DETAILED ACTION
Receipt is acknowledged of a request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) and a submission, filed on 10/22/2025. In virtue of this request:
Claims 1-35, 59 and 67-189 were previously canceled;
Claims 44 and 195-196 are canceled;
Claims 199-200 are newly added;
Claims 36, 40, 42-43, 45-46, 58, 191 and 198 are currently amended; and thus,
Claims 36-43, 45-58, 60-66, 190-194 and 197-200 are pending;
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 .
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.
Claim 200 is 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 200, the claim is rendered indefinite based upon dependency of claim 99, which is a canceled claim.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 36-37, 41, 45-50, 52-58, 62-63, 66, 190-194 and 197-198 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US2018/0160502A1 hereinafter “Casey” in view of NPL Mobile UX Design: Sliders hereinafter “Babich”
Regarding claim 36, Casey discloses a control device (¶54l2: user interface) for controlling a lighting load that is external to the control device (¶54L1-4: controlling the intensity and/or color of a light source), the control device comprising:
a slider knob (¶54L2: a slider knob) configured to move along an elongated slot (¶54L6-7: the slider knob may slide along a slider slot) in a vertical direction (as shown in Fig.7A and 7B for example) to control an intensity level of the lighting load across a dimming range between a low-end intensity level and a high-end intensity level (¶66L7-9: adjust the intensity of the lighting load between a minimum intensity level and a maximum intensity level);
a plurality of light sources (¶56L4-5: the slider slod may be illuminated by one or more LEDs);
a surface located behind the elongated slot, wherein the surface is configured to be illuminated by the plurality of light sources (¶56L4-5: the slider slot may be illuminated by one or more LEDs) to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load (¶42L3-5: the length of the illuminated portion may provide an indication of the current intensity level of the light source); and
a control circuit (¶66L2: a control circuit of a control device) configured to:
control an amount of power delivered to the lighting load to control the intensity level of the lighting load in response movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot (¶53L3-5: the position of the slider knob along the length of the slider slot may represent the intensity of the lighting load)
Casey does not expclitly disclose:
in response to movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot, illuminate an illuminated portion of the surface that is located below the slider knob without illuminating any portion of the surface located above the slider knob to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load
Babich discloses an user interface design wherein
in response to movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot, illuminate an illuminated portion of the surface that is located below the slider knob without illuminating any portion of the surface located above the slider knob to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load (as shown in Figure title “Example of single sliders in Android Volumes” on Page.3; and as annotated below) (Note: although the slider shown in horizontal, by rotating the slider 90 degrees, the slider would be vertical, and the left and right hand portion horizontal slider would be the bottom and top portion of the vertical slider, respectively.)
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It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to configure the illuminate slot and slider knob to be illuminate in a similar manner as disclosed by Babich.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because Casey already contemplated such configuration by disclosing the feature of adjusting the length of the illuminated portion may provide an indication of the current intensity level of the light source (¶42L3-5) and Babich discloses that sliders has been around for a long time and is the standard for selecting and that sliders are intuitive (Page.1) and this provides visual feedback (Page.7-8)
Regarding claim 37, Casey in view of Babich hereinafter “Casey/Babich” discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36, wherein
the slider knob is configured to move along the elongated slot in response to a user input for adjusting the amount of power delivered to the lighting load. (¶461-4: the intensity slide knob slide along the intensity slider slot to set the intensity of a connected light source)
Regarding claim 41, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36, further comprising
a communication circuit (¶26: the load control device may be configure to transmit wireless signals); wherein
the control circuit is configured to cause the communication circuit to transmit a control message that causes the intensity of the lighting load to be adjusted in response to movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot. (¶26: the wireless signal may be used to control the intensity of the controllable light source)
Regarding claim 45, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 44 , wherein,
the surface is located behind the slider knob. (as shown in Fig.7A for example)
Regarding claim 46, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 36, wherein
the illuminated portion of the surface defines a plurality of discrete segments, and wherein the control circuit is configured to controllably illuminate at least a subset of the plurality of discrete segments based on the intensity level of the lighting load. (as shown by Figure name “Discrete slider for product rating (0 to 5 stars)”on Page.4 of Babich, and Fig.2 of Casey)
Regarding claim 47, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 46, wherein
Casey/Babich does not explicitly disclose:
the plurality of discrete segments comprises nine segments.
