Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/796,352

LAMP AND LIGHT SOURCE CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Aug 07, 2024
Examiner
KING, MONICA C
Art Unit
2844
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Leotek Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 0m
To Grant
91%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allow Rate
407 granted / 482 resolved
+16.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+6.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
12 currently pending
Career history
494
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.3%
-36.7% vs TC avg
§103
34.8%
-5.2% vs TC avg
§102
42.5%
+2.5% vs TC avg
§112
12.7%
-27.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 482 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority; however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN202410277142.6 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted is being considered by the examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by van de Ven et al. (US 20160366746, hereinafter “van de Ven”). Regarding claim 1, van de Ven discloses a lamp, comprising: a controller for outputting a dimming signal that is adjusted according to at least one weather factor ([0176], [0021], [0180]); a plurality of light-emitting devices; a plurality of current conversion modules, coupled to the light-emitting devices for generating a current signal according to the dimming signal to control the light-emitting devices to emit light, wherein the dimming signal is related to a visible light including a red light or an infrared light emitting characteristic of the light-emitting devices ([0193]: current conversion and different groups of LEDS; [0143]: red light). Regarding claim 2, van de Ven discloses the lamp of claim 1, further comprising an interpretation module coupled to the current conversion modules and used to output a plurality of control signals corresponding to the dimming signal according to a comparison table respectively to the current conversion modules ([0225]) Regarding claim 3 , van de Ven discloses the lamp of claim 2, further comprising a power conversion module, coupled to the current conversion modules and the interpretation module, and used to supply power to the current conversion modules and the interpretation module ([0137] In certain embodiments, control of one or more solid state light emitter groups or sets may be responsive to a control signal (optionally including at least one sensor arranged to sense electrical, optical, and/or thermal properties and/or environmental conditions), a timer or clock signal, and/or at least one user input. One or more control signals may be provided to at least one current supply circuit. In various embodiments, current to different circuits or circuit portions may be pre-set, user-defined, or responsive to one or more inputs or other control parameters). Regarding claim 4, van de Ven discloses the lamp of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of light panels, and the light-emitting devices with a same visible light including the red light or infrared light emitting characteristic are arranged on a same light panel, and each of the current conversion modules is coupled to a corresponding light panel ([0143] It is well known to adjust proportions of light output by three differently colored light sources (e.g., red, green, and blue) to permit adjustment of color point or CCT as well as aggregate flux (brightness). Once a desired color point or CCT of aggregate emissions is attained, however, the only parameter that can be adjusted is aggregate flux (brightness) without causing the color point to shift); each of the current conversion modules is used to output a direct current to the corresponding light panel according to a corresponding control signal to control the light emitting devices disposed on the corresponding light panel to emit light ([0045] FIG. 5A is a table including values for the melatonin action spectrum (relative units) and corresponding wavelengths). Regarding claim 5, van de Ven discloses the lamp of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting devices increase the visible light including the red light or the infrared light emitting characteristic by increasing a red light component in visible light or adding infrared light-emitting devices ([0146]: increase the vividness). Regarding claim 6, van de Ven discloses a light source control method for a lamp, comprising: outputting a dimming signal that is adjusted according to at least one weather factor (see claim 10); and generating a current signal according to the dimming signal to control a plurality of light-emitting devices to emit light, wherein the dimming signal is related to a visible light including a red light or an infrared light emitting characteristic of the light-emitting devices (see claim 1). Regarding claim 7, van de Ven discloses the light source control method of claim 6, further comprising outputting a plurality of control signals corresponding to the dimming signal to a plurality of current conversion modules according to a comparison table, wherein the current conversion modules are coupled to the light-emitting devices ([0069]: the conversation elements arranged to operate in conjunction with the circuit). Regarding claim 8, van de Ven discloses the light source control method of claim 7, further comprising outputting a direct current to a corresponding light-emitting device according to a corresponding control signal by each of the current conversion modules ([0137]). Regarding claim 9, van de Ven discloses the light source control method of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting devices increase the visible light including the red light or the infrared light emitting characteristics by increasing a red light component in visible light or adding infrared light-emitting devices ([0146]: increase vividness). Regarding claim 10, van de Ven discloses the light source control method of claim 1, wherein the at least one weather factor comprises at least one of rainfall, visibility, weather forecast reports on rainy or foggy days ([0021]). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MONICA C KING whose telephone number is (571)270-3429. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Regis Betsch can be reached on (571) 270-7101. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see https://ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MONICA C KING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844 12/13/2025
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 07, 2024
Application Filed
Dec 13, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12604377
LIGHT DRIVER WITH IMPROVED DIMMING PROFILE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12602990
APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING CONTROL
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12604384
OLED PRINT HEAD
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12598679
Load Control Device Having a Controllable Filter Circuit
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12598684
LIGHT DRIVER SYSTEM WITH MODULAR CONTROLLER BOARD
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
84%
Grant Probability
91%
With Interview (+6.7%)
2y 0m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 482 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month