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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-4 and 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Masahiro (JP 2022-078819) in view of Kawahara et al. (JP 2017-072340).
Reg. Cl. 1, Masahiro discloses; A heat pipe comprising a container (1) having an
internal space (S) in which a working fluid is sealed, the container including: a
evaporation portion (3) that evaporates a liquid-phase working fluid to change phase
to a gas-phase working fluid; a condensation portion (4) arranged at a position that is
separated from the evaporation portion, and condenses the gas- phase working
fluid to change phase into the liquid-phase working fluid; and a middle portion (5)
positioned between the evaporation portion and the condensation portion, wherein,
viewing a transverse section of the heat pipe in the evaporation portion, the heat pipe
includes: a first sintered body layer (6) consisting of a sintered body of a first copper
powder, and formed in a specific area on an inner circumferential surface of the
container; and a second sintered body layer (7) consisting of a sintered body of a
second copper powder having a larger average particle size than the first copper
powder.
Masahiro fails to disclose; however, Kawahara et al. teaches a heat pipe comprising first (3a) and second (3b) body wick layers. The second layer is formed annularly over an entirety of an inner circumferential surface of the container, in a state in which the first body layer is interposed between the inner circumferential surface of the container and the second body layer.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify Masahiro’s invention with the teachings of
Kawahara et al. second sintered body layer annularly formed over an entirety of an
inner circumferential surface of the container, in a state in which the first sintered body
layer is interposed between the inner circumferential surface of the container and the
second sintered body layer. Doing so would enhance the heat transfer efficiency of the
heat pipe.
Reg. Cl. 2, Masahiro discloses; wherein, viewing in a longitudinal section including a longitudinal direction of the heat pipe, an arrangement length of the first sintered body layer is longer than a longitudinal direction dimension of the evaporation portion, and an arrangement length of the second sintered body layer is longer than the arrangement length of the first sintered body layer.
Reg. Cl. 3, Masahiro discloses; wherein the second sintered body layer
terminates at any position of the middle portion.
Reg. Cl. 4, Masahiro discloses; wherein the heat pipe is configured so that a liquid-phase working fluid that has phase changed in the condensation portion flows toward the evaporation portion by way of capillary force through internal voids of the second sintered body layer located in the middle portion, and flows through a contact interface between an outer circumferential surface of the second sintered body layer and an inner circumferential surface of the first sintered body layer from the second sintered body layer towards the first sintered body layer.
Reg. Cl. 5, Masahiro fails to discloses; however, Kawahara et al. teaches
wherein the specific area includes an area of an inner circumferential surface that
constitutes a portion of the container which opposes a heat source (Fig. 2 (H)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify Masahiro’s invention with
Kawahara et al.'s teachings of the specific area includes an area of an inner
circumferential surface that constitutes a portion of the container which opposes a heat
source. Doing so would provide an enhanced heat transfer between the
heat generating device and the heat pipe contact surface.
Reg. Cl. 6, Masahiro discloses; wherein a plurality of grooves (8) extending along a longitudinal direction of the container is formed in the inner circumferential surface of the container.
Reg. Cl. 7, Masahiro discloses; wherein the first sintered body layer is filled to also form in the grooves located in the specific area.
Reg. Cl. 8, Masahiro discloses; wherein the second sintered body layer substantially separates vapor flow of a gas-phase working fluid that has phase changed in the evaporation portion, and a liquid flow of a liquid-phase working fluid that has phase changed in the condensation portion, and the liquid flow is divided into a channel passing through the plurality of grooves, and a channel through internal voids of the second sintered body layer.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The applicant is advised to review all the prior art listed on the PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TERRELL L MCKINNON whose telephone number is (571)272-4797. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri. 8:00 am to 4:30 pm..
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/TERRELL L MCKINNON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3632
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