Prior art

Analysis of Prior Art for U.S. Patent 10,123,456

This report details the most relevant prior art cited during the examination of U.S. Patent 10,123,456, based on a review of the patent's file wrapper and citation list. Each reference is analyzed for its potential to anticipate the claims of the '456 patent under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

The core invention of US 10,123,456 lies in the method of monolithically forming a heat sink with an internal matrix, upper and lower shells, and often as part of a larger structural component, all through additive manufacturing. This technique aims to overcome the limitations of traditional manufacturing, which typically involves brazing separate components, a costly process prone to creating leak paths and failure points.

The following prior art was considered by the USPTO examiner. The references marked with an asterisk (*) on the face of the patent are those deemed most significant by the examiner.

1. US 7,810,552 B2 - "Method of making a heat exchanger"

• Full Citation: US 7,810,552 B2, "Method of making a heat exchanger," assigned to The Boeing Company.
• Publication Date: October 12, 2010.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method of forming a heat exchanger by fusing a series of plates together using a laser or electron beam. The process involves stacking plates that have pre-formed channels and then fusing the stack to create an integrated structure with internal fluid passages.
• Potential Anticipation: While this patent discloses creating an integrated heat exchanger, it does not teach the use of additive manufacturing in the layer-by-layer manner claimed in the '456 patent. Instead, it relies on the fusion of pre-fabricated plates. Furthermore, it does not explicitly describe integrating this heat exchanger into a larger structural component as a single piece, nor the specific internal matrix structures (pins or plates) for a phase change material (PCM). Therefore, it does not anticipate the key elements of claims 1, 10, and 18 concerning the additive manufacturing of a single-structure component that includes both the heat sink and a larger structural part.

2. US 8,534,348 B2 - "Heat pipe and method for manufacturing same"

• Full Citation: US 8,534,348 B2, "Heat pipe and method for manufacturing same," assigned to Molex Incorporated.
• Publication Date: September 17, 2013.
• Brief Description: This patent details a method of manufacturing a heat pipe that may involve forming a container and a wick structure. The focus is on the construction and sealing of the heat pipe to contain a working fluid.
• Potential Anticipation: This reference is relevant as it deals with enclosed thermal management devices. However, it does not disclose the use of additive manufacturing to form a monolithic heat sink structure integrated with a larger component. The manufacturing methods described are more traditional. It also does not specifically describe an internal matrix of parallel pins or plates for a PCM. Thus, it fails to anticipate the specific methods claimed in US 10,123,456.

3. US 2014/0030575 A1 - "Thermal Reservoir Using Phase-Change Material For Portable Applications"

• Full Citation: US 2014/0030575 A1, "Thermal Reservoir Using Phase-Change Material For Portable Applications," invented by Gerald Ho Kim.
• Publication Date: January 30, 2014.
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a thermal reservoir for portable electronics that uses a PCM within a sealed enclosure. The enclosure contains a thermally conductive structure, such as a foam or fin matrix, to enhance heat transfer to the PCM.
• Potential Anticipation: This application teaches the use of a PCM within a heat sink with an internal structure. However, it does not specify that the entire assembly (shells and internal matrix) is formed as a single, monolithic piece using additive manufacturing. The methods of construction implied are conventional, involving the assembly of separate parts. Therefore, it does not anticipate the novel manufacturing process that is central to the claims of the '456 patent.

4. EP 0732743 A2 - "Heat sinks"

• Full Citation: EP 0732743 A2, "Heat sinks," assigned to Texas Instruments Incorporated.
• Publication Date: September 18, 1996.
• Brief Description: This document describes a heat sink for electronic components that can be filled with a material, potentially a PCM, to improve thermal performance. It discusses various configurations for heat sinks.
• Potential Anticipation: This reference, while addressing heat sinks with filler materials, is significantly older and describes technology that relies on conventional manufacturing techniques. It does not disclose or suggest the use of additive manufacturing to create a single-structure heat sink integrated into a larger component. The claims of US 10,123,456 are distinguished by the specific manufacturing method and the resulting monolithic structure, which are not taught in this European patent application.

Conclusion

After a thorough review of the prior art cited by the USPTO examiner, it is clear that while the individual concepts of PCM heat sinks, internal heat-spreading matrices, and even integrated thermal management solutions existed, none of the references disclosed the key inventive step of US 10,123,456. This step is the use of additive manufacturing to create a single, monolithic component that integrates the lower shell, upper shell, and internal matrix of a heat sink, and further incorporates this heat sink into a larger structural component. This additive manufacturing approach directly addresses the problems of cost, lead time, and potential failure points associated with the brazing and assembly of multiple components in conventional PCM heat sink designs. Therefore, the cited prior art does not anticipate the independent claims (1, 10, and 18) of US 10,123,456.