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
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 24 July,2025, 4 September, 2025, 31 December, 2025, 5 March, 2026, and 30 April, 2026 are being considered by the examiner.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2,6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102 (a) (2) as being anticipated by WAKAOKA et al. (US-20200045847-A1-published 6 Februrary,2020).
As to claim 1, WAKAOKA discloses a thermal ground plane(1c) comprising:
a first casing (7) that is substantially planar;
a second casing (6), wherein the outer periphery of the first casing and the outer periphery of the second casing are bonded to each other to form a hermetic seal (Paragraph 4), wherein the second casing is deformed to create a vapor support structure that includes a plurality of deformed portions (9);
a working fluid disposed within the first casing and the second casing (Abstract);
a permeable wick (4) disposed on an inner surface of the first casing for liquid transport disposed between the first casing and the second casing (Paragraph 60, See Annotated Figure WAKAOKA).
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (vapor support structure )][AltContent: textbox (Plurality of deformed portions )][AltContent: textbox (First casing )][AltContent: textbox (Permeable wick disposed between inner surface of first casing and second casing )][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (First casing and second casing sealed )][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Second casing )][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
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Annotated Figure (WAKAOKA)
As to claim 2, WAKAOKA teaches the limitations of claim 1, WAKAOKA further teaches the thermal ground plane, wherein second casing comprises at least one of copper, aluminum, and stainless steel (Paragraph 56 mentions Cu, Ni, Al, Mg, Ti, Fe, or alloy members including above as principal components).
As to claim 6, WAKAOKA teaches the limitations of claim 1, WAKAOKA further teaches the thermal ground plane, further comprising a second wick disposed on an inner surface of the second casing. (Paragraph 16, See Annotated Figure WAKAOKA 2)
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (First wick disposed on an inner surface of the first casing )][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Second wick disposed on an inner surface of the second casing )]
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Annotated Figure (WAKAOKA 2)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable in view of WAKAOKA et al. (US-20200045847-A1-published 6 Februrary,2020), and HULSE et al. (US-10458716-B2-patented 29 October,20019).
As to claim 3, WAKAOKA teaches the limitations of claim 1, WAKAKOA, however does not teach the thermal ground plane, wherein second casing comprises a flexible laminate having a plurality of layers where at least one of the plurality of layers comprises polymer.
HULSE, however teaches that the thermal ground plane, wherein second casing comprises a flexible laminate having a plurality of layers where at least one of the plurality of layers comprises polymer (Paragraph 21). This allows the thermal ground planes to conform to the shape of another device, component, and/or form factor etc. to enable higher effective thermal conductivity (Paragraph 11).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified WAKAOKA with the teaching of HULSE by incorporating a flexible laminate having a plurality of layers where at least one of the plurality of layers comprises polymer to have flexibility conforming to different forms and shape that allows for effective thermal conductivity.
As to claim 4, WAKAOKA teaches the limitations of claim 1, WAKAOKA, however does not teach the thermal ground plane, wherein second casing has a thickness less than 0.036mm.
HULSE, however teaches the thermal ground plane, wherein second casing has a thickness less than 0.036mm (Paragraph 21). This thickness allows the thermal ground planes to be flexible and conform to the different shapes and increase the heat exchange capacity based on requirement (Paragraph 27).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified WAKAOKA with the teaching of HULSE by incorporating a second casing having thickness less than 0.036 mm for increasing the heat transfer efficiency through the use of flexible conforming layer.
Claim(s) 5,7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable in view of WAKAOKA et al. (US-20200045847-A1-published 6 Februrary,2020), and INAGAKI et al. (US-20190141855-A1-published 9 May, 2019).
As to claim 5, WAKAOKA teaches the limitations of claim 1, WAKAOKA, however does not teach the thermal ground plane, wherein the permeable wick is bonded with both the first casing and portions of the second casing.
INAGAKI, however teaches the thermal ground plane, wherein the permeable wick is bonded with both the first casing and portions of the second casing (See Annotated Figure INAGAKI). This configuration provides vapor chamber that prevents dry out and provide superior heat transport capability regardless of an installation orientation, and thus can be used in a variety of fields (Paragraph 64).
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Portions of second wick bonded with second casing)][AltContent: textbox (Permeable wick (1st and 2nd) bonded with first casing and portions of second casing)][AltContent: textbox (Second casing)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (First wick bonded with first casing)][AltContent: textbox (First casing)][AltContent: arrow]
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Annotated Figure (INAGAKI)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified WAKAOKA with the teaching of INAGAKI by incorporating a permeable wick that is bonded with both the first casing and portions of the second casing in order to provide superior heat transport capability with usage in a variety of fields.
As to claim 7, WAKAOKA teaches the limitations of claim 6, WAKAOK as modified by INAGAKI, INAGAKI further teaches the thermal ground plane, wherein portions of the second wick are bonded to the second casing and some portions of the second wick are bonded with the permeable wick and wherein the permeable wick is bonded to the first casing (See Annotated Figure INAGAKI).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable in view of WAKAOKA et al. (US-20200045847-A1-published 6 Februrary,2020), and HE et al. (US-20120048516-A1-published 1 March, 2012).
