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 .
Priority
Examiner acknowledges no foreign priority is claimed.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 8/22/2025 and 9/18/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered if signed and initialed by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
For applicant’s benefit portions of the cited reference(s) have been cited to aid in the review of the rejection(s). While every attempt has been made to be thorough and consistent within the rejection it is noted that the PRIOR ART MUST BE CONSIDERED IN ITS ENTIRETY, INCLUDING DISCLOSURES THAT TEACH AWAY FROM THE CLAIMS. See MPEP 2141.02 VI.
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 1, 3-4 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Glustina (‘900) anticipates “a thermostat (paragraph 2: thermostats that may be used to control a temperature or a room or structure), comprising:
a housing (paragraph 106: the back cover 636 includes a plurality of inverted L-shaped bosses or posts 638 that are insertable within the slotted coupling apertures 484 of the bottom frame 634 to couple the two components together…the back cover 636 also includes a recessed portion 637 that is shaped and sized to accommodate the spring 600, the dome switch 502, and a portion of the flex ribbon 500…the recessed portion 637 may allow these components (i.e., the spring 600, the dome switch 502, and a portion of the flex ribbon 500) to be positioned slightly below an upper surface of the back cover 636 as desired);
an electronic display housed by the housing (paragraph 2: a liquid crystal display (LCD) may be positioned within the interior region of the head unit; paragraph 4: a thermostat display includes a circular head; paragraph 82: thermostat 102 further comprises… components 736… electronic display devices and circuitry; Figures 18A-18C: to aid in the lamination process, a press and hold fixture may be used to laminate a complete LCD module 662 on the curved lens 516);
an ambient light sensor housed by the housing (paragraph 78: various sensors in thermostat 102, such as the temperature sensors, a humidity sensor, an ambient light sensor, and/or the like; paragraph 82: thermostat 102 further comprises environmental sensors 734/738…e.g. …ambient visible light sensors; Figure 19D);
a lens assembly attached with the housing (paragraph 15: Figures 6E-6F: exploded front and rear perspective views, respectively, of a head unit display assembly with respect to its primary components; paragraph 133: Figure 19A: the curved lens 516 positioned upside down in and supported by a fixture 810, which has a curved or concave dome inner surface contour that matches the curved lens 516), the lens assembly comprising:
a circular lens (paragraph 2: the thermostat display includes a circular head unit having an outer face (e.g., lens 540)), wherein:
a first surface of the circular lens is flat (paragraph 131: the curved lens 516 may have a flat inner surface);
a perimeter of the circular lens is defined by a second surface that is perpendicular to the first surface of the circular lens (paragraph 5: the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD may be non-symmetric about at least one plane that intersects a central axis of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD and that is orthogonal to at least one side of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD; paragraph 7: the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD may be non-symmetric about at least one plane that intersects a central axis of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD and that is orthogonal to at least one side of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD);
a third surface of the circular lens is domed (paragraph 2: the outer face of the LCD may have a convex dome shape; paragraph 5: the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD may be positioned within the interior region of the circular head unit…the circular head unit may include an outer face having a convex dome shape; paragraph 7: the circular head unit may include an outer face having a convex dome shape; Figure 17A); and
the ambient light sensor measures ambient light within an ambient environment of the thermostat through the circular lens (paragraph 2: the thermostat display includes a circular head unit having an outer face (e.g., lens 540) and an interior region and one or more sensors that are positioned within the interior region of the head unit…the one or more sensors may include a temperature sensor that is configured to sense an ambient temperature of a room within which the thermostat is positioned; paragraph 100: positioned within the frame 652 and radially outside of the LCD 662 are additional components, such as one or more sensors, antennas, and the like…the sensors may include a temperature sensor that is configured to sense an ambient temperature of a room within which the thermostat is positioned).”
