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 .
The present Office Action is in response to Applicant’s filing of March 26, 2026. Claims 1-15 are presented for examination, with Claims 1 and 15 being in independent form.
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.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0202071 (“Chen”) in view of U.S. Patent No. 6,441,558 (“Muthu”).
Regarding Claim 1, Chen discloses a method for temperature compensation (Figs. 5 and 7-9; [0006]-[0022]; [0159]-[0201]), the method comprising:
receiving a target color point for light emitted by at least one light-emitting device (3, 4 in Fig. 5 having as inputs CCT and luminous flux; [0115]; Figs. 7 and 9; [0117]-[0121]);
determining an operating electrical energy of the at least one light-emitting device based on a correlation of at least one temperature value of the at least one light-emitting device with the received target-color point (using controller 5 in Fig. 5; [0115]); and
operating the at least one light-emitting device based on the determined operating electrical energy (5 in Fig. 5; [0115]).
Although Chen discloses receiving a target color point for light emitted by at least one light-emitting device (target color point having as inputs CCT and luminous flux; [0115]), Chen fails to specifically disclose the newly added limitation of “wherein the target color point relates to a target brightness and a target color.”
However, Muthu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the target color point relates to a target brightness and a target color (Fig. 2, “user input for color preference” and “user input for Lighting level”; Col. 5, lines 40-48; Fig. 3, Steps 104 and 110; Col. 8, lines 12-39).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention, to have provided the method and apparatus for temperature compensation as disclosed by Chen with the target color point as taught by Muthu, in order to provide a control system for providing white light with selectable color temperature and dimming light, as evidenced by Muthu (Col. 1, lines 6-8).
Regarding Claim 2, Chen further discloses wherein the target color point comprises a Tristimulus value for the light emitted by the at least one light-emitting device ([0203]-[0206]).
Regarding Claim 3, Chen further discloses wherein the at least one temperature value is occurring locally at the at least one light-emitting device (junction temperature, [0042]; [0095]; [0123]; [0126]).
Regarding Claim 4, Chen further discloses wherein the determining further comprises: determining a contribution of each of the at least one light-emitting device to the received target color point (using controller 5 in Fig. 5; [0115]; 3, 4; [0117]-[0121]).
Regarding Claim 5, Chen further discloses wherein the contribution depends on a respective peak electrical energy with which each of the respective light-emitting devices is operated ([0209]).
Regarding Claim 6, Chen further discloses wherein the contribution depends on the at least one temperature value of each of the respective light-emitting devices ([0209]).
Regarding Claim 7, Chen further discloses storing the contribution as a function of temperature values of each of the respective light-emitting devices in a look-up table, wherein the look-up table is used for determining the operating electrical energy of each of the at least one light-emitting devices (lock-up table used by controller 5 in Fig. 5; [0115]).
Regarding Claim 8, Chen further discloses storing the contribution at a standard temperature of each of the respective light-emitting devices in a vector, wherein the vector is used for determining the operating electrical energy of each of the at least one light-emitting devices ([0168]-[0181]).
Regarding Claim 9, Chen further discloses modelling the temperature dependency of the contribution by applying a respective relative deviation to the stored contribution at the standard temperature ([0168]-[0181]).
Regarding Claim 10, Chen further discloses wherein the standard temperature is 25°C ([0168]-[0181]).
Regarding Claim 11, Chen further discloses wherein each relative deviation depends on the at least one temperature value of the respective light-emitting device ([0200]).
Regarding Claim 12, Chen further discloses wherein the correlation is constituted by a linear system of equations ([0168]-[0181]; [0194]).
Regarding Claim 13, Chen further discloses wherein the received target color point comprises a brightness of the light emitted by the at least one light-emitting device ([0008]; [0117]-[0121]).
Regarding Claim 14, Chen further discloses wherein the at least one light-emitting device comprises at least of a red light-emitting diode, LED, a green light-emitting diode, LED, and a blue light-emitting diode, LED (RGB LEDs; [0205]).
Regarding Claim 15, Chen discloses an apparatus for temperature compensation of at least one light-emitting device (Figs. 5 and 7-9; [0006]-[0022]; [0159]-[0201]), the apparatus comprising:
a receiving unit for receiving a target color point for light emitted by at least one light-emitting device (3, 4 in Fig. 5 having as inputs CCT and luminous flux; [0115]; Figs. 7 and 9; [0117]-[0121]);
a determination unit for determining an operating electrical energy of the at least one light-emitting device based on a correlation of at least one temperature value of the at least one light-emitting device with the received target color point (using controller 5 in Fig. 5; [0115]); and
an operating unit for operating the at least one light-emitting device based on the determined operating electrical energy (5 in Fig. 5; [0115]).
Although Chen discloses receiving a target color point for light emitted by at least one light-emitting device (target color point having as inputs CCT and luminous flux; [0115]), Chen fails to specifically disclose the newly added limitation of “wherein the target color point relates to a target brightness and a target color.”
However, Muthu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the target color point relates to a target brightness and a target color (Fig. 2, “user input for color preference” and “user input for Lighting level”; Col. 5, lines 40-48; Fig. 3, Steps 104 and 110; Col. 8, lines 12-39).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention, to have provided the method and apparatus for temperature compensation as disclosed by Chen with the target color point as taught by Muthu, in order to provide a control system for providing white light with selectable color temperature and dimming light, as evidenced by Muthu (Col. 1, lines 6-8).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Amendment filed March 26, 2026, with respect to the rejections of Claims 1-15 under Sec. 102 over Chen have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made under Sec. 103 over Chen in view of Muthu.
Applicant argues in essence that the newly added limitation regarding the reception of a target color point that is related to a target brightness and a target color is not disclosed nor suggested by Chen.
It is now Muthu, newly cited, not Chen that is cited for these newly added limitations.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PEDRO C FERNANDEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7050. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5 EST.
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/PEDRO C FERNANDEZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2845
/ALEXANDER H TANINGCO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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