DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on January 12, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment filed on January 12, 2026 has been received and carefully considered. Claims 3-5 and 11-15 are canceled. Claims 1, 2, and 6-10 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 6, 7, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 6, the limitation “the enclosure comprising the lighting system” (at line 2) is unclear because the invention is drawn to “A lighting system comprising … a light system module installed within an enclosure” (claim 1, at lines 1-3), such that the enclosure is a component of the lighting system.
Furthermore, the limitation that the enclosure is “certified by a relevant airworthiness authority to be compliant with applicable airworthiness regulations” is considered indefinite because neither the “relevant airworthiness authority” nor the “applicable airworthiness regulations” are defined in the claim, and moreover, certification constitutes an administrative or legal status rather than a technical feature of the claimed lighting system, with the result that the scope of the claim cannot be clearly determined.
Claim 7 is also rejected as being dependent from claim 6.
Regarding claim 10, the recitation of “the one or more detectors or sensors” (at line 12) renders the claim indefinite because the claim previously sets forth “a plurality of detectors or sensors” (at line 7).
Furthermore, the recitation of “the one or more detectors” (twice, at lines 15 and 20) renders the claim indefinite because the claim previously sets forth “a plurality of detectors or sensors” (at line 7).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 2, 8, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Childress et al. (US 2018/0371733 A1) in view of Hack et al. (US 2020/0331611 A1) and Kim (KR 20190031005 A).
Regarding claim 1, Childress et al. discloses a lighting system (see FIG. 1) comprising:
a UV light emitter (i.e., a UV light source 130; see paragraph [0030]) and a visible light emitter (i.e., a visible light source 128; see paragraph [0028]) installed within an enclosure (i.e., an interior space of a lavatory 112; e.g., an interior space 486 of a lavatory module 480 including a plurality of walls 482 and a door 484, see FIG. 4 and paragraph [0061]); and
a plurality of sensors (i.e., trigger sensors 154; see paragraphs [0039]-[0040]) independent from the UV light emitter 130 and the visible light emitter 128; wherein the plurality of sensors 154 can comprise:
one or more presence sensors (i.e., a motion sensor, occupancy sensor, thermal sensor, and/or floor pressure sensor for detecting the conditions of the lavatory 112 being occupied or the lavatory 112 being unoccupied; see paragraph [0040]); and
a door open/closed sensor (i.e., the conditions detected by the trigger sensors 154 can include the door of the lavatory 112 being opened or the door of the lavatory 112 being closed; see paragraph [0040]); and
a controller (i.e., a control device 152 of an activation control system 150; see paragraph [0039]) that manages the UV light emitter 130, the visible light emitter 128, and the plurality of sensors 154; wherein the controller 152 is configured to:
activate the visible light emitter 128 and deactivate the UV light emitter 130 when it is determined, based on the sensor signals received from the plurality of sensors 154, that people are present in the enclosure (i.e., a switch 140 selectively couples either the visible light source 128 or the UV light source 130 to a power source 136 at one time; in a “first state”, when people are sensed to be present, the control device 152 actuates the switch 140 to connect a first terminal 144 to a common terminal 142 to couple the visible light source 128 to the power source 136, thereby activating the visible light source 128; a second terminal 146 is thus disconnected from the common terminal 142 to decouple the UV light source 130 from the power source 136, thereby deactivating the UV light source 130; see paragraphs [0024], [0025], [0033], [0034], [0039]-[0041]); and
deactivate the visible light emitter 128 and activate the UV light emitter 130 when it is determined, based on the sensor signals received from the plurality of sensors 154, that people are not present in the enclosure (i.e., the switch 140 selectively couples either the visible light source 128 or the UV light source 130 to the input power source 136 at one time; in a “second state”, when people are sensed to be absent, the control device 152 actuates the switch 140 to connect the second terminal 146 to the common terminal 142 to couple the UV light source 130 to the power source 136, thereby activating the UV light source 130; the first terminal 144 is thus disconnected from the common terminal 142 to decouple the visible light source 128 from the power source 136, thereby deactivating the visible light source 128; see paragraphs [0024], [0025], [0033], [0034], [0039]-[0041]).