Regarding claim 3, which is dependent on independent claim 1, Glustina (‘900) anticipates the thermostat of claim 1. Glustina (‘900) further anticipates “the lens assembly further comprises a polarized mirrored film attached with the circular lens (paragraph 128: polarizer (not shown) may be positioned axially below the curved lens 516…an air gap may exist between the polarizer and the curved plastic lens 516…a material may be laminated between an inner surface of the curved lens 516 and the LCD module 662, such as by being laminated between the polarizer and the curved lens 516…the material may be an Optically Clear Adhesive (OCA) 517 that is positioned between the active display region 640 of the LCD 662 and the curved lens 516…as shown in FIG. 17B, the OCA 517 may extend slightly beyond the active display region 640 of the LCD 662 to ensure that the entire active display region 640 is covered by the OCA 517; paragraph 128: the OCA 517 may have an index of refraction that is between an index of refraction of the curved lens 516 and an index of refraction of the LCD 662…the OCA 517 may have an index of refraction that is substantially similar to, or equivalent to, an index of refraction of the curved lens 516…the OCA 517 may eliminate or minimize glare that may otherwise occur due to internal refraction and reflection of light within the air gap…the laminated material may also help prevent separation of the curved lens 516 and the polarizer).”
Regarding claim 4, which is dependent on claim 3, Glustina (‘900) anticipates the thermostat of claim 3. Glustina (‘900) further anticipates “the polarized mirrored film is oriented with respect to the electronic display to increase transmissivity of polarized light emitted by the electronic display (paragraph 128: the OCA 517 may have an index of refraction that is between an index of refraction of the curved lens 516 and an index of refraction of the LCD 662…the OCA 517 may have an index of refraction that is substantially similar to, or equivalent to, an index of refraction of the curved lens 516…the OCA 517 may eliminate or minimize glare that may otherwise occur due to internal refraction and reflection of light within the air gap…the laminated material may also help prevent separation of the curved lens 516 and the polarizer).”
Regarding independent claim 18, Glustina (‘900) anticipates “a thermostat lens assembly (paragraph 15: Figures 6E-6F: exploded front and rear perspective views, respectively, of a head unit display assembly with respect to its primary components; paragraph 133: Figure 19A: the curved lens 516 positioned upside down in and supported by a fixture 810, which has a curved or concave dome inner surface contour that matches the curved lens 516), comprising:
a circular lens, wherein: a first surface of the circular lens is flat (paragraph 2: the thermostat display includes a circular head unit having an outer face (e.g. lens 540));
a perimeter of the circular lens is defined by a second surface that is perpendicular to the first surface of the circular lens (paragraph 5: the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD may be non-symmetric about at least one plane that intersects a central axis of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD and that is orthogonal to at least one side of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD; paragraph 7: the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD may be non-symmetric about at least one plane that intersects a central axis of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD and that is orthogonal to at least one side of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD); and
a third surface of the circular lens is domed (paragraph 2: the outer face of the LCD may have a convex dome shape; paragraph 5: the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD may be positioned within the interior region of the circular head unit…the circular head unit may include an outer face having a convex dome shape; paragraph 7: the circular head unit may include an outer face having a convex dome shape; Figure 17A).”
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1), and further in view of Wei (US 2015/0205018 A1).
Regarding claim 2, which is dependent on independent claim 1, Glustina (‘900) discloses the thermostat of claim 1. Glustina (‘900) does not explicitly disclose “a size of a field of view of the ambient light sensor is increased by the third surface of the circular lens.”
Wei (‘018) relates to lens with a circular arc for display device. Wei (‘018) teaches “a size of a field of view of the ambient light sensor is increased by the third surface of the circular lens (paragraph 17: mitigates a phenomenon of spherical aberration generated after light passing through the grating lens by changing a surface shape of a grating lens in the prior art, i.e., by making an intersecting line between an oblique section of the grating lens and a cambered surface of the grating lens be a circular arc, such that a phenomenon of 3D crosstalk is mitigated and a viewing angle is increased; paragraph 38: the surface shape of the grating lens can be determined by the predetermined angle A…as shown in FIG. 8, compared with an existing lens, the surface shape of the lens according to the present embodiment is not of a part of the side of a cylinder (i.e., a circular cambered surface) but a cambered surface of the non-circular arc…the grating lens is obliquely arranged when it is in use and an intersecting line between an oblique section and the cambered surface 220 is a circular arc, which is equivalent to the fact that a lens having a surface shape of circularly cambered surface is arranged at a light-outgoing side of a display panel…compared with a lens with the elliptical cambered surface, the grating lens according to the present embodiment causes light passing through to substantially converge at one point, thus the phenomenon of spherical aberration generated after light passing through the grating lens…therefore the phenomenon of 3D crosstalk is mitigated and the viewing angle is increased).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thermostat of Glustina (‘900) with the teaching of Wei (‘018) for improved lens assembly (Wei (‘018) – paragraph 3). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900) and Wei (‘018)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, lens assembly having a domed or cambered surface used for display section of device.
