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 16-20 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.
Claim 16 recites the limitation "the one or more laser diodes”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For purposes of examination, this limitation will be read as “one or more laser diodes”. By their dependency, the following claims are also rejected: 17/16, 18/17,16, 19/16, 20/16.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3,7-9, 11-13, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kanskar (U.S. Patent No. 11,824,323), hereinafter Kanskar1.
Regarding Claim 1, Kanskar1 teaches: a laser diode system, comprising: one or more laser diodes (Fig. 4, “450; Col. 3, lines 48-50); a plurality of copper fins (Fig. 4, “430”; Col. 3, lines 36-40, “copper fins”) coupled to the one or more laser diodes (Col. 4, lines 32-38, “thermally coupled”); and a cold plate (Fig. 4, bottom layer of “410”; Col. 3, lines 33-40, “cooling plenum”; Col. 3, lines 43-47”) comprising a plurality of copper fin cavities (Fig. 5, “400”; Col. 4, lines 24-31, “receptacle”) and an interior cavity (Fig. 5, “530”; Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant passageway”), wherein the plurality of copper fins are embedded within the plurality of copper fin cavities (Fig. 5, see “430” in “400”), and wherein a cooling medium (Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant”) is circulated through the interior cavity to cool the one or more laser diodes (Col. 4, lines 32-38).
Regarding Claim 2, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 1. Kanskar1 further teaches: a direct coolant interface (Fig. 4, “440”) that is positioned between the cold plate and the one or more laser diodes (Fig. 4, “440” between “450” and bottom layer of “410”), wherein the direct coolant interface transfers waste heat away from the one or more laser diodes to the cold plate (Col. 3, lines 40-43, “heatsink aperture”).
Regarding Claim 3, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 2. the cooling medium (Col. 4, lines 32-40, “coolant”) comprises a liquid transfer material (Col. 4. lines 32-38, “water”), and wherein the direct coolant interface uses the liquid transfer material to transfer the waste heat away from the one or more laser diodes to the cold plate (Col.4, lines 32-38).
Regarding Claim 7, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 1. Kanskar1 further teaches: the cooling medium (Col. 4, lines 32-40, “coolant”) is a liquid-based cooling medium (Col. 4. lines 32-38, “water”) that is circulate through the interior cavity (Col. 4, lines 32-38, “deliverable by coolant passageway”).
Regarding Claim 8, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 1. Kanskar1 further teaches: the cooling medium (Col. 4, lines 32-40, “coolant”) is an air-based cooling medium (Col. 4. lines 32-38, “air flow”) that is circulate through the interior cavity (Col. 4, lines 32-38, “deliverable by coolant passageway”).
Regarding Claim 9, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 1. Kanskar1 further teaches: each of the one or more laser diodes comprises a first portion (Col. 3, line 63 – Col. 4, line 4, “highly reflecting (HR) facet”) and a second portion (Col. 3, line 63 – Col. 4, line 4, “partly reflecting (PR) facet”), wherein the first portion generates more waste heat than the second portion (Col. 3, line 63 – Col. 4, line 4, “highly reflecting (HR) facet” generates more waste heat than “partly reflecting (PR) facet” because most of the light at the “highly reflecting (HR) facet” is trapped), and wherein the plurality of copper fins are coupled to the first portion of the one or more laser diodes (Col. 4, lines 32-38, plurality of copper fins are coupled to the one or more laser diodes, which includes the “highly reflecting (HR) facet”).
Regarding Claim 11, Kanskar1 teaches a cold plate (Fig. 4, bottom layer of “410”; Col. 3, lines 33-40, “cooling plenum”; Col. 3, lines 43-47”), comprising: a plurality of copper fin cavities (Fig. 5, “400”; Col. 4, lines 24-31, “receptacle”) and an interior cavity (Fig. 5, “530”; Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant passageway”), wherein the plurality of copper fins are embedded within the plurality of copper fin cavities (Fig. 5, see “430” in “400”), and wherein a cooling medium (Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant”) is circulated through the interior cavity to cool the one or more laser diode (Col. 4, lines 32-38).
Regarding Claim 12, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 11. Kanskar1 further teaches: a direct coolant interface (Fig. 4, “440”) that is positioned between the cold plate and the one or more laser diodes (Fig. 4, “440” between “450” and bottom layer of “410”), wherein the direct coolant interface transfers waste heat away from the one or more laser diodes to the cold plate (Col. 3, lines 40-43, “heatsink aperture”).
Regarding Claim 13, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 12. Kanskar1 further teaches: the cooling medium (Col. 4, lines 32-40, “coolant”) comprises a liquid transfer material (Col. 4. lines 32-38, “water”), and wherein the direct coolant interface uses the liquid transfer material to transfer the waste heat away from the one or more laser diodes to the cold plate (Col.4, lines 32-38).
Regarding Claim 15, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 11. Kanskar1 further teaches: the interior cavity of the cold plate (Fig. 5, “530”; Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant passageway”), comprises flow directors and/or baffles (Fig. 5, “550”) that are configured to cause turbulence within the interior cavity of the cold plate (Col. 4, lines 53-60).