Childress et al. fails to disclose a “light system module” containing both UV light emitters 130 (plural) and visible light emitters 128 (plural).
Hack et al. discloses a lighting system comprising: a light system module (i.e., a lighting assembly 56, 58, 60; see FIG. 4-6; paragraphs [0075]-[0077]) installed within an enclosure (i.e., the interior of an aircraft cabin 10 or other vehicle, such as boats, ships, train cars, etc.; see paragraphs [0039]-[0041]); wherein, specifically, the light system module contains both UV light emitters (i.e., a plurality of ultraviolet light sources 50) and visible light emitters (i.e., a plurality of visible light sources 48). Hack et al. also discloses a controller 34 for controlling the operation of the light system module 56, 58, 60; wherein, in a first mode (referred to as a visible light operation), the visible light emitters 48 are activated to emit visible light; and, in a second mode (referred to as an ultraviolet mode of operation), the UV light emitters 50 are activated to emit UV light. The controller 34 can be configured to control the light system module to operate in either the first mode or the second mode by activating/deactivating the visible light sources 48 and the ultraviolet light sources 50 according to a predetermined control scheme (see paragraphs [0070], [0082]).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute a light system module that contains both UV light emitters and visible light emitters for the visible light emitter 128 and UV light emitter 130 in the lighting system of Childress et al. because the light system module containing both UV light emitters and visible light emitters would allow for a substantial overlap of the areas to be illuminated by the UV light and visible light, and a plurality of the UV light emitters and a plurality of the visible light emitters would generate a higher luminance of the UV light and visible light within the enclosure, as taught by Hack et al. (see paragraphs [0069], [0078]).
Childress et al. (see paragraph [0039]) also discloses the controller 152 is configured to: (i) receive the sensor signals indicating that trigger conditions were detected, (ii) determine, based on the sensor signals, that one or more criteria are met, and (iii) responsive to the determination that one or more criteria are met, transmit a control signal to the switch 140, the UV light source 130, and/or the power converter 148 to activate the UV light emitter 130.
Childress et al., however, fails to disclose a door locked/unlocked sensor as an additional sensor 154, whereby the controller 152 can be configured to activate/deactivate the UV light emitter 130 and the visible light emitter 128 based on the claimed criteria, using the sensor signals received from the one or more presence sensors, the door open/closed sensor, and the door locked/unlocked sensor.
Kim discloses a lighting system (i.e., a system comprising a UV light sterilizer for a public toilet; see FIG. 1-4 and translation, in particular, at the underlined portions) comprising:
a UV light emitter (i.e., a sterilizing UV lamp 21) installed within an enclosure (i.e., a compartment space of a public toilet containing a toilet 10);
a presence sensor (i.e., a public toilet occupying sensor 30 for sensing whether the public toilet is occupied by a user);
a door locked/unlocked sensor (i.e., a locking sensor 50 for sensing whether a door locking means 40 of an entrance door 15 is in a locking operation mode of a locking release (unlocked) operating mode); and
a door open/closed sensor (i.e., an entrance door sensing means 60 for sensing an opening state or a closing state of the entrance door 15).
Kim also discloses a controller (i.e., a control unit 70) in communication with the UV light emitter 21, the presence sensor 30, the door locked/unlocked sensor 50, and the door open/closed sensor 60; wherein the controller 70 is configured to activate (turn ON) or deactivate (turn OFF) the UV light emitter 21 based on the sensor signals received from the sensors 30,50,60.
Specifically, Kim discloses that the controller 70 is configured to activate the UV light emitter 21 only when three conditions are satisfied (see Abstract; translation at page 3, last underlined paragraph), the three conditions being:
(1) the presence sensor 30 detects the absence of an occupant within the enclosure;
(2) the door locked/unlocked sensor 50 indicates that the door 15 to the enclosure is unlocked; and
(3) the door open/closed sensor 60 indicates that the door 15 to the enclosure is closed.
