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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1/30/26 has been entered. Claims 1,2,4,9-11,14,15,22,25-28 and 30-36 remain pending.
Specification
The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1) and MPEP § 608.01(o). Correction of the following is required:
For claim 33, “the drive box, having the drive circuit disposed therein, is wholly internal to the interior of the enclosure” is not supported by the specification.
Appropriate correction is needed.
Drawing
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore,
For claim 2, in, the first threaded ring and is sealed in a watertight manner with a first sealing ring;
The first threaded ring and the first sealing ring must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s).
Through out the drawings the first threaded ring and the first sealing ring are both labeled as the same element 14 ([0051]-[0052] in Applicant’s US Publication). They are not shown as different elements in the Drawings.
Therefore, they are considered as the same element and not two different elements.
No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 1,4, 9,10,11, 14 ,16 ,17, 22, 25, 27,28 and 32-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morgan (WO 2005012997 A2) in view of Lin (CN 206786418 U, cited previously) and further in view of Zheng (CN 205261328 U, cited previously)
Regarding claim 1, Morgan teaches a waterproof lighting device (see at least Fig.5, 9 and 14, Morgan discloses: A housing 800 may be provided with a watertight seal) comprising: the optical housing comprising: a housing body of tubular construction (Fig.5 and 9), the housing body comprising a sidewall; a first end cover (end covers showing screw attachments) disposed at a first end of the housing body; and a second end cover disposed at a second end of the housing body; wherein the housing body, the first end cover, and the second end cover operatively interface to define an enclosure;
a light engine disposed within an interior of the enclosure, the light engine comprising a light-emitting diode (LED) configured to emit light through the sidewall of the housing body (diffusers 502 that cover both front and sides as they are tubular in Fig.5 and 9 and have the LEDs within, also see light sources 300 in Fig.14 that also applies to other Drawings);
Morgan does not teach: a drive box which is sealed in a watertight manner, the drive box comprising: a drive box body; and a drive box cover configured to operatively interface with the drive box body in a watertight manner; an optical housing which is sealed in a watertight manner, and a drive circuit disposed within an interior of the drive box and configured for driving the light engine; wherein the drive box and the optical housing are directly mechanically connected with one another; wherein the optical housing and the drive box share a through-hole passageway that connects the interior of the drive box body and the interior of enclosure, through which through-hole passageway the drive circuit and the light engine are electrically connected with one another;
and wherein the drive box and the optical housing are openable independently of one another such that: opening of the drive box does not break watertight sealing of the optical housing; and opening of the optical housing does not break watertight sealing of the drive box.
Lin teaches:
Lighting device a drive box which is sealed in a watertight manner (see waterproof under background technology), the drive box comprising: a drive box body (14 in Fig.2); and a drive box cover 5 configured to operatively interface with the drive box body in a watertight manner; an optical housing (1-3) which is sealed in a watertight manner, and a drive circuit 15 disposed within an interior of the drive box and configured for driving the light engine; wherein the drive box and the optical housing are directly mechanically connected with one another; wherein the optical housing and the drive box share a through-hole 28 passageway that connects the interior of the drive box body and the interior of enclosure, through which through-hole passageway the drive circuit and the light engine are electrically connected with one another and it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the driver box separate from the housing, as disclosed in Lin, in the device of Morgan, in order to achieve easy trouble-shooting/replacement.
Although Morgan in view of Lin do not teach: a sealing gasket surrounds the through-hole passageway between the optical housing and an exterior of the drive box such that the through-hole passageway is sealed in a watertight manner while the optical housing and the drive box are physically spaced apart from one another by the sealing gasket. However, Morgan in view of Lin already teach a watertight lighting device (from the teachings of Lin teach a tri-proof lighting device and from the teachings of Morgan) and further, it is well known in the art to use sealing rings/gaskets within any opening that requires to be water tight.
