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 .
EXAMINER’S AMENDMENT
An examiner’s amendment to the record appears below. Should the changes and/or additions be unacceptable to applicant, an amendment may be filed as provided by 37 CFR 1.312. To ensure consideration of such an amendment, it MUST be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee.
Authorization for this examiner’s amendment was given in an interview with Ron Jacobs on 24 March 2026.
The application has been amended as follows:
In claim 26, line 5, replace – up 20 mm – with – up to 20 mm – following “a body thickness ranging”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 28-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Stockum et al. (2022/0095549).
With respect to claim 28, Stockum teaches a coating (1”) for facilitating photosynthesis (paragraphs 31-33), wherein the coating comprises a fluorescent material or a persistent luminescent material (paragraphs 31-33; Fig. 12) each with a peak emission near about 525 nm (paragraph 33) and is engineered to (i) absorb light at UV, blue, red wavelengths or a combination thereof (paragraph 153), and (ii) reemit light at green wavelengths (paragraph 33).
As for claim 29, Stockum teaches wherein the fluorescent material or the persistent luminescent material comprises SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy (paragraphs 90, 152, and 155).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 26 is allowed.
With respect to claims 26-29, the prior art does not teach or suggest wherein the transparent body has a top surface and a bottom surface spaced from each other by a body thickness ranging up to 20 mm, wherein the transparent body has a plurality of continuous channels distributed over the transparent body, wherein the plurality of continuous channels run through the transparent body from the top surface to the bottom surface, and wherein the plurality of continuous channels have defined inside surfaces from the top surface to the bottom surface; and(b) a SrAl204:Eu,Dy coating coated the inside surfaces of the plurality of continuous channels, wherein sunlight, coming in at the top surface of the transparent body, both scatters off the SrAl204:Eu,Dy coating at the inner surfaces and is absorbed and reemitted via persistent luminescence by the SrAl204:Eu,Dy, all while passing through the transparent body, and outputs the persistent luminescence at the bottom surface of the transparent body; along with the other limiting elements of claim 26.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 26 September 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The Applicant argues that Stockum does not mention SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy. Contrary to the Applicant’s arguments, in paragraph 155 Stockum explicitly teaching DdEeOf:Mn4+ where Dd is taught to be Sr and E is Al and d+1.5d=f (e.x. 1 + 1.5*2 =4). Therefore, Stockum teaches SrAl2O4. Paragraph 90 teaches phosphors like the phosphor of paragraph 155 have “one or more light emitting centers” chosen from a group including Eu, Dy, and Mn. Therefore, Stockum explicitly teaches a combination of Eu and Dy is a taught “one or more” alternative to the Mn. Therefore the teaching of paragraphs 90 and 155 explicitly teach SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy.
The Applicant further agues that Stockum does not teach material that emits green light. But paragraph 33 of Stockum explicitly includes green light in the peak maximum wavelength range produced from phosphors.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM JOSEPH CARTER whose telephone number is (571)272-0959. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm.
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/WILLIAM J CARTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875 4/4/2026