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 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) 1, 3-5 and 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin (US PGPub No. 2010/0282444) in view of Lai (US Patent No. 6,833,591).
Regarding claim 1, Lin discloses a cyclone heat-dissipation fin assembly (a fin assembly 1 in Fig. 5, “cyclone” is understood as an air flow generated by a fan 40), comprising:
a heat pipe (30);
a first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin group (a group of first heat heat-dissipating fin 10 the fins have protrusions 12’ which is an arc shape, see Fig. 4); and
a second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin group (a group of second heat heat-dissipating fin 20 have protrusions 22’ which is an arc shape, see Fig. 4);
wherein the first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin group and the second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin group are fixedly provided on the heat pipe (see Fig. 5);
the first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin group comprises at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin (the first heat heat-dissipating fin 10);
the second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin group comprises at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin (the second heat heat-dissipating fin 20);
the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is configured to open in a direction opposite to the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin (protrusions 12’ and protrusions 22’ have their concave side open in respectively upward direction and downward direction in Fig. 4).
Lin fails to explicitly disclose the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is in snap fit with the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin along a vertical direction.
Lai discloses the at least one first heat-dissipation fin is in snap fit with the at least one second heat-dissipation fin along a vertical direction (a fin 1 and an adjacent fin 1 are fastened by a bending plate 15 and a fastening plate snap fit into a fastening crevice 16, see Fig. 2).
Therefore, edges of the fins 10 and 20 may include the bending plate 15 and fastening plate snap fit into the fastening crevice 16 so that the assembly fins will not loose easily (col. 2, lines 57-65).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is in snap fit with the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin along a vertical direction in Lin as taught by Lai in order to fasten the fins tightly.
Regarding claim 3, Lin in claim 1 further discloses wherein the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is stackedly arranged (see Figs. 4 and 5), and is configured to open upward (upper side of the fin 10 is open upward in Fig. 4); and the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is stackedly arranged (see Figs. 4 and 5), and is configured to open downward (lower side of the fin 10 is open downward in Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 4, Lin in claim 3 further discloses wherein a maximum angle between a lower surface of each of the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin and a horizontal plane is greater than or equal to 21.5°; and a maximum angle between an upper surface of each of the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin and the horizontal plane is greater than or equal to 21.5° (both the protrusions in the fins 10 and 20 have a circular profile and have a maximum angle of 90 degrees between the edge of the protrusions and horizontal plane of the fin).
Regarding claim 5, Lin in claim 3 further discloses wherein the first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin group is located below the second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin group (a group of the fins 10 in a lower side of the fin assembly 1 is below a group of the fins 20 in an upper side of the fin assembly 1).
Regarding claim 8, Lin in claim 1 further discloses wherein a fan (40) is provided at a side of the first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin group and the second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin group (front side in Fig. 5), and has a plurality of rotating blades (the blades of the fan 40).
Regarding claim 9, Lin in claim 1 further discloses wherein an edge of each of the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin and the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is provided with a recess (recess between guide pieces 14 and 14a, in each fin 10 and 20).
Regarding claim 10, Lin in claim 1 further discloses wherein a bottom of the heat pipe is provided with a fixing base (a base below the fin assembly 1, Fig. 5); each of the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin and the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is provided with a fixing hole (100 and 200); and the heat pipe is insertedly provided in the fixing hole (see Fig. 5).
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin (US PGPub No. 2010/0282444) and Lai (US Patent No. 6,833,591) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Machiroutu (US PGPub No. 2007/027707).
Regarding claim 2, Lin fails to disclose wherein for each of the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin, a height difference between a central vertex and a side edge is greater than or equal to 5 mm; and for each of the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin, a height difference between a central vertex and a side edge is greater than or equal to 5 mm.
It is noted that Fig. 4 of Lin discloses a height difference between a central vertex (A) and a side edge of the protrusion 12’/22’ in each fin 10 and 20 together defines a fin space between each fin 10 and 20. Machiroutu Discloses that the spacing of the fins is determined by the desire to provide maximum airflow without excessive flow blockage (paragraph 0021), and a fin spacing is being optimized base on the pressure profile of the air flow (Fig. 6). Therefore, the height difference as claimed is a result-effective variable. One of ordinary skill in the art would perform routine optimization of the height difference of the first and second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin including the claimed range in order for proper heat exchange area and acceptable blockage of the airflow. Therefore, specifying the height difference in the claim is not novel.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided wherein for each of the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin, a height difference between a central vertex and a side edge is greater than or equal to 5 mm; and for each of the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin, a height difference between a central vertex and a side edge is greater than or equal to 5 mm in Lin as taught by Machiroutu through routine optimization of the height difference for optimum airflow.
