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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Receipt of preliminary amendment filed on 12/19/2024 is acknowledged. Claims 1-12 and 14 have been amended. Thus, claims 1-15 are pending in the instant application.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 12/19/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “120” has been used to designate both “a power supply” and “a first interface” as shown in figures 1 and 3. Maybe “a power supply” should be labeled as reference character “200” as described in the specification. 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. 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.
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 limitation recites “the first supply terminal and the second supply terminal and each interconnection terminal … are manually connectable to an external detachable interconnection component different from the LED arrangement“ in claim 1 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 1-15 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 1, the limitation recites “the first supply terminal and the second supply terminal and each interconnection terminal are distanced with each other on the housing and are manually connectable to an external detachable interconnection component different from the LED arrangement and allow, when one of the supply terminals is connected to a particular interconnection terminal via the detachable interconnection component” is unclear and leaves the reader in doubt as to the meaning of the technical feature to which it refers. It is unclear that what is an external detachable interconnection component? And how do the first supply terminal and the second supply terminal and each interconnection terminal are manually connectable to an external detachable interconnection component?
As shown in figure 1 and the specification, it would appear that an interconnection terminal and the first supply terminal are configured such that a first detachable interconnection component is able to form a first channel or current path between the first supply terminal and one of the interconnection terminal of the interconnection interface; and the interconnection terminal and the second supply terminal are configured such that a second detachable interconnection component is able to form a second channel between the second supply terminal and one of the interconnection terminal of the interconnection interface; the first supply terminal and the second supply terminal and each interconnection terminal are on an external surface of the housing and configured to be manually connected to each of the detachable interconnection component.
The claim fails to recite sufficiently definite structure, material or acts for achieving the functional result recited in the claim to reasonably apprise one of ordinary skill in the art of the scope of the claim.
Claims 2-15 are depending on claim 1, and are rejected the same reasons under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph.
Citation of Relevance Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Choi et al. (U.S Publication No. 20180242422 A1) discloses a light-emitting diode (LED) driving apparatus driving an LED module includes: a first output circuit configured to supply a first driving current to a first LED array; a second output circuit configured to supply a second driving current to a second LED array; and a controller configured to transmit a first control signal and a second control signal respectively to the first output circuit and the second output circuit.
Briggs et al. (U.S Publication No. 20120262076 A1) discloses a LED based lighting apparatus is disclosed. The light engine used in the lighting apparatus may use a multi-layer metal core printed circuit board and have a plurality of LED groups that are independently controllable by a control unit. The power supply input and return paths connected to each LED group may be implemented on different layers to allow a compact footprint that may be used with traditional fluorescent encasements with relatively little modification.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-15 are allowable if the objections and 112 issues above are fixed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAI N PHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-5518. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am-5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alexander Taningco can be reached at 571-272-8048. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Thai Pham/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
06/15/2026
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