Such as, Zheng that teaches:
the rear cover (3) is provided with a wire outlet hole 31, the outlet hole 31 is further provided with a sealing ring 32, such that the LED drive 4 connected with the conductor can be exposed outside the back cover 3 through the seal ring 32, and it also can ensure the waterproof performance of the utility model.
(Zheng teaches various sealing rings within the water -proof lamp such as: sealing rings 32, 101 and 102 are provided, sealing ring 32 for the opening 31 of wiring, sealing ring 101 between the back driver box cover and the lighting housing, and sealing ring 102 between front cover and diffusion cover.)
and it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use a sealing ring around the opening of Morgan in view of Lin, from the teachings of Zheng, in order to guarantee water-proof sealed opening.
Regarding claim 4, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, wherein the drive box further comprises a sealing strip (17 in Lin in Fig.2) arranged between the drive box cover and the drive box body such that operative interfacing of the drive box cover and the drive box body seals the drive box body in a watertight manner.
Regarding claim 9, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, further comprising one or more mounting brackets 2 configured for positioning the lighting device (see in Lin: wherein the two sides of the upper end of the shell (1) is provided with a hanging bar (20), the hanging bar (20) is clamped on the hook (21)).
Regarding claim 10, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, further comprising one or more sealed cable connectors mounted in a fixing hole formed on one side or both sides of the drive box and configured for receiving an external power cable configured for power supply (see wiring in 15 in Lin).
Regarding claim 11, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, wherein the optical housing 1 and the one or more mounting brackets 21 are inlaid together (in Lin).
Regarding claim 22, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, wherein the optical housing 1 and the drive box (5 and 15) are directly mechanically connected with one another through the through-hole passageway 28 (from hole 28 in Lin).
Regarding claim 25, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a driver-to-printed circuit board (PCB) connector configured to provide electrical connection between the light engine and the drive circuit through the through-hole passageway (from the teachings of Lin).
Regarding claim 27, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches the waterproof lighting device, wherein the drive box (15 in Lin) is configured for mounting to a mounting surface external to the waterproof lighting device; and the optical housing (applied to Fig.9 of Morgan) is configured for mounting on the exterior of the drive box.
Regarding claim 28, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, wherein: the optical housing is configured for mounting to a mounting surface external to the waterproof lighting device (using brackets 21 in Lin or the lower b brackets in Fig.9 of Morgan); and the drive box is configured for mounting within the interior of the housing body of the optical housing (from the teachings of Morgan wherein the driver or called board can be interior to the housing).
Regarding claim 32, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, wherein the drive box, having the drive circuit disposed therein, is wholly external to the optical housing (5,15 in Lin).
Regarding claim 33, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, wherein the drive box, having the drive circuit disposed therein, is wholly internal to the interior of the enclosure (4 in Fig.1 of Zheng, wherein disposing the driver box exterior to the housing or within the housing are well known techniques in the art).
Regarding claim 34, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, wherein the sidewall is continuous in form such that the housing body is of one-piece tubular construction (from the shapes disclosed in Fig.5 of Morgan).
Regarding claim 35, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, wherein the optical housing is configured as a tubular lamp (from the shapes disclosed in Fig.5 of Morgan).
Regarding claim 36, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, comprising a tubular lamp comprising the optical housing, the first end cover, the second end cover, and the enclosure defined thereby; and the light engine (from Fig.9 and 5 of Morgan).
Claim 26 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morgan in view of Morgan and Zheng and further in view of Zuo (US 20180106463 A1, cited previously)
Regarding claim 26, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches the invention set forth in claim 22 above, but is silent regarding a rivet configured to provide the direct mechanical connection between the drive box and the optical housing through the through-hole passageway.
Zuo teaches a power supply 251 that is connected to the rest of the lighting device with rivets (255, Fig.7-9 and [0028], further in [0024]/Fig.3 the waterproof nature of the power supply’s (150) connections is described) and it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use rivets for fixing the power supply as disclosed in Zuo, in the device of Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng in order to achieve robust connection to the rest of the luminaire housing.