It then follows that the controller 70 is configured to deactivate the UV light emitter 21 under all other conditions, including when:
(a) the presence detector 30 detects the presence of an occupant within the enclosure; (b)(1) (A) the door locked/unlocked sensor 50 indicates that the door 15 to the enclosure is unlocked (released); and (B) the door open/closed sensor 60 indicates that the door 15 to the enclosure is opened; or
(a) the presence detector 30 detects the presence of an occupant within the enclosure; (b)(2) (A) the door locked/unlocked sensor 50 indicates that the door 15 to the enclosure is unlocked (released); and (B) the door open/closed sensor 60 indicates that the door 15 to the enclosure is closed; or
(a) the presence detector 30 detects the presence of an occupant within the enclosure; (b)(3) (A) the door locked/unlocked sensor 50 indicates that the door 15 to the enclosure is locked; and (B) the door open/closed sensor 60 indicates that the door 15 is closed.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further provide a door locked/unlocked sensor as an additional sensor in the modified lighting system of Childress et al., whereby the controller can be configured to activate/deactivate the UV light emitters and the visible light emitters based on the sensor signals received from the one or more presence sensors, the door open/closed sensor, and the door locked/unlocked sensor, because the UV light emitters would be activated and the visible light emitters would be deactivated only when three conditions are satisfied—namely, when: (1) the one or more presence sensors detect the absence of an occupant within the enclosure, (2) the door locked/unlocked sensor indicates that a door the enclosure is unlocked, and (3) the door open/closed sensor indicates that the door to the enclosure is closed; and, accordingly, a safety accident due to an exposure of a user to UV light rays can be prevented, as taught by Kim (see translation at page 3, last underlined paragraph; and page 5, last underlined paragraph).
Regarding claim 2, Childress et al. discloses that the UV light emitter 130 is anti-microbial and/or anti-viral in nature (see paragraphs [0018]-[0019], [0030]-[0031]).
Regarding claim 8, Childress et al. discloses that the enclosure comprises a lavatory 112 in a vehicle 110, such as a train, boat, bus, or other transportation vehicle (see paragraph [0026]). Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further configure the enclosure in the modified lighting system of Childress et al. to be installed within an interior of a train, boat, bus, or other transportation vehicle.
Regarding claim 10, Childress et al. discloses a lighting system (see FIG. 1) for installation in an enclosure to be disinfected (i.e., an interior space of a lavatory 112; e.g., an interior space 486 of a lavatory module 480 including a plurality of walls 482 and a door 484, see FIG. 4 and paragraph [0061]), the lighting system comprising:
at least one UV light emitter (i.e., a UV light source 130; see paragraph [0030]) and at least one visible light emitter (i.e., a visible light source 128; see paragraph [0028]), wherein the at least one UV light emitter 130 is anti-microbial and/or anti-viral in nature (see paragraphs [0018]-[0019], [0030]-[0031]), and wherein the at least one visible light emitter 128 emits light in the visible spectrum;
a plurality of detectors or sensors (i.e., trigger sensors 154; see paragraphs [0039]- [0040]) independent from the at least one UV light emitter 130 and the at least one visible light emitter 128; wherein the plurality of detectors or sensors 154 can comprise:
a presence detector that detects the presence of people or animals within the enclosure and/or within an electromagnetic range of the at least one UV light emitter 130 (i.e., a motion sensor, an occupancy sensor, a thermal sensor, and/or a floor pressure sensor for detecting the conditions of the lavatory 112 being occupied or the lavatory 112 being unoccupied; see paragraph [0040]); and
a door open/closed sensor (i.e., a condition detected by the trigger sensors 154 can include the door of the lavatory 112 being opened or the door of the lavatory 112 being closed; see paragraph [0040]); and
a controller (i.e., a control device 152 of an activation control system 150; see paragraph [0039]) that manages the at least one UV light emitter 130, the at least one visible light emitter 128, and the plurality of detectors or sensors 154;
wherein the controller 152 enables the lighting system to:
