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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group 1, claims 18-19, 24-25, 27, and 29-35 in the reply filed on 8/14/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 40 and 48 have been amended to depend on claim 19 and claims 40-43 and 45-48 have been examined herein.
Claim Interpretation
Independent claim 19 recites “a UV-C light emitter”. The specification, at pages 3 and 4, identifies that “UV” refers to ultraviolet radiation, while UV-C refers to ultraviolet radiation “within the spectrum of 200 nanometer – 280 nanometer wavelengths” [page 4; lines 8-9]. Following the recitation, in claim 19, of “a UV-C light emitter”, the claims variously reference “the light emitter” (as in, for example, claims 19, 25, and 27) and “the ultraviolet light emitter” (as in claim 18). These recitations are interpreted to refer back to the “UV-C light emitter of claim 19 (since each of the claims depends, directly or indirectly, upon claim 19) despite not reciting “the UV-C light emitter”, verbatim. Therefore, recitations of “the light emitter” and “the ultraviolet light emitter”, found throughout the claims, are found to have proper antecedent basis in the “UV-C light emitter” of claim 19.
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) 19, 24, 25, and 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lloyd U.S. PGPUB No. 2017/0246331.
Regarding claim 19, Lloyd discloses a germicidal lamp system comprising: a UV-C light emitter 20 (“a germicidal radiation emitter 20 configured to emit germicidal radiation within the environment 100. The germicidal radiation may include one or more of UV-C, UV-B, and HINS radiation” [0048]) configured to output ultraviolet light into a defined treatment area at least intermittently occupied by one or more humans (“The systems and methods monitor one or more persons that are in an area of the one or more germicidal emitters” [0047]); a sensor 30 configured to detect the presence of a human in the defined treatment area (“one or more sensors to detect the existence of a person in the area” [0046]); and an electrical controller 50 operatively coupled to the light emitter 20 and the sensor 30, and configured to control the light emitter responsive to a signal from the sensor indicating the presence of a human in the treatment area (“Sensors 30 and 40 could be a single sensor that detects both the presence of a person and whether or not they are equipped with eye protection. Processing circuitry 51 within a computing device 50 receives signals from the sensors 30, 40 and operates the emitter 20 accordingly” [0048]).
Regarding claim 24, Lloyd discloses that the sensor includes one or more of: an ultrasonic sensor (“The sensors 30 may include various types of sensing technology, including but not limited to… sonic or ultrasonic transducers” [0074]), an infrared sensor (“The sensors 30 may include various types of sensing technology, including but not limited to… thermal or infrared sensing and imaging” [0074]), and optical sensor (“The sensors 30 may include various types of sensing technology, including but not limited to… lasers, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors, and photoresistors” [0074]), and an RFID sensor (“The system 10 may also assign RFID tags to the person, such as tags incorporated into a wrist band. RFID readers 30 are positioned in the environment 100 to read the electronic information stored on the tag to determine the location of the person in the environment” [0076]).
Regarding claim 25, Lloyd discloses that the electrical controller is configured, while a signal from the sensor indicates the presence of a human in the treatment area, to control the UV-C light emitter to operate in a safe mode; wherein operation in the safe mode includes one or more of: operating at a reduced intensity, operating within one or more selected wavelength ranges, and/or limiting a maximum duration of operation in the safe mode over a selected time period (“The system includes a germicidal radiation emitter that emits at least one of UV-B, UV-C, and HINS radiation into the environment… The processing circuit is configured to operate the germicidal radiation emitter at levels to disinfect the environment in excess of the limits considered safe for humans who are not wearing the eye protection in response to determining that the person is wearing the eye protection. The processing circuit is configured to operate the germicidal radiation emitter to decrease the germicidal radiation to levels considered safe for humans who are not wearing the eye protection in response to detecting that the person is not wearing the eye protection” [0018] – the radiation levels are reduced to a safe mode level upon detection of a human not wearing eye protection).