Claim(s) 6 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin (US PGPub No. 2010/0282444) and Lai (US Patent No. 6,833,591) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lin ’784 (US PGPub No. 2022/0136784).
Regarding claim 6, Lin fails to disclose wherein each of the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is provided with a first heat-dissipation hole; a first flow guide assembly is provided at the first heat-dissipation hole; the first flow guide assembly comprises a first sheet, a second sheet and a third sheet; the first sheet and the second sheet are provided at two opposite ends of the first heat-dissipation hole, respectively; the first sheet and the second sheet are configured to extend out of a bottom surface of the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin; the third sheet is inclinedly connected between the first sheet and the second sheet; and a side of the third sheet abuts a side of the first heat-dissipation hole; and
each of the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is provided with a second heat-dissipation hole; a second flow guide assembly is provided at the second heat-dissipation hole; the second flow guide assembly comprises a fourth sheet, a fifth sheet and a sixth sheet; the fourth sheet and the fifth sheet are provided at two opposite ends of the second heat-dissipation hole, respectively; the fourth sheet and the fifth sheet are configured to extend out of a bottom surface of the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin; the sixth sheet is inclinedly connected between the fourth sheet and the fifth sheet; and a side of the sixth sheet abuts a side of the second heat-dissipation hole.
Lin ‘784 discloses wherein each of the at least one heat-dissipation fin (100) is provided with a first/second heat-dissipation hole (opening 122); a first/second flow guide assembly (120) is provided at the first/second heat-dissipation hole; the first/second flow guide assembly comprises a first/fourth sheet (inclined surface 128 on one side of the surface 126), a second/fifth sheet (inclined surface 128 on another side of the surface 126) and a third/sixth sheet (inclined surface 126); the first/fourth sheet and the second/fifth sheet are provided at two opposite ends of the first/second heat-dissipation hole (one side and another side of the surface 126, see Fig. 2), respectively; the first/fourth sheet and the second/fifth sheet (the two inclined surfaces 128) are configured to extend out of a bottom surface (112) of the at least one first/second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin (see Fig. 3); the third/sixth sheet is inclinedly connected between the first/fourth sheet and the second/fifth sheet (the surface 126 is inclined with respected to the horizontal surface 112); and a side of the third/sixth sheet abuts a side of the first/second heat-dissipation hole (a surface 126 borders or abuts a side of the hole 112).
Therefore, the flow guiding structure 120 of Lin ’784 having the limitations set forth in claim 6 may be provided in each of the fins 10 and 20 in Lin downstream the heat pipe 30. It is expected that the air flow may be guided and discharged in lateral direction to increase heat dissipation efficiency (paragraph 0016).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided a first flow guide assembly and a second flow guide assembly as set forth in claim 6 in Lin as taught by Lin ‘784 in order to increase heat dissipation efficiency by deflecting the airflow downstream from the heat pipe 30 laterally.
Regarding claim 7, Lin as modified in claim 6 further discloses an opening direction of the first flow guide assembly faces toward an outside of the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin (a downstream opening of the modified first guide assembly 120 in the first fins 10 faces toward outside of the first fins 10); and an opening direction of the second flow guide assembly faces toward an outside of the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin (a downstream opening of the modified second guide assembly 120 in the second fins 10 faces toward outside of the second fins 10).
Lin as modified fails to disclose wherein an angle between the third sheet and the bottom surface of the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is 20-30°; and an angle between the sixth sheet and the bottom surface of the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is 20-30°.
It is known in the teaching of Lin that the angled surfaces 128 and 126 deflects the airflow in a lateral direction compared to conventional fins without the angled surfaces. Therefore, a change in the angle of the inclined surfaces 128 and 126 inherently modifies the intensity or extent of the airflow deflection. Further, the angle between the third/sixth sheet and the bottom surface is a geometry parameter of the fin structure, and a change thereof would effectively increase or decrease the height of the third/sixth sheet from the bottom surface. Therefore, an angle between the third/sixth sheet and the bottom surface as claimed is result-effective. No specific range of the angle is disclosed, one of ordinary skill in the art would perform routine optimization of the angle including the claimed range of 20-30° for proper airflow and compatibility with the fin spacing. Therefore, specifying the height difference in the claim is not novel.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided an angle between the third sheet and the bottom surface of the at least one first arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is 20-30°; and an angle between the sixth sheet and the bottom surface of the at least one second arc-shaped heat-dissipation fin is 20-30° though routine experimentation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FOR K LING whose telephone number is (571)272-8752. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm.
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/JIANYING C ATKISSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/F.K.L/Examiner, Art Unit 3763