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 .
This is a response to the amendment filed 1/22/2026. Claims 1, 3-11 and 13-14 are pending and are under examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-6, 8-11 and 13-14 is/are as being as being unpatentable over Lou et al. (CN 201690655U) in view of Zhou et al. (USP 10,880,968).
Regarding claim 1, Lou et al.’s figure 2 shows A lighting apparatus driver, comprising: a filter to filter out noise (C1); a rectifier (B1) to convert an AC voltage into a DC voltage; a boost module (front stage fly back DC-DC constant voltage circuit) to receive the DC voltage from the rectifier and output a relatively constant output DC voltage; a dimming controller to output a dimming signal (intelligent PWM dimming control circuit outputting a dimming control signal (P0); a plurality of voltage regulator IC modules (L1, D2, C5, R5, C6, R6, LM3404) indirectly connected to the rectifier, wherein each voltage regulator IC modules of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules is directly is to be connected to a separate lighting apparatus (LED_1 to LED_N), each separate lighting apparatus (LED_1 to LED_N) having a first end and a second end, each separate light apparatus being directly connected to an individual one of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules on the first end (top lead of LED1 is directedly connected to L1 which is part of a voltage regulator IC module) and directly connected to the boost module on the second end (bottom of LEDn is connected to R6 which is part of a voltage regulator IC module) to receive the relatively constant output DC voltage , whereas each of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules is capable of independently controlling current input to provide approximately the same amount of current, based on the dimming signal (plurality of voltage regulator IC modules are independently controlled by dimming signals P0-PN which are constant output current, see paragraph 0014) to the lighting apparatus connected thereto, the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules comprising Buck modules (Buck modules are construed to be Buck converter; see Lou’s paragraph 0013 which explicitly teaches that each DC-DC constant output circuit LM3404 is Buck type converter).
The difference seen between Lou reference and the present invention is the two or more of the separate lighting apparatuses having different sizes and power utilizations; where each of the plurality voltage regulator IC modules is capable of independently controlling current input to provide approximately the same of current, based on the diming signal to cause each separate lighting apparatus to emit approximately the same brightness level as called for in claim 1. Lou’s driver circuit is silent on the number of LEDs on each strings to be equal, however, it is capable of handling two more LEDs strings, each string allows up to N numbers of LEDs elements. It is also certain that Lou’s driver circuit is operable for different number LEDs on each string as long as the number of LED is less than N (different power consumption limited by N). Zhou et al.’s figure 3 teaches a driver circuit for different color string LEDs. Different color LEDs known to have different sizes and consumption different amount of power (e.g., different number of LEDs). Thus, it would have been obvious to person skilled in the art before the effective filing date to have Lou’s LED strings arranged with different sizes and power consumption for the purpose of providing different colors as taught by Zhou et al. reference.
Regarding the limitation that each separate lighting apparatus to emit approximately the same brightness level, it is noted that since Lou et al.’s apparatus uses a separate voltage regulator IC module to control the current used in each lighting apparatus, thus, the brightness of each lighting apparatus is capable of being kept at the same brightness level.
Regarding claim 3, wherein the lighting apparatus driver further comprises a dimming control (intelligent PWM dimming control circuit), and the dimming control is coupled to each of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules, so as to send a dimming control signal to each of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules.
Regarding claim 4, , wherein when the dimming control signal (PO_1 to PO_N) is to cause brightness of each of multiple lighting apparatuses to change, the dimming signal is sent to each of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules, and each voltage regulator IC module independently inputs substantially the same current to the lighting apparatus connected thereto, such that the brightness of each of the multiple lighting apparatus is substantially the same.
Regarding claim 5, LOU et al.’s figure 2 shows the dimming control is isolation dimming control.
Regarding claim 6, Lou et al.’s figure 2 shows wherein the isolation dimming control is magnetic diming control or optocoupler (U1) based dimming control.
Regarding claim 8, Lou et al.’s voltage regulator IC modules comprises a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET).
Regarding claim 9, Lou et al.’s figure 2 lighting apparatus driver does not include a half bridge.
Regarding claim 10, Lou et al.’s figure 2 shows the lighting apparatus driver is to drive a plurality of LED lamps connected in parallel.
Regarding claim 11, Lou et al.’s LED lamps are capable of having different sizes and/or power.
Regarding claim 13, Lou et al.’s figure 2 shows the Boost module is coupled between the rectifier and the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules.
