DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
1. Applicant's amendment filed on 12/19/25 has been received and entered in the case. The amendments to the claims do not overcome the outstanding non-enablement rejection set forth in the previous office action, for the reasons set forth below.
Claim Objections
2. Claims 1, 10 and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
On the last two lines of claim 1, "the operating parameter of the of an operatively coupled electric load device" is grammatically incorrect, i.e., it appears that this should be changed to --the operating parameter of the operatively coupled electric load
device--.
In claims 10 and 19, the same change noted above should apparently be made in these two claims, i.e., on lines 17-18 of claim 10, and on lines 15-16 of claim 19.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(a)
3. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
The originally filed specification, drawings and claims do not support what is now recited in the claims. Specifically, in independent claim 1, the limitations which are not supported by the originally filed specification, drawings and claims are (1) authenticating the first device using the data representatives of the identifier associated with the first device, (2) responsive to the successful authentication of the first device, causing a first adjustment of an operating parameter of an operatively coupled electric load device of an operating parameter of an operatively coupled electric load device, (3) authenticating the second device using the data representative of the identifier associated with the second device, and (4) responsive to the successful authentication of the second device, causing a second adjustment of the operating parameter of the operatively coupled electric load device. These limitations in claims 10 and 19 are similarly not supported by the originally filed specification, drawings and claims.
Response to Arguments
4. Applicant's arguments filed on 12/19/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that support for the above-noted limitations is found in paragraph [0026] of publication 2024/0130023, but such is incorrect, i.e., paragraph [0026] of publication 2024/0130023 merely indicates that the daylight sensor 130 is assigned to the dimmer switch 110 which wirelessly transmits messages to the dimmer switch 110, that such messages include the serial number of the daylight sensor, and that the dimmer switch 110 is responsive to such messages. This disclosure in paragraph [0026] of publication 2024/0130023 does not, however, provide support for the above-noted limitations in the claims, i.e., It does not provide support for (1) authenticating the first device using the data representatives of the identifier associated with the first device, (2) responsive to the successful authentication of the first device, causing a first adjustment of an operating parameter of an operatively coupled electric load device of an operating parameter of an operatively coupled electric load device, (3) authenticating the second device using the data representative of the identifier associated with the second device, and (4) responsive to the successful authentication of the second device, causing a second adjustment of the operating parameter of the operatively coupled electric load device. As such, the new limitations added to independent claims 1, 10 and 19 constitute prohibited new matter which should be canceled in response to this office action.
Action is Final
5. 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.
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH B WELLS whose telephone number is (571)272-1757. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm.
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/KENNETH B WELLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842 December 31, 2025