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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 3, recites “output output power”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1, lines 9+, recites “controlling the brightness of the lamp module to the feedback pin based on a target dimming level corresponding to the dimming level signal and a current dimming level corresponding to a current brightness of the lamp module”.
Claim 5, lines 2+, recites “in response to the feedback pin voltage out of a feedback allowable range”.
Claim 10, lines 2+, recites “connected to an output terminal of the drive and to which the output power is input…and is electrically conducted selectively”.
Dependent claims 2-4 and 6-9 are rejected by virtue of its dependency.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4 and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Rhodes et al. US8466631.
With respect to claim 1, Rhodes et al. discloses a lighting control device 112 connected to a lamp module 140 and configured to control light emission of the lamp module [Fig. 1 and 2], comprising:
a driver 125, 130 configured to receive input power, output output power to the lamp module, and adjust a magnitude of the output power according to the result of comparison between a feedback pin voltage applied to a feedback pin and a threshold voltage [Col. 2, Lines 19-47]; a feedback voltage output unit configured to output a feedback voltage unrelated to the output power to the feedback pin [Col. 7, Lines 27+]; and a dimming controller 110 configured to receive a dimming level signal and output a dimming control signal for controlling the brightness of the lamp module to the feedback pin based on a target dimming level corresponding to the dimming level signal and a current dimming level corresponding to a current brightness of the lamp module [Col. 3, Lines 50+].
With respect to claim 2, Rhodes et al. discloses wherein the feedback voltage output unit outputs the feedback voltage smaller than the threshold voltage [Col. 7, Lines 27+].
With respect to claim 3, Rhodes et al. discloses wherein the driver increases the output power in response to the feedback pin voltage smaller than the threshold voltage [Col. 2, Lines 19+].
With respect to claim 4, Rhodes et al. discloses wherein the driver decreases the output power in response to the feedback pin voltage exceeding the threshold voltage [Col. 2, Lines 19+].
With respect to claim 6, Rhodes et al. discloses wherein the dimming controller outputs the dimming control signal having a positive voltage value to the feedback pin so that the feedback pin voltage exceeds the threshold voltage when the current dimming level exceeds the target dimming level [Col. 2, Lines 19+].
With respect to claim 7, Rhodes et al. discloses wherein the driver includes: an input circuit 115 configured to rectify the input power and generate a rectified voltage; a control circuit including a switching element 130 and configured to transform the rectified voltage into a pulse according to a switching operation of the switching element to output the pulsed rectified voltage [Col. 5, Lines 49+]; a transformer 135 configured to transform the pulsed rectified voltage transmitted to a primary winding and transmit the transformed rectified voltage to a secondary winding; and an output circuit configured to generate the output power using a voltage transmitted from the secondary winding of the transformer [Fig. 2].
With respect to claim 8, Rhodes et al. discloses wherein the lighting control device further includes a reference voltage generator configured to generate a reference voltage unrelated to the output power and output the reference voltage using the voltage transmitted from the secondary winding of the transformer as operating power, and the feedback voltage output unit outputs the feedback voltage associated with the reference voltage using the reference voltage [Col. 8, Lines 36+].
With respect to claim 9, Rhodes et al. discloses wherein the lighting control device further includes a maximum output fixing unit configured to output an output fixing signal that allows the feedback pin voltage to become the threshold voltage or higher to the feedback pin when the output power is greater than or equal to a predetermined maximum allowable value, in combination with the other limitations of the claim [Col. 4, Lines 44+].
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rhodes et al. US8466631 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Ye et al. US20220141930.
With respect to claim 5, Rhodes et al. disclose the lighting control device as recited above in claim 1. Rhodes et al. fails to disclose wherein the driver adjusts the output power to turn the lamp module off in response to the feedback pin voltage out of a feedback allowable range.
Ye et al. discloses a driver adjusting the output power to turn the lamp module off in response to feedback voltage out of a feedback allowable range [paragraph 78]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the features of Ye et al. into the device of Rhodes et al. to provide protection thus reducing the damage to the lamp module as taught by Ye et al. [paragraph 78].
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rhodes et al. US8466631 as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Archer et al. US20220046775.
With respect to claim 10, Rhodes et al. disclose the lighting control device as recited above in claim 9. Rhodes et al. fails to disclose wherein the maximum output fixing unit includes at least one Zener diode that has one end which is connected to an output terminal of the driver and to which the output power is input and the other end connected to an output terminal of the feedback voltage output unit, and is electrically conducted selectively according to a magnitude of the output power.
Archer et al. discloses wherein the maximum output fixing unit includes at least one Zener diode 110 that has one end which is connected to an output terminal of the driver and to which the output power is input and the other end connected to an output terminal of the feedback voltage output unit, and is electrically conducted selectively according to a magnitude of the output power [paragraphs 14, 60 and 67+ and Fig. 4]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the features of Archer et al. into the device of Rhodes et al. to improve circuit performance as taught by Archer et al..
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kangyo et al. US20160262226 shows an LED driver
Yu et al. US20160044755 shows a dimming circuit
Goriki et al. US20100039039 shows an illumination device
Smith et al. US20220353970 shows a current control circuitry
Angelin US20200007042 shows a converter
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ALEXANDER H. TANINGCO
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2844
/ALEXANDER H TANINGCO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2844