Claims 5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1), and further in view of Brown et al. (US 2024/0402406 A1).
Regarding claim 5, which is dependent on claim 4, Glustina (‘900) discloses the thermostat of claim 4. Glustina (‘900) describes that the LCD components are separated in order to facilitate lamination of the LCD and curved lens 516…the OCA 517 or other lamination material is positioned atop the inner surface of the curved lens 516… the liquid crystal assembly 820 may be the front portion of the LCD 662 and may include various components, such as the a top polarizer, color filter, liquid crystal, thin film transistor (TFT), bottom polarizer, and/or flex (paragraph 133: FIGS. 19A-D). Glustina (‘900) does not explicitly disclose “the lens assembly further comprises a colored ink layer attached between the polarized mirrored film and the circular lens.”
Brown et al. (‘406) relates to lens assembly. Brown et al. (‘406) teaches “the lens assembly further comprises a colored ink layer attached between the polarized mirrored film and the circular lens (paragraph 7: provide a mirror finished polarized optical lens that incorporates an additional film, for example a colored film, or other similar functional film, for example, a functional photochromic film, on top of the mirror layer, wherein the colored film or the functional photochromic film, may act as a protective layer of the mirror finish of the polarizer from abrasions and other environmental damage; paragraph 114: the colored mirror like appearance of the wire grid polarized optical lenses can be aesthetically pleasing, and hence, desirable…the mirror layer of the wire grid polarizer may be laminated with a transparent colored film to protect the mirror coating from abrasion and environmental damages; paragraph 144: embedding the silver mirror coating into the laminate with a colored film or a functional photochromic layer may tailor the color of the mirror by tinting in front of the mirror layer).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thermostat of Glustina (‘900) with the teaching of Brown et al. (‘406) for more reliable lens assembly (Brown et al. (‘406) – paragraph 114). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900) and Brown et al. (‘406)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, using lens assembly with multiple layers.
Regarding claim 7, which is dependent on claim5, Glustina (‘900)/Brown et al. (‘406) discloses the thermostat of claim 5. Glustina (‘900) further discloses “the lens assembly further comprises one or more adhesive layers and only the one or more adhesive layers secure the lens assembly to the thermostat (paragraph 76: the magnetic ring 665 is mounted to the inside of the outer rotatable ring 512 using an adhesive such that the outer rotatable ring 512 and the magnetic ring 665 are rotated together).”
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1)/Brown et al. (US 2024/0402406 A1), and further in view of Privitetera et al. (US 2017/0329182 A1).
Regarding claim 6, which is dependent on claim 5, Glustina (‘900)/Brown et al. (‘406) discloses the thermostat of claim 5. Glustina (‘900)/Brown et al. (‘406) does not explicitly disclose “the lens assembly further comprises a masking layer attached between the polarized mirrored film and the electronic display.”
Privitetera et al. (‘182) relates to lens used for display. Privitetera et al. (‘182) teaches “the lens assembly further comprises a masking layer attached between the polarized mirrored film and the electronic display (paragraph 19: the film layer 210 may include a diffusion layer of a white, grey or light color…Figure. 2 shows an example of the assembled display of Figure 1…the display frame 205 may include a backlight system 206 and a light mask 204…in the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, the light mask 204, which includes liquid crystal pixels, and the backlight system 206, are included as components of an LCD 207. In the example shown in Figure 2, the backlight system 206 is recessed within the display frame 205, and the light mask 204 is positioned on top of the backlight system 206; paragraph 20: Figure 2: the LCD 207 includes the backlight 206 and the light mask 204 which includes one or more liquid crystal pixels 203, which may be switched between transparent and opaque states in response to control signals).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thermostat of Glustina (‘900)/Brown et al. (‘406) with the teaching of Privitetera et al. (‘182) for improved lens assembly (Privitetera et al. (‘182) – paragraph 4). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900), Brown et al. (‘406) and Privitetera et al. (‘182)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, using lens assembly with multiple layers.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1)/Wei (US 2015/0205018 A1), and further in view of Chang et al. (US 2022/0390134 A1).
