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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 06/22/2026 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, Line 10: “the components” should be amended to recite “the electronic components”.
Claim 10, Line 2: “coating of adhesive and/or varnish” should be amended to recite “coating of the adhesive and/or varnish” as it has already been introduced in claim 1.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 5, 10-12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sekhon (US 4047198 A).
As to Claim 1, Sekhon discloses:
A device (circuit package 10) for dissipation of heat from electronic components (chips 18; see Fig. 1) disposed in an electronics housing (enclosure 24), the device comprising:
a condensate transport (dielectric powder 40) defining a channel to transport a working fluid from a cold site (cooler regions away from chips 18) in the electronics housing 24 to a vapor chamber (region adjacent chips 18; col. 5, Lines 33-36 “The vapor formed therefrom condenses on cooler regions of the package interior and is returned to the electronic device surfaces by capillary flow through the dielectric powder wick structure”; dielectric powder 40 defines a channel for working fluid to travel from cooler region to electronic device surfaces) having an inner wall comprising a porous material 40 (dielectric powder 40 is porous as it defines a wick and promotes capillary action of the fluid; 40 at least in part comprises an inner wall within housing 24); and
an adhesive and/or varnish attached to an inner surface of the inner wall (dielectric powder 40 comprises adhesive/varnish and because 40 defines the inner wall it is attached to an inner surface of the inner wall; col. 5, Lines 13-20 “It is preferred that the dielectric powder be sprayed onto and adhered to all surfaces as a conformal coating in one of several ways. An adhesive may be first applied, followed by the powder. In addition, the powder and the adhesive with or without the coolant may be together sprayed onto the surfaces. Examples of suitable adhesives are epoxys, polyurethanes and silicones”);
a plurality of fibers (glass fibers) attached to and extending from the adhesive and/or varnish into the channel (col. 4-5, Lines 67-68 and 1-6 “a dielectric powder 40 is adhered to all interior surfaces 42 of enclosure 24 and all exposed surfaces 44 of electronic devices 18, 20 and 22 and defines a heat pipe wick. An example of dielectric powder suitable to this purpose includes short glass fibers approximately 0.010 to 0.050 inches (0.0254 cm to 0.127 cm) long by 0.0002 to 0.0004 inches (0.0005 cm to 0.001 cm) in diameter”; dielectric powder 40 defines the channel for working fluid to travel from cooler region to electronic device surfaces, therefore the glass fibers within dielectric powder 40 extend from, into and throughout the defined channel, e.g., dielectric powder 40);
wherein the electronic components 18 are embedded in the porous material 40 (chips 18 are embedded in 40);
wherein the working fluid flowing through the vapor chamber removes waste heat from the electronic components 18 via enthalpy of evaporation of the working fluid (col. 5, Lines 31-41 “During electrical operation, local evaporation of the dielectric fluid takes place on the electronic device surface or surfaces. The vapor formed therefrom condenses on cooler regions of the package interior and is returned to the electronic device surfaces by capillary flow through the dielectric powder wick structure, thereby providing continuous operation of a phase change cooling mechanism at the active surfaces of the transistor chip or other electronic devices, according to heat pipe principles”).
As to Claim 5, Sekhon discloses:
wherein a wall of the electronics housing (enclosure 24) comprises fiber composite material and/or composite material (dielectric power 40 on inside surface of enclosure 24 compromises glass fibers and an adhesive and constitutes a composite material as it is made up of various parts or elements; see col. 4-5, Lines 67-68 and 1-6 and col. 5, Lines 15-20).
As to Claim 10, Sekhon discloses:
further comprising a coating of the adhesive and/or varnish 40 over at least part of an inside of the housing (40 disposed over interior surface 42 of enclosure 24; col. 4, Lines 67-68 “a dielectric powder 40 is adhered to all interior surfaces 42 of enclosure 24”; col. 5, Lines 15-20 “An adhesive may be first applied, followed by the powder. In addition, the powder and the adhesive with or without the coolant may be together sprayed onto the surfaces. Examples of suitable adhesives are epoxys, polyurethanes and silicones”).
As to Claim 11, Sekhon discloses:
wherein a distribution of the fibers (glass fibers in 40) defines patterns and/or free areas (definition of pattern – “an artistic, musical, literary, or mechanical design or form” – Merriam-Webster; fibers dispersed within dielectric powder 40 (see col. 5, Lines 23-27) provide a mechanical design or form; additionally, portions of 40 comprising adhesive (e.g., epoxys, polyurethanes and silicones) and no fibers define free areas).
