Appeal No. 2007-0599
Application No. 10/822,054
4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the impingement point is
offset from a central region of the fins.
5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the channel walls
provides a high fluid channel aspect ratio.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid inlet and the
fluid outlet are co-located on the enclosure.
CLAIM INTERPRETATION
The body of claim 1 recites two specific elements: 1) an enclosure
having an inlet and outlet; and 2) a channel structure inside the enclosure
which defines “a plurality of radial flow paths.” The claim also has a
“wherein” clause which requires that “an impingement point for cooling
fluid in the enclosure is located at a position corresponding to an expected
relatively hotter spot of a heat source.” A key issue in this appeal is the
interpretation of the “wherein” clause.
In addition to the enclosure and channel structure, the “wherein”
clause further requires the claimed apparatus to have an “impingement
point.” The impingement point is described in the specification as the
position where the fluid strikes1 the base member of the cold plate enclosure
(Specification ¶ 27). The channels radiate outwardly from the impingement
point P (id. at ¶¶ 21, 23; Fig. 4) to form the claimed “channel structure . . .
defining a plurality of radial flow paths.”
The “wherein” clause also states that the impingement point “is
1 Impinge: to strike; dash; collide. The Random House College Dictionary
667 (1982).
3
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