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 .
This is a response to the Applicants' file on 5/30/24. In virtue of this filing, claims 1-11 are currently presented in the instant application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 2/10/25 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 &1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Coburn et al (US Pub. No: 2020/0005564) in view of Crodian et al (US Pub.No:2005/0111231).
With respect to claim 1, Coburn et al disclose in figures 1 and 8 that, a lighting module for exterior light (figure 1, Exterior lighting (140) of a vehicle (electric vehicle 120), the lighting module (140) comprising: a housing(figure 8, exterior light(paragraph [64]); at least one light-emitting diode arranged in the housing for generating high beam, low beam, side or marker light, parking light, turn signal light, fog light, cornering light, or daytime running light a daytime running light(paragraph [36] ); at least one power input(battery(122), battery charger(110)) by which the at least one light-emitting diode (paragraph [ 6] shows the exterior lighting (140) which includes set of light emitting diodes (LEDs) for emitting light during driving operation of the electric vehicle and a second set of LEDs)can be connected to an on-board power supply of a motor vehicle(120)(figure 1); an interface(figure 1 for Lighting control module 136 may transmit, via coupling 158 (e.g., a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus), note that, Controller Area Network (CAN) is a serial communication protocol that allows microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other without a central computer, originally developed by Robert Bosch GmbH for the automotive industry but now used in industrial, aerospace, and other applications. It reduces the need for complex wiring harnesses by using a two-wire bus for high-integrity, real-time control, featuring a multi-master system, priority-based message transmission, and robust error detection) for (paragraph [47] shows the lighting control module 136 may identify a subset of LEDs within an array of LEDs of the daytime running light or position light via coupling the interface 158) and a controller (136) configured to process an incoming signal via the interface(158, paragraph [47] shows the lighting control module 136 may identify (incoming signal or data or voltage signal or current signal of)a subset of LEDs within an array of LEDs of the daytime running light or position light via coupling the interface 158) or configured to generate an outgoing signal(transmit) via the interface(158).
Although, Coburn et al disclose the bidirectional communication (158).
Coburn et al do not explicitly disclose the bidirectional communication by which the lighting module can communicate with a further lighting module of the identical type.
Crodian et al disclose a using a dedicated communications line, or bus, as shown in FIG. 6, instead of output ports and input ports to provide communications between controllers may allow for additional light modules to be controlled. Paragraph [61].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features of Crodian et al into the vehicle of Coburn et al to communication at least two light controller to provide at least to two light module.
With respect to claim 2, Coburn et al disclose in figures 1 and 8 that, wherein the lighting module is a built-in light module or a surface-mounted lighting module.
With respect to claim 3, Coburn et al, as modified above, disclose wherein the interface (158) comprises an input connection by which the incoming signal from the further lighting module can be received.
With respect to claim 4, Coburn et al, as modified above, disclose wherein the interface (158) comprises an output connection by which the outgoing signal can be sent to the further lighting module.
With respect to claim 5, Coburn et al, as modified above, disclose wherein the input connection and the output connection is connected to the controller.
With respect to claim 6, Coburn et al disclose in figure 1 that, wherein the outgoing signal indicates a fault in a lighting function of the lighting module. Paragraph [5] shows the lighting control module (136) is configured to cause the exterior light to emit light at a rapidly varying intensity when the charge status information indicates a charging fault has occurred.
With respect to claim 7, Coburn et al disclose in figure 1 that, wherein: the lighting function is one of a plurality of lighting functions; and the outgoing signal identifies the lighting function affected by the fault. Paragraph [53] shows multiple light marking/signaling/charging functions share a single lens (e.g., a combination stop, rear marking, and charging indicator light), different colors or intensities may be used to distinguish between position marking, signaling, or charging functions and paragraph [5].
With respect to claim 8, Coburn et al disclose in figure 1, wherein the outgoing signal indicates a faultless functioning of a lighting function. Paragraph [7] shows the lighting control module is configured to cause the exterior light to emit light of a third color (e.g., green) when the vehicle battery is fully charged.
With respect to claim 9, Coburn et al discloses in figures 1 and 8 that, wherein the controller (136) is configured to cause the at least one light-emitting diode to be dimmed or switched off based on the incoming signal. Paragraph [5] shows he lighting control module is configured to cause the exterior light to emit light at a substantially constant intensity during driving operation of the electric vehicle and emit light at a varying intensity during charging.
With respect to claim 11, Coburn et al. as modified above, disclose, wherein the interface of each of the first and second lighting modules are connected to each other.
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 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Coburn et al (US Pub. No: 2020/0005564) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Krzywinski et al (US Pub. No: 2021/0288585).
With respect to claim 10, Coburn et al disclose all limitations recited in claim 1 above except for wherein the input connection and the output connection is connected to the controller via an impedance converter.
Krzywinski et al discloses in figures 1-2 that, wherein the input connection and the output connection is connected to the controller via an impedance converter. Paragraphs [17] for controller 201 which forms a part of DC DC converter as shown in figure 2 and paragraph [20] for controller 201 which forms a part of DC DC converter 10 matching the impedance of DC AC inverter 102 to the impedance of PV array 101.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the impedance converter of Krzywinski et al into the electric vehicle system of Colburn et al to match the input impedance of the first battery array to an output impedance for charging the second battery array to maximize power transfer and/or minimize signal reflection from the charging.
Citation of pertinent prior art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicants' disclosure. See prior arts/references listed on the PTO-892 form attached.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MINH TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-1817. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Taningco Alexander H can be reached on 571-272-8048. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Minh Tran/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2844