As to Claim 12, Sekhon discloses:
wherein the adhesive 40 comprises a coating of protective varnish (definition of varnish - “a liquid preparation that when applied to a surface dries to form a hard lustrous typically transparent coating” – Merriam-Webster; col. 5, Lines 22-27 “A specific example of applying dielectric powder 40 was as follows. Glass fibers of average length of 0.03 inches (0.08 cm) and of average diameter of 0.0003 inches (0.0008 cm) were dispersed in an epoxy resin diluted with methyl ethyl ketone and painted over a transistor in a TO-60 package and dried”; 40 is hardened and dried) applied to the electronic components 18 and acting as an adhesive to attach a flocking (col. 4-5, Lines 66-67 and 1 “a dielectric powder 40 is adhered to all interior surfaces 42 of enclosure 24 and all exposed surfaces 44 of electronic devices 18”; glass fibers of dielectric powder 40 adhered to adhesive and coated on components 18; see col. 5, Lines 15-20; applicant’s specification defines “flocking” on pg. 11 of the specification as “Flocking refers to the "bombardment" of a substrate previously provided with adhesive and/or varnish with fibers, preferably with short fibers, especially preferably short-staple, textile, synthetic and/or glass fibers, which are fixed after the bombardment by curing of the adhesive”; in the final product of Sekhon, glass fibers are dispersed within dielectric powder 40 and covering components 18 providing protection at least in part).
Additionally, the aforementioned method limitation (e.g., “flocking” as defined by applicant) do not have any actual patentable weight, since it has been held that even though the claims are limited by and defined by the recited process, the determination of patentability of the product is based on the product itself, and does not depend on its method of production. If the product in the product-by-process claim is the same as or obvious from a product of the prior art, the claim is unpatentable even though the prior product was made by a different process. In re Thorpe, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Fed. Cir. 1985).
The presence of process limitations on product claims, which product does not otherwise patentably distinguish over prior art, cannot impart patentability to the product. In re Stephens, 145 USPQ 656 (CCPA 1965).
As to Claim 14, Sekhon discloses:
wherein the condensate transport comprises channels (col. 5, Lines 34-41 “The vapor formed therefrom condenses on cooler regions of the package interior and is returned to the electronic device surfaces by capillary flow through the dielectric powder wick structure, thereby providing continuous operation of a phase change cooling mechanism at the active surfaces of the transistor chip or other electronic devices, according to heat pipe principles”; condensed dielectric fluid flows through dielectric powder wick structure, therefore comprises channels for fluid flow).
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.
Claims 2-4 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sekhon (US 4047198 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Mok (US 8176972 B2).
As to Claim 2, Sekhon does not disclose:
wherein the electronic components are arranged on a printed circuit board in the electronics housing.
However, Mok discloses:
wherein the electronic components (semiconductor chip 58; see Fig. 2) are arranged on a printed circuit board in the electronics housing (col. 3, Lines 46-47 “A semiconductor chip 58 is mounted on the substrate 54 within the vapor chamber 50”);
in order to provide an electrical connection between the semiconductor chip and connection pads within a vacuum-tight structure (col. 3, Lines 48-52).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Sekhon as further suggested by Mok e.g., providing:
wherein the electronic components are arranged on a printed circuit board in the electronics housing;
in order to provide an electrical connection within a vacuum-tight structure.
As to Claim 3, the obvious modification of Sekhon in view of Mok discloses:
wherein the printed circuit board (54 of Mok) comprises part of the electronics housing (col. 3, Lines 48-49 “The packaging substrate 54 is of a vacuum-tight structure”; Mok; see Fig. 2, 54 is part of housing of vapor chamber 50).
As to Claim 4, Sekhon does not disclose:
wherein a wall of the electronics housing comprises a metal.
However, Mok discloses:
wherein a wall of the electronics housing comprises a metal (col. 3, Lines 57-60 “The top part 66 of the vapor chamber 50 can be selectively made of thermally-conductive materials, such as copper, copper alloys, aluminum, and the like”);
in order to provide a thermally conductive structure and provide good thermal contact between the top part of the vapor chamber and a heat sink device (col. 3, Lines 57-62).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Sekhon as further suggested by Mok e.g., providing:
wherein a wall of the electronics housing comprises a metal;
in order to provide a thermally conductive structure and provide good thermal contact with a heat dissipating structure.