Regarding claim 27, Lloyd discloses that the sensor is configured to identify specific humans in the treatment area (“The system 10 may also assign RFID tags to the person, such as tags incorporated into a wrist band. RFID readers 30 are positioned in the environment 100 to read the electronic information stored on the tag to determine the location of the person in the environment” [0076]); and wherein the electrical controller is configured to control the UV-C light emitter to output ultraviolet UV-C illumination while the sensor indicates the presence of a human in the treatment area, and to expose no individual human to more than an exposure limit per day of said illumination (“The system includes a germicidal radiation emitter that emits at least one of UV-B, UV-C, and HINS radiation into the environment… The processing circuit is configured to operate the germicidal radiation emitter at levels to disinfect the environment in excess of the limits considered safe for humans who are not wearing the eye protection in response to determining that the person is wearing the eye protection. The processing circuit is configured to operate the germicidal radiation emitter to decrease the germicidal radiation to levels considered safe for humans who are not wearing the eye protection in response to detecting that the person is not wearing the eye protection” [0018]).
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) 29, 30, 31, and 32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lloyd U.S. PGPUB No. 2017/0246331 in view of Cho et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2023/0190977.
Regarding claim 29, Lloyd discloses the claimed invention except that while Lloyd discloses “operating the one or more germicidal radiation emitters in a first mode and emitting a first amount of germicidal radiation into the environment; and in response to determining that there is a person in the environment, operating the one or more emitters in a second mode and emitting a second amount of germicidal radiation into the environment, with the second amount of germicidal radiation being different than the first amount of germicidal radiation” [0028], and that “The emitter 20 may include PUV xenon lamps (pulsed high power xenon lamps producing broad spectrum 100-1000 nm light with a high UV-C component)” [0056] there is no explicit disclosure that the electrical controller is configured to control the light emitter to output ultraviolet illumination only between 200 nanometers and 235 nanometers wavelength while a signal from the sensor indicates the presence of at least one human in the treatment area.
Cho discloses “a method of determining disinfection levels caused by a lighting device and to a computer program product for executing the method” [0001], wherein “The lighting device 130 may comprise different light source technologies, for instance a 222 nm excimer Kr-Cl lamp for virus disinfection in presence of people, a 256 nm mercury bulb providing more energy-efficient disinfection if the room is vacant and/or an UV-A LED anti-bacterial light source or purple LED for visible disinfection” [0066].
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lloyd to operate at the specific wavelengths disclosed in Cho in order to provide a desired level of sterilization of a room, surface, and/or object, while ensuring that nearby humans are not adversely exposed to harmful radiation.
Regarding claim 30, Lloyd discloses the claimed invention except that while Lloyd discloses “operating the one or more germicidal radiation emitters in a first mode and emitting a first amount of germicidal radiation into the environment; and in response to determining that there is a person in the environment, operating the one or more emitters in a second mode and emitting a second amount of germicidal radiation into the environment, with the second amount of germicidal radiation being different than the first amount of germicidal radiation” [0028], and that “The emitter 20 may include PUV xenon lamps (pulsed high power xenon lamps producing broad spectrum 100-1000 nm light with a high UV-C component)” [0056] there is no explicit disclosure that the electrical controller is configured to control the UV-C light emitter to output ultraviolet illumination only between 200 nanometers and 230 nanometers wavelength while a signal from the sensor indicates the presence of at least one human in the treatment area.
Cho discloses “a method of determining disinfection levels caused by a lighting device and to a computer program product for executing the method” [0001], wherein “The lighting device 130 may comprise different light source technologies, for instance a 222 nm excimer Kr-Cl lamp for virus disinfection in presence of people, a 256 nm mercury bulb providing more energy-efficient disinfection if the room is vacant and/or an UV-A LED anti-bacterial light source or purple LED for visible disinfection” [0066].
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lloyd to operate at the specific wavelengths disclosed in Cho in order to provide a desired level of sterilization of a room, surface, and/or object, while ensuring that nearby humans are not adversely exposed to harmful radiation.
Regarding claim 31, Lloyd discloses the claimed invention except that while Lloyd discloses “operating the one or more germicidal radiation emitters in a first mode and emitting a first amount of germicidal radiation into the environment; and in response to determining that there is a person in the environment, operating the one or more emitters in a second mode and emitting a second amount of germicidal radiation into the environment, with the second amount of germicidal radiation being different than the first amount of germicidal radiation” [0028], and that “The emitter 20 may include PUV xenon lamps (pulsed high power xenon lamps producing broad spectrum 100-1000 nm light with a high UV-C component)” [0056] there is no explicit disclosure that the electrical controller is configured to control the UV-C light emitter to output ultraviolet illumination between 200 nanometers and 280 nanometers wavelength while no human is detected in the treatment area.
