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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the temperature detection device and the plurality of heat-sensitive thin film transistors of claims 16-18 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: “OPTICAL MODULE AND DISPLAY DEVICE HAVING HEAT DISSIPATION STRUCTURE”.
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.
Claim 9 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 9, the claim recites “the driver chip” in line 16 however there is no antecedent basis for the driver chip in claim 9 or in claims 1 or on which claim 9 depends so that it is unclear if the claim requires any driver chip or is meant to refer to a driver chip in a different claim for example the driver chip of claim 3. For the purpose of examination the claim will be interpreted to mean –a driver chip--.
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 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 of this title, 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 1, 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei et. Al. (CN 115857229 A hereinafter Wei).and further in view of Lee et. Al. (US 20230215708 A1 hereinafter Lee) however, the examiner will use US Pre-Grant Publication/patent application US 20240395998 A1 as a translation of CN 115857229 A. Hence, the rejection will use the paragraphs/columns and lines of US 20240395998 A1 for rejection purposes.
Regarding claim 1, Wei teaches in Figs. 1-2 with associated text an optical module, comprising a light plate 110 on which a plurality of light-emitting elements 111 are arranged in an array (Figs. 1-2, [0033]), and further comprising a heat dissipation structure 120 arranged on a side of the light plate facing away from the plurality of light-emitting elements (Figs. 1-2, [0033]); wherein the heat dissipation structure comprises a first substrate 123 and a second substrate (126-128), the first substrate being arranged above the second substrate and connected to the light plate (Figs. 1-2, [0037]); wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are each made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy ([0051]); wherein there is disposed a first layer 122 on a side of the first substrate adjacent to the second substrate, and there is disposed a second layer 131 on a side of the second substrate adjacent to the first substrate (Fig. 1, [0037]); and there is defined a gap (gap where droplets 230 are present) between the first layer and the second layer (Fig. 1, [0033]), and there is disposed a plurality of cooling droplets 230 in the gap (Fig. 1, [0033]); wherein in response to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements being at a first heating value, the respective cooling droplet is operative to move to a position under the light-emitting element; and in response to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements being at a second heating value, the respective cooling droplet is operative to leave from under the light-emitting element ([0033] and [0035]).
Wei does not specify the first and second layers are first and second anodized aluminum layers however Wei discloses making them hydrophobic layers [0033]
Lee discloses in Figs. 2B-2C with associated text a hydrophobic layer similar to that of Wei that it is an anodized aluminum layer (aluminum oxide layer [0065]) so that by using the anodized aluminum layers for the first and second layers of Wei they would comprise first and second anodized aluminum layers.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the anodized aluminum layers of Lee for the first and second hydrophobic layers of Wei of because according to Lee hydrophobicity may be imparted to the surface of a metal substrate through anodization [0065] so that such a layer would be suitable for the hydrophobic layer of Wei.
Regarding claim 11, Wei teaches the first heating value lies in the range of 60*C to 804C, and the second heating value lies in the range of 204C to 404C ([0035]).
Regarding claim 13, Wei teaches the cooling droplet is a liquid metal or a liquid alloy ([0041]).
Claims 2-3, 9-10 and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei in view of Lee as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Ludwig (US 20160375440 A1 hereinafter Ludwig).
Regarding claim 2, Wei in view of Lee teaches in Figs. 1-2 with associated text the optical module as recited in claim 1.
Wei does not specify a third substrate disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; wherein there is disposed a third anodized aluminum layer on a side of the third substrate adjacent to the first substrate, and a fourth anodized aluminum layer on a side of the third substrate adjacent to the second substrate; wherein the third substrate divides the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate to form a first heat dissipation layer and a second heat dissipation layer, the first heat dissipation layer being located above the second heat dissipation layer; wherein there are disposed cooling droplets in the first heat dissipation layer, or alternatively there are disposed cooling droplets in each of the first heat dissipation layer and the second heat dissipation layer
Ludwig discloses in Fig. 6-32 with associated text a third substrate (board with microelectrodes between ground planes) disposed between a first substrate (ground plane nearest Item to be Cooled) and a second substrate (ground plane furthest from Item to be Cooled) (Fig. 6, [0027] and [0029]); wherein there is disposed a third anodized aluminum layer on a side of the third substrate adjacent to the first substrate, and a fourth anodized aluminum layer on a side of the third substrate adjacent to the second substrate; wherein the third substrate divides the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate to form a first heat dissipation layer and a second heat dissipation layer, the first heat dissipation layer being located above the second heat dissipation layer (Fig. 6, [0075]-[0076]); wherein there are disposed cooling droplets in the first heat dissipation layer, or alternatively there are disposed cooling droplets in each of the first heat dissipation layer and the second heat dissipation layer (Figs. 7-32, [0077]) so that by using three substrate layer to make two droplet channels in the optical module of Wei in view of Lee as taught by Ludwig the device would include a third substrate disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; wherein there is disposed a third anodized aluminum layer on a side of the third substrate adjacent to the first substrate, and a fourth anodized aluminum layer on a side of the third substrate adjacent to the second substrate; wherein the third substrate divides the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate to form a first heat dissipation layer and a second heat dissipation layer, the first heat dissipation layer being located above the second heat dissipation layer; wherein there are disposed cooling droplets in the first heat dissipation layer, or alternatively there are disposed cooling droplets in each of the first heat dissipation layer and the second heat dissipation layer.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use three substrate layer to make two droplet channels in the optical module of Wei in view of Lee as taught by Ludwig because according to Ludwig in such a structure the micro-droplet absorbs heat generated by the item to be cooled through the thermal conducting layer segment and electrical ground plane, or via other arrangements in alternate implementations. The absorbed heat in the resulting heated micro-droplets can then be transported to other regions where the heat can be processed in various ways (as in the examples to be described as well as other ways applicable to various applications and/or alternate embodiments) [0090] so that such a structure would be useful for for cooling the display of Wei in view of Lee.