As to Claim 15, the obvious modification of Sekhon in view of Mok discloses:
wherein the printed circuit board (54 of Mok) comprises part of the electronics housing (col. 3, Lines 48-49 “The packaging substrate 54 is of a vacuum-tight structure”; Mok; see Fig. 2, 54 is part of housing of vapor chamber 50).
Claims 6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sekhon (US 4047198 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Schon (US 20100326627 A1).
As to Claim 6, Sekhon does not disclose:
wherein the working medium comprises a coolant having a boiling point within range of 10° C. to 200° C.
However, Schon discloses:
wherein the working medium comprises a coolant having a boiling point within range of 10° C. to 200° C (Par. 0055 “For heat pipes operating in the range of ambient (about 20 ° C.) to about 100 ° C., exemplary suitable working fluids include those having normal boiling points (i.e., boiling points at atmospheric pressure) in the range of 10 ° C. to 80 ° C.”);
in order to provide working fluids with thermodynamic properties suitable for particular working temperatures and pressures of heat pipes systems (Par. 0055).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Sekhon as further suggested by Schon e.g., providing:
wherein the working medium comprises a coolant having a boiling point within range of 10° C. to 200° C;
in order to provide working fluids with thermodynamic properties suitable for particular working temperatures and pressures of heat pipes/vapor chamber systems.
Further, it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
It has also been held that discovering an optimum value of a result-effective variable (e.g., the relative boiling point of the working medium for effecting the heat transfer capability) involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
As to Claim 8, Sekhon does not disclose:
wherein the working medium comprises a fluid having a boiling point at standard pressure of 10° C. to 200° C.
However, Schon discloses:
wherein the working medium comprises a fluid having a boiling point at standard pressure of 10° C. to 200° C (Par. 0055 “For heat pipes operating in the range of ambient (about 20 ° C.) to about 100 ° C., exemplary suitable working fluids include those having normal boiling points (i.e., boiling points at atmospheric pressure) in the range of 10 ° C. to 80 ° C.”);
in order to provide working fluids with thermodynamic properties suitable for particular working temperatures and pressures of heat pipes systems (Par. 0055).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Sekhon as further suggested by Schon e.g., providing:
wherein the working medium comprises a fluid having a boiling point at standard pressure of 10° C. to 200° C;
in order to provide working fluids with thermodynamic properties suitable for particular working temperatures and pressures of heat pipes/vapor chamber systems.
See case law in rejection of claim 6 above.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sekhon (US 4047198 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Petrov (US 20220388929 A1).
As to Claim 7, Sekhon does not disclose:
wherein the working medium comprises a nonflammable or low-flammability coolant having a global warming potential (GWP) value of less than 170.
However, Petrov discloses:
wherein the working medium comprises a nonflammable or low-flammability coolant having a global warming potential (GWP) value of less than 170 (Par. 0038 “Embodiments of the present disclosure comprise compositions that have a 0 Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP), are non-flammable (when measured in accordance with ASTM E681) and have a GWP of less than 150, less than 10 and in some cases less than about 1”);
in order to provide a non-flammable a heat transfer fluid with a low global warming potential for use in heat pipes (Par. 0006 and 0038).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Sekhon as further suggested by Petrov e.g., providing:
wherein the working medium comprises a nonflammable or low-flammability coolant having a global warming potential (GWP) value of less than 170;
in order to provide a non-flammable a heat transfer fluid with a low global warming potential for use in heat pipes.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sekhon (US 4047198 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yang (US 20230107867 A1).
As to Claim 13, Sekhon does not disclose:
wherein the condensate transport comprises open pores in ceramics, foams, and/or composite materials.
However, Yang discloses:
wherein the condensate transport comprises open pores in ceramics, foams (second wick 104; Par. 0056 “The capillary structure may or may not be connected to an inner surface of a housing. The capillary structure is a porous medium whose material is metal. Specifically, the material of the capillary structure is copper or a copper alloy, and the capillary structure may be, for example, one or more of copper mesh, copper fiber, copper powder, or copper foam”), and/or composite materials;
in order to return working fluid to the heat source under capillary action (Par. 0069-0070).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Sekhon as further suggested by Petrov e.g., providing:
wherein the condensate transport comprises open pores in ceramics, foams, and/or composite materials;
in order to return working fluid to the heat source under capillary action.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 06/22/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The amended claim limitations have been fully addressed in the rejection above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW S MUIR whose telephone number is (571)270-1329. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm.
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/MATTHEW SINCLAIR MUIR/ Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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