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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 4, 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Applicant’s Admitted Prior Art (AAPA) in view of Jafari et al. (US 7,254,033 – hereinafter, “Jafari”).
With respect to claims 1, 7-8 AAPA teaches (In Fig 1 of the present drawings) a test apparatus (1) including electronic elements (14) on an electronic carrier board (13) of the test apparatus.
AAPA fails to specifically teach or suggest a heat dissipation structure, comprising: bonding portions disposed on the electronic elements; and a board body having a first side and a second side opposing the first side, wherein the board body is disposed on the bonding portions via the first side and formed with heat transfer members on the second side (Cl. 1), wherein each of the heat transfer members is a plurality of fins spaced apart from and parallel to each other (Cl. 7) and further comprising a blower member disposed above the second side of the board body and blowing air toward the heat transfer members (Cl. 8).
Jafari, however, teaches (In Fig 2) a heat dissipation structure, comprising: bonding portions (130) disposed on electronic elements (128); and a board body (Base of heat sink 132) having a first side (Adjacent 130) and a second side opposing the first side, wherein the board body is disposed on the bonding portions via the first side and formed with heat transfer members (Fins) on the second side (See Fig 2, see also, Col. 4, ll. 47-56), wherein each of the heat transfer members is a plurality of fins spaced apart from and parallel to each other (See Fig 2, see also Col. 4, ll. 47-56 , “finned heat sink”) and further comprising a blower member (134) disposed above the second side of the board body and blowing air toward the heat transfer members (See Fig 2, see also Col. 5, ll. 8-11).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Jafari with that of AAPA such that AAPA includes a heat dissipation structure, comprising: bonding portions disposed on the electronic elements; and a board body having a first side and a second side opposing the first side, wherein the board body is disposed on the bonding portions via the first side and formed with heat transfer members on the second side, wherein each of the heat transfer members is a plurality of fins spaced apart from and parallel to each other and further comprising a blower member disposed above the second side of the board body and blowing air toward the heat transfer members as taught by Jafari, since doing so would provide cooling to the electronic elements of AAPA.
With respect to claim 4, AAPA as modified by Jafari teaches the limitations of claim 1 as per above but fails to specifically teach or suggest wherein each of the bonding portions is a thermal pad.
The Examiner hereby takes Official Notice of the conventionality of a thermal interface material (bonding material) which is a thermal pad.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of the Examiner’s Official Notice with that of AAPA as modified by Jafari such that the bonding portions of Jafari are a thermal pad, since doing so would allow for the bonding portions of Jafari to provide some degree of shock absorption between the board body and the electronic elements to prevent damage to the electronic elements during movement of the apparatus.
Claims 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over AAPA in view of Jafari and further in view of Aizawa (US 2022/0334428 – hereinafter, “Aizawa”).
With respect to claims 2-3, AAPA as modified by Jafari teaches the limitations of claim 1 as per above but fails to specifically teach or suggest wherein a material of the board body is metal alloy (Cl. 2), wherein the metal alloy is aluminum alloy (Cl. 3).
Aizawa, however, teaches a heat sink which is made of an aluminum alloy (¶ 0020).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Aizawa with that of AAPA as modified by Jafari, such that the board body of modified AAPA is made of an aluminum alloy, as taught by Aizawa, since doing so would allow for the board body to be made of a light weight, thermally conductive, and relatively inexpensive material.
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over AAPA in view of Jafari and further in view of Li (US 2003/0227749).
With respect to claims 5-6, AAPA as modified by Jafari teaches the limitations of claim 1 as per above but fails to specifically teach or suggest a frame surrounding the board body (Cl. 5) wherein the frame has a mounting hole for installing thermocouple circuits (Cl. 6).
Li, however, teaches (In Figs 1 and 3) a frame (50) surrounding a board body (401, see Fig 3) wherein the frame has a mounting hole (504) for installing thermocouple circuits (The hole 504 allows for installation of thermocouple circuits).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Li with that of AAPA as modified by Jafari such that modified AAPA includes a frame surrounding the board body, wherein the frame has a mounting hole for installing thermocouple circuits, as taught by Li, since doing so would provide mechanical protection to the board body of Jafari.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZACHARY M PAPE whose telephone number is (571)272-2201. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9am - 6pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jayprakash N Gandhi can be reached at 571-272-3740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZACHARY PAPE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835
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