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the display disclosed by Casey/Babich to increase the segments to 9 segments.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because the more segments the more detail the display is able to convey the current level and it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St, Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Regarding claim 48, Casey/Babich discloses in the control device of claim 46, wherein
the slider knob defines a length, and the length of the slider knob is equal to or greater than a length of each of the plurality of discrete segments. (as shown by Figure name “Discrete slider for product rating (0 to 5 stars)”on Page.4 of Babich, and Fig.2 of Casey)
Regarding claim 49, Casey/Babich discloses he control device of claim 48, wherein
the length of the slider knob is at least two times greater than the length of each of the plurality of discrete segments. (as shown by Figure name “Discrete slider for product rating (0 to 5 stars)”on Page.4 of Babich, and Fig.2 of Casey)
Regarding claim 50, Casey/Babich the control device of claim 46, further comprising:
a tunnel structure located between the plurality of light sources and the surface, wherein the tunnel structure comprises a plurality of apertures that are configured to cause the illuminated portion of the surface to illuminate the plurality of discrete segments along the elongated slot. (as shown in Fig.2 of Casey, aperture for the light to be illuminated through)
Regarding claim 52, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36, further comprising:
an actuation member (¶36L1: toggle actuator),
Casey/Babich does not disclose in a single embodiment:
the elongated slot is located adjacent to the actuation member.
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the control device shown in Fig.2 of Casey to replace the intensity actuator [212] with the slider intensity adjustment actuator disclosed by Fig.7A.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because the prior art has recognized they are equivalent replacement.
Regarding claim 53, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 52, wherein
the actuation member is configured to pivot in response of an upper portion of the actuation member or a lower position of the actuation member; and wherein the control circuit is configured to turn the lighting load on in response to an actuation of the upper portion of the actuation member, and configured to turn the lighting load off in response to an actuation of the lower portion of the actuation member. (¶24: toggle actuator configured to actuate for toggling e.g., turning off and on, the controllable light source)
Regarding claim 54, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36
a bezel, the elongated slot located in the bezel; and an actuation member located within an opening in the bezel adjacent to the elongated slot (¶51: the slider knob may be provided on a bezel that extend through an opening in a faceplate)
Regarding claim 55, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36, wherein
the elongated slot is located within a bezel of the control device. (¶51: the slider knob may be provided on a bezel that extend through an opening in a faceplate)
Regarding claim 56, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36,
an actuation member, wherein the elongated slot is located within the actuation member. (as shown in Fig.8A or 8B for example)
Regarding claim 57, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36, wherein
the slider knob is mechanically coupled to a potentiometer of the control device, such that the control circuit is configured to determine amount of power to be delivered to the electrical load in response to a voltage generated by the potentiometer. (¶54: the slider knob may be connected to an internal potentiometer via a shaft)
Regarding claim 58, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36, wherein
the control circuit is configured to determine a length of an illuminated portion of the surface in proportion to the intensity level of the lighting load. (¶42L3-5: the length of the illuminated portion may provide an indication of the current intensity level of the light source)
Regarding claim 62, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36, further comprising:
a controllably conductive device adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between an alternating current (AC) power source and the lighting load; wherein
the control circuit is configured to control the controllably conductive device to control the intensity level of the lighting load in response to movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot. (¶23L1-16: the load control device coupled between an alternating-current power source and the controllable light source)
Regarding claim 63, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36, wherein
the control circuit is configured to control the intensity level of the lighting load based on a position of the slider knob along the elongated slot. (¶53L3-5: the position of the slider knob along the length of the slider slot may represent the intensity of the lighting load)
Regarding claim 66, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36, wherein
wherein the elongated slot is configured to provide multiple types of feedback including two or more of the intensity level of the lighting load, a color of the lighting load, or a position of the slider knob. (¶30: visual indicator to provide feedback to the user about the operational status of the lighting load (e.g., the intensity and/or color of the light source)
Regarding claim 190, Casey/Babich discloses in Babich the control device of claim 46, wherein the control circuit is configured to:
