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 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) 1 and 4-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2012/0300495 A1) in view of St. Ives et al. (US 2011/0051407 A1) and Kennemer et al. (US 2014/0268775 A1).
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Regarding claim 1, Kim et al. teaches a screen illumination device, comprising:
a body (see figure 1 and 2), comprising a first housing (150A) and a second housing (150B), wherein the first housing comprises a first accommodation cavity, the second housing comprises a second accommodation cavity, and the second housing (150B; see at least figure 1 and 2) is detachably connected to the first housing (150A; see at least figure 1 and 2);
a first light source (130a), located in the first accommodation cavity, the first light source being connected to the body and adapted to generate a first light beam; and a second light source (130b), located in the second accommodation cavity, the second light source being connected to the body (see at least figure 1) and adapted to generate a second light beam;
wherein the first housing (150A) is adapted to allow the first light beam to emit out along a first direction (see position of light source 130a in first housing 150A), the second housing (150B) is adapted to allow the second light beam to emit out along a second direction (see at least figures 1 and 2), and the second direction (see position of 130b) is different from the first direction (see position of 130a).
Kim et al., however, does not explicitly teach the first housing comprises an accommodation groove adapted to accommodate the second housing and the second housing is detachably connected directly to the first housing.
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St. Ives et al. teaches the first housing (70right; see figure 4 above) comprising an accommodation groove (see figure 4 above) adapted to accommodate the second housing (70left; see figure 4) and wherein the second housing (70left; figure 4) is detachably connected directly to the first housing (70right; see at least figure 5 where 34 of one housing is attached to 52 of the other housing and therefore housings are directly connected. Also see paragraph [0019] where cylinder 52 is intended to allow insertion of the cylindrical connect element 34 of end cap 30).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify Kim et al. to directly detachably connect the second housing to the first housing as taught by St Ives et al. because it is beneficial to be able to couple two or more fixtures together so as to accommodate the extended length requirement (see paragraph [0002] of St. Ives et al.).
Kim modified by St. Ives et al. does not explicitly teach the first light source and the second light source are disposed in the first housing.
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Kennemer et al. teaches a first light source (main light source 20) and a second light source (22, 24) are disposed in the first housing (main housing 10; paragraph [0032]; see figure 1 and 2 where first light source 20 and second light sources within 16 and 18 are disposed in the main housing 10).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify Kim et al. to dispose the first light source and the second light source in the first housing as taught by Kennemer et al. as an alternative design choice and to provide protection to the main light source and main housing in the event that the light assembly is dropped (see paragraph [0031] of Kennemer et al.).
Regarding claim 4, Kim et al. modified by St. Ives et al. and Kennemer et al. teaches the screen illumination device according to claim 2, and Kim et al. further teaches wherein the first housing (150A) further comprises a shell (see at least figure 4), the shell forms the first accommodation cavity and the accommodation groove (see at least figures 1, 2 and 4), and the first accommodation cavity and the accommodation groove (see at least figure 4) are respectively located on opposite sides of the shell.
Regarding claim 5, Kim et al. modified St. Ives et al. and Kennemer et al. teaches the screen illumination device according to claim 1, and Kim et al. further teaches wherein the first housing comprises the first accommodation cavity and a combination part (see at least figure 4), the first light source (130a) is located in the first accommodation cavity (see at least figure 4), the second light source (130b) is disposed outside the first accommodation cavity (see at least figure 4), the combination part is located outside the first accommodation cavity (see at least figure 4) and is located on a side of the second light source (130b), the combination part is adapted to assemble with the second housing (150B), the second housing comprises a light incident part (see at least figure 4), the light incident part faces the second light source (130b) when the second housing (150B) is assembled with the combination part, and the second light beam of the second light source (130b) is adapted to enter the second housing (150B) through the light incident part.
Regarding claim 6, Kim et al. modified St. Ives et al. and Kennemer et al. teaches the screen illumination device according to claim 5, and Kim et al. further teaches wherein the first housing (150A) has an axis, an extension direction of the axis is different from the first direction and the second direction (see at least figure 1 and 4), the second light source (130b) emits the second light beam along the axis, and the light incident part is located on the axis when the first housing and the second housing (150B) are assembled.
Regarding claim 7, Kim et al. modified St. Ives et al. and Kennemer et al. teaches the screen illumination device according to claim 5, and Kim et al. further teaches further comprising a light guide plate (110’ see figures 15-17), wherein the light guide plate (110’; figures 15-17) has a light incident surface (see at least figures 15-17) and a light exit surface (see at least figures 15-17), the second housing (150B) has a second accommodation cavity (see at least figure 15-17), the light incident part is located on a side of the second accommodation cavity (see at least figure 15-17), the light guide plate (110’; see at least figure 15-17) is fixed in the second accommodation cavity (see at least figures 15-17), the light incident surface faces (see at least figures 15-17) the light incident part (see at least figure 15-18), and the light exit surface faces the second direction (see at least figures 15-18).
Regarding claim 8, Kim et al. modified by St. Ives et al. and Kennemer et al. teaches the screen illumination device according to claim 1, and Kim et al. further teaches wherein the body further comprises a light-transmitting plate (110’; figure 15-17), and the second light beam is emitted from the light-transmitting plate along the second direction (see at least figure 15-17, light sources 132a).
Regarding claim 9, Kim et al. modified St. Ives et al. and Kennemer et al. teaches the screen illumination device according to claim 8, and Kim et al. further teaches wherein the light-transmitting plate (110’; see at least figure 15) further has a plurality of light-transmitting holes (115; see at least figure 16 and 17).
Regarding claim 10, Kim et al. modified St. Ives and Kennemer et al. teaches the screen illumination device according to claim 1, and Kim et al. further teaches further comprising a pattern-generating element (110’ see figures 16-17), wherein the pattern-generating element is connected to the second housing (150B; see at least figure 15) and disposed on a transmission path of the second light beam (light from 132a; figure 15), and the pattern-generating element (110’) is adapted to convert the second light beam (light from 132a; figure 15) into a patterned light beam.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 4-10 have been considered but are moot in view of applicant’s amendment of independent claim 1 and consideration of applicant’s arguments of independent claim 1. Applicant amended claim 1 to include limitations from dependent claim 5, which includes, “ the first light source and the second light source are disposed in the first housing”. A new reference, Kennemer et al., has been found to teach the limitation. Therefore, claims 1 and 4-10 are now rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2012/0300495 A1) in view of St. Ives et al. (US 2011/0051407 A1) and Kennemer et al. (US 2014/0268775 A1). See rejection above.
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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/JESSICA M APENTENG/Examiner, Art Unit 2875
/ABDULMAJEED AZIZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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