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 Objections
Claims 2 and 8-9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 2: the Office asks that claim 2 be amended to clarify the relationship between the “plurality of closed loops” recited in claim 2 and the “at least one closed loop” recited in claim 1. As currently presented, the relationship between the “at least one closed loop” of claim 1 and the “plurality of closed loops” of claim 2 is not clear (i.e., are the plurality of closed loops provided in addition to the at least one closed loop or is the claim attempting to claim that the at least one closed loop comprises a plurality of closed loops?). Based on Applicant’s disclosure, it appears as though Applicant is attempting to claim, “wherein the at least one closed loop comprises a plurality of closed loops”. For the purposes of examination, claim 2 was interpreted as, “wherein the at least one closed loop comprises a plurality of closed loops”.
Claim 8 Ln.2: the clause “on the surface” should be amended to recite “on a surface” for antecedent reasons (i.e., none of claims 1, 5, and 8 provide the antecedent basis for the limitation).
See next page→
Claim 9 Ln.2: the clause “on at least a portion of the surface of” should be amended to recite “on at least a portion of a surface of” for antecedent reasons (i.e., this is the first instance in which the surface of the first liquid region is introduced).
The Office notes that the above objections are a non-exhaustive list and thus requests Applicant’s cooperation with reviewing the claims and correcting ALL remaining informalities present in the claims but not made of record above. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 1, 3-4, 10-13, 15, and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (US 20160037681).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses (Figs.2-3 and 6-8):
An electronic device (10) comprising: a frame structure (200); and a housing (101-103) configured to accommodate (See Figs.2-3) the frame structure (200), wherein the frame structure (200) comprises a plate (230) comprising: a plurality of first channels (See Figures Below) recessed in a surface (Fig.3: upper surface of 230) of the plate (230) in a thickness direction (See Figures Below) of the plate (230) and arranged in a first direction (See Figures Below), the plurality of first channels being configured to guide a flow (See Fig.8) of a working fluid (210); and a plurality of second channels (See Figures Below) recessed in the surface (Fig.3: upper surface of 230) of the plate (230) in the thickness direction (See Figures Below) of the plate (230) and arranged in a second direction (See Figures Below), the plurality of second channels being configured to guide the flow (See Fig.8) of the working fluid (210), wherein the plurality of first channels are connected (See Figs.6 and 8) to the plurality of second channels to form at least one closed loop (See Abstract and [0121]) within the plate (230), and wherein the plurality of first channels comprises: a first liquid region (See Figures Below, Fig.8, and [0118]: the portions of the Plurality of First Channels in A) configured to guide the working fluid (210) in a liquid phase (211) (Fig.8 and [0118]: A is the “evaporator section” in which the 210 will be in the liquid phase to be heated to phase change t“ gas stage); and a first gas region (See Figures Below, Fig.8, and [0118]: the portions of the Plurality of First Channels in C) configured to guide the working fluid (210) in a gas phase (212) (Fig.8 and [0118]: 210 is mostly in the gas phase in the condenser area C to be condensed back to liquid).