illuminate a first segment of the plurality of discrete segments when the intensity level of the lighting load is between a low-end threshold and a first threshold; illuminate the first segment and a second segment of the plurality of discrete segments when the intensity level of the lighting load is between the first threshold and a second threshold; illuminate the first segment, the second segment, and a third segment of the plurality of discrete segments when the intensity level of the lighting load is between the second threshold and a third threshold; and illuminate the first segment, the second segment, the third segment, and a fourth segment of the plurality of discrete segments when the intensity level of the lighting load is between the third threshold and a fourth threshold. (as shown by Figure name “Discrete slider for product rating (0 to 5 stars)”on Page.4 of Babich)
Regarding claim 191, Casey/Babich discloses in Babich the control device of claim 46, wherein the control circuit is configured
wherein each of the plurality of discrete segments are associated with a lower intensity threshold and an upper intensity threshold that are associated with a portion of the power range. (as shown by Figure name “Discrete slider for product rating (0 to 5 stars)”on Page.4 of Babich; Babich also discloses that the slider may be designed to represent different value based upon design choice)
Regarding claim 192, Casey/Babich discloses in Babich the control device of claim 191, wherein
the lower intensity threshold and the upper intensity threshold for at least some of the plurality of discrete segments are different based on whether the intensity level of the lighting load is controlled in response to movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot or is controlled in response to a message received from an external device. (as shown by Figure name “Discrete slider for product rating (0 to 5 stars)”on Page.4 of Babich; Babich also discloses that the slider may be designed to represent different value based upon design choice)
Regarding claim 193, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 36, wherein
the control circuit is configured to illuminate the surface as a continuous light bar. (as shown in Fig.7A and 7B for example)
Regarding claim 194, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 193, wherein
the control circuit is configured to illuminate the surface as the continuous light bar such that an end point of the continuous light bar is based on the amount of power delivered to the lighting load. (¶42L3-5: the length of the illuminated portion may provide an indication of the current intensity level of the light source)
Regarding claim 197, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 54, wherein
the elongated slot is defined between a front surface of the bezel and the surface behind the elongated slot. (¶51: the slider knob may be provided on a bezel that extend through an opening in a faceplate)
Regarding claim 198, Casey/Babich discloses in Casey the control device of claim 54, wherein
the plurality of light source are configured to illuminate a first portion of the surface and not illuminate a second portion of the surface to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load. (¶42L3-5: the length of the illuminated portion may provide an indication of the current intensity level of the light source)
Claims 38, 60-61 and 64 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Casey/Babich in view of US2014/0315510A1 hereinafter “Heng”
Regarding claim 38, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 36,
Casey/Babich does not explicitly disclose:
a diffuser defining the surface, wherein the diffuser is coupled to the slider knob and configured to move with the slider knob as the slider knob moves along the elongated slot.
Heng discloses a visual feedback system for a controller wherein
a diffuser defining the surface, wherein the diffuser is coupled to the slider knob and configured to move with the slider knob as the slider knob moves along the elongated slot. (¶26L1-8: the light guide reflector spread the illumination in response to rotation of the knob)
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the display/visual indicator disclose by Casey/Babich to operate incorporate the reflector as disclosed by Heng.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because the reflector provides improved illuminated user interface which is easy to interpret even under dark conditions. (¶25)
Regarding claim 60, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 36
Casey/Babich does not explicitly disclose:
a diffuser, comprising an elongated portion that extends behind the elongated slot, wherein the diffuser is configured to scatter light received from the plurality of light sources.
Heng discloses a visual feedback system for a controller wherein
a diffuser, comprising an elongated portion that extends behind the elongated slot, wherein the diffuser is configured to scatter light received from the plurality of light sources. (¶26L1-8: the light guide reflector spread the illumination in response to rotation of the knob)
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the display/visual indicator disclose by Casey/Babich to operate incorporate the reflector as disclosed by Heng.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because the reflector provides improved illuminated user interface which is easy to interpret even under dark conditions. (¶25)
Regarding claim 61, Casey/Babich in view of Heng discloses in Casey the control device of claim 60, wherein
the plurality of light sources comprises one or more light-emitting diodes. (¶56L4-5: the slider slot may be illuminated by one or more LEDs)
Regarding claim 64, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 36
Casey/Babich does not explicitly disclose:
a linear diffuser that defines the surface.
