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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed with respect to the prior art rejections have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant's argument in pages 7 and 8 of the remarks, Examiner respectfully disagrees. Examiner notes that Applicant's arguments are against the references individually. Therefore, Examiner notes that one cannot show non obviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). In the instant case, see in WU’s Figure 3 and Zhang’s Figures 3 and 10 where providing WU’s vapor chamber with at least one fiber layer in a strip-shape (21) that is flatly attached and stacked on a lower capillary layer (3) along a longitudinal direction (see Zhang’s Figure 10), wherein the lower capillary layer (3) and the fiber layer (2) are all located on different planes and parallel to each other (see Zhang’s Figure 11) and will result to have the fiber layer passes through the convex platform and comprises a lower sunk segment located in and disposed through the convex platform, a second subset of the plurality of supporters are directly abutted between the fiber layer and the upper capillary layer and a third subset of the plurality of supporters corresponding to the convex platform are extended inward the convex platform to directly press the lower sunk segment since WU’s plurality of supporters (60) are distributed throughout the whole vapor chamber to prevent the vapor chamber from collapsing and to hold the wicks structures while Zhang’s fiber layer (21) is covering the entire middle section of the vapor chamber. Therefore, WU in view of Zhang will result to have the plurality of supporters (60 of WU) pressing the fiber layer (21 of Zhang) in the convex platform and the between the fiber layer and the upper capillary layer.
Therefore, the previous rejection is maintained, modified as necessitated by Amendment.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 8, 11, 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WU (CN 206919724 U: Machine Translation is provided by Examiner) in view of Zhang (US 20250102234 A1: Previously cited).
Regarding claim 1, WU teaches a fiber-embedded vapor chamber structure (see Figure 3), comprising: a lower plate (24), extended along a longitudinal direction thereof (see Figure 3) and comprising a sealing edge surrounding a periphery thereof (see Figures 3 and 5 each of where 22 and 24 has a sealing edge surrounding a periphery thereof) to form a recessed zone (see Figure 3 where 24 has a recessed zone surrounded by the sealing edge), wherein a lower capillary layer (52 and 54) is disposed on an inner surface of the recessed zone (see Figure 3), a convex platform (26) is disposed protrusively from the recessed zone, and the convex platform is communicated with the recessed zone (see Figure 3);
an upper plate (22), engaged with the lower plate (24) and comprising an upper capillary layer (56: see Figure 3) disposed on a surface (221) thereof corresponding the lower plate (see Figure 3), wherein the upper plate (22) and the sealing edge of the lower plate (24) are correspondingly sealed to make the upper plate be sealed on the recessed zone of the lower plate (see Figure 3); and
a plurality of supporters (60), disposed between the lower plate (24) and the upper plate (22) and located in the recessed zone (see Figure 3), and extended from the recessed zone toward the lower plate (24) and the upper plate (22), a first subset of the plurality of supporters are abutted between the lower capillary layer (52 and 54) and the upper capillary layer (56: see Figure 3 where a first subset of 60 are abutted between 52 & 54 and 56).
WU does not teach wherein, at least one fiber layer in a strip-shape is disposed in the recessed zone and extended along the longitudinal direction, the fiber layer is flatly attached and stacked on the lower capillary layer along a direction of the upper plate engaged with the lower plate, a second subset of the plurality of supporters are directly abutted between the fiber layer and the upper capillary layer, and the lower capillary layer, the fiber layer, and the upper capillary layer are all located on different planes and parallel to each other; the fiber layer passes through the convex platform and comprises a lower sunk segment located in and disposed through the convex platform, and a third subset of the plurality of supporters corresponding to the convex platform are extended inward the convex platform to directly press the lower sunk segment.
However, it’s old and well known in the art for vapor chambers to have a strip-shape wick layer stacked on top of lower capillary layer, as evidenced by Zhang, see Zhang’s Figures 3 and 10 where the vapor chamber has at least one fiber layer in a strip-shape (21) that is flatly attached and stacked on a lower capillary layer (3) along a longitudinal direction (see Zhang’s Figure 10), wherein the lower capillary layer (3) and the fiber layer (2are all located on different planes and parallel to each other (see Zhang’s Figure 11).
It would, therefore, have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide the vapor chamber of WU with at least one fiber layer in a strip-shape is disposed in the recessed zone and extended along the longitudinal direction, since as evidenced by Zhang, such provision was old and well-known in the art, and would provide the predictable benefit of increasing the circulation of working fluid flow.