As to claim 8, WAKAOKA teaches the limitations of claim 1, WAKAOKA, however does not teach the thermal ground plane, wherein the permeable wick is flattened and deformed to form a plurality of deformations for liquid transport.
HE, however teaches the permeable wick is flattened and deformed to form a plurality of deformations for liquid transport. HE mentions depressed portion (31) formed at the local or central section of the long porous sintered structure (30, Paragraph 43: With the configuration of the depressed portion 31, the space of the vapor channel can be increased, and the long porous sintered structure can be locally released to meet the bending state of the long porous sintered structure when the flat heat pipe is bent).
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Plurality of Deformed permeable wick for liquid transport)][AltContent: arrow]
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Annotated Figure (HE)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified WAKAOKA with the teaching of HE by incorporating a deformed permeable wick to form a plurality of deformations for liquid transport so that space of the vapor channel can be increased to increase the heat exchange efficiency of the thermal ground plane.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable in view of WAKAOKA et al. (US-20200045847-A1-published 6 Februrary,2020), SCHWARTZ et al. (US-20130133863-A1-published 30 May,2013).
As to claim 9, WAKAOKA teaches the limitations of claim 1, WAKAOKA, however does not teach the thermal ground plane, wherein the thermal ground plane comprises a plurality of flexures that are configured to connect with a substrate and allow relative movement of portions of the thermal ground plane.
SCHWARTZ, however, teaches comprises a plurality of flexures (140-1,140-2) that are configured to connect with a substrate (101) and allow relative movement of portions of the heat pipe (110, Working fluid is considered part of the structure, relative motion of the portions under BRI meets the limitation). The flexures are configured to connect with a substrate and seal the structure that can withstand the temperatures to which the heat pipe will be exposed, and the pressure of the working fluid vapor during operation (Paragraph 41).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified WAKAOKA with the teaching of SCHWARTZ by incorporating a plurality of flexures that are configured to connect with a substrate and allow relative movement of portions of the thermal ground plane in order to secure the thermal ground plane that can withstand temperature and pressure differences.
Claim(s) 10-11,14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable in view of WAKAOKA et al. (US-20200045847-A1-published 6 Februrary,2020), LIU et al. (US-20190257590-A1-published 22 August,2019).
As to claim 10, WAKAOKA discloses a thermal ground plane (1c) comprising:
a first casing (7); a first wick (4) bonded with the first casing, the first wick for liquid transport associated with evaporation or boiling;
a second casing (6), wherein the outer periphery of the first casing and the outer periphery of the second casing are bonded to each other to form a hermetic seal (Paragraph 4); a second wick (4) bonded with the second casing (6), the second wick for liquid transport associated with condensation;
a working fluid disposed within the first casing and the second casing (Abstract);
WAKAOKA, however does not teach a liquid feed structure in contact with the first wick and the second wick for liquid transport, the liquid feed structure having a structure configured to allow vertical liquid transport between the first wick and the second wick and horizontal liquid transport along the liquid feed structure.
LIU, however teaches a liquid feed structure (6 comprising 17 and 18), the liquid feed structure having a structure configured to allow vertical liquid transport (17) and horizontal liquid transport (18) along the liquid feed structure (Paragraph 30).
[AltContent: textbox (Vapor support structure)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Liquid feed structure)]
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Annotated Figure (LIU)
These liquid feed structure provides grooves that connect with the pores of capillary channel which increases the heat exchange area, making the working fluid condensate rapidly on the inner wall of phase change channels and flow back rapidly in grooves, in the presence of both weight and capillary ability, which improves the heat radiation efficiency of the system (Paragraph 30).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified WAKAOKA with the teaching of LIU by incorporating a liquid feed structure in contact with the first wick and the second wick for liquid transport, which improves the heat radiation efficiency of the thermal ground plane.
As to claim 11, WAKAOKO as modified by LIU teaches the limitations of claim 10, LIU further teaches the thermal ground plane, wherein the liquid feed structure comprises a mesh selected from the group consisting of copper mesh, stainless steel mesh, and polymer mesh (Paragraph 34).
WAKAOKA as modified by LIU, however does not teach that the liquid feed structure comprises a mesh.
While, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU, as stated above, does not teach that the liquid feed structure comprises a mesh, in the light of the specification, as it recites “The plurality of liquid feed structures 820 may be a porous wick or a multilayer mesh which allows liquid from the condensation wick 810 to travel to the evaporation/boiling wick 805 in the area of the heater”, it would have been entirely obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have substituted the liquid feed structure of LIU, with a mesh, since choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success, is within the abilities of one having ordinary skill. See MPEP § 2143-(I) (E).
As to claim 14, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU teaches the limitations of claim 10, LIU further teaches the thermal ground plane, wherein the liquid feed structure (6) has a shape selected from the group consisting of a wavy shape, a triangular shape, a trapezoid shape, and an asymmetric wave shape (Paragraph 30).