Cho discloses “a method of determining disinfection levels caused by a lighting device and to a computer program product for executing the method” [0001], wherein “The lighting device 130 may comprise different light source technologies, for instance a 222 nm excimer Kr-Cl lamp for virus disinfection in presence of people, a 256 nm mercury bulb providing more energy-efficient disinfection if the room is vacant and/or an UV-A LED anti-bacterial light source or purple LED for visible disinfection” [0066].
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lloyd to operate at the specific wavelengths disclosed in Cho in order to provide a desired level of sterilization of a room, surface, and/or object, while ensuring that nearby humans are not adversely exposed to harmful radiation.
Regarding claim 32, Lloyd discloses that the UV-C light emitter includes a first UV-C light emitter (“By way of example, a three-lamp emitter 20 may operate in the first mode with each of the lamps activated and the second mode with just one of the lamps activated” [0062]); further comprising a second light emitter (“By way of example, a three-lamp emitter 20 may operate in the first mode with each of the lamps activated and the second mode with just one of the lamps activated” [0062]); and wherein the electrical controller is configured to control the second light emitter to shut down while a signal from the sensor indicates the presence of at least one human in the treatment area (“An intermediate mode may include two lamps activated. A multi-lamp emitter 20 may also include lamps that emit different amounts of germicidal radiation. A first mode may include one or more of the lamps activated thus producing the first amount of germicidal radiation, and a second mode includes a different combination of lamp activation that produces a second amount” [0062] – “A first mode may emit a higher amount of germicidal radiation than a second mode. The first mode may be used in sections of the environment 100 where the person is not located (i.e., unoccupied sections). The second mode may be used in sections where the person is located” [0061]). Lloyd discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure that the first emitter is configured to output ultraviolet illumination between 200 nanometers and 230 or 235 nanometers wavelength and the second emitter is configured to output ultraviolet illumination between 235 nanometers and 280 nanometers wavelength.
Cho discloses “a method of determining disinfection levels caused by a lighting device and to a computer program product for executing the method” [0001], wherein “The lighting device 130 may comprise different light source technologies, for instance a 222 nm excimer Kr-Cl lamp for virus disinfection in presence of people, a 256 nm mercury bulb providing more energy-efficient disinfection if the room is vacant and/or an UV-A LED anti-bacterial light source or purple LED for visible disinfection” [0066].
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lloyd to operate at the specific wavelengths disclosed in Cho in order to provide a desired level of sterilization of a room, surface, and/or object, while ensuring that nearby humans are not adversely exposed to harmful radiation.
Claim(s) 40, 41, 45, 46, and 47 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lloyd U.S. PGPUB No. 2017/0246331 in view of Dayton U.S. PGPUB No. 2016/0121007.
Regarding claim 40, Lloyd discloses the claimed invention except that while Lloyd discloses “The control signal from the processing circuitry 51 to the germicidal emitter 20 can be conveyed by hard wiring or conveyed wirelessly… One very simple system envisioned has a centrally located computing device 50 powered by a local 110V duplex receptacle, perhaps at a nurse's station” [0135], there is no explicit disclosure that the power supply provides AC power.
Dayton discloses a housing 20; a power supply configured to provide AC power to the UV-C light emitter (“the decontamination apparatus can include a power cord that is to be plugged into an AC mains electric outlet supplied by an electric power utility to obtain the electric energy needed to power the decontamination apparatus 10” [0031]); and an exposed interface configured to receive actuation to couple the power supply to the UV-C light emitter (“the decontamination apparatus can include a power cord that is to be plugged into an AC mains electric outlet supplied by an electric power utility to obtain the electric energy needed to power the decontamination apparatus 10” [0031]); wherein the UV-C light emitter is disposed in the housing (as illustrated in figure 3).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lloyd with the housing and power source of Dayton in order to provide power to the ultraviolet lamp from any wall outlet-type power source, thereby providing flexibility as to the location of the device at any number of locations near a power outlet, and to include the housing of Dayton to provide a suitable support means for securing an ultraviolet lamp so as to direct ultraviolet radiation in a desired direction.
