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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 11/22/2025.
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) 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Emura (US 2022/0099879 A1).
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Regarding claim 12, Emura teaches a lightguide assembly comprising:
a base plate (50) having a plurality of reflective microstructures (metal pattern 60; figure 3B and paragraph [0020]);
a lightguide member (light guide member 40; figure 3b; paragraph [0020]) disposed on the base plate (50) and having a connection portion (see figure 3B), a first extension portion (see figure 1A;55), and a second extension portion (see figure 1A,56a), the connection portion is connected to the first extension portion (55) at a first connecting portion and connected to the second extension portion (56a) at a second connecting portion (see figure 1A), the base plate (50) has a connection region (see figure 1A), a first extension region (see figure 1A; 55), and a second extension region (see figure 1A; 56a), the connection region, the first extension region (see figure 1A; 55), and the second extension region (56a) respectively correspond to the connection portion, the first extension portion (see figure 1A; 55a), and the second extension portion (56a) , the reflective microstructures (61) are distributed in the first extension region with a first average density (see figure 1A and 3B where the density of 61 in region 55 is less than surrounding regions),
the reflective microstructures (61; see figures 1A and 3B) are distributed in the second extension region with a second average density (see figure 1A; in region 56a, the density of 61 is more than in region 55), the reflective microstructures (61) are distributed in the connection region with a third average density (see figure 1A; region 56c), the third average density is greater than the first average density (see figure 1A; region 55), and the third average density is greater than the second average density (see figure 1A; 56a); and a plurality of light-emitting members (30) adjacent to the connection portion, wherein an emitting direction of a portion of the light-emitting members (30) is toward the first extension region (see figure 1A and 3B;55), and an emitting direction of another portion of the light-emitting members is toward the second extension region (see figure 1A and 3B;56a).
Regarding claim 13, Emura teaches the lightguide assembly according to claim 12, further comprising: a first light-emitting member (30left; figure 3B) adjacent to the first connecting portion and facing the first extension region (see figure 3B);
a second light-emitting member (30right) adjacent to the second connecting portion and facing the second extension region (see figure 1A; 56a); a third light-emitting member (see figure 3A where plurality of Light emitting members are shown) adjacent to the first connecting portion and facing the connection region (see figure 3A); a fourth light-emitting member (see figure 3A where plurality of Light emitting members are shown) adjacent to the second connecting portion and facing the connection region (see figure 3A).
Regarding claim 14, Emura teaches the lightguide assembly according to claim 13, wherein the first light-emitting member (30left; figure 3B) has a first emitting main axis (see figure 3B), the first extension region has a long axis, an angle between the first emitting main axis and the long axis is between 0° and 25° (see figure 3B; paragraph [0079]), the third light-emitting member has a third emitting main axis (see figure 3A), the connection region has a middle section axis, and an angle between the third emitting main axis and the middle section axis is between 15° and 30° (see figure 3B; paragraph [0079]).
Regarding claim 15, Emura teaches the lightguide assembly according to claim 13, wherein the connection region comprises a first arc portion (see figure 3B;41), a second arc portion (see figure 3B), and a middle section (see figure 3B; portion where light source 30 is positioned), the first arc portion (41) is connected to the first extension portion at the first connecting portion (see figure 3B), the second arc portion is connected to the second extension portion (56a) at the second connecting portion (see figure 3B), the middle section is connected between the first arc portion and the second arc portion (see figure 3B), a portion of the light-emitting members is adjacent to the first arc portion (see figure 3B;41), and another portion of the light-emitting members (30) is adjacent to the second arc portion (see figure 3B).
Regarding claim 16, Emura teaches the lightguide assembly according to claim 12, wherein the light-emitting members comprises: a first light-emitting member (30left; figure 3B) adjacent to the first connecting portion and facing the first extension region (see figure 1A; 55); and a second light-emitting member (30right; figure 3B) adjacent to the second connecting portion and facing the second extension region (see figure 1A; 56a).
Regarding claim 17, Emura teaches the lightguide assembly according to claim 16, wherein the first light-emitting member (30left; figure 3B) has a first emitting main axis (see figure 3B), the first extension region (55) has a long axis, and an angle between the first emitting main axis and the long axis is between 0° and 25° (see figure 3B; see paragraph [0079]).
Regarding claim 18, Emura teaches the lightguide assembly according to claim 16, wherein the connection region comprises a first arc portion (see figure 3B;41), a second arc portion (see figure 3B), and a middle section (see figure 3B; see where light source 30 is positioned), the first arc portion is connected to the first extension portion at the first connecting portion (see figure 3B), the second arc portion is connected to the second extension portion at the second connecting portion (see figure 3B), the middle section is connected between the first arc portion and the second arc portion (see figure 3B), a portion of the light-emitting members (30) is adjacent to the first arc portion (see figure 3B), and another portion of the light-emitting members (30) is adjacent to the second arc portion (figure 3B).
Regarding claim 19, Emura teaches the lightguide assembly according to claim 12, wherein the first extension region has a free end away from the connection region (see figure 3B), and a distribution density of the reflective microstructures (61 and 62) in the first extension region decreases from the connection region to the free end of the first extension region (see figure 1A and 3B).
Regarding claim 20, Emura teaches the lightguide assembly according to claim 12, further comprising a light-blocking sheet (33; paragraph [0069]) and a light-reflective sheet (43; paragraph [0069]), wherein the base plate has a first surface and a second surface (see figure 3B), the first surface and the second surface are opposite to each other (see figure 3B), the lightguide member (40) is disposed on the first surface, the light-blocking sheet (33) is disposed on the first surface (see figure 3B), the light-blocking sheet (33) has a gap, lightguide member (40) is arranged to pass through the gap (see figure 3B), and the light-reflective sheet (43) is disposed on the second surface (see figure 3B).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA MCMILLAN APENTENG whose telephone number is (571)272-5510. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ABDULMAJEED AZIZ can be reached at 571-270-5046. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JESSICA M APENTENG/Examiner, Art Unit 2875
/ABDULMAJEED AZIZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875