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 .
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, 4, 5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (CN 220435047 U) in view of Horng (EP 3 613 989 A1) and Huang et al. (US 2020/0116348 A1).
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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 and 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.
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Horng teaches a light output structure comprising a light guide plate (211) and a diffuser plate (23), wherein the light guide plate (211) is covered on an outer surface of the diffuser plate (23) and wherein each stator assembly further comprises a circuit board (31) electrically connected with the conductive wire (electrical wire; paragraph [0038]), the lighting structure (3) further comprises multiple illuminators (32, 5; see figure 8) disposed on each circuit board (4 and 31; figure 8; paragraph [0038]-[0039]), and each illuminator (5 and 32; figure 8) is arranged on the circuit board (4 and 31; figure 8) in a surrounding manner.
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 light guide and diffuser plate a multiple LED strips and a connecting wire as taught by Huang et al. to electrically connect the light source so that a desired illumination output can be achieved.
Wu et al. modified Horng does not explicitly teach 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.
Huang et al. teaches wherein the lighting structure comprises multiple LED strips (Fig. 1, 13) and a connecting wire (12) electrically connected to each LED strip (13), the conjoined base comprises multiple side plates, each stator assembly (111) comprises a conductive wire (12), and each LED strip (13) is disposed inside each side plate and electrically connected to each stator assembly (111) 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 Huang et al. to electrically connect the light source so that a desired illumination output can be achieved.
Regarding claim 4, Wu et al. teaches the integrated illuminated fan of claim 1, and Wu et al. teaches further comprising a power input assembly (see paragraph where power supply is disclosed), wherein the conjoined fan frame (1) is disposed with a jack (see inside portion of 21), and the power input assembly (44) is electrically connected to the lighting structure (LED lamp 441) and corresponds to the jack (sides opposite opening 12) of the conjoined fan frame (4) to be disposed.
Regarding claim 5, Wu et al. teaches the integrated illuminated fan of claim 1, , wherein the conjoined fan frame (4) is disposed with an elongated trench (see figure 6 where light guide body 2 is disposed), and the light output structure (light guide body 2) is disposed in the elongated trench (see figure 6 where light guide body 2 is disclosed) of the conjoined fan frame (4).
Regarding claim 7, Wu et al. teaches the integrated illuminated fan of claim 6, wherein the light guide plate (light guide body 2) is disposed with multiple hooks (see end portions of 2 in at least figure 6), the diffuser plate is disposed with multiple notches (22) corresponding to each hook the conjoined fan frame (1; figure 1) comprises a surrounding plate (see figure 1), and each hook passes through each notch (22) first and then is engaged with and fixed to the surrounding plate (see figure 1).
Claim(s) 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (CN 220435047 U) in view of Horng (EP 3 613 989 A1) and Huang et al. (US 2020/0116348 A1) 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 Horng and Huang 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 Horng (EP 3 613 989 A1) and Huang et al. (US 2020/0116348 A1) 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 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, 4, 5, and 7-10 have been considered but are moot in view of new grounds of rejection necessitated by applicant’s amendment of independent claim 1. Claim 1 is now rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (CN 220435047 U) in view of Horng (EP 3 613 989 A1) and Huang et al. (US 2020/0116348 A1). Dependent claims 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are rejected based on dependency on a rejected base claim.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 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