Heng discloses a visual feedback system for a controller wherein
a linear diffuser that defines the surface. (¶26L1-8: the light guide reflector spread the illumination in response to rotation of the knob)
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the display/visual indicator disclose by Casey/Babich to operate incorporate the reflector as disclosed by Heng.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because the reflector provides improved illuminated user interface which is easy to interpret even under dark conditions. (¶25)
Claims 39-40, 42-43, 65 and 199-200 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Casey/Babich in view of US2013/0249441A1 hereinafter “Roosli”
Regarding claim 39, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 36, wherein,
in response to movements of the slider knob, the control circuit is configured to align an illuminated portion of the surface with a location of the slider knob (Casey ¶42L3-5: the length of the illuminated portion may provide an indication of the current intensity level of the light source; as shown in Figure title “Example of single sliders in Android Volumes” on Page.3 of Babich)
Casey/Babich does not explicitly disclose:
in response to control of the electrical load by a remote device, the control circuit is configured to illuminate the surface to indicate the amount of power delivered to the lighting load such that an illuminated portion of the surface does not align with the location of the slider knob
Roosli discloses a control device (¶22L1-2: the wall box device) for controlling a lighting load (¶25L3-4: a light load of a respective light circuit) that is external to the control device (as shown in Fig.1 for example), the control device comprising:
a slider knob (¶49L4: a slider control) configured to move along an elongated slot (as shown in Fig.5) to control an intensity level of the lighting load across a dimming range between a low-end intensity level and a high-end intensity level (¶50L1-4: when the user operates slide control, the wall box dimmer send a dim level set command with a slider-corresponding brightness level);
a plurality of light sources (¶49L4 -5: a display; ¶40L11-12: the display which may comprise a plurality of LEDs);
a surface (as shown in Fig.5 LEDs [12]), wherein the surface is configured to be illuminated by the plurality of light source to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load (¶40L10-12: the dimming level provided by the slider control is indicated on the display which may compromise a plurality of LEDs);
a control circuit configured to control an amount of power delivered to the lighting load to control the intensity level of the lighting load in response movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot (¶22L4-8: the slider control is configured to operate a dimmer circuit by which a user can manually set a variable light level of the light circuit or other light circuit); wherein
the control circuit is configured to:
in response to control of the electrical load by a remote device (¶43L1-6: a control command is sent on the network by another device), the control circuit is configured to illuminate the surface to indicate the amount of power delivered to the lighting load such that an illuminated portion of the surface does not align with the location of the slider knob (¶44L1-9: the computed shadow image SI-1 that tracks the entry light state can be forwarded to the display [52] to continuously display the real time brightness of this circuit).
Therefore, Roosli describes the operation of a system wherein the system uses a shadow image to track changes made from different user interface that is connected to the network, in order to provide real time status of the operation of the lighting circuit and updating the display accordingly; thus discloses when a command to dim the circuit is received form a remote user device on the network, the display will update the display according to the real time brightness, however, since the user did not actuate the slider knob, the display and the slider knob will not be aligned.
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the control device disclosed by Casey/Babich to incorporate the communication with external device and display of real time brightness as disclosed by Roosli.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because this allow the control device to be controlled remotely by another user.
Regarding claim 40, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 36
Casey/Babich does not explicitly disclose:
a communication circuit configured to receive a message from a remote device; wherein
the control circuit is configured to control the amount of power delivered to the lighting load in response to the received message, and
illuminate an illuminated portion of the surface to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load in accordance with the received message.