Regarding claim 8, which is dependent on claim 2, Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018) discloses the thermostat of claim 2. Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018) does not explicitly disclose “a radar sensor that emits radar signals and detects reflections of the radar signals through the lens assembly.”
Chang et al. (‘134) relates to smart thermostat. Chang et al. (‘134) teaches “a radar sensor that emits radar signals and detects reflections of the radar signals through the lens assembly (paragraph 4: a smart thermostat can include a radar sensor, housed by the thermostat housing, that detects occupancy within an environment of the smart thermostat through the reflective cover positioned within the rounded front aperture of the thermostat housing by emitting electromagnetic radiation and receiving reflected electromagnetic radiation).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thermostat of Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018) with the teaching of Chang et al. (‘134) for having a smart thermostat (Chang et al. (‘134) – paragraph 4). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900), Wei (‘018) and Chang et al. (‘134)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, using thermostat enclosed by housing.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1)/Wei (US 2015/0205018 A1)/Chang et al. (US 2022/0390134 A1), and further in view of Etter et al. (US 2020/0081234 A1).
Regarding claim 9, which is dependent on claim 8, Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018)/Chang et al. (‘134) discloses the thermostat of claim 8. Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018)/Chang et al. (‘134) does not explicitly disclose “a size of a field of view of the ambient light sensor is increased by the third surface of the circular lens.”
Etter et al. (‘234) relates to optical system. Etter et al. (‘234) teaches “the circular lens comprises polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) (paragraph 52: the second optical lens 20 may be made of plastic and may comprises one or more of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), a polystyrene, a polyvinyl alcohol, and a polycarbonate).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thermostat of Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018)/Chang et al. (‘134) with the teaching of Etter et al. (‘234) for improved lens asssembly (Etter et al. (‘234) – paragraph 10). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900), Wei (‘018), Chang et al. (‘134) and Etter et al. (‘234)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, having circular or domed lens assembly.
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1)/Wei (US 2015/0205018 A1)/Chang et al. (US 2022/0390134 A1)/Etter et al. (US 2020/0081234 A1), and further in view of Stefanski et al. (US 2017/0060150 A1).
Regarding claim 10, which is dependent on claim 9, Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018)/Chang et al. (‘134)/Etter et al. (‘234) discloses the thermostat of claim 9. Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018)/Chang et al. (‘134)/Etter et al. (‘234) does not explicitly disclose “the circular lens is formed using injection compression molding.”
Stefanski et al. (‘150) relates to thermostat with multiple sensing systems integrated therein. Stefanski et al. (‘150) teaches “the circular lens is formed using injection compression molding (paragraph 4: the lens assembly may be fabricated from a continuous piece of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) using an injection molding process).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thermostat of Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018)/Chang et al. (‘134)/Etter et al. (‘234) with the teaching of Stefanski et al. (‘150) for improved lens assembly (Stefanski et al. (‘150) – paragraph 4). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900), Wei (‘018), Chang et al. (‘134), Etter et al. (‘234) and Stefanski et al. (‘150)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, using lens assembly with multiple layers.
Regarding claim 11, which is dependent on claim 10, Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018)/Chang et al. (‘134)/Etter et al. (‘234)/Stefanski et al. (‘150) discloses the thermostat of claim 10. Glustina (‘900) further discloses “the second surface of the circular lens is completely surrounded by a rotatable ring (paragraph 66: As shown in FIGS. 5A-5D, the front edge of the outer rotatable ring 512, cover 514, and lens 510 are shaped such that they together form an integrated convex rounded front face that has a common outward are or spherical shape arcing outward; paragraph 67: the cover 514 514 and/or the lens 510 can rotate with the outer rotatable ring 512).”
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1), in view of Etter et al. (US 2020/0081234 A1).