See next page→
PNG
media_image1.png
949
892
media_image1.png
Greyscale
See next page→
PNG
media_image2.png
873
854
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 18, Lee discloses (Figs.2-3 and 6-8):
An electronic device (100) comprising: a display screen (151); and a frame structure (200) stacked with the display screen (151) in a thickness direction (See Figures of Claim 1) of the electronic device (100) (Figs.2-3 and Figures of Claim 1: 151 and 200 are stacked with each other along a thickness direction of 100), the frame structure (200) comprising a plate (230) comprising: a plurality of first channels (See Figures of Claim 1) recessed in a surface (Fig.3: upper surface of 230) of the plate (230) in the thickness direction (See Figures of Claim 1 and Fig.3) of the electronic device (100) and arranged in a first direction (See Figures of claim 1) of the plate (230), the plurality of first channels being configured to guide a flow (See Fig.8) of a working fluid (210), the plurality of first channels comprising: a first liquid region (See Figures of Claim 1, Fig.8, and [0118]: the portions of the Plurality of First Channels in A) configured to guide the working fluid (210) in a liquid phase (211) (Fig.8 and [0118]: A is the "evaporator section" in which the 210 will be in the liquid phase to be heated to phase change to gas stage); and a first gas region (See Figures of Claim 1, Fig.8, and [0118]: the portions of the Plurality of First Channels in C) configured to guide the working fluid (210) in a gas phase (212) (Fig.8 and [0118]: 210 is mostly in the gas phase in the condenser area C to be condensed back to liquid); and a plurality of second channels (See Figures of Claim 1) recessed in the surface (Fig.3: upper surface of 230) of the plate (230) in the thickness direction (See Figures of Claim 1 and Fig.3) of the electronic device (100) and arranged in a second direction (See Figures of Claim 1) of the plate (230), the plurality of second channels (See Figures of Claim 1) being configured to guide the flow (See Fig.8) of the working fluid (210), wherein the plurality of first channels (See Figures of Claim 1) are connected to the plurality of second channels (See Figures of Claim 1) to form at least one closed loop (See Abstract and [0121]) within the plate (230), and wherein the plurality of first channels (See Figures of Claim 1) and the plurality of second channels (See Figures of Claim 1) are integral with the plate (230).
Regarding claim 3, Lee further discloses:
Wherein at least one first channel among the plurality of first channels (See Figures of Claim 1) extends linearly in the second direction (See Figures of Claim 1) (See Figs.6 and 8 and See Figures of Claim 1: at least one channel of the Plurality of First Channels extends linearly in the second direction).
Regarding claim 4, Lee further discloses:
Wherein at least one second channel among the plurality of second channels (See Figures of Claim 1) is bent in the second direction (See Figures of Claim 1) (See Figs.6-8 and See Figures of Claim 1: at least one second channel of the plurality of second channels is bent in the second direction).
Regarding claim 10, Lee further discloses:
Wherein the plurality of second channels (See Figures of Claim 1) comprises: a second liquid region (See Figures of Claim 1, Fig.8, and [0118]: the second channels that are provided in “A” will define the “second liquid region) configured to guide the working fluid (210) in the liquid phase (211) and connected to the first liquid region (See Figures of Claim 1, Fig.8, and [0118]: the portions of the Plurality of First Channels in A) (See Figures of Claim 1, Fig.8, and [0118]: the ”second liquid region” and “first liquid region” are connected to each other, and 210 is mostly in the liquid phase in order to be heated into the gas phase); and a second gas region (See Figures of Claim 1, Fig.8, and [0118]: the portions of the Plurality of Second Channels in C) configured to guide the working fluid (210) in the gas phase (212) and connected to the first gas region (See Figures of Claim 1, Fig.8, and [0118]: the portions of the Plurality of First Channels in C) (See Figures of Claim 1, Fig.8, and [0118]: the ”second gas region” and “first gas region” are connected to each other, and 210 is mostly in the gas phase in order to be condensed back into the liquid phase).
Regarding claim 11, Lee further discloses:
See next page→
Wherein the plurality of first channels (See Figures of Claim 1) and the plurality of second channels (See Figures of Claim 1) are integral (See Figs.3, 6, and 8) with the plate (230).
Regarding claim 12, Lee further discloses:
Wherein the plurality of first channels (See Figures of Claim 1) are connected to the plurality of second channels (See Figures of Claim 1) to form a single loop (See Figs.6 and 8 and [0121]: “Both ends of the 4-line-structured micro path are connected by a connection path 205 and such a connection path 205 may form a closed loop type path. In the drawing, the paths form one closed loop”).
Regarding claim 13, Lee further discloses:
Wherein at least one second channel among the plurality of second channels (See Figures of Claim 1) extends linearly in the first direction (See Figures of Claim 1) (See Figures of Claim 1: each second channel of the plurality of second channels has a portion that extends linearly in the first direction).
