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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
1. In the event that 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, 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) 1, 6, 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rodriguez et al. US20020006027 in view of Chen et al. CN-216795545 (using PE2E for translation).
Per claim 1 Rodriguez et al. teaches a power element assembly structure (see fig.11), comprising: a main board (4, see fig.3 & 11), a first heat sink (2, 5 & 6, see fig.2, 4 & 5), a second heat sink (3), a power element (1, see fig.3) , an insulating thermally conductive layer (13, see fig.10; [0058]-[0059], “thermally conductive, but electrically insulated”), and a fixture (20); a top surface of the first heat sink is connected to the second heat sink (see fig.3); and the insulating thermally conductive layer is attached to a lateral surface of the first heat sink (see fig.10), the power element is attached to the insulating thermally conductive layer (see fig.10), and is fixed to the first heat sink by the fixture (see fig.10), and the power element is plugged into the main board (see fig.3 & 11).
Rodriguez et al. does not explicitly teach an insulating support, wherein a first end of the insulating support is connected to the main board, a second end of the insulating support is connected to a bottom surface of the first heat sink, and there is a distance between the first heat sink and the main board.
Chen et al. however discloses an insulating support (60, see fig.8), wherein a first end of the insulating support is connected to the main board (20, see fig.5 & 11), a second end of the insulating support is connected to a bottom surface of the first heat sink (see fig.10-11), and there is a distance between the first heat sink and the main board (see fig.10-11).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have the insulating support as taught by Chen et al. in the power element assembly structure of Rodriguez et al. to improve contact between the first heat sink, the second heat sink and the main board, thus ensuring proper thermal dissipation of the power element.
Per claim 6 Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al. teaches the power element assembly structure according to claim 1, wherein the insulating support (60) is an insulating support column (see fig.8, “both sides of 60 (i.e. 62) are vertical supporting structures”).
Per claim 8 Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al. teaches the power element assembly structure according to claim 1,
Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al. does not explicitly teach wherein a thermal conductive material is arranged between the first heat sink and the second heat sink; the thermal conductive material is also arranged between the insulating thermally conductive layer and the first heat sink.
Official notice is taken that having a thermal conductive material arranged between a first heat sink and second heat sink and/or arranged between an insulating thermally conductive layer and a first heat sink is well known in the art.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have a thermal conductive layer between the first and second heatsink and also between the insulating thermally conductive layer and the first heat sink because it enhances the thermal conduction between the respective surfaces, thus enhancing thermal dissipation of heat from the heat generating components.
Per claim 9 Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al. teaches the power element assembly structure according to claim 1, wherein the power element assembly structure comprises a plurality of the first heat sinks, and part or all of the first heat sinks in the power element assembly structure are surrounded to form a heat dissipation channel (see fig.5).
Per claim 10 Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al. teaches the power element assembly structure according to claim 9, wherein top surfaces of the plurality of first heat sinks are aligned (see fig.3, 11 & 13).
Claim(s) 2-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rodriguez et al. US20020006027 in view of Chen et al. CN-216795545 (using PE2E for translation) as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Wekell US5450284.
Per claim 2 Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al. teaches the power element assembly structure according to claim 1,
Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the fixture is an elastic sheet, the elastic sheet is connected to the first heat sink, and the power element is crimped to the lateral surface of the first heat sink.
Wekell however discloses wherein the fixture (20, see fig.3) is an elastic sheet (76, “resilient retaining fingers are elastic, thus making the fixture 20 elastic”), the elastic sheet is connected to the first heat sink (18, see fig.3), and the power element (12) is crimped to the lateral surface of the first heat sink (see fig.1-4).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have an elastic sheet as taught by Wekell in the power element assembly structure of Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al., because it enables efficient coupling of the power element to the first heat sink, thus ensuring proper thermal coupling and dissipation.
Per claim 3 Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al. and Wekell teaches the power element assembly structure according to claim 2, wherein the power element assembly structure further comprises an insulating sheet (14, see fig.3), the insulating sheet is located between the fixture (20) and the power element (14, see fig.3), and the insulating sheet (14) is crimped on the power element by the fixture (see fig.1-4).
Per claim 4 Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al. and Wekell teaches the power element assembly structure according to claim 3, wherein a screw hole (40) is provided on the lateral surface of the first heat sink (18, see fig.3); both the fixture (20) and the insulating sheet (14) have through holes(78 & 62, see fig.3), and the fixture and the insulating sheet are connected to the first heat sink through a connecting bolt (42) passing through the through holes (see fig.1-4).
Per claim 5 Rodriguez et al. in view of Chen et al. and Wekell teaches the power element assembly structure according to claim 3, wherein two protecting portions (26, see fig.3) are respectively provided on both sides of the insulating sheet (see fig.1-4), both of the two protecting portions are connected to the insulating sheet (see fig.1-4), the two protecting portions and the insulating sheet are surrounded to form a protecting cavity, wherein the protecting cavity is provided on the power element (see fig.1-4).
Allowable Subject matter
2. Claim 7 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 7, includes allowable subject matter because of the power element assembly structure according to claim 6, wherein a first end of the insulating support column is connected to the main board, and a second end of the insulating support column is provided with a connecting protrusion; the first heat sink is provided with a third through hole, and the third through hole is sleeved on the connecting protrusion.
Email Communication
3. Applicant is encouraged to authorize the Examiner to communicate via email by filing form PTO/SB/439 either via USPS, Central Fax, or EFS-Web. See MPEP 502.01, 502, 502.05.
Conclusion
4. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kobayashi et al. US2020/0091033 discloses an electric device comprising: a substrate; an electronic component attached to the substrate; and a heat radiator including at least one first fin, and a second fin facing the first fin, thermally connected to the first fin, and provided at a position closer to an attachment surface to the substrate than any of the first fins.
Jung US119255007 discloses a heat dissipation assembly structure of power parts, comprising: a housing having an open upper portion and a support protrusion protruding from a part of the housing, a first inclined surface formed on an upper portion of the support protrusion; a power part of the power parts, the power part having one surface supported by an insulating sheet disposed on the support protrusion, the one surface of the power part being in contact with and obliquely supported by the insulating sheet disposed on the first inclined surface of the support protrusion.
Applicants are directed to consider additional pertinent prior are included on the Notice of References Cited (PTOL 892) attached herewith. The Examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record within the body of this action for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply. Applicant, in preparing the response, should consider fully the entire reference as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL A MATEY whose telephone number is (571)270-5648. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8-5 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JAYPRAKASH GANDHI can be reached at 5712723740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL A MATEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835