Regarding independent claim 12, Glustina (‘900) discloses “a method for manufacturing a thermostat lens assembly (paragraph 15: Figures 6E-6F: exploded front and rear perspective views, respectively, of a head unit display assembly with respect to its primary components; paragraph 133: Figure 19A: the curved lens 516 positioned upside down in and supported by a fixture 810, which has a curved or concave dome inner surface contour that matches the curved lens 516), the method comprising:
creating a domed lens (paragraph 2: the outer face of the LCD may have a convex dome shape; paragraph 5: the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD may be positioned within the interior region of the circular head unit…the circular head unit may include an outer face having a convex dome shape; paragraph 7: the circular head unit may include an outer face having a convex dome shape; Figure 17A), wherein:
a first surface of the circular lens is flat (paragraph 131: the curved lens 516 may have a flat inner surface);
a perimeter of the circular lens is defined by a second surface that is perpendicular to the first surface of the circular lens (paragraph 5: the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD may be non-symmetric about at least one plane that intersects a central axis of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD and that is orthogonal to at least one side of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD; paragraph 7: the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD may be non-symmetric about at least one plane that intersects a central axis of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD and that is orthogonal to at least one side of the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD); and
a third surface of the circular lens is domed (paragraph 5: the high order n-sided polygonal shaped LCD may be positioned within the interior region of the circular head unit…the circular head unit may include an outer face having a convex dome shape; paragraph 7: the circular head unit may include an outer face having a convex dome shape; Figure 17A);
measuring a direction of polarization of a mirror film (paragraph 128: 128: polarizer (not shown) may be positioned axially below the curved lens 516…an air gap may exist between the polarizer and the curved plastic lens 516…a material may be laminated between an inner surface of the curved lens 516 and the LCD module 662, such as by being laminated between the polarizer and the curved lens 516…the material may be an Optically Clear Adhesive (OCA) 517 that is positioned between the active display region 640 of the LCD 662 and the curved lens 516. As shown in FIG. 17B, the OCA 517 may extend slightly beyond the active display region 640 of the LCD 662 to ensure that the entire active display region 640 is covered by the OCA 517; paragraph 128: the OCA 517 may have an index of refraction that is between an index of refraction of the curved lens 516 and an index of refraction of the LCD 662…the OCA 517 may have an index of refraction that is substantially similar to, or equivalent to, an index of refraction of the curved lens 516…the OCA 517 may eliminate or minimize glare that may otherwise occur due to internal refraction and reflection of light within the air gap…the laminated material may also help prevent separation of the curved lens 516 and the polarizer)”,
“installing the lens assembly in a thermostat (paragraph 2: the thermostat display includes a circular head unit having an outer face (e.g., lens 540) and an interior region and one or more sensors that are positioned within the interior region of the head unit) such that the determined orientation minimizes a polarizing effect on light emitted by an electronic display of the thermostat (paragraph 128: the OCA 517 may eliminate or minimize glare that may otherwise occur due to internal refraction and reflection of light within the air gap).”
Glustina (‘900) does not explicitly disclose “determining an orientation of the mirror film to attach with a lens assembly comprising the domed lens based on the measured direction of polarization of the mirror film.”
Etter et al. (‘234) relates to optical system. Etter et al. (‘234) teaches “determining an orientation of the mirror film to attach with a lens assembly comprising the domed lens based on the measured direction of polarization of the mirror film (paragraph 89: element 226 may be a mold or an optical film (e.g., reflective polarizer)…element 226 may be curved even though the curvature may not be visible on the scale of the figure…the average surface roughness can be defined as the average of the absolute value of the deviation of the surface height from a mean height and may be denoted Ra…the height and mean height can be determined relative to a smooth reference surface through a center of the reflective polarizer in the thickness direction…the reference surface may be curved (e.g., the reference surface may be parallel to a major surface of a lens when the reflective polarizer is disposed on and conforms to the major surface)…the processes for forming an optical film into a curved shape can result in formed optical film having a surface roughness different from that of the corresponding mold surface; paragraph 99: a reflective polarizer disposed on and conforming to a major surface of the second optical lens, the reflective polarizer substantially reflecting light having a first polarization state and substantially transmitting light having an orthogonal second polarization state in the predetermined wavelength range).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method for manufacturing the thermostat lens assembly of Glustina (‘900)/Wei (‘018)/Chang et al. (‘134) with the teaching of Etter et al. (‘234) for improved lens asssembly (Etter et al. (‘234) – paragraph 10). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900), Wei (‘018), Chang et al. (‘134) and Etter et al. (‘234)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, having circular or domed lens assembly.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1)/Etter et al. (US 2020/0081234 A1), and further in view of Privitetera et al. (US 2017/0329182 A1).