As to claim 15, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU teaches the limitations of claim 10, WAKAOKA further teaches the thermal ground plane, further comprising a vapor support structure disposed between the first casing and the second casing (See Annotated Figure WAKAOKA).
As to claim 16, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU teaches the limitations of claim 15, LIU further teaches the thermal ground plane, wherein the vapor support structure and the liquid feed structure are disposed in the same space within the thermal ground plane (See Annotated Figure LIU).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable in view of WAKAOKA et al. (US-20200045847-A1-published 6 Februrary,2020), LIU et al. (US-20190257590-A1-published 22 August,2019), and TEGROTENHUIS et al. (US-20090321053-A1-published 31 December,2009).
As to claim 12, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU teaches the limitations of claim 10, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU, however does not teach the thermal ground plane, wherein the liquid feed structure comprises a plurality of mesh layers.
TEGROTENHUIS, however teaches the liquid feed structure (18) comprises a plurality of mesh layers (Paragraph 30). It has been found in certain embodiments that having a tighter structure with lower porosity and smaller openings near the walls due to layered mesh provides a better phase separation capability at those locations where these features and characteristics are needed (Paragraph 30).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified WAKAOKA as modified by LIU with the teaching of TEGROTENHUIS by incorporating a liquid feed structure comprising plurality of mesh layers in order to optimize phase separation capabilities, giving rise to extremely fast transport rates and improve the efficiency of the thermal ground plane.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable in view of WAKAOKA et al. (US-20200045847-A1-published 6 Februrary,2020), LIU et al. (US-20190257590-A1-published 22 August,2019), and CHEN et al. (CN-103940274-A-published 23 July, 2014).
As to claim 13, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU teaches the limitations of claim 12, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU, however does not teach the thermal ground plane, wherein at least one of the plurality of mesh layers comprises a mesh number of #300 or greater.
CHEN, however teaches at least one of the plurality of mesh layers comprises a mesh number of #300 or greater (Paragraph 30). The reason for a mesh number preferably between 250-500 is so as to obtain a good capillary structure (Paragraph 30, step 7).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified WAKAOKA as modified by LIU with the teaching of CHEN, to incorporate at least one of the plurality of mesh layers comprising mesh number #300 or greater to obtain a good capillary structure for the thermal ground plane.
Claim(s) 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable in view of WAKAOKA et al. (US-20200045847-A1-published 6 Februrary,2020), LIU et al. (US-20190257590-A1-published 22 August,2019), and INAGAKI et al. (US-20150013943-A1-published 15 January, 2015).
As to claim 17, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU teaches the limitations of claim 10, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU, however does not teach the thermal ground plane, wherein the second wick comprises a plurality of mesh layers.
INAGAKI, however teaches the second wick comprises a plurality of mesh layers (Paragraph 37). When meshes are overlapped with each other, the capillary pressure improves (Paragraph 37). The transmissivity of working liquid is high on the surface of a mesh member, while a capillary force is large inside the mesh member. Accordingly, the working liquid condensed in a heat releasing area can rapidly circulate toward a heat receiving area, wherefore the heat transport performance improves (Paragraph 18).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified WAKAOKA as modified by LIU with the teaching of INAGAKI by incorporating second wick comprises a plurality of mesh layers in order to optimize working fluid circulation capabilities and improve the efficiency of the thermal ground plane.
As to claim 18, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU and INAGAKI teaches the limitations of claim 17, INAGAKI further teaches the thermal ground plane, wherein the plurality of mesh layers comprises at least a first mesh layer and a second mesh layer, the first mesh layer has a pore size greater than the pore size of the second mesh layer (Paragraph 47), and the first mesh layer is disposed between the second casing and the second mesh layer (Abstract, Paragraph 18: According to the invention, the transmissivity of working liquid is high on the surface of a mesh member, while a capillary force is large inside the mesh member. Accordingly, the working liquid condensed in a heat releasing area can rapidly circulate toward a heat receiving area, wherefore the heat transport performance improves).
[AltContent: textbox (First casing )][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Second casing )][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (2nd mesh layer, disposed between first casing and 1st layer )][AltContent: textbox (1st mesh layer has greater pore size than 2nd layer, disposed between second casing and 2nd mesh layer)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
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Annotated Figure (INAGAKI 2)
As to claim 19, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU teaches the limitations of claim 10, INAGAKI further teaches the thermal ground plane, wherein the first wick comprises a plurality of mesh layers (Paragraph 30).
As to claim 20, WAKAOKA as modified by LIU and INAGAKI teaches the limitations of claim 19, INAGAKI further teaches the thermal ground plane, wherein the plurality of mesh layers comprises at least a first mesh layer and a second mesh layer, the first mesh layer has a pore size greater than the pore size of the second mesh layer, and the second mesh layer is disposed between the first casing and the first mesh layer (Abstract, Paragraph 47, See Annotated Figure INAGAKI 2).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BIGYAN BHATTACHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8767. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30 AM - 5 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Len Tran can be reached at (571) 272-1184. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BIGYAN BHATTACHAN/
Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/LEN TRAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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