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 .
Continued Examination under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.
Applicant's submission filed on 1/14/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment(s)
The Amendment, filed on 1/14/2026, has been entered and acknowledged by the Examiner.
Cancellation of claim(s) 1 has been entered.
Claim(s) 2-9 are pending in the instant application.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 10/6/2024. These drawings are considered acceptable by Examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 1/14/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
A. In response to Applicant's arguments that Zhang et al., does not disclose the claimed invention, the Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Applicant’s representative argues that the fluorescent lamp of Zhang et al., can not be classified as the claimed heat radiator, however Examiner disagrees with this position. A fluorescent lamp is a heat radiator. While the light produced is via gas excitation rather than a heated filament, fluorescent lamps still convert a considerable volume of electrical energy that is converted into heat. For example, a 100W florescent bulb puts out 90W of heat, thereby technically classifying the bulb as a heat radiator since the heat technically radiates from the bulb center.
B. In response to Applicant's arguments that Susaki et al., does not disclose the claimed invention, the Examiner respectfully disagrees.
In response to applicant's argument that Sasaki et al., is nonanalogous art, it has been held that a prior art reference must either be in the field of the inventor’s endeavor or, if not, then be reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the inventor was concerned, in order to be relied upon as a basis for rejection of the claimed invention. See In re Oetiker, 977 F.2d 1443, 24 USPQ2d 1443 (Fed. Cir. 1992). In this case, both primary reference Zhang et al., and secondary reference Sasaki et al., are drawn to fluorescent lamps.
Examiner notes that the claimed subject matter is directed to the operation/use of the device, therefore the claim recitation(s) “(2) heats the heat radiator by electromagnetic induction,” has not been afforded patentable weight. In a claim to a device, only structural limitations are granted patentable weight and the phrase, recitations directed to the operation/using of the device (e.g., when device is in use/application), do not affect the structure of the device and therefore has no bearing on the construction of the final product.
For the reasons stated above, the inclusion of Zhang et al., is deemed proper.
America Invents Act
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 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.
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 of this title, 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.
1. Claim(s) 2-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Zhang et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2021/0396683 A1) in view of Sasaki et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0216793) both references as previously cited by Examiner.
Regarding Claim 2, Zhang et al., teaches a light source (100, "illumination unit," ¶ [0034]), comprising: a heat radiator ("fluorescent lamp," ¶ [0036]); a high-pressure gas-filled bulb housing the heat radiator (tungsten filament intrinsically requires halogen gaseous mixture to operate); and an electromagnetic levitation ("magnetic levitation system," ¶ [0071-0072]) and induction heating unit (via heating and levitation stages) configured to generate a high-frequency electromagnetic field that simultaneously suspends the heat radiator ("fluorescent lamp") within the bulb that is free of contact with (purpose of levitation is to ensure regions of the heat radiator that are free of contact with the bulb, ¶ [0071]) and heats the heat radiator to an elevated temperature higher than that of a heat radiator in traditional thermoluminescent lamps, wherein the heat radiator ("fluorescent lamp"). Zhang et al., is silent regarding elevated temperature value.
In the same field of endeavor, Sasaki teaches that the fluorescent lamp (“fluorescent lamp,” ¶ [0018]) has a target temperature of 5500K (5500K, ¶ [0018]) in order to more closely imitate a nature emission of light to the human eye (¶ [0018]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the temperature, as disclosed by Sasaki et al., in the lamp of Zhang et al., in order to more closely imitate a nature emission of light to the human eye (¶ [0018])
Regarding Claim 3, Zhang et al., teaches the light source of claim 2, further comprising: a high-pressure gas-filled bulb (halogen bulb) housing the heat radiator (of fluorescent filament), wherein the high-pressure gas is configured to support a halogen cycle within the bulb for maintaining a stability and lifespan of the heat radiator at the elevated temperature.
Regarding Claim 4, Zhang et al., teaches the light source of claim 2, further comprising: an infrared reflective coating (706, reflector of electromagnetic wave, ¶ [0052]) applied to a surface of the bulb, wherein the infrared reflective coating is configured to recycle infrared radiation emitted by the heat radiator, thereby enhancing energy efficiency and reducing power consumption (¶ [0052]).
Regarding Claim 5, Zhang et al., teaches the light source of claim 4, wherein the infrared reflective coating (706) is configured to recycle mid-infrared and far-infrared radiation in addition to near-infrared radiation (of EM waves), and is capable of achieving a visible light luminous efficacy exceeding a predetermined threshold.
Regarding Claim 6, Zhang et al., teaches the light source of claim 2, wherein the electromagnetic levitation and induction heating unit ("magnetic levitation system," ¶ [0071-0072]) are configured to operate in three stages, including: a levitation start and preheating stage (start-up of lamp, ¶ [0036]), in which the heat radiator is levitated and heated to a target temperature; a normal working stage (regular operation of "fluorescent lamp," ¶ [0036]), in which a power and a frequency of the electromagnetic field are balanced to maintain the heat radiator at the target temperature for stable light emission; and a maintenance and cooling stage (during "off" stage/operation of " fluorescent lamp," ¶ [0036]), in which the power and frequency are gradually decreased to lower the temperature of the heat radiator while maintaining levitation until the heat radiator settles at the bottom of the bulb.
Regarding Claim 7, Zhang et al., teaches the light source of claim 2, wherein the heat radiator ("lamp," ¶ [0036]) is made of tungsten, and the light source emits visible light that closely resembles a natural light spectrum.
Regarding Claim 8, Zhang et al., teaches the light source of claim 3, wherein the gas-filled bulb comprises a halogen gas mixture (of "tungsten lamp," ¶ [0036]), and concentration, pressure, and composition of the halogen gas are configured to optimize a halogen cycle rate and minimize an evaporation rate of the heat radiator at high operating temperatures.
Regarding Claim 9, Zhang et al., teaches the light source of claim 6, further comprising: a warm-maintenance work mode (during operation) configured to maintain the temperature of the heat radiator slightly above a halogen cycle temperature during cooling, wherein the warm-maintenance work mode removes tungsten deposition (intrinsic operation of tungsten filament deposition, on/off) on the bulb surface and returns it to the heat radiator to preserve the luminous efficiency of the light source.
Other Prior Art Cited
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Espacenet Patent Search Complete (Global Dossier)
Examiner's Note
The Examiner cites particular figures, paragraphs, columns and line numbers in the reference(s), as applied to the claims above. Although the particular citations are representative teachings and are applied to specific limitations within the claims, other passages, internally cited references, and figures may also apply. In preparing a response, it is respectfully requested that the Applicant fully consider the references, in their entirety, as potentially disclosing or teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as fully consider the context of the passage as taught by the reference(s) or as disclosed by the Examiner.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner Hana Featherly whose telephone number is (571)-272-8654. The examiner can normally be reached on M-R . If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Greece can be reached on 571-272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-272-8300. 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 http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/Hana Featherly/
USPTO Art Unit 2875
Patent Examiner Hana Featherly
/JAMES R GREECE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875