Regarding claim 13, which is dependent on independent claim 12, Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234) discloses the method of claim 12. Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234) does not explicitly disclose “affixing a masking layer with the mirror film based on the determined orientation, wherein the masking layer is asymmetrical.”
Privitetera et al. (‘182) relates to lens used for display. Privitetera et al. (‘182) teaches “affixing a masking layer with the mirror film based on the determined orientation, wherein the masking layer is asymmetrical (paragraph 19: the film layer 210 may include a diffusion layer of a white, grey or light color…Figure. 2 shows an example of the assembled display of Figure 1…the display frame 205 may include a backlight system 206 and a light mask 204…in the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, the light mask 204, which includes liquid crystal pixels, and the backlight system 206, are included as components of an LCD 207. In the example shown in Figure 2, the backlight system 206 is recessed within the display frame 205, and the light mask 204 is positioned on top of the backlight system 206; paragraph 20: Figure 2: the LCD 207 includes the backlight 206 and the light mask 204 which includes one or more liquid crystal pixels 203, which may be switched between transparent and opaque states in response to control signals).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method for manufacturing the thermostat lens assembly of Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234) with the teaching of Privitetera et al. (‘182) for improved lens assembly (Privitetera et al. (‘182) – paragraph 4). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900), Etter et al. (‘234) and Privitetera et al. (‘182)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, using lens assembly with multiple layers.
Claims 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1)/Etter et al. (US 2020/0081234 A1), and further in view of Stefanski et al. (US 2017/0060150 A1).
Regarding claim 14, which is dependent on claim 12, Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234) discloses the method of claim 12. Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234) does not explicitly disclose “the domed lens is created using injection compression molding.”
Stefanski et al. (‘150) relates to thermostat with multiple sensing systems integrated therein. Stefanski et al. (‘150) teaches “the domed lens is created using injection compression molding (paragraph 4: the lens assembly may be fabricated from a continuous piece of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) using an injection molding process).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method for manufacturing the thermostat lens assembly of Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234) with the teaching of Stefanski et al. (‘150) for improved lens assembly (Stefanski et al. (‘150) – paragraph 4). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900), Etter et al. (‘234) and Stefanski et al. (‘150)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, using lens assembly with multiple layers.
Regarding claim 15, which is dependent on claim 14, Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234)/Stefanski et al. (‘150) discloses the method of claim 14. Glustina (‘900)/Stefanski et al. (‘150) does not explicitly disclose “the domed lens is created from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).”
Etter et al. (‘234) relates to optical system. Etter et al. (‘234) teaches “the domed lens is created from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) (paragraph 52: the second optical lens 20 may be made of plastic and may comprises one or more of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), a polystyrene, a polyvinyl alcohol, and a polycarbonate).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method for manufacturing the thermostat lens assembly of Glustina (‘900)/Stefanski et al. (‘150) with the teaching of Etter et al. (‘234) for improved lens assembly (Etter et al. (‘234) – paragraph 10). In addition, all of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900), Stefanski et al. (‘150) and Etter et al. (‘234)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, having circular or domed lens assembly.
Claims 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1)/Etter et al. (US 2020/0081234 A1)/Privitetera et al. (US 2017/0329182 A1), and further in view of Brown et al. (US 2024/0402406 A1).
Regarding claim 16, which is dependent on claim 13, Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234)/Privitetera et al. (‘182) discloses the thermostat of claim 13. Glustina (‘900) describes that the LCD components are separated in order to facilitate lamination of the LCD and curved lens 516…the OCA 517 or other lamination material is positioned atop the inner surface of the curved lens 516… the liquid crystal assembly 820 may be the front portion of the LCD 662 and may include various components, such as the a top polarizer, color filter, liquid crystal, thin film transistor (TFT), bottom polarizer, and/or flex (paragraph 133: FIGS. 19A-D).
Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234)/Privitetera et al. (‘182) does not explicitly disclose “affixing the circular lens to a colored ink layer using an optically clear adhesive; and affixing the mirrored film with the colored ink layer.”