deactivate the at least one visible light emitter 128 and activate the at least one UV light emitter 130 when it is determined, based on the sensor signals received from the detectors or sensors 154, that people are not present in the enclosure (i.e., a switch 140 selectively couples either the visible light source 128 or the UV light source 130 to an input power source 136 at one time; in a “second state”, when people are sensed by the sensors 154 to be absent from the enclosure, the control device 152 actuates the switch 140 to connect a second terminal 146 to a common terminal 142 to couple the UV light source 130 to the power source 136, thereby activating the UV light source 130; a first terminal 144 is thus disconnected from the common terminal 142 to decouple the visible light source 128 from the power source 136, thereby deactivating the visible light source 128; see paragraphs [0024],[0025],[0033],[0034],[0039]-[0041]); and
activate the at least one visible light emitter 128 and deactivate the at least one UV light emitter when it is determined, based on the sensor signals received from the detectors or sensors 154, that people are present in the enclosure (i.e., the switch 140 selectively couples either the visible light source 128 or the UV light source 130 to the input power source 136 at one time; in a “first state”, when people are sensed by the sensors 154 to be present in the enclosure, the control device 152 actuates the switch 140 to connect the first terminal 144 to the common terminal 142 to couple the visible light source 128 to the power source 136, thereby activating the visible light source 128; the second terminal 146 is thus disconnected from the common terminal 142 to decouple the UV light source 130 from the power source 136, thereby deactivating the UV light source 130; see paragraphs [0024],[0025],[0033],[0034], [0039]-[0041]).
Childress et al. fails to disclose a “light system module” comprising the least one UV light emitter 130 and the at least one visible light emitter 128.
Hack et al. discloses a lighting system comprising: a light system module (i.e., a lighting assembly 52, 56, 58, 60; FIG. 3-6; paragraphs [0074]-[0077]) for installation in an enclosure to be disinfected (i.e., an aircraft cabin 10 or interior of other vehicles; paragraphs [0039]-[0041]); wherein the light system module has at least one UV light emitter (i.e., one or more UV light sources 50) and at least one visible light emitter (i.e., one or more visible light sources 48). A controller 34 further controls the operation of the light system module, wherein, in a first mode (referred to as a visible light operation), the at least one visible light emitter 48 is configured to emit visible light; and, in a second mode (referred to as an ultraviolet mode of operation), the at least one UV light emitter 50 is configured to emit UV light. The controller 34 can be configured to control the light system module to operate in either the first mode or the second mode by activating or deactivating the at least one visible light emitter 48 and the at least one UV light emitter 50 according to a control scheme (see paragraphs [0070], [0082]).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute a light system module that comprises the at least one UV light emitter and the at least one visible light emitter for the at least one UV light emitter 130 and the at least one visible light emitter 128 in the lighting system of Childress et al. because the light system module having both the UV light emitter(s) and the visible light emitter(s) would allow for a substantial overlap of the areas to be illuminated by the UV light and the visible light, as taught by Hack et al. (see paragraphs [0069]).
Childress et al. (see paragraph [0039]) also discloses that the controller 152 is configured to (i) receive the sensor signals indicating that trigger conditions were detected, (ii) determine, based on the sensor signals, that one or more criteria are met, and (iii) responsive to the determination that one or more criteria are met, transmit a control signal to the switch 140, the UV light source 130, and/or the power converter 148 to activate the UV light emitter 130.
Childress et al., however, fails to further disclose a door locked/unlocked sensor as an additional detector or sensor 154, whereby the controller 152 can be configured to activate/deactivate the at least one UV light emitter 130 and the at least one visible light emitter 128 based on the claimed criteria using the sensor signals received from the presence detector, the door open/closed sensor, and the door locked/unlocked sensor.
