Appeal 2006-2293
Application 10/471,932
Appellant’s claimed invention is directed to a heat radiating fin having
a metal coating thereon. An oxidation layer on a heat radiating fin decreases
the heat radiating effect of the fin. If, on the other hand, deposits from the
air that flows over the fin are ionized, an oxidation layer does not form.
(Specification 6-8.) Also, the radiating effect is greater if a radiating fin
with a small heat capacity relative to the heat capacity of the air flowing
thereover is used. (Specification 12.) Appellant's objective is to improve
the heat radiating effect of a radiating fin by coating the fin with a metal
having a large, but not too large (Specification 16), ionization tendency and
a small heat capacity relative to the fin main body (Specification 12-13).
Appellant mentions using a metal with an ionization tendency larger than
that of silver (Specification 20).
Claim 28 is representative of the claimed invention and reads as
follows:
28. A heat radiating fin comprising:
a main body; and
a coating metal layer coating a surface of
said main body, said coating metal layer
comprising a metallic material selected from a
group consisting of nickel, chromium, zinc, and
alloys containing at least one of nickel, chromium,
and zinc, a thickness of said coating metal layer
being no greater than 5 µm, and a heat capacity of
said coating metal layer being smaller than a heat
capacity of said main body.
The Examiner relies upon the following as evidence of
unpatentability:
Siak US 5,014,774 May 14, 1991
Kent US 5,289,872 Mar. 01, 1994
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