Brown et al. (‘406) relates to lens assembly. Brown et al. (‘406) teaches “affixing the circular lens to a colored ink layer using an optically clear adhesive; and affixing the mirrored film with the colored ink layer (paragraph 7: provide a mirror finished polarized optical lens that incorporates an additional film, for example a colored film, or other similar functional film, for example, a functional photochromic film, on top of the mirror layer, wherein the colored film or the functional photochromic film, may act as a protective layer of the mirror finish of the polarizer from abrasions and other environmental damage; paragraph 114: the colored mirror like appearance of the wire grid polarized optical lenses can be aesthetically pleasing, and hence, desirable…the mirror layer of the wire grid polarizer may be laminated with a transparent colored film to protect the mirror coating from abrasion and environmental damages; paragraph 144: embedding the silver mirror coating into the laminate with a colored film or a functional photochromic layer may tailor the color of the mirror by tinting in front of the mirror layer).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method for manufacturing the thermostat lens assembly of Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234)/Privitetera et al. (‘182) with the teaching of Brown et al. (‘406) for more reliable lens assembly (Brown et al. (‘406) – paragraph 114). In addition, all of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900), Etter et al. (‘234), Privitetera et al. (‘182) and Brown et al. (‘406)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, using lens assembly with multiple layers.
Regarding claim 17, which is dependent on claim 16, Glustina (‘900)/Etter et al. (‘234)/Privitetera et al. (‘182)/Brown et al. (‘406) discloses the method of claim 16. Glustina (‘900) further discloses “affixing one or more adhesive layers to the masking layer, wherein only the one or more adhesive layers secure the lens assembly to the thermostat (paragraph 76: the magnetic ring 665 is mounted to the inside of the outer rotatable ring 512 using an adhesive such that the outer rotatable ring 512 and the magnetic ring 665 are rotated together).”
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1), in view of Privitetera et al. (US 2017/0329182 A1).
Regarding claim 19, which is dependent on independent claim 18, Glustina (‘900) discloses the thermostat lens assembly of claim 18. Glustina (‘900) further discloses “a mirrored film layer having a polarization (paragraph 128: polarizer (not shown) may be positioned axially below the curved lens 516…an air gap may exist between the polarizer and the curved plastic lens 516…a material may be laminated between an inner surface of the curved lens 516 and the LCD module 662, such as by being laminated between the polarizer and the curved lens 516…the material may be an Optically Clear Adhesive (OCA) 517 that is positioned between the active display region 640 of the LCD 662 and the curved lens 516…as shown in Figures 17B, the OCA 517 may extend slightly beyond the active display region 640 of the LCD 662 to ensure that the entire active display region 640 is covered by the OCA 517; paragraph 128: The OCA 517 may have an index of refraction that is between an index of refraction of the curved lens 516 and an index of refraction of the LCD 662. In some embodiments, the OCA 517 may have an index of refraction that is substantially similar to, or equivalent to, an index of refraction of the curved lens 516…the OCA 517 may eliminate or minimize glare that may otherwise occur due to internal refraction and reflection of light within the air gap…the laminated material may also help prevent separation of the curved lens 516 and the polarizer).”
Glustina (‘900) does not explicitly disclose “a masking layer that is asymmetrical, wherein the mirrored film is oriented with respect to the masking layer based on the polarization.”
Privitetera et al. (‘182) relates to lens used for display. Privitetera et al. (‘182) teaches “a masking layer that is asymmetrical, wherein the mirrored film is oriented with respect to the masking layer based on the polarization (paragraph 19: the film layer 210 may include a diffusion layer of a white, grey or light color…Figure. 2 shows an example of the assembled display of Figure 1…the display frame 205 may include a backlight system 206 and a light mask 204…in the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, the light mask 204, which includes liquid crystal pixels, and the backlight system 206, are included as components of an LCD 207. In the example shown in Figure 2, the backlight system 206 is recessed within the display frame 205, and the light mask 204 is positioned on top of the backlight system 206; paragraph 20: Figure 2: the LCD 207 includes the backlight 206 and the light mask 204 which includes one or more liquid crystal pixels 203, which may be switched between transparent and opaque states in response to control signals).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thermostat lens assembly of Glustina (‘900) with the teaching of Privitetera et al. (‘182) for improved lens assembly (Privitetera et al. (‘182) – paragraph 4). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900) and Privitetera et al. (‘182)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, using lens assembly with multiple layers.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Glustina (US 2017/00599900 A1)/Privitetera et al. (US 2017/0329182 A1), and further in view of Brown et al. (US 2024/0402406 A1).