Regarding claim 41, Lloyd discloses that the electrical controller is configured to control coupling of the power supply to the UV-C light emitter and is operatively coupled to the exposed interface (“The control signal from the processing circuitry 51 to the germicidal emitter 20 can be conveyed by hard wiring or conveyed wirelessly… One very simple system envisioned has a centrally located computing device 50 powered by a local 110V duplex receptacle, perhaps at a nurse's station” [0135] – where the exposed interface is either the duplex receptacle or the interface where the power source is connected to the computing device).
Regarding claim 45, Lloyd discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure of a support mechanism configured to temporarily support the germicidal lamp system to illuminate the treatment area.
Dayton illustrates in figure 3 that a support mechanism configured to temporarily support the germicidal lamp system to illuminate the treatment area (“The housing 20 can be pivotally coupled to a distal end of an articulated arm 22 or other suitable support that allows the housing 20, and accordingly the bulbs 14, to be pivoted about a rotational axis in the directions indicated by arrow 21 and otherwise positioned in a suitable position relative to the tray table 5 to achieve the desired level of decontamination within a predetermined period of time, once activated” [0029]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lloyd with the housing of Dayton in order to provide a suitable support means for securing an ultraviolet lamp so as to predictably direct ultraviolet radiation in a desired direction relative to a desired room, surface, and/or object.
Regarding claim 46, Lloyd discloses that the power supply includes a power cord plugged into a socket, but Lloyd does not disclose that the socket provides AC power.
Dayton discloses a housing 20; a power supply configured to provide AC power to the UV-C light emitter (“the decontamination apparatus can include a power cord that is to be plugged into an AC mains electric outlet supplied by an electric power utility to obtain the electric energy needed to power the decontamination apparatus 10” [0031]); and an exposed interface configured to receive actuation to couple the power supply to the UV-C light emitter (“the decontamination apparatus can include a power cord that is to be plugged into an AC mains electric outlet supplied by an electric power utility to obtain the electric energy needed to power the decontamination apparatus 10” [0031]); wherein the UV-C light emitter is disposed in the housing (as illustrated in figure 3).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lloyd with the power source of Dayton in order to provide power to the ultraviolet lamp from any wall outlet-type power source, thereby providing flexibility as to the location of the device at any number of locations near a power outlet.
Regarding claim 47, Lloyd discloses that the power supply includes a battery.
Dayton powering an ultraviolet sterilization apparatus (“a source that emits UVC light at a suitable intensity to at least partially decontaminate a target object and render the target object pathogen reduced” [Abstract]) using a battery (“an on-board power supply such as a rechargeable battery bank 37 storing electric energy that can be used to energize the bulbs 14 and power the controller 16” [0031]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lloyd with the power source of Dayton in order to provide power to the ultraviolet lamp in a manner which allows the ultraviolet lamp to be moved from one location to another while active without the limitation of the ultraviolet lamp being confined to remain near an external power source.
Claim(s) 42 and 43 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lloyd U.S. PGPUB No. 2017/0246331 in view of Dayton U.S. PGPUB No. 2016/0121007 in further view of Sun et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2008/0175751.
Regarding claim 42, Lloyd discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure that the exposed interface configured to receive actuation to couple the power supply to the UV-C light includes an on-off switch disposed substantially coincident with an exterior surface of the housing or a digital communications interface; and wherein the digital communications interface is configured to receive at least "on" and "off' commands from a remote device.
Sun discloses “sterilization lamps, with the ultraviolet radiation to provide sterilization” [Abstract], wherein exposed interface (the outer surface(s) of shell 20, illustrated in figure 1) is configured to receive actuation to couple a power supply 70 to an ultraviolet lamp (“a power supply 70 for supplying power” [0014]) and includes an on-off switch disposed substantially coincident with an exterior surface of the housing 20 (“when the lid 30 of the trash receptacle 10 is opened, the magnetic switch 60 will shut off the power supply 70 or the plug 71 that supplies power” [0024]) and a digital communications interface 31; and wherein the digital communications interface 31 is configured to receive at least "on" and "off' commands from a remote device (“A control panel 31 is disposed on the outside of the lid 30, and will display the command of on, off and other setting data for the user to control directly the action of the removable sterilization device 40 inside” [0021] – the control panel 31 is remote from the lamp 43, as illustrated in figure 2).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lloyd and Dayton with the electronic control mechanisms of Sun in order to provide control over the start and stop times at which ultraviolet radiation is emitted from a light source so that a user may be ensured of control to begin or end irradiation based on human judgement.