Kim discloses a lighting system (i.e., a system comprising a UV light sterilizer for a public toilet; see FIG. 1-4 and translation, in particular, at the underlined portions) comprising:
a UV light emitter (i.e., a sterilizing UV lamp 21) installed within an enclosure (i.e., a compartment space of a public toilet containing a toilet 10);
a presence sensor (i.e., a public toilet occupying sensor 30 for sensing whether the public toilet is occupied by a user);
a door locked/unlocked sensor (i.e., a locking sensor 50 for sensing whether a door locking means 40 of an entrance door 15 is in a locking operation mode of a locking release (unlocked) operating mode); and
a door open/closed sensor (i.e., an entrance door sensing means 60 for sensing an opening state or a closing state of the entrance door 15).
Kim also discloses a controller (i.e., a control unit 70) in communication with the UV light emitter 21, the presence sensor 30, the door locked/unlocked sensor 50, and the door open/closed sensor 60; wherein the controller 70 is configured to activate (turn ON) or deactivate (turn OFF) the UV light emitter 21 based on the sensor signals received from the sensors 30,50,60.
Specifically, Kim discloses that the controller 70 is configured to activate the UV light emitter 21 only when three conditions are satisfied (see Abstract; translation at page 3, last underlined paragraph); the three conditions being:
(1) the presence sensor 30 detects the absence of an occupant within the enclosure;
(2) the door locked/unlocked sensor 50 indicates that the door 15 to the enclosure is unlocked; and
(3) the door open/closed sensor 60 indicates that the door 15 to the enclosure is closed.
It then follows that the controller 70 is configured to deactivate the UV light emitter 21 under all other conditions, including the conditions wherein:
(a) the presence detector 30 detects the presence of people or animals within the enclosure; and
(b) either:
(1) the door open/closed sensor 60 indicates that the door to the enclosure is opened and the door locked/unlocked sensor 50 indicates that the door to the enclosure is unlocked; or
(2) the door open/closed sensor 60 indicates that the door to the enclosure is closed and the door locked/unlocked sensor 50 indicates that the door to the enclosure is unlocked; or
(3) the door open/closed sensor 60 indicates that the door is closed and the door locked/unlocked sensor 50 indicates that the door to the enclosure is locked.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further provide a door locked/unlocked sensor as an additional detector or sensor in the lighting system of Childress et al., whereby the controller can be configured to activate/deactivate the at least one UV light emitter and the at least one visible light emitter based on sensor signals received from the presence detector, the door open/closed sensor, and the door locked/unlocked sensor, because the at least one UV light emitter would be activated and the at least one visible light emitter would be deactivated only when three conditions were satisfied—namely, when: (1) the presence detector detects the absence of an occupant within the enclosure, (2) the door locked/unlocked sensor indicates that a door the enclosure is unlocked, and (3) the door open/closed sensor indicates that the door to the enclosure is closed; and, accordingly, a safety accident due to an exposure of a user to UV light rays can be prevented, as taught by Kim (see translation at page 3, last underlined paragraph; and page 5, last underlined paragraph).
Claim 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Childress et al. (US 2018/0371733 A1) in view of Hack et al. (US 2020/0331611 A1) and Kim (KR 20190031005 A), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Childress et al. (US 2017/0202991 A1), hereafter referred to as “Childress-B”.
Childress et al. discloses that the enclosure comprises a lavatory 112 in a vehicle 110, such as an aircraft (see paragraph [0026]). Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further configure the enclosure in the modified lighting system of Childress et al. to be installed within the fuselage of an aircraft. Childress et al., however, does not further state that the enclosure is certified by a relevant airworthiness authority to be compliant with applicable airworthiness regulations.
