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, a first rotation 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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4-16, 18, and 20, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Regarding Claims 4 and 20; “fins that protrude downward from the base….the heat pipe extends inside each of the fins along a first rotation direction perpendicular to the first direction” is unclear; whereas the claim does not assert any particular feature is actually rotated and does otherwise assert if rotation is simply presented as a term to denote the heat pipe extends in a perpendicular direction relative to the direction by which the fins protrude or alternatively to denote a portion of the heat pipe extends in a perpendicular direction relative to another portion of the heat pipe. Further, it is unclear how fins are asserted as spaced in claim 1 and also be deemed as a spiral structure in claim 4; whereas a spiral structure constitutes at least portions overlapping planes of successive fins, and thus it appears the spaced fins shall be presented as atleast a portion of each of the fins are spaced. Regarding Claim 10; “wherein the heat pipe passes through only some of the fins” is unclear; whereas the base claim already asserts the heat pipe passes through the fins without asserting the heat pipe only passes through some of the fins, and thus it cannot be readily ascertained how the claim so intends to pass through the fins then selectively pass through only some of the fins since dependent claims must incorporate by reference all limitations of the independent claim. NOTE: the independent claim is already examined for the heat pipe passing through the fins, and constructively elected. Regarding Claim(s) 11-12; “on at least two layers” or “on three layers” is unclear; whereas the assertion does not assert or associate layers with any particular features or structures, and thus it cannot be readily ascertained if layers are intended to denote layers of the heats sink, layers of the fins etc. Regarding Claim 13; “the heat pipe includes: closed loops” is unclear; whereas only one heat pipe is asserted and thus it cannot be readily ascertained how one heat pipe comprises a plurality of closed loops without comprising more than one heat pipe. NOTE: the independent claim is already examined for the heat, and constructively elected. Regarding Claim 18; “wherein a filling rate of a working fluid in the heat pipe is in a range of 40 % to 70 %” is unclear; whereas it cannot be readily ascertained if a filling rate is deemed to denote an actual rate at which the working fluid flows into the heat pipe from a source external thereto since a rate is not characterized by 40% to 70% alone without an associated i.e. speed etc. OR if the asserted filling rate is otherwise intended to denote a working fluid fill volume of 40% to 70% of the heat pipe.
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) 1, and 19, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by (Hongo 2009/0195988).
Regarding Claim(s) 1 and 19; Hongo discloses a display device (as constituted by a portable computer-1—as set forth by para. 0034) comprising: a display panel (whereas 3 constitutes a display panel-3—as set forth by para. 0034); and a heat sink (as constituted by 24-Fig. 21) under the display panel (as depicted by Fig.’s 1 and 21--whereas 24 is atleast in-part disposed under the display panel when 3 is in a closed position relative to 4), wherein the heat sink includes: a main body including a base and fins that protrude downward from the base and are spaced apart from each other; and a heat pipe formed inside the main body and having a path passing through the base and the fins (as depicted by Fig. 21— whereas spaced fins-51 extending from 91 and a heat pipe-22 formed atleast in-part between 91 and 92 forming a path therethrough and further extending through the fins-51).
Claim 1, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by (Lin 2008/0043439).
Regarding Claim 1; Lin discloses a display device (as constituted by a projection apparatus—as set forth by para. 0027) comprising: a display panel (whereas 23 and 25 constitutes a display panel—as depicted by Fig. 10); and a heat sink (as constituted by a heat sink-30-Fig. 10) under the display panel (as depicted by Fig.’s 4C, and 9-10—whereas atleast 31 is disposed under the display panel), wherein the heat sink includes: a main body including a base and fins that protrude downward from the base and are spaced apart from each other (as depicted by Fig. 4C—whereas 313 defines a main body having spaced fins extending downward therefrom); and a heat pipe formed inside the main body and having a path passing through the base and the fins (as depicted by Fig. 4C— whereas a heat pipe-331 is formed atleast in-part through the base 313 and the fins).
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) 2-3, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (Hongo 2009/0195988).
Regarding Claim 2; Hongo discloses the display device of claim 1, except, explicitly disclosing wherein the heat pipe is a pulsating heat pipe and claim 3--wherein the heat pipe is not connected to an external device or a power source. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to since it was known in the art that a pulsating heat pipe does not require an external driving force and will not be subject to i.e. wick related capillary failure or gravity related operational inefficiency; and may otherwise employ a thin profile for high heat transport within small footprints.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (Lin 2008/0043439).
Regarding Claim 17; Lin discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein the heat sink is coupled to a lower surface of the display panel (as depicted by Fig.’s 4C and 10—whereas 311 atleast indirectly couples to a lower surface of DMD module-25—as set forth by para.’s 0028 and 0030), except explicitly disclosing the heat sink is coupled by a heat dissipation adhesive. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the heat conduction pad as a silicone pad since it was known in the art that will enhance uniform heat conduction between a DMD chip-251 of DMD module and the heat sink.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-9, and 20, are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding Claim 4; the display device of claim 1, wherein the fins are arranged along a first direction, and wherein the heat pipe extends inside each of the fins along a first rotation direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the heat pipe has a spiral structure extending along the first direction.
Regarding Claim 20; the heat sink of claim 19, wherein the fins are sequentially arranged along a first direction; wherein the heat pipe extends inside each of the fins along a first rotation direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the heat pipe has a spiral structure extending along the first direction; and wherein the heat pipe has an open loop structure.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20170277027 A1
FUKUDA; Mitsuharu
Fig. 3
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/COURTNEY L SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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