Roosli discloses a control device (¶22L1-2: the wall box device) for controlling a lighting load (¶25L3-4: a light load of a respective light circuit) that is external to the control device (as shown in Fig.1 for example), the control device comprising:
a communication circuit (inherently disclosed, if the devices are configured to communicate in a network, a communication circuit is required) configured to receive a message from a remote device (¶43L1-6: a control command is sent on the network by another device); wherein
the control circuit is configured to control the amount of power delivered to the lighting load in response to the received message (¶50L1-13: a dim level set command with a slider-correspond brightness level into the control network), and
illuminate an illuminated portion of the surface to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load in accordance with the received message. (¶44L1-9: the computed shadow image SI-1 that tracks the entry light state can be forwarded to the display [52] to continuously display the real time brightness of this circuit).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the control device disclosed by Casey/Babich to incorporate the communication with external device and display of real time brightness as disclosed by Roosli.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because this allow the control device to be controlled remotely by another user.
Regarding claim 42, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 36
Casey/Babich does not explicitly disclose:
a communication circuit configured to receive a message from a remote device; wherein
the control circuit is configured to illuminate an illuminated portion of the surface to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load in accordance with the received message such that the illuminated portion of the surface is not aligned with a position of the slider knob along the elongated slot
Roosli discloses a control device (¶22L1-2: the wall box device) for controlling a lighting load (¶25L3-4: a light load of a respective light circuit) that is external to the control device (as shown in Fig.1 for example), the control device comprising:
a communication circuit (inherently disclosed, if the devices are configured to communicate in a network, a communication circuit is required)configured to receive a message from a remote device (¶43L1-6: a control command is sent on the network by another device); wherein
the control circuit is configured to illuminate an illuminated portion of the surface to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load in accordance with the received message such that the illuminated portion of the surface is not aligned with a position of the slider knob along the elongated slot.(¶44L1-9: the computed shadow image SI-1 that tracks the entry light state can be forwarded to the display [52] to continuously display the real time brightness of this circuit).
Examiner Note, ¶40-44 of Roosli describes the operation of the system, wherein the system uses a shadow image to track changes made from different user interface that is connected to the network, in order to provide real time status of the operation of the lighting circuit and updating the display accordingly; thus discloses when a command to dim the circuit is received form a remote user device on the network, the display will update the display according to the real time brightness, however, since the user did not actuate the slider knob, the display and the slider knob will not be aligned.)
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the control device disclosed by Casey/Babich to incorporate the communication with external device and display of real time brightness as disclosed by Roosli.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because this allow the control device to be controlled remotely by another user.
Regarding claim 43, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 36,
Casey/Babich does not explicitly disclose:
when an illuminated portion of the surface is not aligned with a position of the slider knob along the elongated slot, the control circuit is configured to realign the illuminated portion of the surface with the position of the slider knob in response to movement of the slider knob.
Roosli discloses a control device (¶22L1-2: the wall box device) for controlling a lighting load (¶25L3-4: a light load of a respective light circuit) that is external to the control device (as shown in Fig.1 for example), wherein
when an illuminated portion of the surface is not aligned with a position of the slider knob along the elongated slot, the control circuit is configured to realign the illuminated portion of the surface with the position of the slider knob in response to movement of the slider knob. (¶44L1-9: the computed shadow image SI-1 that tracks the entry light state can be forwarded to the display [52] to continuously display the real time brightness of this circuit).
Examiner Note, ¶40-44 of Roosli describes the operation of the system, wherein the system uses a shadow image to track changes made from different user interface that is connected to the network, in order to provide real time status of the operation of the lighting circuit and updating the display accordingly; thus discloses when a command to dim the circuit is received form a remote user device on the network, the display will update the display according to the real time brightness, however, since the user did not actuate the slider knob, the display and the slider knob will not be aligned, but when the user further actuates the slider, the system will update the files again and display will be updated to display the new slider adjusted level.)
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the control device disclosed by Casey/Babich to incorporate the communication with external device and display of real time brightness as disclosed by Roosli.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because this allow the control device to be controlled remotely by another user.
Regarding claim 65, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 36,
Casey/Babich does not explicitly disclose:
the elongated slot is configured to provide feedback indicating whether the intensity level of the lighting load is determined based on a position of the slider knob along the elongated slot or a message received from an external device.