Regarding claim 3, Wei in view of Lee and Ludwig teaches there is disposed at least one valve (conduit in the third substrate and microelectrode that control the passage of droplets therethrough in Fig. 18b of Ludwig) in the third substrate (Fig. 18b-20d, [0089]), and wherein the heat dissipation structure further comprises a driver chip (140 of Wei) that is arranged outside the third substrate and that is electrically connected to the at least one valve (140 is electrical connected to the control electrodes [0037] of Wei and so would be connected to the valve); wherein the driver chip is configured to control opening or closing of the at least one valve to connect or disconnect the first heat dissipation layer and the second heat dissipation layer with or from each other (140 controls the movement of the droplet [0041] and therefore whether the valve is opened or closed).
Regarding claim 9, Wei teaches the heat dissipation structure further comprises a low-temperature coolant storage area 160, a high-temperature coolant storage area 170, and a cooling device 190; wherein the low-temperature coolant storage area and the high-temperature coolant storage area are respectively connected to edges of the first substrate and the second substrate in different directions (Fig. 2, [0043]); wherein the low-temperature coolant storage area, the high-temperature coolant storage area, and the cooling device are connected with each other through cooling pipes 200 (Fig. 2, [0043]); wherein there is disposed a one-way valve 210 in the cooling pipes to control a coolant in the high-temperature coolant storage area to flow to the low-temperature coolant storage area (Fig. 2, [0043]); wherein the low-temperature coolant storage area and the high-temperature coolant storage area each comprise a plurality of control valves (129 with 180 and 130 with 181) disposed corresponding to the position between the first heat dissipation layer and the second heat dissipation layer (Fig. 3, [0052]-[0053] 129 and 130 with their respective holes control flow in and out of the coolant storage areas [0052]-[0053]); wherein the plurality of control valves are electrically connected to the driver chip, and wherein the driver chip is operative to control opening or closing of each control valve ([0037]).
Regarding claim 10, Wei in view of Lee and Ludwig teaches the first anodized aluminum layer, the second anodized aluminum layer, the third anodized aluminum layer, and the fourth anodized aluminum layer are each made of micro-nano anodized aluminum.
Regarding claim 16, Wei teaches the light plate further comprises a temperature detection device configured to monitor a temperature of each of the light-emitting elements [(0066]).
Regarding claim 17, Wei teaches the temperature detection device is configured to set one or more threshold temperatures; wherein in response to detecting that the temperature of one or more of the light-emitting elements exceeds a threshold temperature, the temperature detection device is configured to feed back an over-temperature signal to the driver chip [0066].
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei in view of Lee and Ludwig as applied to claim 16 and further in view of Moriya (US 20220215802 A1 hereinafter Moriya).
Regarding claim 18, Wei in view of Lee and Ludwig the optical module as recited in claim 16.
Wei does not specify the temperature detection device is comprised of a temperature detection layer in the light plate, and wherein the temperature detection layer is comprised of a plurality of heat-sensitive thin film transistors.
Moriya discloses in Fig. 5 with associated text the temperature detection device (TFT for temperature detection) is comprised of a temperature detection layer in a light plate (structure of Fig. 5), and wherein the temperature detection layer is comprised of a plurality of heat-sensitive thin film transistors (Fig. 5, [0081]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use heat-sensitive thin film transistors of Moriya for the temperature detection device of Wei in view of Lee and Ludwig because according to Moriya by disposing the temperature detecting TFT below the anode 520 of the organic EL element in the pixel circuit 10 in this manner, an adverse effect on image display due to the formation of the temperature detection circuit 12 is avoided [0081].
Conclusion
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/AARON J GRAY/Examiner, Art Unit 2897