Regarding claim 43, Lloyd discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure that the exposed interface configured to receive actuation to couple the power supply to the UV-C light includes an on-off switch disposed substantially coincident with an exterior surface of the housing or a digital communications interface; and wherein the digital communications interface is configured to receive at least "on" and "off' commands from a remote device.
Sun discloses “sterilization lamps, with the ultraviolet radiation to provide sterilization” [Abstract], wherein exposed interface (the outer surface(s) of shell 20, illustrated in figure 1) is configured to receive actuation to couple a power supply 70 to an ultraviolet lamp (“a power supply 70 for supplying power” [0014]) and includes an on-off switch disposed substantially coincident with an exterior surface of the housing 20 (“when the lid 30 of the trash receptacle 10 is opened, the magnetic switch 60 will shut off the power supply 70 or the plug 71 that supplies power” [0024]) and a digital communications interface 31; and wherein the digital communications interface 31 is configured to receive at least "on" and "off' commands from a remote device (“A control panel 31 is disposed on the outside of the lid 30, and will display the command of on, off and other setting data for the user to control directly the action of the removable sterilization device 40 inside” [0021] – the control panel 31 is remote from the lamp 43, as illustrated in figure 2).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lloyd and Dayton with the electronic control mechanisms of Sun in order to provide control over the start and stop times at which ultraviolet radiation is emitted from a light source so that a user may be ensured of control to begin or end irradiation based on human judgement.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 18, 33, 34, 35, and 48 are 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.
Regarding claim 18; Lloyd U.S. PGPUB No. 2017/0246331 discloses a germicidal lamp system comprising: a UV-C light emitter 20 (“a germicidal radiation emitter 20 configured to emit germicidal radiation within the environment 100. The germicidal radiation may include one or more of UV-C, UV-B, and HINS radiation” [0048]) configured to output ultraviolet light into a defined treatment area at least intermittently occupied by one or more humans (“The systems and methods monitor one or more persons that are in an area of the one or more germicidal emitters” [0047]); a sensor 30 configured to detect the presence of a human in the defined treatment area (“one or more sensors to detect the existence of a person in the area” [0046]); and an electrical controller 50 operatively coupled to the light emitter 20 and the sensor 30, and configured to control the light emitter responsive to a signal from the sensor indicating the presence of a human in the treatment area (“Sensors 30 and 40 could be a single sensor that detects both the presence of a person and whether or not they are equipped with eye protection. Processing circuitry 51 within a computing device 50 receives signals from the sensors 30, 40 and operates the emitter 20 accordingly” [0048]). However, Lloyd does not disclose that the electrical controller is positioned within a housing including a front housing and a back housing.
Gonzalez U.S. PGPUB No. 2022/0296844 discloses a UV-C light emitter (“The cap for the humidification chamber 112 contains an ultraviolet radiation source on its interior underside, for the automated sterilization of the air and water contents of the chamber” [0028]) and an electrical controller (“The electronics exterior housing 164 encases and protects the electronics components, including the controller, power source and power transformer” [0028]) positioned within a housing 109; and further comprising: the housing including a front housing and a back housing (as illustrated in figures 1A and 3B), the front and back housings being configured to contain electrical components of an ultraviolet luminaire (as illustrated in figure 3B). However, although Gonzalez discloses a shield 103 (“A protective dividing layer 104 separates the controller 103 from other electromechanical and electronics components, including the power supply 106 (which in one embodiment is a lithium ion battery supply) and a power transformer 107. This layer 104 provides separation and protection of these components, prevents overheating of the controller 103 in proximity to the power supply 106, and allows for ease of insertion and removal by the user” [0024]), there is no explicit disclosure that a light shield is formed in one or both of the front housing and back housing and configured to substantially prevent heat and ultraviolet light produced by the ultraviolet emitter from reaching the electronic controller.
The prior art fails to teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with the other claim limitations, a germicidal lamp system a germicidal lamp system configured to output ultraviolet illumination into a defined treatment area at least intermittently occupied by one or more humans, comprising: an electrical controller operatively coupled to a UV-C light emitter and a sensor, and configured to control the light emitter responsive to a signal from the sensor indicating the presence of a human in a treatment area wherein the UV-C light emitter and the electrical controller are positioned within a housing; and a light shield, formed in one or both of a front housing and a back housing, is configured to substantially prevent heat and ultraviolet light produced by the ultraviolet emitter from reaching the electronic controller.
