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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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) 1, 7, 8, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xia et al (US 2018/0213627 A1).
In regard to claim 1, Xia et al disclose an electronic device, comprising:
a supporting rod (2), a base (1), a functional component (4) and a longitudinal touch control device (3), wherein the supporting rod is slender and is erected on the base;
the functional component is connected to the supporting rod;
the touch control device is longitudinally arranged on the supporting rod and is electrically connected to the functional component, so as to control the magnitude of the output power of the functional component through the sensed moving touch signal. (Figure 3; see at least [0015] onward)
In regard to claim 7, Xia et al disclose the touch control device comprises a capacitive touch panel.
In regard to claim 8, Xia et al disclose the supporting rod is in a hollow tubular shape, an installation groove is formed on the wall of the supporting rod, and the touch control device is clamped and/or adhered to the installation groove.
In regard to claim 10, Xia et al disclose the supporting rod is made of rigid material; and/or the supporting rod is made of flexible material; and/or the supporting rod is cylindrical and has a diameter of 6 mm to 10 mm.
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) 2, 3, 5, and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xia et al (US 2018/0213627 A1) in view of Chen et al (US 2008/0291673 A1).
In regard to claim 2, Xia et al disclose the functional component comprises a first housing and a first circuit assembly arranged in the first housing, the base comprises a second housing, the supporting rod is connected to the first housing and the second housing respectively the supporting rod is a hollow tubular shape, and the second circuit assembly is electrically connected to the touch control device and the first circuit assembly respectively through wires passing through the interior of the supporting rod.
Xia et al fail to disclose a second circuit in the base.
Chen et al disclose a second circuit in the base. (See Figure 2)
Where the place of the control circuit and the illumination circuits are not critical to the examiner, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide a second circuit in the base, as taught by Chen et al, in order to provide additional controls to the light source.
In regard to claim 3, the combination of Xia et al and Chen et al disclose:
the first circuit assembly comprises a functional element and a first control circuit electrically connected to the functional element, wherein the functional element comprises a light-emitting element, a sound generating element, an atomizing element or an air outlet element (“a control circuit” may simply be the driver circuit on the light source);
the first control circuit comprises a third control chip for receiving control information, and a control module electrically connected to the third control chip (there is some local electronic, a chip, that receives control information from the touch sensors in both Xia et al and Chen et al);
the second circuit assembly comprises a second control circuit, and the second control circuit comprises a first control chip and a second control chip that generate the control information according to the touch information, wherein the first control chip and the second control chip are connected (both references teach plural controls—the local circuitry can be considered separate “chips”);
the control information is brightness control information (brightness and color are taught by both references), volume control information, air output quantity control information or atomizing quantity control information;
the touch control device is provided with at least two groups of touch points, the first group of touch points comprising a plurality of touch points respectively electrically connected with the first control chip, the second group of touch point comprising a plurality of touch point respectively electrically connected with the second control chip (both references teach separate control points and each control both must be circuited separately);
the first control chip and the second control chip are electrically connected to the third control chip respectively.
In regard to claim 5, the combination of Xia et al and Chen et al fail to disclose the electronic device further comprising a wireless charging unit disposed in the second housing, wherein the wireless charging unit comprises a transmitting coil and a receiving coil spaced above the second circuit assembly, or as recited in claim 6, that the base further comprises a base plate arranged in the second housing; the base plate comprises an upper surface and a lower surface, and the upper surface of the base plate is closer to the functional component than the lower surface thereof; the transmitting coil is arranged on the lower surface of the base plate, the receiving coil is arranged on the upper surface of the base plate, and the second circuit assembly is arranged between the lower surface of the base plates and the second housing.
However, inductive charging is notoriously old and well-known, and there are no critical features to these limitations, reciting only routine configuration of inductive chargers. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide an inductive charger coils to the base of Xia et al in order to provide remote charging for the lamp.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xia et al (US 2018/0213627 A1) in view of Chen et al (US 2008/0291673 A1), and further, in view of Yi (US 2021/0254625 A1).
In regard to claim 4, Xia et al fail to disclose the first housing comprises a first upper housing and a first lower housing connected to each other; one end of the supporting rod close to the first housing passes through the first lower housing and the first circuit assembly in sequence and then is connected to the first upper housing.
Yi teaches a first housing comprises a first upper housing and a first lower housing connected to each other; one end of the supporting rod close to the first housing passes through the first lower housing and the first circuit assembly in sequence and then is connected to the first upper housing. (See Figure 24)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to the first housing of Xia et al with that of Yi in order to change the resulting light distribution.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xia et al (US 2018/0213627 A1).
In regard to claim 9, Xia et al fail to disclose that a ratio of a length (L) of the touch control device to an exposed length of the supporting rod is 60% -90%; and/or the length (L) of the touch control device is 160-220 mm.
However, this is routine optimization of the length of the touch control device and supporting rod, and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to optimize the relative lengths in order to optimize the user experience.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Hurter (US 2024/0334572 A1) disclose an LED lamp.
Jiang (US 2023/0101336 A1) disclose an LED lamp.
Feng et al (US 2022/0299198 A1) disclose an LED lamp.
Hwang (US 2022/0069597 A1) disclose an LED lamp.
Chen (US 2009/0231167 A1) disclose an LED lamp.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER E DUNAY whose telephone number is (571)270-1222. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 am - 6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James (Jong-Suk) Lee can be reached at 571-272-7044. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER E DUNAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875