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 § 102
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.
Claim(s) s 1, 12-14, 17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 10321541 B2 (Bora).
Regarding claims 1, 14, and 17: Bora teaches a method for estimating a temperature of a light emitting module having a plurality of light emitting elements, the method comprising: based on a lighting pattern of the light emitting module, which represents an intensity of light emitted from each of the plurality of light emitting elements (“The on/off signals can be adjusted to provide a specified color, saturation and brightness or intensity”, Paragraph (132)), determining an amount of electric power to be supplied to the light emitting module for obtaining the lighting pattern (at least Paragraph (132) describes a process for turning LEDs ON/OFF in order to obtain a desired cycle); and based on the lighting pattern and the determined amount of electric power, calculating estimated temperatures of the plurality of light emitting elements that are operated in accordance with the lighting pattern (“Controller program also has data or mathematical equations based on which highly accurate lumens output can be calculated”, Paragraph (371)).
Bora also teaches a wiring board (Fig. 17 is a block diagram of a LED strip connection through wire) and controller. Claim 14 is a device to carry out the method of claim 1 and claim 17 is an automotive unit with the device of claim 14. Therefore, the rejection of claim 1 applies to both claims 14 and 17, mutatis mutandis.
Bora does not teach that the apparatus is an automotive unit, as per claim 17. However, this limitation exists only in the preamble of the claim and is therefore not given patentable weight.
Regarding claim 12: Bora teaches the method according to claim 1 (see above), wherein said determining the amount of electric power to be supplied to the light emitting module for obtaining the lighting pattern comprises measuring the amount of electric power that is being supplied to the light emitting module operated in accordance with the lighting pattern (“Controller program also has data or mathematical equations based on which highly accurate lumens output can be calculated for a particular type or color LED at a given ambient temperature and the average current flowing through that LED.”, Paragraph (371)).
Regarding claim 13: Bora teaches the method according to claim 1 (see above), wherein said determining the amount of electric power to be supplied to the light emitting module for obtaining the lighting pattern comprises calculating an estimated amount of the electric power based on a sum of gradation values of the plurality of light emitting elements to be operated in accordance with the lighting pattern (Paragraph (297) speaks of how “To limit the sum of the currents going through different LED drivers at a time, one could make sure not to have multiple pins controlling signals … of the LED drivers ON at a time.”, which requires the sum of gradation values in accordance with the lighting pattern of the plurality of LED drivers).
Regarding claim 20: Bora teaches the automotive unit according to claim 17 (see above), but does not directly teach that the light emitting module is a light source of a headlight, and the controller is included in an electronic control unit of the automotive unit.
However, a headlight is only one of several light emitting parts of an automotive unit. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been able to, without inventive skill or thought, apply the limitations of claim 17 to the headlight(s) of the vehicle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 2, 15, and 18: Bora teaches the method according to claim 1 (see above), the light emitting module according to claim 14 (see above), and the unit according to claim 17 (see above), but does not teach that said calculating the estimated temperatures of the plurality of light emitting elements comprises: based on the lighting pattern of the light emitting module, calculating variables that represent estimated amounts of heat to be held by the plurality of light emitting elements, respectively; calculating a representative value of the variables of two or more of the light emitting elements and a value representing a variation of the variables of the two or more of the light emitting elements; and calculating the estimated temperatures of the plurality of light emitting elements, by using the determined amount of electric power and in accordance with a pre-obtained relationship among: amounts of electric power required by a test light emitting module to obtain predetermined lighting patterns, respectively; representative values of measured temperatures of two or more test light emitting elements of the test light emitting module, the representative values corresponding to the predetermined lighting patterns, respectively; and values representing variations of the measured temperatures of the two or more test light emitting elements, the values corresponding to the predetermined lighting patterns, respectively.
EP 4164340 A1 (Sanga) teaches a method of calculating the heat emitted by a light emitting module based on heat variables Σh.
However, Sanga does not teach variables that are representative values of the variables of two or more of the light emitting elements and a value representing a variation of the variables of the two or more of the light emitting elements, and therefore does not teach calculating the estimated temperatures of the plurality of light emitting elements, by using the determined amount of electric power and in accordance with a pre-obtained relationship among: amounts of electric power required by a test light emitting module to obtain predetermined lighting patterns, respectively; representative values of measured temperatures of two or more test light emitting elements of the test light emitting module, the representative values corresponding to the predetermined lighting patterns, respectively; and values representing variations of the measured temperatures of the two or more test light emitting elements, the values corresponding to the predetermined lighting patterns, respectively.
There is no other relevant prior art that teaches or suggests these limitations. Therefore, the limitations indicated above are considered to be novel and non-obvious over the prior art listed.
Dependent claims 3-11, 15-16, and 18-19 would be allowable for their dependence on a claim with allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
JP 6848396 B2 teaches a light emitting diode driving device, lighting using the same, and a fishing light.
WO 2020157243 A1 teaches an automotive lighting device for an automotive vehicle.
JP 2019204654 A teaches an LED lighting device capable of easily increasing toning resolution.
CN 109196951 A teaches adjusting the provided current to improve the safety of the lighting device is produced with the management.
US 20180199413 A1 teaches a light emitting diode (LED) lighting fixture that includes a lamp having a tube with at least one LED lamp positioned therein and operatively connected with external electrical contacts.
EP 3113579 A1 teaches an LED lighting system with a heatsink; a plurality of strings of LEDs each string comprising one or more LEDs each having a junction and being mounted on the heatsink, and a controller comprising a memory unit and a processor and being configured to supply a current to each of the strings of LEDs.
US 20110298386 A1 teaches a LED lighting apparatus that includes at least one LED lighting element, a control unit and a switching converter, for supplying the LED lighting element.
JP 2006310617 A teaches an LED driving control method has a step of measuring the operation voltage of the LED, and a control step of controlling the temperature of the LED on the basis of the operation voltage.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JULIA FITZPATRICK whose telephone number is (703)756-5783. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8am-4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Laura Martin can be reached at (571)272-2160. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JULIA FITZPATRICK/Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/LAURA MARTIN SWEENEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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