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 § 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) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2020/0196481 to Ehmke et al in view of WO 2019/225757 to Kubo further in view of US 2018/0093567 to Motomura et al (hereafter Moto).
As to claim 1, Ehmke discloses a vehicle display device (500, FIG. 5B) comprising: a housing; a liquid crystal display element (530) that is housed in the housing; a mirror (140, FIG. 1) that is housed in the housing, and reflects display light to a windshield of a vehicle (160), the display light being output from the liquid crystal display element; a heat conduction member (510) that is disposed to be in contact with a rear surface of the liquid crystal display element (530), the heat conduction member being transparent ([0077] “The cooling panel 510 can include transparent, thermally conductive materials”) and having a plate shape (510 is panel shaped, [0075] “cooling panel 510”); Ehmke fails to disclose a housing, the crystal display element and the mirror housed in the housing, wherein the housing includes a through-hole that the heat conduction member is insertable into, the heat conduction member pierces through the through-hole, and includes a protrusion that protrudes from the through-hole to an external space of the housing. Kubo teaches a housing (1), a display element (4) that is housed in the housing; a mirror (11) that is housed in the housing, wherein the housing includes a through-hole (Fig. 1, element 7 penetrates housing 1 through a through-hole) that a heat conduction member (5, 6, 7, 8) is insertable into, the heat conduction member piercing through the through-hole (via 7), and includes a protrusion (7, 8) that protrudes from the through-hole to an external space of the housing. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the filing to modify the heat conduction member of Ehmke to penetrate a display device housing as taught by Kubo in order to allow the heat convection parts of Ehmke (216, 240) to be cooled by an external environment. Ehmke in view of Kubo fails to disclose a heat radiation accelerating means, and the heat radiation accelerating means accelerates heat radiation of the protrusion. Moto teaches a heat radiation accelerating means (FIG. 4, 40c, 90) accelerating heat radiation of protrusion (34).
As to claim 2, modified Ehmke discloses the vehicle device according to claim 1. Ehmke fails to disclose wherein the heat radiation accelerating means includes a flow passage that is disposed outside the housing, and a fan that generates an air flow in the flow passage, and the protrusion protrudes to the flow passage. Moto teaches a heat radiation accelerating means (40c, 90) includes a flow passage (40c) that is disposed outside of housing (31) as well as a fan (AC UNIT 90 would necessarily contain a fan or blower) that generates an air flow in the flow passage, and a protrusion (34) protruding into the flow passage. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the filing to modify Ehmke in view of Kubo with the heat accelerating means of Moto in order to stimulate cool air flow over the heat convection portions of Ehmke.
As to claim 3, modified Ehmke further discloses the vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiation accelerating means includes a heat sink (240) that is disposed to be in contact with the protrusion.
Claim(s) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2020/0196481 to Ehmke et al in view of WO 2019/225757 to Kubo further in view of US 2018/0093567 to Motomura et al (hereafter Moto) further further in view of US 2015/0289357 to Wakana et al.
As to claims 4-6, Ehmke in view of Kubo and Moto teach the limitations of claims 1-3 as described above. Ehmke fails to disclose a packing that is disposed in the through-hole, and airtightly seals a gap between the heat conduction member and the housing. Kubo teaches an airtight sealed casing (¶13, “The light source 2 and the polarizing plate A are often housed in the sealed casing 1 due to demands for dustproofing and waterproofing,” dustproof and waterproof implying an airtight seal). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the filing to modify the heat conduction member of Ehmke to penetrate a display device housing as taught by Kubo in order to allow the heat convection parts of Ehmke (216, 240) to be cooled by an external environment. Kubo fails to disclose a packing that is disposed in the through-hole. Wakana teaches a packing (Fig. 2, 17) that is disposed in a through-hole (11c) as well as a heat conducting member (15). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the filing to modify the casing of Ehmke in view of Kubo with a packing as taught by Wakana in order to facilitate an airtight seal for a protruding heat conduction member.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2020/0004119 to Yamaya disclosing a protruding heat conduction member.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMIL ALEXANDER DECKER whose telephone number is (571)272-6578. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-5pm Mon-Fri.
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/JAMIL ALEXANDER DECKER/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/Jayprakash N Gandhi/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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