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 § 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.
Claims 4, 11 and 19 are 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
It is confusing and unclear the meaning of “回”-word. The examiner inspected the specification but no definition has been given.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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, 8, 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhai et al. (CN109065504).
Re claim 1, Zhai et al. (Figs. 1-3 & [0002], [0029-0035]) disclose a chip; a heat-dissipating metal sheet (metal shielding layer); a thermal conductive layer (thermal interface) located between the chip and the heat-dissipating metal sheet, wherein a thermal conductive material included in the thermal conductive layer is a phase change material or a thermal conductive paste (phase change material, thermal conductive gel, thermally conductive silicon e grease, silicone pad, thermally conductive mud).
Re claim 8, Zhai et al. disclose a printed circuit board (PCB) ([0018]); a plurality of chip modules, wherein each of the chip modules comprises a chip; a heat-dissipating metal sheet (shielding layer); and a thermal conductive layer (thermal interface) located between the chip and the heat-dissipating metal sheet, wherein a thermal conductive material included in the thermal conductive layer is a phase change material or a thermal conductive paste (phase change material, thermal conductive gel, thermally conductive silicon e grease, silicone pad, thermally conductive mud); wherein, one side of each of the chip modules away from the heat-dissipating metal sheet is fixed on the PCB (Fig. 2).
Re claim 15, Zhai et al. disclose wherein the circuit board further comprises: a heat sink connected with the heat-dissipating metal sheet ([0034]).
Re claim 16, Zhai et al. disclose a circuit board comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) ([0018]); a plurality of chip modules, wherein each of the chip modules comprises a chip; a heat-dissipating metal sheet (shielding layer); and a thermal conductive layer (thermal interface) located between the chip and the heat-dissipating metal sheet, wherein a thermal conductive material included in the thermal conductive layer is a phase change material or a thermal conductive paste (phase change material, thermal conductive gel, thermally conductive silicon e grease, silicone pad, thermally conductive mud); wherein, one side of each of the chip modules away from the heat-dissipating metal sheet is fixed on the PCB (Fig. 2).
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) 2-6, 9-13, 15 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhai et al. as applied to claims 1, 8, 15 and 16 above, and further in view of Chen (TWM615231 U).
Re claim 2, 9 and 17, Zhai et al. does not clearly disclose wherein the chip module further comprises: a connection layer located in an edge area of the chip, which fixes the heat-dissipating metal sheet and the chip; the thermal conductive layer is at least located in a middle area of the chip; and wherein the edge area is located outside the middle area.
Chen discloses wherein the chip module further comprises: a connection layer (19) located in an edge area of the chip (22~ electronic component), which fixes the heat-dissipating metal sheet (122) and the chip (22); the thermal conductive layer (11) is at least located in a middle area of the chip (22); and wherein the edge area is located outside the middle area (Figs. 3 & 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine Zhai et al. and Chen to include a connection layer (19) located in an edge area of the chip in Zhai et al. as taught by Chen to secure the heat dissipating metal sheet and the chip.
Re claims 3, 10 and 18, Chen discloses the connection layer (19) is: an adhesive layer including a glue (colloid containing adhesive layer), wherein the adhesive layer (122) adheres the heat-dissipating metal sheet and the chip.
Re claims 4, 11 and 19, Chen discloses wherein the connection layer is in the form of a back layer (Fig. 6).
Re claims 5, 12 and 20, Chen discloses wherein the glue (19) is an elastic glue (is a high temperature resistant foam belonging to the elastic colloid of the present invention).
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been led to the recited thickness through routine experimentation to achieve a desired adhesive strength.
In addition, the selection of thickness, it's obvious because it is a matter of determining optimum process conditions by routine experimentation with a limited number of species of result effective variables. These claims are prima facie obvious without showing that the claimed ranges achieve unexpected results relative to the prior art range. In re Woodruff, 16 USPQ2d 1935, 1937 (Fed. Cir. 1990). See also In re Huang, 40 USPQ2d 1685, 1688 (Fed. Cir. 1996)(claimed ranges or a result effective variable, which do not overlap the prior art ranges, are unpatentable unless they produce a new and unexpected result which is different in kind and not merely in degree from the results of the prior art). See also In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA) (discovery of optimum value of result effective variable in known process is ordinarily within skill or art) and In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (CCPA 1995) (selection of optimum ranges within prior art general conditions is obvious).
Note that the specification contains no disclosure of either the critical nature of the claimed thickness or any unexpected results arising therefrom. Where patentability is said to be based upon particular chosen thickness or upon another variable recited in a claim, the Applicant must show that the chosen thickness is critical. In re Woodruf, 919 F.2d 1575, 1578, 16 USPQ2d 1934, 1936 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
Re claims 6 and 13, Chen discloses wherein the connection layer (19) is the adhesive layer including the glue (it’s a high temperature resistant foam~ adhesive comprising colloids) ([0018]), and the chip is a bare chip (obvious depending on practical needs for the resultant structure).
Re claims 7 and 14, 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).
Citation of Pertinent Prior Art
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US 2021/0029855 A1 disclose a similar configuration for a chip module including a heat dissipating metal sheet.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHELLE MANDALA whose telephone number is (571)272-1858. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00-5:00 PM.
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/MICHELLE MANDALA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893 August 31, 2026
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