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 Objections
Claim 18 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 18, line 5, please, change “sliding IHS component” to - - sliding the IHS component - - for proper reading.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 6-10, 12-16, and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a(1) as
being anticipated by Cromwell et al. (U.S. Patent 6,930,884), hereafter Cromwell.
As to claim 1, Cromwell discloses a bolster plate (80) as shown in figures 1-2,
comprising:
a body (86) configured to contact a memory module (the processor 20 can act as
memory device or module with high-speed storage component like registers and cache
memory) at a contact surface (top surface) of the body (86); and
a ramped hole (82), the ramped hole (82) having a hole axis normal to the contact surface configured to (adapted to or capable of being) convert lateral displacement in a direction parallel to the contact surface into vertical displacement a direction parallel to the hole axis in response to the ramped hole (82) sliding in the direction parallel to the contact surface along a standoff (60) coupled to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB-30) to provide compression between terminals (not shown but the bottom side of the chip 20 connected to the socket 52) of the memory module (20) and a connector (socket 52) on the PCB (30).
As to claim 2, Cromwell discloses the bolster plate (80) is configured to lock in
place, upon the lateral displacement, to maintain the compression.
As to claim 6, Cromwell discloses a head of the standoff (60) is angled at a
chamfer (at the element 62) matching a chamfer (at the narrow hole) in the ramped hole
(82).
As to claim 7, Cromwell discloses the ramped hole (82) is configured to: receive the head (61) of the standoff (60) through a first end; and increase the compression in response to movement of the head along the chamfer towards a second end opposite the first end.
As to claim 8, Cromwell discloses the second end (the narrow hole) is configured
to lock the bolster plate (80) in place to maintain the compression.
As to claim 9, Cromwell discloses the ramped hole (82) comprises: a deep end
configured to receive a head (61) of the standoff (60); and a ramp between the deep
end and a shallow end, wherein the ramp comprises a slot (85) configured to receive a
shaft (the neck) of the standoff.
As to claim 10, Cromwell discloses in figures 1-2 the shallow end is angled
obliquely away from the ramp to receive the head (61), lock the bolster plate (80) in
place, and maintain the compression.
As to claim 12, Cromwell discloses an Information Handling System (IHS), as
shown in figures 1-2 comprising:
a Printed Circuit Board (PCB-30) comprising a connector (socket 52) and a
standoff (60);
a memory module (the processor 20 can act as memory device or module with
high speed storage component like registers and cache memory), a plate (86) contacting the memory module at a contact surface of the plate, the plate comprising a ramped hole (82) having a hole axis normal to the contact surface, wherein the ramped hole configured to:
receive the standoff (60), and (ii) translate lateral displacement a direction parallel to the contact surface into vertical displacement a direction parallel to the hole axis in response to the standoff (60) sliding a direction parallel to the contact surface along the ramped hole (82) to provide a compression force between terminals of the memory module (20) and the connector (52).
As to claim 13, Cromwell discloses a head of the standoff (60) is angled at a
chamfer (at the element 62) matching a chamfer (at the narrow hole) in the ramped hole
(82).
As best understood to claim 14, Cromwell discloses the ramped hole (82) is
configured to: receive the head (61) of the standoff (60) through a first end;
and increase the compression in response to movement of the head along the chamfer
towards a second end opposite the first end.
As to claim 15, Cromwell discloses the ramped hole (82) comprises: a deep end
configured to receive a head (61) of the standoff (60); and a ramp between the deep
end and a shallow end, wherein the ramp comprises a slot (85) configured to receive a
shaft (the neck) of the standoff.
As to claim 16, Cromwell discloses in figures 1-2 the shallow end is angled
obliquely away from the ramp.
As best understood to claim 18, Cromwell discloses a method for toolless installation of a memory module in an information handing system (IHS), comprising:
receiving, via a ramped hole (82) in an Information Handling System (IHS)
component (80), a head (61) of a standoff (60) coupled to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB-
30); and
sliding the IHS component (80) perpendicularly to a shaft (a neck) of the standoff
(60) in a first direction to cause a contact surface of the HIS component that is in contact with the memory module to compress electrical terminals of the memory module (20) against a connector (a socket 52) on the PCB (30); wherein the first direction is parallel to the contact surface of the HIS component.
As to claim 19, Cromwell further comprising sliding the IHS component (80 or the
body 86) perpendicularly to the shaft (the neck of the standoff 60) in a second direction
opposite the first direction to decompress the electrical terminals memory module from the connector (52).
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.
Claim(s) 3-5, 11, 17, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being
unpatentable over Cromwell in view of Peterson et al. (U.S. 2019/0252286).
Regarding claim 3, Cromwell discloses all of the limitations of claimed invention
except for a flange extending generally perpendicular from the body.
Peterson teaches a segmented heatsink (106f) as shown in figure 5B that
comprises a flange (the left and right ends of the body 120e-120f of the plate 106f)
extending generally perpendicular from the body.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filling date to have a teaching of Peterson employed in the HIS and its method
of Cromwell in order to provide excellent protection and heat dissipation structure.
Regarding claim 4, Cromwell as modified by Peterson teaches the flange is
positioned to be disposed over an end edge of another PCB (126-figure 5B) comprising
the memory module (104).
Regarding claim 5, Cromwell as modified by Peterson, Cromwell further
comprising a dielectric insulating material (TIM or thermos interface material 53)
disposed on a bottom surface of the body (plate 86) to contact the other PCB (30), the
dielectric insulating material (53) having a low coefficient of friction.
Regarding claims 11, 17, and 20, Cromwell discloses all of the limitations of
claimed invention except for the memory module comprises a Compression Attached Memory Module (CAMM).
Peterson teaches electronic devices (102a-102c) as shown in figures 1 and 5A-
5B comprising a circuit board (a substrate 126, para-0048) having a Compression
Attached Memory Module (CAMM, 104p-104s) mounted on.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filling date to have a teaching of Peterson employed in the HIS and its method
of Cromwell in order to improve signal integrity and faster memory speeds.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant's arguments filed 06/17/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues:
Cromwell does not disclose or teach “in response to the ramped hole sliding in the direction parallel to the contact surface provide compression between terminals of the memory module and a connector on the PCB" as is recited in amended claims 1, 12, and 18.
After carefully review, examiner respectively disagrees. As shown in figures 1-2 of Cromwell, the load stud or standoff (60) inserted into wide opening (94) of the ramped hole (82) having a hole axis normal (vertical or perpendicular) to the contact surface (the top surface) configured to (adapted to or capable of being) convert lateral displacement in a direction parallel to the contact surface into vertical displacement a direction parallel to the hole axis in response to the ramped hole (82) sliding in the direction parallel to the contact surface along a standoff (60), Cromwell teaches in figure 2 that the standoff (60) after inserted into the wide opening or hole (94) and slide and lock into the narrow hole/opening (not label) to provide compression between terminals (not shown but the bottom side of the chip 20 connected to the socket 52) of the memory module (20) and a connector (socket 52) on the PCB (30).
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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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/TUAN T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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