Regarding claim 20, which is dependent on claim 19, Glustina (‘900)/Privitetera et al. (‘182) discloses the thermostat lens assembly of claim 19. Glustina (‘900) further discloses “an optically clear adhesive layer (paragraph 133: FIGS. 19A-D: the LCD components are separated in order to facilitate lamination of the LCD and curved lens 516…the OCA 517 or other lamination material is positioned atop the inner surface of the curved lens 516… the liquid crystal assembly 820 may be the front portion of the LCD 662 and may include various components, such as the a top polarizer, color filter, liquid crystal, thin film transistor (TFT), bottom polarizer, and/or flex).”
Glustina (‘900)/Privitetera et al. (‘182) does not explicitly disclose “a colored ink layer, wherein the optically clear adhesive layer adheres the lens to the colored ink layer and the mirrored film layer is in direct contact with the colored ink layer.”
Brown et al. (‘406) relates to lens assembly. Brown et al. (‘406) teaches “a colored ink layer, wherein the optically clear adhesive layer adheres the lens to the colored ink layer and the mirrored film layer is in direct contact with the colored ink layer (paragraph 7: provide a mirror finished polarized optical lens that incorporates an additional film, for example a colored film, or other similar functional film, for example, a functional photochromic film, on top of the mirror layer, wherein the colored film or the functional photochromic film, may act as a protective layer of the mirror finish of the polarizer from abrasions and other environmental damage; paragraph 114: the colored mirror like appearance of the wire grid polarized optical lenses can be aesthetically pleasing, and hence, desirable…the mirror layer of the wire grid polarizer may be laminated with a transparent colored film to protect the mirror coating from abrasion and environmental damages; paragraph 144: embedding the silver mirror coating into the laminate with a colored film or a functional photochromic layer may tailor the color of the mirror by tinting in front of the mirror layer).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill-in-the-art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thermostat lens assembly of Glustina (‘900)/Privitetera et al. (‘182) with the teaching of Brown et al. (‘406) for more reliable lens assembly (Brown et al. (‘406) – paragraph 114). In addition, both of the prior art references, (Glustina (‘900), Privitetera et al. (‘182) and Brown et al. (‘406)) teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, using lens assembly with multiple layers.
Citation of Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Fadell et al. (US 2014/0345845 A1) describes an occupancy sensing thermostat having an external housing with motion detection components integrated therewith (paragraph 2); an occupancy sensing electronic thermostat may include a thermostat body, an electronic display that is viewable by a user in front of the thermostat, a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy, and an infrared energy directing element formed integrally with a front surface of the thermostat body and extending across only a portion of the front surface of the thermostat body…the passive infrared sensor may be positioned behind the infrared energy directing element such that infrared energy is directed there onto by the infrared energy directing element…the thermostat may also include a first temperature sensor in thermal communication with the front surface of the thermostat body for making temperature measurements used for a calculating an ambient temperature…the thermostat may additionally include a second temperature sensor positioned within the thermostat body in a location closer than the first temperature sensor to one or more heat generating components within the thermostat body, where the calculation of ambient temperature is based at least in part on a comparison between measurements from the first and second temperature sensors…the thermostat may further include a microprocessor programmed to detect occupancy based at least in part on measurements made by the passive infrared sensor (paragraph 5); a temperature sensor mounted on a daughter board and thermally coupled to the Fresnel lens, according to some embodiments (paragraph 25).
Massieu (US 7,296,749 B2) describes that a design proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,742 (Winarski et. al.) employs a variable focal length liquid crystal lens…such compact adaptive lenses rely on the rotation of the liquid crystal under an electric field that produces a change of refraction index…liquid crystals have slow response times and exhibit polarization dependence…the thickness of the crystal film reduces the optical transmission, limiting the auto-focus range…the transmission is further reduced if unpolarized light is or when two orthogonally aligned liquid crystal lenses are used.
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/NUZHAT PERVIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648