Claim 30 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng and further in view of Ter-H (US 10222052 B1, cited previously)
Regarding claim 30, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches the invention set forth in claim 1, above but is silent regarding a heatsink disposed within the interior of the enclosure and thermally connected with the light engine whereas Ter-H teaches this feature (108 in Fig.4) and it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use heat sinks within the lighting housing as disclosed in Ter-H in the device of Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng in order to efficiently dissipate heat.
Claims 2 and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng and further in view of Zhou (CN 111256071 A)
Regarding claim 2, Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng teaches a waterproof lighting device, wherein the optical housing further comprises at least one of: a first openable end cover cap fastened to the first end cover for sealing the first end of the housing body in a watertight manner; and a second openable end cover cap fastened to the second end cover for sealing the second end of the housing body in a watertight manner (from the combined teachings of Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng) but does not teach the first end cover cap is fastened to the first end cover by a first threaded ring (see objection above) and is sealed in a watertight manner with a first sealing ring; wherein the second end cover cap is fastened to the second end cover by a second threaded ring (see objection above) 803 and is sealed in a watertight manner with a second sealing ring.
However, use of gasket or sealing rings between two elements that are connected with an opening is well known in the art, and Use of sealing rings, O rings or gaskets are well known techniques in order to tightly seal an opening that connects one element to another element.
Zhou teaches a light fixture that is water tight (see in Zhou: the end cover 9 of the housing 1 contact position achieves good waterproof and dustproof effect)
PNG
media_image1.png
766
261
media_image1.png
Greyscale
wherein the first end cover cap 9 is fastened to the first end cover 803 by a first threaded ring and is sealed in a watertight manner with a first sealing ring (12); wherein the second end cover cap is fastened to the second end cover 803 by a second threaded ring and is sealed in a watertight manner with a second sealing ring (other side of 12) and it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the sealing ring in conjunction with the end cap, as disclosed in Zhou, in the device of Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng in order to achieve water tight sealing (see in Zhou: the end cover 9 of the housing 1 contact position achieves good waterproof and dustproof effect).
Regarding claim 31, Morgan in view of Lin ,Zheng and Zhou teaches a waterproof lighting device, wherein the waterproof lighting device is configured for uninstalling of the light engine from within the interior of the enclosure and replacement with a different light engine within the interior of the enclosure through at least one of: a first opening in the first end cover while the first openable end cover cap is unfastened therefrom; and a second opening in the second end cover while the second openable end cover cap is unfastened therefrom (from the teachings of 502 of Fig. 5 or Fig.9 of Morgan OR lighting units 102 in the enclosure tubular enclosures of Fig.12 of Morgan, wherein the optical housing is completely enclosed from all sides and has access only from the end covers/caps, the same structure of Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng results in the same function as claimed).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morgan in view of Lin, Zheng and Zhou and further in view of Tan (CN 201739863, cited previously)
Regarding claim 14, Morgan in view of Lin , Zheng and Zhou teaches the invention set forth in claim 2 above, but is silent regarding at least one of: the first openable end cover cap is configured to be inserted into the first end cover; the second openable end cover cap is configured to be inserted into the second end cover the first openable end cover cap comprises a first locking feature configured to interface with a corresponding first locking feature of the first end cover, wherein the first locking feature comprises a threaded interface; and the second openable end cover cap comprises a second locking feature configured to interface with a corresponding second locking feature of the second end cover, wherein the second locking feature comprises a threaded interface.