Regarding claim 15, Lee further discloses:
A cover sheet (See Fig.7: there is an upper plate layer that covers 201 that will define the “cover sheet”) disposed on the plate (230) and covering the plurality of first channels (See Figures of Claim 1) and the plurality of second channels (See Figures of Claim 1) (See Figures of Claim 1, Fig.3, and Fig.7: in the assembled state, the plate/cover sheet that covers 201 covers all of 220 as well and will thus cover the plurality of first channels and the plurality of second channels).
Regarding claim 17, Lee further discloses:
Wherein the frame structure (200) comprises: a first portion (Fig.8: the bottom portion of 220 where "A" is located) configured to have a first temperature (Fig.8 and [0118]-[0119]: "A" is the evaporator section with an associated temperature that will define the "first temperature"); and a second portion (Fig.8: the top portion of 220 where "B" is located) configured to have a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature (Fig.8 and [0118]-[0119]: "The evaporator (A) is positioned in the highest temperature portion"- "A" is the highest temperature region which means that the temperature in "B", which will define the "second temperature", will be lower than the first temperature).
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20160037681).
Regarding claim 2, the relied upon embodiment of Lee does not disclose:
Wherein the plurality of first channels are connected to the plurality of second channels to form a plurality of closed loops.
Lee, however, presents an alternative embodiment that teaches:
The paths forming a plurality of closed loops ([0121]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above additional embodiment presented by Lee to modify the primary embodiment of Lee such that the plurality of first channels and plurality of second channels connect to form a plurality of closed loops, as claimed, in order to further optimize the overall heat dissipation capabilities (i.e., due to the increased number of closed loops, a more customized and zoned cooling can be established since each area of the plate can be given its own dedicated cooling zone).
Furthermore, modifying the at least one closed loop such that there is a plurality of closed loops, as claimed, would have been an obvious modification that one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would do in order to optimize the overall heat dissipation capabilities as outlined above, since it has been held that mere duplication of essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St Regis Paper Co. V. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Finally, all claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined/modified the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination / modification would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S._, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Claims 5-7 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20160037681) in view of Kim (KR 101205715) (of record, cited in the IDS, including Original Document).
Regarding claim 5, Lee does not explicitly disclose:
Wherein the plurality of first channels further comprises a capillary structure in the first liquid region and configured to transfer the working fluid.
Kim, however, teaches (Fig.2a-c):
Wherein the plurality of first channels (See Figure Below) further comprises a capillary structure ([0040]: “capillary channel”- 120 is explicitly called a capillary structure and thus all of 120, including the plurality of first channels, will have a capillary structure) and configured to transfer the working fluid ([0041]: “to inject refrigerant”- the refrigerant will define the working fluid) (Fig.2b, [0040], and [0052]: 120 is explicitly called a capillary channel, which means that it has a capillary structure which will by definition move the working fluid between the evaporator end 101 and condenser end 105).
PNG
media_image3.png
804
834
media_image3.png
Greyscale
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Kim to modify the device Lee such that the plurality of first channels further comprises a capillary structure in the first liquid region and configured to transfer the working fluid, as claimed, in order to provide a simple and efficient means of moving the working fluid (i.e., it is known in the art that providing a capillary structure allows for the working fluid to be moved without having to use any additional active fluid pressurizing/moving component like a pump and thus providing a passive and quiet means of moving the working fluid).
Regarding claim 6, Kim further teaches:
Wherein the capillary structure ([0040]: “capillary channel”- 120 is explicitly called a capillary structure and thus all of 120, including the plurality of first channels, will have a capillary structure) comprises at least one partition (See Figure Below) configured to form a plurality of microchannels (See Figure Below).
PNG
media_image4.png
435
896
media_image4.png
Greyscale
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Kim to further modify the device of modified Lee such that the capillary structure has at least one partition configured to form a plurality of microchannels, as claimed, in order to achieve the improved working fluid moving capabilities as outlined in claim 5 above.