WU in view of Zhang teaches the fiber layer is flatly attached and stacked on the lower capillary layer along a direction of the upper plate engaged with the lower plate to be pressed by a part of the supporters, and the lower capillary layer, the fiber layer, and the upper capillary layer are all located on different planes and parallel to each other; the fiber layer passes through the convex platform and comprises a lower sunk segment located in and disposed through the convex platform, a second subset of the plurality of supporters are directly abutted between the fiber layer and the upper capillary layer and a third subset of the plurality of supporters corresponding to the convex platform are extended inward the convex platform to directly press the lower sunk segment (see WU’s Figure 3 and Zhang’s Figures 3 and 10 where providing WU’s vapor chamber with at least one fiber layer in a strip-shape (21) that is flatly attached and stacked on a lower capillary layer (3) along a longitudinal direction (see Zhang’s Figure 10), wherein the lower capillary layer (3) and the fiber layer (2) are all located on different planes and parallel to each other (see Zhang’s Figure 11) and will result to have the fiber layer passes through the convex platform and comprises a lower sunk segment located in and disposed through the convex platform, a second subset of the plurality of supporters are directly abutted between the fiber layer and the upper capillary layer and a third subset of the plurality of supporters corresponding to the convex platform are extended inward the convex platform to directly press the lower sunk segment since WU’s plurality of supporters (60) are distributed throughout the whole vapor chamber to prevent the vapor chamber from collapsing and to hold the wicks structures while Zhang’s fiber layer (21) is covering the entire middle section of the vapor chamber. Therefore, WU in view of Zhang will result to have the plurality of supporters (60 of WU) pressing the fiber layer (21 of Zhang) in the convex platform and the between the fiber layer and the upper capillary layer).
Regarding claim 8, WU as modified further teaches wherein the lower capillary layer (52 and 56) and the upper capillary layer (56) comprises sintered powders or a woven net (see ¶ [39]).
Regarding claim 11, WU as modified further teaches wherein a portion of the fiber layer (21 of Zhang) located in the recessed zone is defined as an upper sunk segment (21 of Zhang that is located, as modified, outside 26 of WU), and the lower sunk segment and the upper sunk segment are in one piece form with a segment step formed by bending the fiber layer (see 21 in Zhang’s Figure 3 ).
Regarding claim 13, WU as modified further teaches wherein a lower sunk capillary layer (52 of WU) is disposed in the convex platform and clamped by the lower plate (24 of WU) and the lower sunk segment (lower sunk segment of Zhang’s at least one fiber layer in a strip-shape (21): see WU’s Figure 3 and cf. Zhang’s Figures 3 and 10).
Regarding claim 14, WU as modified as modified further teaches wherein the lower sunk capillary layer (52) comprises sintered powders (see ¶ [39]).
Claims 2 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WU (CN 206919724 U: Machine Translation is provided by Examiner) in view of Zhang (US 20250102234 A1: Previously cited) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yang (US 20120305222 A1: Previously cited).
Regarding claim 2, WU does not teach wherein each one of the lower plate and the upper plate is a plate member made of an aluminum or a copper.
Yang teaches each one of a lower plate (112: see Figures 3 and 5) and an upper plate (111) is a plate member made of an aluminum or a copper (see ¶ [0052]).
It would, therefore, have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide the vapor chamber of WU with wherein each one of the lower plate and the upper plate is a plate member made of an aluminum or a copper since it has been held “[t]he selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination in Sinclair & Carroll Co. v. Interchemical Corp., 325 U.S. 327, 65 USPQ 297 (1945) (Claims to a printing ink comprising a solvent having the vapor pressure characteristics of butyl carbitol so that the ink would not dry at room temperature but would dry quickly upon heating were held invalid over a reference teaching a printing ink made with a different solvent that was nonvolatile at room temperature but highly volatile when heated in view of an article which taught the desired boiling point and vapor pressure characteristics of a solvent for printing inks and a catalog teaching the boiling point and vapor pressure characteristics of butyl carbitol. "Reading a list and selecting a known compound to meet known requirements is no more ingenious than selecting the last piece to put in the last opening in a jig-Saw puzzle." 325 U.S. at 335, 65 USPQ at 301.)”: such provision would provide the benefit of having vapor chamber casing with excellent thermal conduction material.
Regarding claim 3, WU does not teach wherein a lower degassing end is disposed protrusively from any side of the lower plate, an upper degassing end is disposed protrusively from any side of the upper plate, and the lower degassing end is disposed corresponding to the upper degassing end.
However, it’s old and well known to vapor chamber to have filling/ vacuuming port, as evidenced by Yang, see Yang’s Figure 5 and ¶ [0057] where a lower degassing end is disposed protrusively from any side of the lower plate (112), an upper degassing end is disposed protrusively from any side of the upper plate (111), and the lower degassing end is disposed corresponding to the upper degassing end (see Figure 6 where one of the corners of 11 comprises degassing end).
It would, therefore, have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide the vapor chamber of WU with a lower degassing end is disposed protrusively from any side of the lower plate, an upper degassing end is disposed protrusively from any side of the upper plate, and the lower degassing end is disposed corresponding to the upper degassing end, since as evidenced by Yang, such provision was old and well-known in the art, and would provide the predictable benefit of simplifying the manufacturing process of WU’s vapor chamber.
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 KHALED AL SAMIRI whose telephone number is (571)272-8685. The examiner can normally be reached 10:30AM~3:30PM, M-F (E.S.T.).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jianying Atkisson can be reached at (571) 270-7740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/KHALED AHMED ALI AL SAMIRI/ Examiner, Art Unit 3763 /JOEL M ATTEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
Prosecution Insights