Opinion ID: 2752200
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: A heat sink dissipater, comprising:

Text: a retaining device having a pair of posi- tioning columns formed on first two oppo- site sides, a pair of retaining edges formed on second two opposite sides, and a plural- ity of resilient legs extending inwards from said first or second two opposite sides, said retaining edges each being formed with a barb and said resilient legs each having a bent; a heat dissipater having a plurality of fins formed on a top surface and a plurality of a [sic] gaps between said fins, said resili- ent legs failing into said gaps when said retaining device is positioned on said heat dissipater in a first orientation or a second orientation orthogonal to said first orien- tation; and plurality of pads formed between fins on said top surface of said heat dissipater; wherein the bent of each resilient leg is placed on a pad when said retaining de- vice is positioned on said heat dissipater in said first orientation, and each resilient leg is placed directly on said top surface when 4 MALICO, INC v. COOLER MASTER USA INC. said retaining device is positioned on said heat dissipater in said second orientation. ’484 patent, 3:19–4:8 (claim 1) (emphases added). As shown in Figure 1, the retaining device can be oriented such that the “resilient legs [22] having a bent [221]” engage the base of the heat dissipater 30, to secure the heat dissipater to the CPU assembly 10. Claim 1 further recites that the same retaining device can be rotated 90°, as shown in Figure 2, such that the legs 221 now engage the “pads” 32 located between the fins 31 of the heat dissipater 30. MALICO, INC v. COOLER MASTER USA INC. 5 Claim 2 differs from claim 1 solely by omitting the use of “pads” and, instead, using “recesses” in the top surface of the heat dissipater. See ’484 patent, 4:9–31 (claim 2) (substituting “plurality of recesses” for “plurality of pads”). To accommodate a thicker CPU assembly, the retaining device is oriented such that the legs rest in the recesses. Alternatively, to accommodate a thinner CPU assembly, the retaining device is oriented in a manner that allows the legs to rest on the top surface of the heat dissipater, rather than in the recesses.