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.
Claims 14, 16, 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanskar1, in view of Kawanishi et al. (U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0227827 A1), hereinafter Kawanishi.
Regarding Claim 14, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 11. Kanskar1 further teaches: the interior cavity of the cold plate (Fig. 5, “530”; Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant passageway”) comprises two openings (Fig. 5, “510”, “520”; Col. 4, lines 27-31). Kanskar1 does not teach: a coolant pump circulates the cooling medium into the cold plate using the two openings to transfer waste heat from the one or more laser diodes to an outside environment.
Kawanishi teaches: a coolant pump (paragraph [0056], “circulation device”) circulates the cooling medium into the cold plate using the two openings (Fig. 2, see openings at bottom of “18” and “19”, upward arrow within “19” and downward arrow within “18”) to transfer waste heat from the one or more laser diodes to an outside environment (Fig. 2, see downward arrow within “18”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to: have a coolant pump as taught by Kawanishi in the device of Kanskar1, for the benefit of maximizing heat exchange between the cooling medium and one or more laser diodes.
Regarding Claim 16, Kanskar1 teaches cooling one or more laser diodes of a laser diode system (Abstract), comprising: operating one or more laser diodes (Fig. 4, “450; Col. 3, lines 48-50) to perform direct energy applications (Col. 1, lines 13-15); a plurality of copper fins (Fig. 4, “430”; Col. 3, lines 36-40, “copper fins”) are coupled to the one or more laser diodes (Col. 4, lines 32-38, “thermally coupled”), wherein the plurality of copper fins are embedded within a plurality of copper fin cavities plate (Fig. 5, see “430” in “400”; Col. 4, lines 24-31, “receptacle”) of an interior cavity of the cold plate (Fig. 5, “530”; Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant passageway”); circulating a cooling medium through the interior cavity (Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant”) to cool the one or more laser diodes (Col. 4, lines 32-38). Kanskar1 does not teach: circulating, using a coolant pump, a cooling medium through a cold plate of the laser diode system to transfer waste heat from the one or more laser diodes to an outside environment; the coolant pump circulates a cooling medium through the interior cavity to cool the one or more laser diodes.
Kawanishi teaches: circulating (Fig. 2, see arrows) using a coolant pump (paragraph [0056], “circulation device”), a cooling medium through a cold plate of the laser diode system to transfer waste heat from the one or more laser diodes to an outside environment (Fig. 2 , see downward arrow out of “18”); the coolant pump circulates a cooling medium through the interior cavity to cool the one or more laser diodes (Fig. 2, see arrows). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to: have a coolant pump as taught by Kawanishi in the method of Kanskar1, for the benefit of maximizing heat exchange between the cooling medium and one or more laser diodes.
Regarding Claim 19, Kanskar1 and Kawanishi teach the method of Claim 16. Kanskar1 further teaches: the interior cavity of the cold plate (Fig. 5, “530”; Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant passageway”), comprises flow directors and/or baffles (Fig. 5, “550”) that are configured to cause turbulence within the interior cavity of the cold plate (Col. 4, lines 53-60).
Regarding Claim 20, Kanskar1 and Kawanishi teach the method of Claim 16. . Kanskar1 further teaches: each of the one or more laser diodes comprises a first portion (Col. 3, line 63 – Col. 4, line 4, “highly reflecting (HR) facet”) and a second portion (Col. 3, line 63 – Col. 4, line 4, “partly reflecting (PR) facet”), wherein the first portion generates more waste heat than the second portion (Col. 3, line 63 – Col. 4, line 4, “highly reflecting (HR) facet” generates more waste heat than “partly reflecting (PR) facet” because most of the light at the “highly reflecting (HR) facet” is trapped), and wherein the plurality of copper fins are coupled to the first portion of the one or more laser diodes (Col. 4, lines 32-38, plurality of copper fins are coupled to the one or more laser diodes, which includes the “highly reflecting (HR) facet”).
Claims 4-6, 17, 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanskar1, in view of Kawanishi, in view of Kanskar (U.S. Patent Application No. 2022/0123519 A1), hereinafter Kanskar2.
Regarding Claim 4, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 1. Kanskar1 does not teach: a coolant pump, wherein the coolant pump is configured to circulate the cooling medium from the cold plate to a coolant chiller, and back to the cold plate; and the coolant chiller, wherein the coolant chiller is a liquid to air heat exchanger that uses still or forced air to transfer waste heat from the one or more laser diodes to an outside environment.
Kawanishi teaches: a coolant pump (paragraph [0056], “circulation device”), wherein the coolant pump is configured to circulate the cooling medium from the cold plate (Fig. 2, see rightward arrow from “9” to “18”) to a coolant chiller (Fig. 2, “18”; paragraph [0057], “discharging channel”) , and back to the cold plate (Fig. 2, see upward arrow within “19”; paragraph [0057], “supplying channel”); and the coolant chiller, wherein the coolant chiller transfers waste heat from the one or more laser diodes to an outside environment (Fig. 2 , see downward arrow out of “18”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to: have a coolant pump as taught by Kawanishi in the device of Kanskar1, for the benefit of circulating the cooling medium; have a coolant chiller as taught by Kawanishi in the device of Kasnkar1, to maximize heat exchange between the cooling medium and one or more laser diodes. Kanskar1 and Kawanishi do not teach: the coolant chiller is a liquid to air heat exchanger.