Regarding claim 7, Kim further teaches:
Wherein the capillary structure ([0040]: “capillary channel”- 120 is explicitly called a capillary structure and thus all of 120, including the plurality of first channels, will have a capillary structure) comprises at least one groove (See Figure of Claim 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Kim to further modify the device of modified Lee such that the capillary structure comprises at least one groove in a surface of the plurality of first channels, as claimed, in order to achieve the improved working fluid moving capabilities as outlined in claim 5 above.
Regarding claim 14, Lee does not disclose:
Wherein a length of a second channel among the plurality of second channels is greater than a length of another second channel among the plurality of second channels.
Kim, however, teaches (Fig.7A):
Wherein a length of a second channel (See Figure Below) among the plurality of second channels (See Figure Below) is greater than a length of another second channel (See Figure Below) among the plurality of second channels.
See next page→
PNG
media_image5.png
986
880
media_image5.png
Greyscale
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Kim to modify the device of Lee such that a length of a second channel among the plurality of second channels is greater than a length of another second channel among the plurality of second channels, as claimed, in order to further improve the over heat dissipation capabilities (i.e., by providing a second channel in the condenser section that has a longer length than a length of another second channel among the plurality of second channels in the evaporator section, the condenser section has a larger surface area to release heat to condense the gas back to a liquid and thus providing a better heat rejection area).
Alternatively, claims 5 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20160037681) in view of Oniki (US 20100157535).
Regarding claim 5, Lee does not explicitly disclose:
Wherein the plurality of first channels further comprises a capillary structure in the first liquid region and configured to transfer the working fluid.
Oniki however teaches (Figs.5-6):
A capillary structure (204) and configured to transfer the working fluid ([0121] and [0126]: 204 is used to move/transfer the working fluid).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Oniki to modify the device of Lee such that the plurality of first channels further comprises a capillary structure in the first liquid region and configured to transfer the working fluid, as claimed, in order to provide a simple and efficient means of transporting the working fluid (i.e., the use of a capillary structure is known in the art to provide a passive means of moving/transporting the working fluid and thus not requiring an active fluid moving means like a pump to move the working fluid).
Regarding claim 8, Oniki further teaches:
See next page→
Wherein the capillary structure (204) comprises a mesh ([0120]: “For the wick 204, for example, a mesh member…”) disposed on the surface (See Figs.5-6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Oniki to further modify the device of modified Lee such that the capillary structure comprises a mesh that is disposed on the surface of the plurality of first channels, as claimed, in order to achieve the efficient working fluid moving means as outlined in claim 5 above.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20160037681) in view of Wang (US 20160033212).
Regarding claim 9, Lee does not disclose:
Wherein the plurality of first channels further comprises a superhydrophilic surface on at least a portion of the surface of the first liquid region.
Wang however teaches:
A superhydrophilic surface ([0005], [0032], and [0038]: “a superhydrophilic surface… the superhydrophilic surface of the bottom wall”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Wang to modify the device of Lee such that the plurality of first channels further comprises a superhydrophilic surface on at least a portion of the surface of the first liquid region, as claimed, in order to provide a structure that can prevent channel dry outs as taught by Wang ([0032] and [0038]).
See next page→
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20160037681) in view of Naito (US 20210356211).
Regarding claim 16, Lee does not explicitly disclose:
A bonding layer bonding the plate to the cover sheet.
Naito, however, teaches (Fig.1):
A bonding layer (8) bonding the plate (7) to the cover sheet (6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the above teaching of Naito to modify the device of Lee such that it has a bonding layer that bonds the plate to the cover sheet, as claimed, in order to provide a simple and efficient means of connecting and retaining the plate to the cover sheet.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 20220412664: teaches a closed-loop cooling system for an electric device with a phase-change working fluid with microchannels.
US 20220003507: teaches a wicking/capillary structure that forms microchannels in order to move working fluid.
US 20210136955: teaches the use of a mesh or sintered body to form a wicking/capillary structure.
See next page→
US 20160123678: teaches microchannels that have a wicking/capillary structure in order to move/transport working fluid.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN S SUL whose telephone number is (571)270-1243. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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, Jayprakash Gandhi can be reached at (571)272-3740. 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.
/STEPHEN S SUL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
Prosecution Insights