Childress-B discloses a lighting system (see FIG. 1-2) comprising: a UV light emitter (i.e., an ultraviolet radiation source 118 comprising an ultraviolet light device 119,206; see paragraphs [0028]-[0032], [0069]) installed within an enclosure (i.e., a lavatory 102 in a vehicle 104, such as an aircraft; see FIG. 4, paragraph [0025]); a plurality of sensors (i.e., a sensor system 130 including a number of sensor devices 131; see paragraph [0038]-[0039]) for sensing when the enclosure 102 is occupied or unoccupied; and a controller 132 that manages the UV light emitter and the plurality of sensors, wherein the controller is configured to activate or deactivate the UV light emitter (i.e., according to a process shown in FIG. 5-6; see paragraphs [0082]-[0095]) based on the information received from the sensors 131.
Specifically, Childress-B discloses that, when the enclosure is configured to be installed within the fuselage of an aircraft, the enclosure is certified by a relevant airworthiness authority to be compliant with applicable airworthiness regulations (i.e., during production, component and subassembly manufacturing 706 and system integration 708 of an aircraft 800 in FIG. 8 takes place; thereafter, the aircraft 800 goes through certification and delivery 710 in order to be placed in service 712; see FIG. 7 and paragraphs [0096]-[0098]).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further certify, by a relevant airworthiness authority, that the enclosure in the modified lighting system of Childress et al. was compliant with applicable airworthiness regulations, because a certification step is typically performed during an aircraft manufacturing and servicing process in order to ensure the airworthiness of the aircraft and its interior components, so that the aircraft can be placed in service, as taught by Childress-B.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Childress et al. (US 2018/0371733 A1) in view of Hack et al. (US 2020/0331611 A1) and Kim (KR 20190031005 A), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Scot (GB 2595652 A).
Childress et al. discloses that the enclosure comprises a lavatory 112 in a vehicle 110, such as an aircraft, train, boat, bus, or other transportation vehicle (see FIG. 1; paragraph [0026]). Childress et al., however, fails to disclose that the enclosure Is configured to be installed in a lavatory of a hotel, a stadium, a movie theater, or other enclosed public place.
Scot discloses a lighting system (i.e., an ultraviolet light sterilization luminaire and system; see FIG. 1-3) comprising:
a light system module (i.e., an ultraviolet light sterilization luminaire 10; see page 11, lines 11-23) installed within an enclosure (i.e., an enclosed volume 22 with an access door 20), wherein the light system module contains both UV light emitters (i.e., at least one ultraviolet light source 14) and visible light emitters (i.e., at least one secondary illumination lamp 13 providing lighting (white light) in normal operation);
a plurality of sensors, including:
one or more presence sensors 19 (i.e., a heat or thermal sensor for detecting the presence of heat signatures within the volume with a heat signature indicating the presence of a living creature (non-plant) within the volume and/or a motion sensor for detecting the motion within the volume with a motion signature indicating the presence of a living creature (non-plant) within the volume; see page 8, line 24, to page 9, line 2; page 16, lines 20-20); and
a door open/closed sensor (i.e., at least one cut-out switch or sensor 19 associated with the door 20 for detecting an operation of the door; see FIG. 3; page 17, lines 8-11); and
a controller 15 that manages the UV light emitters 14, the visible light emitters 13, and the sensors 19, wherein the controller selectively activates/deactivates the UV light emitters 14 and the visible light emitters 13 based on the information received from the sensors 19 (see page 8, lines 8-13; page 11, line 11, to page 12, line 2; page 15, line 28, to page 16, line 13).
Specifically, Scot discloses that a suitable enclosure can comprise a high use area and/or an area that is likely to have increased numbers of microorganisms and/or an area where sterilization is particularly important. For instance, the enclosure can be an enclosed volume of a means of transport, such as buses, trains, ships, or aircraft. The enclosure can also be an enclosed volume of a public place, such as public toilets, hotel rooms, cinemas, etc. (see page 17, line 27, to page 18, line 5; page 18, lines 12-15).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further configure the enclosure in the modified lighting system of Childress et al. to be installed in a lavatory of a hotel, a stadium, a movie theatre, or other enclosed public place because such installation locations would have been recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art as being a high use area and/or an area likely have increased numbers of microorganisms and/or an area where sterilization was particularly important, which would also benefit from the UV disinfecting effect of the lighting system, as taught by Scot.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on January 12, 2026 have been fully considered.
