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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: lane 8 of the claim recites the word “streached”. The Examiner believes this is a typographical error and that Applicant intended to use the word “stretched”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 3 and 5-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huh et al. (KR 1248155 B1), Huh hereinafter.
Examiner’s note
The following rejection is based on a foreign reference KR 1248155 B1. For examination purpose reference is been made to a copy of a machine translation of the applied reference, which is hereby provided.
Regarding claim 1, Huh discloses a recessed light fixture (10, fig. 3), comprising: a trim housing (110, page 4, ¶ 5, fig. 3) having a trim housing wall (111, page 4, ¶ 7) and a trim housing cavity (HC, hereinafter as denoted on the figure below) bound by the trim housing wall (111), wherein the trim housing (110) includes a channel (CH, hereinafter as denoted on the figure below) formed at least in part by the trim housing (110), wherein the channel (CH) has a top wall (TW, hereinafter as denoted on the figure below); a trim (200, page 4, ¶ 5, fig. 3) having a trim wall (230, page 5, ¶ 5, fig. 3), wherein the trim (200) includes a trim flange (TF, hereinafter as denoted on the figure below) that extends outwardly from the trim wall (230), wherein the trim (200) is at least partially positioned in the trim housing cavity (HC); a trim retention elastic band (210/220, page 5, ¶ 6, fig. 5(c)) stretched; as best understood by the Examiner; around the trim wall (230) and positioned in the trim housing cavity (HC) above the top wall (TW) of the channel (CH) during installation of the elastic band (210/220) and at least part of the trim (200) into the trim housing cavity (HC) (see fig. 5), wherein the trim retention elastic band (210/220) is compressed by the trim wall (230) and the trim housing wall (111) such that the trim (200) is attached to the trim housing (110) by friction (elastic force, page 8, ¶ 1) between the trim retention elastic band (210/220) and the trim wall (230) and between trim retention elastic band (210/220) and the trim housing wall (111) (see fig. 5); and wherein the top wall (TW) of the channel (CH) limits an upward movement of the trim (200) during installation of the trim (200) into the trim housing cavity (HC) by preventing further movement of the trim flange (TF) into the trim housing (110) once the trim flange (TF) comes in contact with the top wall (TW) (see fig. 5).
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Regarding claim 3, Huh discloses a lens (124, page 4, ¶ 7, fig. 4) attached to the trim (200), wherein the trim has a trim cavity (250, page 4, ¶ 5, fig. 4), and wherein the lens (124) closes off a top opening (240, page 5, ¶ 4, fig.3) of the trim (200) and prevents air flow through trim cavity (250).
Regarding claim 5, Huh discloses that the trim retention elastic band (210/220) is positioned around the trim wall (230) proximal to a bottom opening (see fig. 5 (c)) of the trim (200) and wherein the bottom opening of the trim is wider than the top opening (240) of the trim (200) (see fig. 5 (c)).
Regarding claim 6, Huh discloses that the trim retention elastic band (210/220) provides an airtight attachment between the trim (200) and the trim housing (110) (as implied on fig. 5(a)).
Regarding claim 7, Huh discloses that the trim housing (110) comprises a trim housing flange (112, page 4, ¶ 7, fig. 3) that extends outwardly from the trim housing wall (111).
Regarding claim 8, Huh discloses that the top wall (TW) of the channel (CH) limits the upward movement of the trim (200) into the trim housing cavity (HC) such that the trim flange (TF) is flush with the trim housing flange (112) (see fig. 3 and fig. 5 above).
Regarding claim 9, Huh discloses that the trim retention elastic band (210/220) is positioned on the trim flange (TF) (fig. 5 above).
Regarding claim 10, Huh discloses that the trim (200) is a reflector (page 4, ¶ 5) or a baffle.
Regarding claim 11, Huh discloses that the trim retention elastic band (210/220) is made from an elastomeric material (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin, page 5, ¶ 6).
Regarding claim 12, Huh discloses that the recessed light fixture (10) is a direct mount recessed light fixture (10) (see fig. 10).
Regarding claim 13, Huh discloses light fixture retention brackets (140, page 5, ¶ 3, fig. 3) configured to retain the recessed light fixture (10) recessed in a ceiling structure.
Regarding claim 14, Huh discloses that the trim (200) is attachable to the trim housing (110) by toollessly forcing the trim (200) and the trim retention elastic band (210/220) into the trim housing cavity (HC) after the trim retention elastic band (210/220) is attached to the trim (200) around the trim wall (230) (page 2, ¶ 7, last sentence, fig. 5).
Regarding claim 15, Huh discloses that the trim is detachable from the trim housing (110) by toollessly pulling the trim out of the trim housing cavity (HC) (page 3, ¶ 7, see fig. 5 above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 4 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if at least one the limitations indicated below were included in the base claim.
Regarding claim 2, the references of Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim 2, and specifically comprising the limitation directed to the trim retention elastic band has an unstretched inner diameter (Dri) that is smaller than an outer diameter (Dt) of the trim.
Regarding claim 4, the references of Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim 4, and specifically comprising the limitation directed to a rotatable enclosure section, wherein a light source is attached to the rotatable enclosure section and is configured to emit a light toward the lens and the trim cavity.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSE M. DIAZ whose telephone number is (571)272-9822. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-4:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James R Greece can be reached at (571) 272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOSE M DIAZ/ Examiner, Art Unit 2875
/ANNE M HINES/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875