Tan discloses a lighting fixture (Fig.1) wherein: the first openable end cover cap 6 is configured to be inserted into the first end cover 5; the second openable end cover cap is configured to be inserted into the second end cover; the first openable end cover cap comprises a first locking feature configured to interface with a corresponding first locking feature of the first end cover, wherein the first locking feature comprises a threaded interface; and the second openable end cover cap comprises a second locking feature configured to interface with a corresponding second locking feature of the second end cover, wherein the second locking feature comprises a threaded interface (see in Tan: 0018] said housing end cap 5 is further provided with a power supply line passes through the through hole, in the through hole is mounted with waterproof screw 6) and it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use configuration, disclosed in Tan, in the device of Morgan in view of Lin , Zheng and Zhou in order to create a water proof sealing.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morgan in view of Lin and Zheng, Zhou and Tan further in view of Lin2 (US 10330296 B, hereinafter Lin2, cited previously)
Regarding claim 15, Morgan in view of Lin, Zheng, Zhou and Tan teaches the invention set forth in claim 14 above, but is silent regarding at least one of: in being configured to be inserted into the first end cover, the first openable end cover cap is configured to snap into the first end cover; and in being configured to be inserted into the second end cover, the second openable end cover cap is configured to snap into the second end cover.
Lin2 teaches a lighting device wherein at least one of: in being configured to be inserted into the first end cover, the first openable end cover cap is configured to snap into the first end cover; and in being configured to be inserted into the second end cover, the second openable end cover cap is configured to snap into the second end cover (Fig.7 and wherein 252 is the first openable end cover cap and 251 is the first end cover; see in Lin2: with an inner cover case 251 and an outer cover case 252, and the waterproof ring 26 is placed between the inner cover case 251 and the combination groove 24, while the outer cover case 252 is fixed in snap outside the inner cover case 251 and claim 6 of Lin2) and it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the snapping connection between the first end cover and the first end cover cap in order to fix the top cover in a waterproof manner.
Other art
Endcap having a sealing ring is disclosed in CN 205824808 U
Cited previously: US 11402089 B2-end caps that snap, US 20160356475 A1; US 20090086490 A1 teaches a water tight housing: Housing 64 has a slotted cavity 82 which extends along, housing is water tight. The LED floodlight fixture includes a housing forming a substantially water/air-tight chamber, at least one electronic LED driver enclosed within the chamber, WO 2013176080 A1/JP 2014078329 A-housing water tight and heat sink
US 10222052 B1 teach: -end caps water proof kind of they causing the water proof ness, water proof junction box, t might require high-pressure wash downs, such as livestock and poultry farming, food processing plants and the like. As such, the light fixture 10 is waterproof so as to protect electrical connections and components therein which could be damaged by exposure to water and other fluids and substances.
US 20170016611 A1 teaches [0057] The driver unit 62 comprises a waterproof housing, WO 2013176080 A1Housing is water tight: Here, since the space inside the housing 10 needs to be watertight with respect to the outside, a sealing process such as packing is performed between these members at an appropriate position as necessary. CN 201739863 U End cap and junction box are water proof [0018] said housing end cap 5 is further provided with a power supply line passes through the through hole, in the through hole is mounted with waterproof screw 6, a waterproof connector wire 7 passes through a waterproof screw 6. [0020] The lamp housing 1 is further provided with a water-proof driving circuit 9. 5. The water-proof, dust-proof and moisture-proof LED lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lamp housing (1) is also internally provided with a water-proof driving circuit (9)
Response to Arguments
The arguments filed by the Applicant on 1/30/26 is acknowledged and are moot in view of new grounds of rejection for the amended claims.
Applicant’s main arguments is regarding the tubular shape of the optical housing, such that access is only through the two ends. Additional prior art teach also these features such as in:
DE 102016104649 A1 that discloses:
PNG
media_image2.png
775
688
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Or in WO 2015041530 A1 as shown below:
PNG
media_image3.png
854
555
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Further regarding the amended limitations of claim 2, US 20130063934 A1 discloses end cap 20, end cap cover 42 and sealing ring/gasket 50 as shown below:
PNG
media_image4.png
635
623
media_image4.png
Greyscale
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Fatima Farokhrooz whose telephone number is (571)-272-6043. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday- Friday, 9 am - 5 pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s Supervisor, James Greece can be reached on (571) 272-3711.
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.
/Fatima N Farokhrooz/
Examiner, Art Unit 2875