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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is responsive to the applicant's amendment submitted on 03/05/2026. Claim 1 has been amended. Claims 2 and 12 have been previously canceled. A terminal disclaimer submitted on 12/16/2024 has been approved and OK to enter. Thus, claims 1, 3-11 and 13 are currently pending in the instant application.
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.
Note: Claims in a pending application should be given their broadest reasonable interpretation. In re Pearson, 181 USPQ 641 (CCPA 1974). Things clearly shown in reference patent drawing qualify as prior art features, even though unexplained by the specification. In re Mraz, 173 USPQ 25 (CCPA 1972).
Claims 1, 3-11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pope et al. (U.S Publication No. 20150351191 A1) in view of Altonen et al. (U.S Patent No. 7791595 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Pope discloses a wallbox mountable electrical load control device (which is a wall controller 126, see fig. 18-23), comprising:
control circuitry (which is a control circuitry 148), (see fig. 23);
a first user actuatable control (which is an on-off button 130) to provide an input to the control circuitry to cause the control circuitry to transition an operatively coupled lighting load between an ON state and an OFF state (see paragraph [0129] and [0132]);
a second user actuatable control (which is a diming button 132) to provide an input to the control circuitry to cause the control circuitry to adjust power delivered to the operatively coupled lighting load (see paragraph [0129] and [0133]); and
a third user actuatable control (which is a CCT button 134) to provide an input to the control circuitry to cause the control circuitry to adjust a luminous output color of the operatively coupled lighting load (see paragraph [0129] and [010134]).
Pope does not explicitly disclose a controllably conductive device; an air-gap switch disposed in electrical series with the controllably conductive device; and control circuitry coupled to the controllably conductive device.
Altonen, on the other hand, discloses a user interface for a load control device comprises a bezel, a touch sensitive device, and a touch sensitive actuator; and a dimmer 100 has a hot terminal 202 connected to an AC voltage source 204 and a dimmed hot terminal 206 connected to a lighting load 208. The dimmer 100 employs a bidirectional semiconductor switch 210 coupled between the hot terminal 202 and the dimmed hot terminal 206, to control the current through, and thus the intensity of, the lighting load 208. The semiconductor switch 210 has a control input (or gate), which is connected to a gate drive circuit 212. The input to the gate renders the semiconductor switch 210 selectively conductive or non-conductive, which in turn controls the power supplied to the lighting load 208.. The dimmer 100 further includes an airgap switch actuator 119. Pulling the airgap switch actuator 119 opens a mechanical airgap switch 219 (FIG. 7) inside the dimmer 100 and disconnects the lighting load 208 from a connected AC voltage source 204 (FIG. 7). The airgap switch actuator 119 extends only sufficiently above the front surface 103 of the faceplate 102 to be gripped by a fingernail of a user (see fig. 7, col. 6, lines 13-22, and col. 7, lines 41-48).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the invention was made to modify the electrical load control device as taught by Pope with the load control device as taught by Altonen having a controllably conductive device, an air-gap switch disposed in electrical series with the controllably conductive device, and control circuitry coupled to the controllably conductive device as claimed having the dimmer includes an airgap switch actuator in order for pulling the airgap switch actuator opens a mechanical airgap switch inside the dimmer and disconnects the lighting load from a connected AC voltage source (see col. 6, lines 13-17 by Altonen).
Regarding claims 3-8, Pope in view of Altonen discloses the electrical load control device of claim 1, further comprising a faceplate (128, see fig. 1-22). Pope does not explicitly discloses all the limitations of claims 3-8.
However, Pope discloses all the elements recites in claims 3-8, having the user input interface may include a means for receiving an indication of dimming level, means for receiving the indication of CCT level, and means for receiving an indication of an on-off state. The user input interface may include a first button for receiving an indication of dimming level, a second button for receiving the indication of CCT level, and a third button for receiving an indication of an on-off state (see fig. 18-30, paragraph [0013]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to modify the elements as taught by Pope with the elements recites in the claims which is considered as an obvious matter of design choice based upon an actual design requirement so that the various designs of circuit may be satisfied.
Regarding claim 9, Pope in view of Altonen discloses the electrical load control device of claim 1 wherein the third user actuatable control (134) adjusts a color temperature of the luminous output of the operatively coupled lighting load (see paragraph [0134] by Pope).
Regarding claim 10, Pope in view of Altonen discloses the electrical load control device of claim 1, further comprising: a controllably conductive device coupled in series between an alternating current (AC) power source and the operatively coupled lighting load (see fig. 14 by Pope).
Regarding claim 11, Pope in view of Altonen discloses the electrical load control device of claim 1, further comprising: a visual indicator corresponding to the power delivered to the operably coupled lighting load (which is a user output interface 154 may include the CCT LEDs 136, 142, other LEDs or indicators, a display, or the like, see fig. 23, paragraph [0147] by Pope).
Regarding claim 13, Pope in view of Altonen discloses the electrical load control device of claim 1, further comprising: at least one user selectable control having a plurality of operating states (which is a selection switch 140, see paragraph [0048] and [0138] by Pope).
Pope does not explicitly disclose wherein each of the operating states corresponds to a respective one of a plurality of defined scenes; and wherein each of the plurality of defined scenes includes: a defined power to delivered to the operatively coupled lighting load; and a defined luminous output color of the operatively coupled lighting load.
However, Pope further discloses the operation and functionality of this wall controller 126 is analogous to that described above in association with FIG. 19. Instead of having a separate dimming button 132 and CCT button 134, a multifunction button 138 is provided along with a selection switch 140. The selection switch 140 can be toggled between a dim mode and a CCT mode. When in the dim mode, the multifunction button 138 operates like the dimming button 132. When in the CCT mode, the multifunction button 138 operates like the CCT button 134. Optionally, the first CCT LED 136 may be provided as described above and used such that the user has feedback as to the current or selected CCT level (see paragraph [0138]-[0141]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to modify the device as taught by Pope in view of Altonen with at least one user selectable control having a plurality of operating states, and each of the operating states corresponds to a respective one of a plurality of defined scenes; and wherein each of the plurality of defined scenes includes: a defined power to delivered to the operatively coupled lighting load; and a defined luminous output color of the operatively coupled lighting load, which is considered as an obvious matter of design choice based upon an actual design requirement so that the various designs of circuit may be satisfied.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 3-11 and 13 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
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 THAI N PHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-5518. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am-5:00 pm.
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, Regis Betsch can be reached at (571) 270-7101. 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.
/Thai Pham/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844 03/11/2026