Roosli discloses a control device (¶22L1-2: the wall box device) for controlling a lighting load (¶25L3-4: a light load of a respective light circuit) that is external to the control device (as shown in Fig.1 for example), wherein
the elongated slot is configured to provide feedback indicating whether the intensity level of the lighting load is determined based on a position of the slider knob along the elongated slot or a message received from an external device. (¶40-44 of Roosli describes the operation of the system, wherein the system uses a shadow image to track changes made from different user interface that is connected to the network, in order to provide real time status of the operation of the lighting circuit and updating the display accordingly; thus discloses when a command to dim the circuit is received form a remote user device on the network, the display will update the display according to the real time brightness; therefore, when the slider matches the position of the display, the command came from the slider, and when the slider doesn’t match the position the command came from remote device.)
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the control device disclosed by Casey/Babich to incorporate the communication with external device and display of real time brightness as disclosed by Roosli.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because this allow the control device to be controlled remotely by another user.
Regarding claim 199, Casey discloses a control device (¶54l2: user interface) for controlling a lighting load that is external to the control device (¶54L1-4: controlling the intensity and/or color of a light source), the control device comprising:
a slider knob (¶54L2: a slider knob) configured to move along an elongated slot (¶54L6-7: the slider knob may slide along a slider slot) in a vertical direction (as shown in Fig.7A and 7B for example) to control an intensity level of the lighting load across a dimming range between a low-end intensity level and a high-end intensity level (¶66L7-9: adjust the intensity of the lighting load between a minimum intensity level and a maximum intensity level);
a plurality of light sources (¶56L4-5: the slider slod may be illuminated by one or more LEDs);
a surface located behind the elongated slot, wherein the surface is configured to be illuminated by the plurality of light sources (¶56L4-5: the slider slot may be illuminated by one or more LEDs) to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load (¶42L3-5: the length of the illuminated portion may provide an indication of the current intensity level of the light source); and
a control circuit (¶66L2: a control circuit of a control device) configured to:
control an amount of power delivered to the lighting load to control the intensity level of the lighting load in response movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot (¶53L3-5: the position of the slider knob along the length of the slider slot may represent the intensity of the lighting load)
Casey does not expclitly disclose:
in response to movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot, illuminate an illuminated portion of the surface that is located below the slider knob without illuminating any portion of the surface located above the slider knob to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load and
in response to control of the lighting load by a remote device, illuminate the surface to indicate the amount of power delivered to the lighting load such that the illuminated portion of the surface does not align with the location of the slider knob.
Babich discloses an user interface design wherein
in response to movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot, illuminate an illuminated portion of the surface that is located below the slider knob without illuminating any portion of the surface located above the slider knob to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load (as shown in Figure title “Example of single sliders in Android Volumes” on Page.3; and as annotated below) (Note: although the slider shown in horizontal, by rotating the slider 90 degrees, the slider would be vertical, and the left and right hand portion horizontal slider would be the bottom and top portion of the vertical slider, respectively.)
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It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to configure the illuminate slot and slider knob to be illuminate in a similar manner as disclosed by Babich.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because Casey already contemplated such configuration by disclosing the feature of adjusting the length of the illuminated portion may provide an indication of the current intensity level of the light source (¶42L3-5) and Babich discloses that sliders has been around for a long time and is the standard for selecting and that sliders are intuitive (Page.1) and this provides visual feedback (Page.7-8)
Casey/Babich does not explicitly disclose:
in response to control of the electrical load by a remote device, the control circuit is configured to illuminate the surface to indicate the amount of power delivered to the lighting load such that an illuminated portion of the surface does not align with the location of the slider knob
Roosli discloses a control device (¶22L1-2: the wall box device) for controlling a lighting load (¶25L3-4: a light load of a respective light circuit) that is external to the control device (as shown in Fig.1 for example), the control device comprising:
a slider knob (¶49L4: a slider control) configured to move along an elongated slot (as shown in Fig.5) to control an intensity level of the lighting load across a dimming range between a low-end intensity level and a high-end intensity level (¶50L1-4: when the user operates slide control, the wall box dimmer send a dim level set command with a slider-corresponding brightness level);
a plurality of light sources (¶49L4 -5: a display; ¶40L11-12: the display which may comprise a plurality of LEDs);
a surface (as shown in Fig.5 LEDs [12]), wherein the surface is configured to be illuminated by the plurality of light source to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load (¶40L10-12: the dimming level provided by the slider control is indicated on the display which may compromise a plurality of LEDs);
a control circuit configured to control an amount of power delivered to the lighting load to control the intensity level of the lighting load in response movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot (¶22L4-8: the slider control is configured to operate a dimmer circuit by which a user can manually set a variable light level of the light circuit or other light circuit); wherein
the control circuit is configured to:
in response to control of the electrical load by a remote device (¶43L1-6: a control command is sent on the network by another device), the control circuit is configured to illuminate the surface to indicate the amount of power delivered to the lighting load such that an illuminated portion of the surface does not align with the location of the slider knob (¶44L1-9: the computed shadow image SI-1 that tracks the entry light state can be forwarded to the display [52] to continuously display the real time brightness of this circuit).
