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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “lateral sizes of the fins gradually decrease” in claim 7, and “electronic elements” in claim 16 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
(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, 3-5, 8-9 and 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim KR20060087888A (translation attached).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a shield (100, Fig 2) applied to an electronic assembly (as depicted Figs 1, 2), wherein the electronic assembly comprises a base plate (210, Fig 2) and a chip (220, Fig 2) located on the base plate (Fig 2), the shield is of a plate shape (as depicted Figs 1, 2), and the shield comprises: a first cover cap (110, Fig 2) configured to surround the chip for electromagnetic shielding (Figs 1, 2; Background info); and a second cover cap (120, Fig 2), wherein peripheral sidewalls of the second cover cap (sidewalls of 120, Fig 2) are connected to the first cover cap (via portion 170, Fig 2), and the second cover cap protrudes from a surface of the first cover cap (120 protrudes downward from 110, Fig 2), such that the second cover cap is closer to the chip than the first cover cap in a normal direction of the base plate (see Fig 2), and the second cover cap absorbs heat of the chip (see third para. of Background info – 120 is considered shielding plate that absorbs heat coming off chip 220, Fig 2).
Regarding claim 3, Kim discloses the shield according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the first cover cap facing away from the chip is an undulating surface (undulating due to fin portions relative to flat portions, Fig 2).
Regarding claim 4, Kim discloses the shield according to claim 1, wherein a surface (middle part of 120, Fig 2) of the second cover cap facing away from the chip (top part of 120 face away from chip, Fig 2) has a plurality of spaced fins (middle part of 120 indirectly has fins 111 disposed thereon, Fig 2).
Regarding claim 5, Kim discloses the shield according to claim 4, wherein ends of the fins protrude from the surface of the first cover cap (see Fig 2).
Regarding claim 8, Kim discloses the shield according to claim 1, wherein the first cover cap is a flat plate (as depicted Fig 2), and distances from all portions of a bottom of the first cover cap to a bottom of the second cover cap are the same (as depicted Fig 2).
Regarding claim 9, Kim discloses the shield according to claim 1, wherein the second cover cap is square, rectangular or circular, and the first cover cap is located on a sidewall of a top of the second cover cap (as depicted in Fig 2).
Regarding claim 11, Kim discloses an electronic assembly (100, Fig 2), comprising: a base plate (210, Fig 2); a chip (220, Fig 2) located on the base plate (Fig 2); and the shield according to claim 1 located above the chip (Fig 2), wherein the first cover cap surrounds the chip (110, Fig 2), the second cover cap is located directly above the chip (120 and/or including 130, Fig 2), and the second cover cap is closer to the chip than the first cover cap in a normal direction of the base plate (see Fig 2).
Regarding claim 12, Kim discloses the electronic assembly according to claim 11, wherein a projection of the second cover cap on the base plate overlays a projection of the chip on the base plate (120 projects downward to 210 for 110, Fig 2).
Regarding claim 13, Kim discloses the electronic assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a grounding structure located around the shield (180, Fig 2), wherein one end of the grounding structure is connected to a periphery of the shield (Fig 2), and the other end of the grounding structure is connected to the base plate (Fig 2).
Regarding claim 14, Kim discloses the electronic assembly according to claim 11, further comprising: a fixing member (170, Fig 2) penetrating an edge of the shield to fixedly connect the shield to the base plate (as depicted Fig 2).
Regarding claim 15, Kim discloses the electronic assembly according to claim 11, wherein the second cover cap makes contact with a top of the chip (via portion 130, Fig 2).
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) 2, 6-7, 10 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim KR20060087888A (translation attached).
Regarding claim 2, Kim discloses the shield according to claim 1, wherein a distance from a surface of the first cover cap close to the chip to a surface of the second cover cap close to the chip (Fig 2).
Kim discloses the claimed invention except that the distance/closeness of the cover caps is 0.8 mm-2 mm.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the closeness/distance of the cover caps to 0.8mm -2mm, as claimed in order to accommodate a desired circuit layout/morphology within certain dimensions, thereby improving spacing accessibility, and, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art.
Regarding claim 6, Kim discloses the shield according to claim 4, wherein a space between adjacent fins.
Kim discloses the claimed invention except that the space between fins is 3 mm-6 mm.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the space between adjacent fins to 3 mm-6 mm, as claimed in order to accommodate a desired circuit layout/morphology within certain dimensions, thereby optimizing spacing accessibility, and, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art.
Regarding claim 7, Kim discloses the shield according to claim 4, wherein with a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the fins as a lateral direction (as depicted in Figs 1, 2), except that the lateral sizes of the fins gradually decrease in a direction away from the second cover cap.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the fins of Kim to include lateral sizes that gradually decrease in a direction away from the second cover cap, in order to a desired circuit response to heat dissipation, thereby optimizing and improving cooling efficiency, and, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 10, Kim discloses the shield according to claim 1, wherein a chip is provided on the base plate (Figs1, 2); and a second cover caps of the shield is provided (Figs 1, 2).
Kim discloses the claimed invention except for expressly teaching more than one (plural) chip and second cover cap.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include more than one chip and second cover cap in order to increase capacity, and, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art.
Regarding claim 16, Kim discloses the electronic assembly according to claim 11, further comprising: electronic elements (180, Fig 2) located on the base plate (Fig 2) and arranged on a side of the chip in a spaced manner (Fig 2), wherein the first cover cap cover caps the electronic elements (Fig 2); except for expressly teaching that the first cover cap makes contact with tops of the electronic elements.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the position of electronic elements 180 to the exterior sides of 150 so that it may contact the first cover cap 110 with its top, instead of 120, in order to relinquish usable space directly beside the chip that may accommodate different component(s), thereby optimizing the dimensions of the shielding device and improving space saving capacity, and, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: see PTO 892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RASHEN E MORRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-8852. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani Hayman can be reached at 571-270-5528. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RASHEN E MORRISON/ Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/ANTHONY M HAUGHTON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841