Regarding claim 14, Lou et al.’s figure 2 shows the rectifier is a rectifier bridge.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lou et al. (CN 201690655U). in view of Zhou et al. (USP 10,880,968).
Regarding claim 7, Lou et al.’s figure 2 shows a lighting apparatus driver comprising all the aspects of the present invention as note above except the control signal is in a form of voltage or is based on a DALI protocol as called for in claim 7.
Zhou et al.’s column 3, lines 55-60 teaches that brightness control signals can be communicated via a standard interface DALI. Since Lou et al.’s PWM dimming control circuit is an intelligent PWM dimming control circuit, it is certainly capable of being programmed with DALI protocol. Thus, outside of any non-obviousness results, the obviousness of using DALI protocol is unpatentable under 35USc 103 as taught by Zhou et al. reference.
Claim(s) 1, 3-11 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou et al. (USP 10,880,968) in view of Chapuis (US 2008/0010474)
Regarding claim 1, Zhou et al.’s figure 3 shows A lighting apparatus driver, comprising: a filter to filter out noise (101); a rectifier (102) to convert an AC voltage into a DC voltage; a boost module to receive the DC voltage from the rectifier and output a relatively constant output DC voltage (125); a plurality of voltage regulator IC modules (140A, 140B are switched mode current DC/DC converters) indirectly connected to the rectifier, wherein each voltage regulator IC modules of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules is directly connected to a separate lighting apparatus (146A, 146B), each separate lighting apparatus (146A and 146B) having a first end and a second end, each separate light apparatus being directly connected to an individual one of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules on the first end and directly connected to the boost module (125) on the second end (second end of 146A and 146B connected to ground 114; the boost module is also connected to ground) to receive the relatively constant output DC voltage, two or more of the separate lighting apparatuses having different sizes and power utilizations (each 146A and 148B has different colors, thus, it inherently has different sizes and power consumption),where each of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules is capable of independently controlling current input to the lighting apparatus connected thereto to cause each separate lighting apparatus to emit approximately the same brightness level (noted, since Zhou et al.’s apparatus uses a separate voltage regulator IC module to control the current used in each lighting apparatus, thus, the brightness of each lighting apparatus is capable of being kept at the same level.
Zhou et al. reference fails to disclose the switched mode DC/DC converter (140A and 140B) being Buck DC/DC converters as called for in claim 1. Chapuis’s paragraph 0050 teaches that Buck DC/DC converter is a particular type of switched mode DC/DC converter. Therefore, it would have been obvious to person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have Zhou et al.’s switched mode DC/DC converters made of Buck type DC/DC converters as taught by Chapuis reference.
Regarding claim 3, wherein the lighting apparatus driver further comprises a dimming control (144) and the dimming control is coupled to each of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules, so as to send a dimming control signal (141A, 141B) to each of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules.
Regarding claim 4, wherein when the dimming control signal (141A, 141B) is to cause brightness of each of multiple lighting apparatuses to change, the dimming signal is sent to each of the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules, and each voltage regulator IC module independently inputs substantially the same current to the lighting apparatus connected thereto, such that the brightness of each of the multiple lighting apparatus is substantially the same.
Regarding claim 5, Zhou et al.’s figure 3 shows the dimming control (144) is isolation dimming control (column 3, lines 52-55).
Regarding claim 6, Lou et al.’s figure 2 shows wherein the isolation dimming control (144) is capable of being magnetic diming control or optocoupler based dimming control (column 3, lines 52-55).
Regarding claim 7, wherein the control signal is in a form of voltage or is based on a DALI protocol (see column 3, lines 59-60).
Regarding claim 8, Zhou et al.’s voltage regulator IC modules comprises a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET).
Regarding claim 9, Zhou et al.’s figure 3 lighting apparatus driver does not include a half bridge.
Regarding claim 10, Zhou et al.’s figure 3 shows the lighting apparatus driver is to drive a plurality of LED lamps connected in parallel.
Regarding claim 11, Zhou et al.’s LED lamps are capable of having different sizes and/or power.
Regarding claim 13, Zhou et al.’s figure 3 shows the Boost module is coupled between the rectifier and the plurality of voltage regulator IC modules.
Regarding claim 14, Zhou et al.’s figure 3 shows the rectifier is a rectifier bridge.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. In this regard, applicant’s cited prior art has been carefully considered.
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/TUAN T LAM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
3/22/2026