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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 09/26/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argues that the Lee does not disclose “the first heat sink being inclined to the fan and extending to the side surface”. The Examiner respectfully disagrees.
In Lee, as shown below, the position of the dissipation component (111) is being inclined to the position of the fan (113).
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The claim does not require that the heat sink is inclined or rotated toward the fan. Furthermore, the claim does not specify what side surface the heat sink being extended to. It is clear from Lee’s Fig. 1 above, that the dissipation component (111) is extended to left side of the fan (113).
For at least the above reasons, the present claimed invention is not patentable over the cited reference(s).
No amendments were made to the claims.
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)(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.
Claims 1-5, 7-15 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee (US 2024/0036449).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses a projection device (projection device 200; see at least Fig. 7 and paragraphs 0023 and 0034), comprising:
a casing having a first side cover and a second side cover opposite each other, the first side cover having a first opening, and the second side cover having a second opening (housing with ventilation holes; see at least Fig. 7 and paragraphs 0034-0035);
a light source module configured in the casing to provide an illumination beam (light source module; see at least Fig. 7 and paragraphs 0034, and 0036);
a first heat sink thermally coupled to the light source module (heat dissipation components; see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041);
a second heat sink thermally coupled to the first heat sink, the second heat sink being closer to the first side cover than the light source module (heat dissipation components; see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 003/ and 0041); and
a fan having an air outlet surface and a side surface adjacent to each other, and the first heat
sink being inclined to the fan and extending to the side surface (fan; see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023, 0026, 0035 and 0041).
Regarding claim 2, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air outlet surface faces the second opening, and an ambient air outside the casing flows into the casing through the first opening; after the ambient air passes through the second heat sink and the first heat sink, the fan suctions the ambient air and blows the ambient air out of the casing through the second opening (see at least paragraphs 0012, 0023-0026, 0028 and 0031-0035).
Regarding claim 3, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a light valve module and a third heat sink, wherein the light valve module is configured in the casing, and the third heat sink is thermally coupled to the light valve module; the third heat sink is located between the light valve module and the second heat sink (light valve module and heat dissipation components; see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041).
Regarding claim 4, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a heat pipe connected between the first heat sink and the second heat sink (see at least paragraphs 0024 and 0026-0027).
Regarding claim 5, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fan has an air inlet surface, and an air suction space is located between the second heat sink and the air inlet surface (see at least paragraph 0035).
Regarding claim 7, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the casing further comprises a third side cover and a fourth side cover opposite each other; the light valve module is closer to the third side cover than the second heat sink; and the side surface corresponds to the third side cover (see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041).
Regarding claim 8, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing further comprises a third side cover and a fourth side cover opposite each other; an orthographic projection of the first heat sink to the fourth side cover overlaps an orthographic projection of the fan to the fourth side cover (see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041).
Regarding claim 9, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a light-emitting direction of the light source module is neither parallel nor perpendicular to an axial direction of the fan (see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041).
Regarding claim 10, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first heat sink has a first side edge and a second side edge opposite each other, and the first side edge is closer to the second heat sink than the second side edge (see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041).
Regarding claim 11, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 10, wherein a distance between the first side edge and the second side cover is greater than a distance between the second side edge and the second side cover (see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041).
Regarding claim 12, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the casing further comprises a third side cover and a fourth side cover opposite each other, and the second side edge is located within an orthographic projection range of the fan to the third side cover (see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041).
Regarding claim 13, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the casing further comprises a third side cover and a fourth side cover opposite each other, and the first side edge is located outside an orthographic projection range of the fan to the third side cover (see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041).
Regarding claim 14, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first heat sink is located between the second heat sink and the fan (heat dissipation components; see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 003/ and 0041).
Regarding claim 15, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the light valve module is located on a transmission path of the illumination beam to convert the illumination beam into an image beam, the projection device further comprises a projection lens, which is disposed inside the casing and located on a transmission path of the image beam, and configured to project the image beam out of the projection device (see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041).
Regarding claim 17, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second heat sink is a heat dissipation fin (heat dissipation components; see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 003/ and 0041).
Regarding claim 18, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fan is an axial flow type (see at least paragraph 0026).
Regarding claim 19, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source module comprises a laser light source (see at least paragraphs 0029 and 0036-0037).
Regarding claim 20, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the light valve module comprises a digital micromirror device (DMD) (see at least paragraph 0038).
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.
Claims 6 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Smith-Gillespie (US 2014/0036533).
Regarding claim 6, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the fan further has an axial direction; in the axial direction, a gap exists between one side of the second heat sink facing the fan and the air inlet surface; see at least Figs. 1 and 7 and paragraphs 0023-0026, 0028-0029, 0034 and 0041, but is not clear about a gap between 3 mm and 5 mm.
Smith-Gillespie discloses a gap with less than 5 mm; see at least paragraph 0053.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Lee by the teachings of Smith-Gillespie by having the above limitations as a design choice.
Regarding claim 16, Lee discloses the projection device as claimed in claim 1, but is not clear about wherein the first heat sink is a copper plate.
Smith-Gillespie discloses a gap with less than 5 mm; see at least paragraph 0036.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Lee by the teachings of Smith-Gillespie by having the above limitations for the purpose of thermal conductivity; see at least paragraph 0036.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/YASSIN ALATA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2426