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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 06/22/2026 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (CN 220435047 U) in view of Xie (CN 217926388 U) and Lin et al. (US 7,563,070 B2).
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Regarding claim 1, Wu et al. teaches an integrated illuminated fan comprising:
a conjoined base (43; figure 1), disposed with multiple bearing portions (41; figure 1) which are arranged at intervals (see figure 1);
a conjoined fan frame (1; figure 1), connected with the conjoined base (43; figure 1), disposed with multiple vane wheel chambers (21), and each vane wheel chamber (21) being arranged correspondingly to each bearing portion (see figure 1);
multiple fans (3; figure 1), each fan comprising a stator (see 44 in at least figure 1) assembly and a vane wheel (middle portion of fan 3; figure 1), each stator assembly being separately disposed on each bearing portion (see at least figure 1 where each stator 44 is separately disposed), each vane wheel (middle portion of fan 3; figure 1) being separately accommodated in each vane wheel chamber (21) and connected correspondingly to each stator assembly (see figure 1); and
a lighting structure (441; figure 1), disposed in the conjoined base (43) and electrically connected to the stator assembly (44).
Wu et al. does not explicitly teach a light output structure comprising a light guide plate and a diffuser plate, wherein the light guide plate is covered on an outer surface of the diffuser plate, the conjoined fan frame includes a surrounding plate, a side surface of the surrounding plate is disposed with an elongated trench, the light output structure is disposed in the elongated trench, the light guide plate is disposed with multiple hooks, the diffuser plate is disposed with multiple notches corresponding to each hook, and each hook passes through each notch first and then is engaged with and fixed to the side surface; and a power input assembly, wherein the surrounding plate is disposed with a jack, and the power input assembly is electrically connected to the lighting structure and corresponds to the jack to be disposed.
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Xie (CN 217926388 U) teaches a light output structure (figure 2) comprising a light guide plate (light transmission cover 40; page 3, lines 9 of translation of Xie) and a diffuser plate (see page 3, lines 36-40 where 40 diffuses and guides the light from lamp panel 30), wherein the light guide plate (40) is covered on an outer surface of the diffuser plate (outer surface of 40), the conjoined fan frame includes a surrounding plate (see figure 2), a side surface of the surrounding plate (3, figure 2) is disposed with an elongated trench (41), the light output structure (figure 2) is disposed in the elongated trench (41), the light guide plate is disposed with multiple hooks (42), the diffuser plate is disposed with multiple notches (21) corresponding to each hook (42), and each hook (42) passes through each notch (21) first and then is engaged with and fixed to the side surface; and a power input assembly (23), wherein the surrounding plate is disposed with a jack (see 15), and the power input assembly (23) is electrically connected to the lighting structure (figure 2) and corresponds to the jack (15) to be disposed.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the fan of Wu et al. to include a llight guide plate and diffuser plate and power input assembly as taught by Xie to increase and improve the fan’s visual impact (see page 3, lines 36-40 of translation of Xie)
Wu et al. modified Xie does not explicitly teach wherein each stator assembly further comprises a circuit board electrically connected with the conductive wire, the lighting structure further comprises multiple illuminators disposed on each circuit board, and the multiple illuminators are arranged on the circuit board in a surrounding manner and wherein the lighting structure comprises multiple LED strips and a connecting wire electrically connected to each LED strip, the conjoined base comprises multiple side plates, each stator assembly comprises a conductive wire, and each LED strip is disposed inside each side plate and electrically connected to each stator assembly through each conductive wire.
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Lin et al. teaches wherein the lighting structure comprises multiple LED strips (204) and a connecting wire (lead wires disclosed in column 2, lines 31-40) electrically connected to each LED strip (204), the conjoined base comprises multiple side plates (see figure 3), each stator assembly (10) comprises a conductive wire (wires disclosed in column 2, lines 31-40), and each LED strip (201) is disposed inside each side plate (20) and electrically connected to each stator assembly (figure 2) through each conductive wire (12).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the fan of Wu et al. to include a multiple LED strips and a connecting wire as taught by Lin et al. to electrically connect the light source so that a desired illumination output can be achieved.
Claim(s) 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (CN 220435047 U) in view of Xie (CN 217926388 U) and Lin et al. (US 7,563,070 B2) as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Sugiyama et al. (US 2006/0280632 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Wu et al. modified by Xie and Lin et al. teaches the integrated illuminated fan of claim 1, but does not explicitly teach wherein each bearing portion comprises a load tray and multiple support rods connected with the load tray, one of the support rods is disposed with a wire trench, each stator assembly comprises a conductive wire, and each conductive wire separately passes through each wire trench.
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Sugiyama et al. teaches wherein each bearing portion comprises a load tray (7) and multiple support rods (see rods on an end of 7 in at least figure 1) connected with the load tray (see figure 1), one of the support rods is disposed with a wire trench (wire guide 11]), each stator assembly comprises a conductive wire (9a; figure 1), and each conductive wire separately passes through each wire trench (wire guide 11).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the fan of Wu et al. to include a conductive wire and wire trench as taught by Sugiyama et al. to electrically connect the light source so that a desired illumination output can be achieved and as an alternative way to secure the wires to the fan using a trench.
Claim(s) 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (CN 220435047 U) in view of Xie (CN 217926388 U) and Lin et al. (US 7,563,070 B2) as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Bonham et al. (US 2014/0348666 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Wu et al. teaches the integrated illuminated fan of claim 1, and Wu et al. teaches further comprising wherein the conjoined base comprises a bottom plate (4), the bottom plate (4) is disposed with multiple sleeves (inside of 41; figure 1), the conjoined fan frame comprises a top plate, (1; figure 1).
Wu et al. does not explicitly teach multiple screwing elements and [the top plate] is disposed with multiple threaded poles, and each screwing element corresponds to each [sleeve] to be connected and is fastened by each screwing element.
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Bonham et al. teaches a fan comprising multiple screwing elements (see paragraph [0057]-[0058] where screws at opening 195 is disclosed; figure 7) and a top plate (195; figure 7) is disposed with multiple threaded poles (196; figure 7, paragraph [0058]), and each screwing element corresponds to each sleeve to be connected and is fastened by each screwing element (paragraph [0057]-[0058]; figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the fan of Wu et al. to multiple screwing elements with threaded poles as taught by Bonham et al. as an alternative way to secure the components of the fan together (see paragraph [0058] of Bonham et al.).
Regarding claim 10, Wu et al. modified by Xie and Lin et al. and Bonham et al. teaches the integrated illuminated fan of claim 9, and Wu et al. further teaches wherein four corners of the bottom plate (see bottom pate 4 in at least figure 1) are separately disposed with a positioning pole (41), four corners of the top plate (1) are separately disposed with a countersink (see figure 1), and each positioning pole (see positioning pole on bottom plate 4) is embedded and positioned with each countersink (see figure 1).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 8-10 have been considered but are moot in view of applicant’s amendment of claim 1 and consideration of applicant’s arguments. Claim 1 is now rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (CN 220435047 U) in view Xie (CN 217926388 U) and Lin et al. (US 7,563,070 B2). Dependent claims 8-10 are rejected based on dependency on a rejected base claim.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA MCMILLAN APENTENG whose telephone number is (571)272-5510. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm.
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/JESSICA M APENTENG/ Examiner, Art Unit 2875
/ABDULMAJEED AZIZ/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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