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 .
Tittle
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The tittle does not contain “a method” as claimed in the claims of invention. Please, revise.
The following title is suggested: SPACE-SAVING BACKPLATE ASSEMBLY FOR A COMPRESSION ATTACHED MEMORY MODULE AND METHOD THE SAME.
Abstract
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because:
The abstract does not contain “a method” as claimed in the claims of invention. Please, revise.
A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Objections
Claims 17, 19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 17, line 1, please, change “3. A backplate assembly” to - - 17. A backplate assembly - - for correcting the typo error.
Regarding claim 19, line 1, the phrase of “A method” is unclear because examiner does not know what type of the method applied in the invention.
Examiner suggests to change to - - A method for making a backplate assembly - - for proper reading.
Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-4, 6-9, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (U.S. 2004/0066627) in view of Ma et al. (U.S. Patent 10,959,319).
As to claim 1, Liu discloses a device (heat sink assembly, para-0013) as shown in figures 1-3 comprising:
a backplate (10, para-0013) mounted on a first face of a printed circuit board (60), the backplate (10) comprising:
a cutout (12) to receive an additional component (70); and
a perimeter portion comprising a flange (82, para-0015) extending away from the backplate (10) and the printed circuit board (60); and
a plate cap (30, 50) configured to engage with the flange (82) to attach the plate cap to the backplate and to at least partially cover the additional component (70).
Liu does not specifically disclose the backplate attached to a first component disposed on a second face of the printed circuit board opposite to the first face.
Ma teaches cooling package and power module as shown in figure 5 comprising the backplate (407) attached to a first component (408) disposed on a second face (bottom surface) of the printed circuit board (401) opposite to the first face (top surface).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date to have a teaching of Ma employed in the device of Liu in order to provide excellent mechanical or physical connection structure for the components mounted on the circuit board.
Regarding claim 2, Liu as modified by Ma discloses a portion of the flange (82) extends away from the first face of the backplate (10) at an angle relative to a surface normal of the first face.
Regarding claim 3, Liu as modified by Ma discloses a portion of the flange (82) curves inwardly towards the cutout (12) of the plate cap along the angle.
Regarding claim 4, Liu as modified by Ma discloses the flange (82) comprises a curved wall configured to retain the plate cap (50) by an engagement at the curved wall as between the flange (82) and the plate cap (50).
Regarding claim 6, Liu as modified by Ma discloses the backplate (10) is fixedly attached to the first component (408 of Ma) via a mounting screw (not label, para-0015+) that extends through the printed circuit board (60).
Regarding claim 7, Liu as modified by Ma discloses the plate cap (30, 50) is resiliently deformable between a compressed state and an uncompressed state (by the resilient post 55), wherein when engaged with the flange, the plate cap is in the compressed state.
Regarding claim 8, Liu as modified by Ma discloses in the compressed state, the plate cap (10 or 30 includes the planal surface 32 of the element 30) has a generally planar profile, where in in the uncompressed state, the plate cap (the cap 50 having resilient post) is bent away from the generally planar profile.
Regarding claim 9, Liu as modified by Ma discloses the plate cap (30, 50) is thermally conductive and has a raised profile (53) over the additional component (70), wherein the raised profile (53) thermally contacts the additional component.
Regarding claim 11, Liu as modified by Ma discloses the plate cap comprises fins (34, para-0014), looping or corrugation.
Claim(s) 12-13, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu in view of Ma as applied to claims above, and further in view of Ikeda (U.S. Patent 7,755,895).
Regarding claim 12, Liu as modified by Ma discloses all of the limitations of claimed invention except for the plate cap is formed from a continuous sheet of
material and comprises contiguous open loops along at least a portion of the plate cap,
wherein adjacent ones of the open loops open towards opposite faces of the plate cap.
Ikeda teaches an electronic component package as shown in figures 2-5 comprising the plate cap (2) is formed from a continuous sheet of material and comprises contiguous open loops (V-shaped) along at least a portion of the plate cap, wherein adjacent ones of the open loops open towards opposite faces of the plate cap.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date to have a teaching of Ikeda employed in the device of Liu and Ma in order to provide excellent resilient or deformation of the compression structure.
Regarding claim 13, Liu as modified by Ma and Ikeda teaches in figure 2B or figure 3 that one or more of the open loops are generally U-shaped, V-shaped, or C-shaped.
Regarding claim 16, Liu as modified by Ma and Ikeda teaches the open loops (V-shaped) are arranged along a dimension to form a looped profile along a generally planar extent of the plate cap (2), wherein the open loops extend transverse to the looped profile, see figures 2A-2B.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu in view of Ma as applied to claims above, and further in view of Chiappa et al. (U.S. 2023/0012759).
Regarding claim 5, Liu as modified by Ma discloses all of the limitations of claimed invention except for the device comprises a compression attached memory module (CAMM) and wherein the additional component comprises a solid-state drive (SSD).
Chiappa teaches a toolless compression attached memory module (200) as shown in figures 3-5, and 15 comprising the device comprises a compression attached memory module (CAMM-202) and wherein the additional component comprises a solid-state drive (SSD-619, para-0048+).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date to have a teaching of Chiappa employed in the device of Liu and Ma in order to provide a thinner, faster, and more capacity-dense memory solution and high-speed storage device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10, and 14-15 are 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.
Claims 17-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Neither the references cited nor the cited references teach, suggest, or in combination of a backplate assembly and its method having a plate mounted to a second face of the printed circuit board that is opposite to the first face, wherein the plate is attached to the compression attached memory module (CAMM) through the printed circuit board, the plate comprising: a cutout to receive a co-located solid state drive (SSD); and a perimeter portion comprising a flange extending away from the plate and the printed circuit board; and a spring spreader configured to engage with the flange to retain the spring spreader onto the plate and to at least partially cover the co-located SSD (claims 17 and 19).
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claims 17 and 19 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) of Claim of Objections, set forth in this Office action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUAN T DINH whose telephone number is (571)272-1929. The examiner can normally be reached MON-FRI: 8AM-4:30PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Timothy Dole can be reached at 571-272-2229. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/TUAN T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2848
Prosecution Insights