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.
Claim 20 is 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.
Claim 20 recites the limitation "the material" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Appropriate correction is requested.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 11-14, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cohen et al. (US 2016/0004284) [hereinafter Cohen].
Regarding claim 11, Cohen discloses a thermally conductive and vibration-isolating interface material, comprising multiple thermally conductive strips (thermal gap pads/strips 116; paragraph [0023]) in multiple groups (Figs. 1B-1C), wherein a thermally conductive strip of the multiple thermally conductive strips comprises an inner core (Fig. 4, foam 402; paragraph [0031]) on the inside, the outside of the inner core is covered with a back adhesive layer (Fig. 4, adhesive layer 406), the outside of the back adhesive layer is adhered with a heat transfer layer (Fig. 4, graphite layer 410; paragraph [0031]), and the outside of the heat transfer layer is covered with an insulating layer (Fig. 4, PET layer 408; paragraph [0031]); and a thermally conductive pad (Figs. 1B-1C, component 112) is provided on the outer side of the thermally conductive strip (116), with the area of the thermally conductive pad (112; paragraph [0027]) being greater than the surface area of the thermally conductive strip (116) of the multiple thermally conductive strips (Figs. 1B-1C).
Regarding claim 12, Cohen discloses the thermally conductive pad (112) covers one of or both of the upper and lower sides of the thermally conductive strip, and the outside of the thermally conductive pad is connected to the multiple groups of the thermally conductive strips simultaneously (Figs. 1B-1C; paragraph [0027]).
Regarding claim 13, Cohen discloses wherein a gap of a certain distance is provided between adjacent thermally conductive strips of the multiple thermally conductive strips (Figs. 1B-1C, strips 116).
Regarding claim 14, Cohen discloses wherein the heat transfer layer (410) is a graphite film or a graphene film (paragraph [0031]).
Regarding claim 19, Cohen discloses wherein the thermally conductive pad is self-adhesive (paragraph [0031]).
Regarding claim 20, Cohen discloses the material of the insulating layer (408) is polyethylene terephthalate (PET; paragraph [0031]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CATHERINE A SIMONE whose telephone number is (571)272-1501. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-4pm.
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CATHERINE A. SIMONE
Examiner
Art Unit 1781
/Catherine A. Simone/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781
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