Regarding claim 33; Lloyd U.S. PGPUB No. 2017/0246331 discloses a germicidal lamp system comprising: a UV-C light emitter 20 (“a germicidal radiation emitter 20 configured to emit germicidal radiation within the environment 100. The germicidal radiation may include one or more of UV-C, UV-B, and HINS radiation” [0048]) configured to output ultraviolet light into a defined treatment area at least intermittently occupied by one or more humans (“The systems and methods monitor one or more persons that are in an area of the one or more germicidal emitters” [0047]); a sensor 30 configured to detect the presence of a human in the defined treatment area (“one or more sensors to detect the existence of a person in the area” [0046]); and an electrical controller 50 operatively coupled to the light emitter 20 and the sensor 30, and configured to control the light emitter responsive to a signal from the sensor indicating the presence of a human in the treatment area (“Sensors 30 and 40 could be a single sensor that detects both the presence of a person and whether or not they are equipped with eye protection. Processing circuitry 51 within a computing device 50 receives signals from the sensors 30, 40 and operates the emitter 20 accordingly” [0048]). However, Lloyd does not disclose that the electrical controller is configured to control an actuator to interpose a wavelength filter between the UV-C light emitter and a treatment area while a signal from a sensor indicates the presence of at least one human in the treatment area.
Saad et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2019/0328919 discloses “A portable decolonization device can include a casing and an ultraviolet light source housed within the casing. The ultraviolet light source can be adapted to produce an emitted ultraviolet light. A filter can be oriented to filter the emitted ultraviolet light to produce a filtered ultraviolet light having a center wavelength and a narrowed bandwidth” [Abstract], wherein “the light source 302 may emit UV light at approximately 254 nanometers. However, this frequency of UV light may be dangerous to humans, thus, the filter 204 may be used to filter the light a safer 207 nanometer wavelength” [0051]. However, Saad does not disclose an actuator and therefore does not disclose an electrical controller configured to control an actuator to interpose the wavelength filter between a UV-C light emitter and a treatment area while a signal from a sensor indicates the presence of at least one human in the treatment area.
The prior art fails to teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with the other claim limitations, a germicidal lamp system comprising: an electrical controller configured to control an actuator to interpose the wavelength filter between a UV-C light emitter and a treatment area while a signal from a sensor indicates the presence of at least one human in the treatment area.
Regarding claims 34 and 35; these claims would be allowable at least for their dependence upon claim 33.
Regarding claim 48; Lloyd U.S. PGPUB No. 2017/0246331 discloses a germicidal lamp system comprising: a UV-C light emitter 20 (“a germicidal radiation emitter 20 configured to emit germicidal radiation within the environment 100. The germicidal radiation may include one or more of UV-C, UV-B, and HINS radiation” [0048]) configured to output ultraviolet light into a defined treatment area at least intermittently occupied by one or more humans (“The systems and methods monitor one or more persons that are in an area of the one or more germicidal emitters” [0047]); a sensor 30 configured to detect the presence of a human in the defined treatment area (“one or more sensors to detect the existence of a person in the area” [0046]); and an electrical controller 50 operatively coupled to the light emitter 20 and the sensor 30, and configured to control the light emitter responsive to a signal from the sensor indicating the presence of a human in the treatment area (“Sensors 30 and 40 could be a single sensor that detects both the presence of a person and whether or not they are equipped with eye protection. Processing circuitry 51 within a computing device 50 receives signals from the sensors 30, 40 and operates the emitter 20 accordingly” [0048]). However, Lloyd does not disclose a distance sensor aligned to a centerline of a treatment area and configured to measure one or more distances from a housing including an excimer light source to a surface bounding the treatment area, to a person in the treatment area, or to a surface bounding the treatment area and to the person.
The prior art fails to teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with the other claim limitations, a germicidal lamp system comprising: a distance sensor aligned to a centerline of a treatment area and configured to measure one or more distances from a housing including an excimer light source to a surface bounding the treatment area, to a person in the treatment area, or to a surface bounding the treatment area and to the person; wherein an electronic controller is configured to receive data from the sensor corresponding to the one or more distances from the housing and to control the excimer light source to control a UV-C power intensity according to a pre-determined exposure limit at the person, the surface, or the person and the surface.
Conclusion
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