15 or in line(s) 11-12, “the first groove is covered with the heat sink to form a first flow path, the second groove part is covered with the heat sink to form a second flow path” is unclear; whereas the first groove and the second groove part are presented with different terminology and thus cannot be readily ascertained as first and second grooves or first and second groove parts. Note: it appears the applicant intends to denote the same first and second feature.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by (Robert 11,071,233).
Regarding Claim(s) 1 and 10; Robert discloses a cooler for a power module of an inverter or for a heat generating device-claim 10 (as depicted by Fig.’s 8, 9 or 13—whereas 64, 62, 14, and 20 constitutes a cooler including inlet/outlet-16, 18 and channels-26, and comprise 24 defines a power module defined by switches, capacitors, resistors and/or inductors, and/or wherein power switches as MOSFETS define an inverter physically and electrically linked to the PBCA-44; as set forth by col. 4, lines 24-28, and 33-38), comprising: power modules comprising chips arranged in a row direction and a column direction perpendicular to the row direction (as depicted by Fig. 8 --whereas each row and column comprises two chips 24, and the rows and columns are perpendicular with respect to each other or otherwise, where Fig. 13 constitutes atleast two chips defined by 24 configured in a row perpendicular to atleast two other chips defined by 24 configured in a column); a heat sink extending in a first direction parallel to the row direction, the power modules or the heat generating device-claim 10 being coupled to one surface of the heat sink (whereas 12 includes 28 and/or 62 as a metal extrusion which constitutes a heat sink and/or including the PCBA which is made of metal and constitutes a heat sink or a portion thereof conducting heat via one surface of 28 which includes 24 or via one surface of 44 which includes 24—as depicted by Fig.’s 4, 8, 12 or 13; wherein the heat sink directly abuts the metal PCBA-44 to subsequently efficiently carry heat away via the channels 26—as disclosed by col, 4, lines 44-53; and whereas 44 atleast in part extend parallel to a row of atleast two chips defined by the MOSFETS-24 along the direction of channels 26—as depicted by Fig. 8) and a microfluidic channel comprising grooves disposed on another surface of the heat sink, the grooves extending in a longitudinal direction of the heat sink (whereas an interior of 12-Fig. 8 constitutes a microfluidic channel comprising an interior surface having respective grooves 26a and 26b defined by fins 30 and wherein 26a fluidly couples with 26b via atleast a portion of 20—as depicted by Fig.’s 10 and 13, and each of 26a, and 26b extends atleast in-part in a longitudinal direction with the rows and is atleast indirectly disposed on a bottom surface of the heat sink—as depicted by Fig.’s 2, 5, 8, 10 or 13); and a housing comprising a first groove part comprising an inlet configured to receive a fluid and a first groove extending in a second direction that is substantially parallel to the first direction to communicate with the inlet, a second groove part comprising an outlet configured to discharge the fluid and a second groove extending in the second direction to communicate with the outlet (as depicted by Fig. 13--whereas 64, 66, and 68 constitute a housing, whereas atleast a portion of 14 comprises an inlet-16 extending through housing portion 68 and corresponding to a first groove part of 14 associated with groove-26a extending in first direction which is parallel to another groove part of 14 associated with another groove-26b extending in the second direction to fluidly communicate with outlet-18 which extends through the housing portion 68—as depicted by fig.’s 10 and 13), and a separation part formed between the first groove part and the second groove part (whereas a conduit divider-40 and/or a central fin part extending therefrom—as depicted by Fig. 10 which is disposed between the first and second grooves or groove parts—as depicted by Fig.’s 5, 10, and 13), wherein the heat sink is coupled to the housing to cause the first direction to be parallel to the second direction (whereas the housing is fluidly coupled via 14 to the heat sink at 62, and each comprise portions that are horizontally disposed in the so-called first and second directions to fluidly coupled the respective first and second grooves parts of 14 with the respective grooves 26a, and 26b), the first groove is covered with the heat sink to form a first flow path (as depicted by Fig. 13), the second groove part is covered with the heat sink to form a second flow path (as depicted by Fig. 13), and the microfluidic channel covers the separation part to cause the grooves to form a third flow path that fluidly connects the first flow path and the second flow path (as depicted by Fig.’s 9-10, and 13—whereas the microfluidic channel defined by 12 or 62 and/or 20—as depicted by Fig.’s 10 and 13, wherein 26a fluidly couples with 26b via a third path defined by 20—as depicted by Fig.’s 10 and 13), and wherein at least one of the chips/at least one component of the heat generating device—claim-10 is disposed in a vertical direction perpendicular to the row direction and the column direction from the flow path (as depicted by Fig. 13—whereas the atleast one chip or component comprises a vertical disposition at and/or comprises a height having distal end at a higher plane than other chip(s) or component(s) defined in the rows and columns).
Regarding Claim 2; Robert discloses the cooler of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal direction is parallel to the column direction (as depicted by Fig. 8).
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 3-9, are 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.
Regarding Claim 3; the cooler of claim 2, wherein a cross-sectional area of the flow path perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is less than a cross-sectional area of the first flow path perpendicular to the second direction.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-10 have been considered but are moot; whereas new rejections are herein presented to read on the amended claim language.
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.
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/COURTNEY L SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835