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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Paragraph 0030: “The evaporation end wall 112 is the closed end of the evaporation portion 110, the condensation end wall 122 is the closed end of the evaporation portion 110” should read --The evaporation end wall 112 is the closed end of the evaporation portion 110, the condensation end wall 122 is the closed end of the condensation portion 120--.
Appropriate correction is required.
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 3 recites “the evaporation portion comprises an evaporation sidewall, an evaporation end wall, and a second transition portion, the evaporation sidewall is connected to the condensation sidewall of the condensation portion via the second transition portion”.
According to Fig. 1, the evaporation sidewall is 111, the evaporation end wall is 112, the condensation sidewall is 121, and the second transition portion may be the tilted wall between the evaporation sidewall 111 and the evaporation end wall 112. The claim limitation fails to comply with the written description requirement because the evaporation sidewall 111 does not connect to the condensation sidewall 121 of the condensation portion 120 via the second transition portion (the tilted wall between 111 and 112).
For examination purposes, the limitation is construed as --the evaporation portion comprises an evaporation sidewall, an evaporation end wall, and a second transition portion, the evaporation sidewall is connected to the evaporation end wall via the second transition portion”.
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.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ogushi (JP 2005-114179 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Ogushi discloses a heat pipe, comprising:
a pipe body (Fig. 1, cylindrical container) having an evaporation portion (Fig. 1, evaporation unit 103) and a condensation portion (Fig. 1, condensation unit 105) that are arranged along an axial direction of the pipe body so that the evaporation portion is connected to the condensation portion (Fig. 1, evaporation unit 103 is connected to condensation unit 105 axially through intermediate section of heat insulating part 104), the pipe body having a sidewall (cylindrical wall of the cylindrical container), a first end wall located in the evaporation portion (vertical end wall at the side of the evaporation unit 103) and a second end wall located in the condensation portion (vertical end wall at the side of the condensation unit 105), the first end wall and the second end wall connect to respective ends of the sidewall (the vertical end walls connect to opposite ends of the cylindrical wall);
a first wick (Fig. 1, first capillary body 102) disposed on the sidewall of pipe body within the evaporation portion (Fig. 1, first capillary body 102 is disposed in an inner surface of the cylindrical wall within the evaporation unit 103);
a second wick (Fig. 1, second capillary body 1) disposed on the second end wall (Fig. 1, second capillary body 1 is disposed on the vertical end wall of the condensation unit 105) extending along the axial direction of the pipe body from the condensation end wall towards the evaporation portion without contacting with the first wick (the second capillary body 1 extends from the vertical end wall of the condensation portion 105, and extend towards the evaporation unit 103 without contacting with the first capillary body 102); and
a working fluid (working fluid in the heat pipe 100, paragraph 0008 of the translation), wherein a gap between the second wick and the sidewall (a gap between the second capillary body 1 and the cylindrical wall) allows the working fluid flow back to the evaporation portion (the working fluid condenses onto the first capillary body 102 within the gap in the condensation unit 105. The condensed working fluid flows back to the evaporation unit 103 due to the capillary effect).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 2 and 4-8 are allowed.
Claim 3 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 1st paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Ogushi (JP 2005-114179) in view of North (WO 2020/018484) and Hamakawa (US 2016/0014931) is the best prior or record. Ogushi alone only discloses a first wick 102 that extends an entire length of the heat pipe. Ogushi can also be modified to provide the teaching of a reduced diameter end (transition portion as claimed) that spaces apart from the heat pipe end (Fig. 5 of North) and a third wick 52 that covers the first wick in the evaporation portion 21 and intermediate portion 23 (Fig. 4A of Hamakawa). However, the combination discloses a first wick ends at the transition portion, and fails to disclose the limitation of “the first wick being … partially disposed on in the transition portion” as claimed.
Other pertinent prior arts including Hashimoto (US 7,258,160), Wang (US 2007/0240859), Huang (US 2012/0227934) either disclose a wick that entirely extends or is not extending along the transition portion, without a direct teaching that the wick extending or being disposed partially along the transition portion.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FOR K LING whose telephone number is (571)272-8752. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jianying Atkisson can be reached at 571-270-7740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JIANYING C ATKISSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/F.K.L/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
Prosecution Insights