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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the adjusting assembly, connecting structure, an external signal, external signals and a lamp holder component must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 12, Applicant discloses a “lamp holder component”. The Specification does not identify the “lamp holder component” with a reference numeral, but does recite in page 36 of the Specification, lines 17-19, “ The adaptor device 4 may be fixed in lamp holder components with different types by the engaging head 470 or the conductive end cap 43 to be fixed with the lamp holder component”. This statement is insufficient to identify what part of the device is a “lamp holder component”, thus making this limitation vague and indefinite with regards to the location of a “lamp holder component” in Applicant’s invention. For examination purposes, “a lamp holder component” will be interpreted as element 21 of Chen.
Because of their dependency, claims 13-20 are necessarily rejected.
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)(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) 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al (CN102506313, “Chen”).
Regarding claim 12, Chen discloses a lamp assembly (figs. 1-2) comprising: a tube(1), each of two ends of the tube comprising a lamp head(2), at least one of the lamp heads comprising power components(Para. 0037, light emitting diodes (not shown) arranged in the circuit of the lamp tube as seen in Fig. 3), at least part of the power components being disposed in a receiving space of the lamp head (212, Para. 0039, Fig. 3, “a convex 212 and at least one first fastener 213. the first member 211 and the tube 1 electrically connect, in particular, the first member 211 is a good conductor, and connected with the lamp tube 1 in the light emitting diode circuit electrically”) each lamp head comprising a connecting structure which complies with a first connection protocol (31, 21) and at least one of the connecting structures being used to connect an external signal to the power components(31); and an adaptor device(22,221), connected with the connecting structure of the lamp head, complying with a second connection protocol, used for connecting a lamp holder component (21) providing an external signal to make the external signal sent to the power components via the adaptor device and the connecting structure in order.( as broadly interpreted, adaptor device (22, 221) is considered to perform this function since when it is rotated (Para. 0040 and 0041).
.
Regarding claim 13, wherein a length of the lamp assembly complies with one of lamp size standards of USA-ANSI, Europe-IEC and Japan-210924-AC. Chen discloses the tube lamp 1 as being a standard fluorescent tube lamp.
Regarding claim 14, Chen discloses the tube is disposed with lighting components therein, the power components are electrically connected to the lighting components, and the external signal is transmitted to the lighting components through the power components. (Para. 0037,0039)
Regarding claim 15, the connecting structure is a conductive pin protrusively disposed on the lamp head (31).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 are allowed.
Claims 16-20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claims 1-11, the prior art cited of record does not anticipate individually or teach in combination the limitations of claims 1-11. Regarding claims 16-20, Chen, although disclosing the limitations of claims 12-15, does not anticipate individually or teach in combination with any of the cited prior art of record, the limitations of claims 16-20.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Lu et al discloses a set of lamp tubes the first tube with a color temperature module and the second tube with a power adjustment terminal.
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/ANABEL TON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875