Applicant (at page 8, first paragraph; with emphasis added) argues,
“Childress teaches a disinfection system for a vehicle lavatory that uses a switch to alternate power between standard visible light source and a separate UV light source. Childress, Paragraph [0039]. The system is based on detecting if someone is present based on a presence sensor and a door open/closed sensor. Childress, Paragraphs [0039]-[0040]. Childress lacks a door locked/unlocked sensor and not teach or suggest the specific system of requiring a "closed and unlocked" state for UV activation and using a "locked" state as a condition to ensure the UV system is disabled.
The Office respectfully disagrees. The argued feature (underlined above) was taught by the secondary reference to Kim. One cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
Applicant (at page 8, second paragraph; with emphasis added) further argues,
“Hack teaches a lighting assembly for an aircraft that integrates visible and UV light sources onto a single module. However, its system is based on door closure, motion detection, and aircraft status. Hack, Paragraph [0070], [0082]. Hack fails to teach or suggest the system logic of the present claims as amended using the door's locked versus unlocked state to differentiate between a temporarily empty stall and a currently occupied one.”
The Office respectfully disagrees. Hack et al. was merely relied upon to teach a light system module containing both UV light emitters and visible light emitters (FIG. 4-6). The light system module allows for a substantial overlap of the areas illuminated by UV light and visible light, and a plurality of the UV light emitters and visible light emitters allows for the generation of a higher luminance of the UV light and visible light (see paragraphs [0069], [0078]).
Applicant (at page 8, third paragraph; with emphasis added) further argues,
“Kim teaches a UV sterilization system designed for a public toilet stall. The system of Kim uses a three-part safety system to activate a UV lamp: the door must be closed, no user can be detected, and the lock must be in the unlocked position. Kim translation, Pages 3-5. It fails to teach the system of the present invention that also activates the visible light when the door is closed and locked.”
The Office respectfully disagrees. Kim was merely relied upon to teach the provision of a presence sensor, a door open/closed sensor, and a door locked/unlocked sensor, in combination, for detecting the presence or absence of a user within an enclosure and for determining when it is safe to activate a UV light emitter. In particular, Kim teaches that the UV light emitter is safe to activate only when three conditions are met: (1) the presence detector detects the absence of an occupant within the enclosure, (2) the door locked/ unlocked sensor indicates that a door the enclosure is unlocked, and (3) the door open/closed sensor indicates that the door to the enclosure is closed. Therefore, a safety accident due to an exposure of a user to UV light rays can be prevented (see translation at page 3, last underlined paragraph; and page 5, last underlined paragraph).
Applicant (at page 8, fourth paragraph; with emphasis added) further argues,
“The system of the present application creates a more complete set of conditions that accounts for scenarios not accounted for in the art of record. For example, none of the cited references contemplate a scenario where an occupant is in the enclosure with the door closed and locked and the occupant is not moving for an extended period, causing a presence sensor to not detect the occupant and the system failing to activate or maintain visible light. The systems of Childress and Hack would detect the closed door and lack of presence data to falsely determine that the lavatory is unoccupied. The system of Kim fails to teach or suggest this scenario entirely because it only considers when to activate the UV light, not the visible light. The system of the present application would correctly activate the visible light because it detects the door is closed and locked.”
The Office respectfully disagrees. The test for obviousness is not whether the features of a secondary reference may be bodily incorporated into the structure of the primary reference; nor is it that the claimed invention must be expressly suggested in any one or all of the references. Rather, the test is what the combined teachings of the references would have suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JENNIFER A LEUNG whose telephone number is (571)272-1449. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, CLAIRE X WANG can be reached at (571)270-1051. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JENNIFER A LEUNG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1774