Therefore, Roosli describes the operation of a system wherein the system uses a shadow image to track changes made from different user interface that is connected to the network, in order to provide real time status of the operation of the lighting circuit and updating the display accordingly; thus discloses when a command to dim the circuit is received form a remote user device on the network, the display will update the display according to the real time brightness, however, since the user did not actuate the slider knob, the display and the slider knob will not be aligned.
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the control device disclosed by Casey/Babich to incorporate the communication with external device and display of real time brightness as disclosed by Roosli.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because this allow the control device to be controlled remotely by another user.
Regarding claim 200, Casey/Babich in view of Roosli hereinafter “Casey/Babich/Roosli” discloses the control device of claim 99, further comprising
a communication circuit (inherently disclosed, if the devices are configured to communicate in a network, a communication circuit is required)configured to receive a message from a remote device (¶43L1-6: a control command is sent on the network by another device); wherein
the control circuit is configured to control the amount of power delivered to the lighting load in response to the received message (¶43L1-18: a control command is sent on network by another device), and
illuminate the illuminated portion of the surface to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load in accordance with the received message. .(¶44L1-9: the computed shadow image SI-1 that tracks the entry light state can be forwarded to the display [52] to continuously display the real time brightness of this circuit).
Claim 51 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Casey/Babich in view of US2010/0007508A1 hereinafter “Nearhoof”
Regarding claim 51, Casey/Babich discloses the control device of claim 36,
Casey/Babich does not disclose:
the control circuit is configured to enter an idle mode when the lighting load is off, and wherein, when in the idle mode, the control circuit is configured to illuminate the surface at a first intensity level that is lower than a second intensity level used to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load when in an active mode.
Nearhoof discloses a load control device wherein:
the control circuit is configured to enter an idle mode when the electrical load is off, and wherein, when in the idle mode, the control circuit is configured to illuminate the surface at a first intensity level that is lower than a second intensity level used to indicate the amount of power delivered to the electrical load when in an active mode. (¶34L1-26: the dimmer enters an active LED mode, in which the status indicator are illuminated to a bright Active level; the dimmer enters the inactive LED mode and the status indicator are illuminated to a dim Idle level)
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to modify the wall box dimmer disclosed by Casey/Babich to incorporate the Active/Idle level of the indicator as disclosed by Nearhoof.
One of ordinary skill in the art would’ve been motivated because the brighter status indicator makes it viewable in direct sunlight. (¶34L5-7)
Response to Arguments
Applicant argued the applicant argued neither Roosli nor Casey discloses “in response to movement of the slider knob along the elongated slot, illuminate an illuminated portion of the surface that is located below the slider knob without illuminating any portion of the surface located above the slider knob to indicate the intensity level of the lighting load” which the examiner disagrees, as Casey discloses: in ¶42L3-5: the length of the illuminated portion may provide an indication of the current intensity level of the light source, which clearly implies that the feedback bar is correlated to the position and current intensity level of the lighting device.
However, in the interest of furthering prosecution, the examiner has amended the rejection to include prior art that is more explicit in the disclosure; therefore, applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAYMOND R CHAI whose telephone number is (571)270-0576. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30AM-5:00PM.
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/Raymond R Chai/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844