Kanskar2 teaches: a liquid to air heat exchanger (paragraph [0039], “fan”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that: coolant chiller is a liquid to air heat exchanger as taught by Kanskar2 in the device of Kanskar1 and Kawanishi, for the benefit of lowering the temperature gradient between the cooling medium before reaching the cool plate and after reaching the cool plate.
Regarding Claim 5, Kanskar1, Kawanishi, and Kanskar2 teach the device of Claim 4. Kanskar1 further teaches: the interior cavity of the cold plate (Fig. 5, “530”; Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant passageway”) comprises two openings (Fig. 5, “510”, “520”; Col. 4, lines 27-31). It can be necessarily understood that the coolant pump circulates the cooling medium into the cold plate using the two openings in the device of Kanskar1, Kawanishi, and Kanskar2, in the sense that the two openings circulate the cooling medium as taught by Kanskar1, and the coolant pump is connected to the openings in the device of Kanskar1, Kawanishi, and Kanskar2.
Regarding Claim 6, Kanskar1, Kawanishi, and Kanskar2 teach the device of Claim 4. Kanskar1 further teaches: the interior cavity of the cold plate (Fig. 5, “530”; Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant passageway”), comprises flow directors and/or baffles (Fig. 5, “550”) that are configured to cause turbulence within the interior cavity of the cold plate (Col. 4, lines 53-60).
Regarding Claim 17, Kanskar1 and Kawanishi teach the method of Claim 17.
Kawanishi further teaches: the laser diode system comprises a coolant chiller (Fig. 2, “18”; paragraph [0057], “discharging channel”), and wherein circulating the cooling medium comprises: circulating the cooling medium through the cold plate to the coolant chiller (Fig. 2, see rightward arrow from “9” to “18”), wherein the coolant chiller transfers waste heat from the one or more laser diodes to an outside environment (Fig. 2 , see downward arrow out of “18”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to: have a coolant chiller as taught by Kawanishi in the device of Kasnkar1, to maximize heat exchange between the cooling medium and one or more laser diodes. Kanskar1 and Kawanishi do not teach: the coolant chiller is a liquid to air heat exchanger.
Kanskar2 teaches: a liquid to air heat exchanger (paragraph [0039], “fan”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that: coolant chiller is a liquid to air heat exchanger as taught by Kanskar2 in the device of Kanskar1 and Kawanishi, for the benefit of lowering the temperature gradient between the cooling medium before reaching the cool plate and after reaching the cool plate.
Regarding Claim 18, Kanskar1, Kawanishi, and Kanskar2 teach the method of Claim 17. Kanskar1 further teaches: the cold plate (Fig. 5, “530”; Col. 4, lines 32-38, “coolant passageway”) comprises two openings (Fig. 5, “510”, “520”; Col. 4, lines 27-31), and wherein circulating the cooling medium through the cold plate comprises circulating the cooling medium through the two openings Col.4, lines 32-38, “deliverable by coolant passageway”).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanskar1, in view of Kanskar2, in view of Deri et al. (U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0182309 A1), hereinafter Deri.
Regarding Claim 10, Kanskar1 teaches the device of Claim 1. Kanskar1 does not teach: a copper heat spreader; and an aluminum seal, wherein the copper heat spreader and the aluminum seal are positioned between the one or more laser diodes and the cold plate.
Kanskar2 teaches: a heat spreader (Abstract). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to: have a heat spreader as taught by Kanskar2 in the device of Kanskar1, for the benefit of dissipating heat from the one or more laser diodes (paragraph [0004]). Kanskar2 does not explicitly disclose: the heat spreader is made of copper. However, Kanskar2 discloses a portion of the device is made of copper (paragraph [0033]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to: make the heat spreader with copper, for the benefit of matching the thermal conductivity. Kauskar2 does not teach: an aluminum seal; the aluminum seal are positioned between the one or more laser diodes and the cold plate.
Deri teaches: an aluminum seal (Fig. 2, “230”; paragraph [0024], “aluminum nitride”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to: have an aluminum seal as taught by Deri in the device of Kanskar1 and Kanskar2, for the benefit of sealing the cavity (paragraph [0024]). It can be necessarily understood to someone of ordinary skill in the art that the copper heat spreader and the aluminum seal are positioned between the one or more laser diodes and the cold plate, in the sense that the copper heat spreader is positioned between the one or more laser diodes as taught by Kanskar2, and the aluminum seal is positioned between the one or more laser diodes as taught by Deri.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Schleuning et al. (U.S. Patent Application No. 2014/0119394 A1)
Takigawa (U.S. Patent Application No. 2016/0254642 A1)
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/J.K.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2828 /TOD T VAN ROY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2828
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