DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 5/24/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-14, 17-19 are pending in the Application. Claims 15-16 have been canceled by the Applicant. Applicant’s amendments to the claims have overcome the Claim Objections previously presented.
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) 14, 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Danesh, US 10982829 B2 in view of Cho et al., US 2018/0356717 A1..
Regarding claim 14, Danesh discloses “A light assembly comprising: a lighting system (203, Fig. 25) configured to receive an AC input signal from a plurality of AC input wires (213, Fig. 25), and to emit light based on the AC input signal (col. 26, ln. 59-61), the lighting system comprising:
housing (202 and 241, Fig. 25) configured to encapsulate components of the lighting system, wherein the plurality of AC input wires pass through a base plate (top of 241, Fig. 25) of the housing; and a heatsink mount (208, Fig. 25) configured to channel heat away from the lighting system , the heatsink mount having a mounting surface configured to contact the base plate of the housing to enable thermal conduction (col. 30, ln. 3-8; similar embodiment of Fig. 21 has heat fins 223), the mounting surface having an opening configured to pass through the plurality of AC input wires that penetrate a bottom of the base plate (seen in Fig. 25, also seen more clearly in similar embodiment of Fig. 21) .
However, Danesh does not disclose “a light driver configured to receive the dimmer signal from a dimmer via a dimming control wire, and to receive the CCT signal from a CCT controller via a CCT control wire;, and a housing configured to encapsulate components of the lighting system, wherein the plurality of AC input wires and the dimming and CCT control wires pass through a base plate of the housing” and “the mounting surface having an opening configured to pass through … the dimming and CCT control wires that penetrate a bottom of the base plate.”
Cho discloses a light device that receives CCT and dimmer levels from a plurality of programming wires, and configured to adjust a CCT and an intensity of the light based on the CCT and dimmer levels (controller 206, ¶ [0059-0060] “the controller 206 may control the power source 204 to adjust the light 226 provided by the lighting module. For example, the intensity level, the correlated color temperature (CCT), etc. of the light may be controlled by the controller 206 by controlling the power source 204 via an electrical connection 216 (e.g., one or more electrical wires). The controller 206 may also control the projector module 212 via an electrical connection 218. “)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, to have the lighting device, as taught by Danesh, be configured to have the CCT and dimmer levels controlled over wires, such as taught by Cho. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to have the light CCT and dimmer levels be controllable from a remote location for light devices that are in a hard to reach location such as a ceiling (Cho, ¶ [0006]).
As a result of the modification, Danesh in view of Cho discloses “a housing configured to encapsulate components of the lighting system, wherein the plurality of AC input wires and the dimming and CCT control wires pass through a base plate of the housing” and “the mounting surface having an opening configured to pass through … the dimming and CCT control wires that penetrate a bottom of the base plate (Danesh, Fig. 21 and 25, the external wires penetrate a bottom of the base plate).”
Regarding claim 17, Danesh in view of Cho discloses the invention of claim 14, as cited above, and further discloses “the base plate of the lighting system has one or more mounting holes (Danesh, 242, Fig. 25), and wherein the heatsink mount has one or more protrusions (Danesh, 209, Fig. 25) extending above the mounting surface that are configured to mate with the one or more mounting holes of the base plate to secure the lighting system to the heatsink mount (Danesh, the screw protrusions 209, Fig. 25 mount through the mounting hole 242 to secure the heatsink mount to the lighting system).
Regarding claim 18, Danesh in view of Cho discloses the invention of claim 14, as cited above, and further discloses “the housing has a housing opening through which the light from a light source of the lighting system passes through to reach the outside, and wherein the opening of the housing is opposite from the base plate (Danesh, bottom of 202, opening of 207, Fig. 25; also seen in similar embodiment of Fig. 22).”
Regarding claim 19, Danesh in view of Cho discloses the invention of claim 14, as cited above, and further discloses “a power supply configured to receive the AC input signal and to generate a rectified signal; a light driver configured to generate a drive signal based on the rectified signal (Danesh, col. 34, ln. 49-62); and a light source (Danesh, 204, Fig. 25) configured to emit light based on the drive signal.”
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-13 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 1 recites, inter alia, A lighting system comprising: a power supply configured to receive an AC input signal and to generate a rectified signal; a light driver configured to generate a drive signal to drive a light source based on the rectified signal; and a housing configured to encapsulate the power supply and the light driver, the housing comprising a heatsink base forming a bottom portion of the housing and a case cover forming a top portion of the housing, the heatsink base being configured to channel heat away from the lighting system, the heatsink base comprising: a base plate; a base post configured to couple the base plate and the case cover; and a base sidewall extending from the base plate and configured to mate with cover sidewalls of the case cover; and a rolled insulator around the base post of the housing and configured to electrically insulate the base post from circuitry of the light driver, the rolled insulator is thermally conductive.
The references of record do not teach or suggest the aforementioned limitations, nor would it be obvious to modify those references to include such limitations.
Prior art Woo discloses “A lighting system comprising: a power supply (200, Fig. 2) configured to receive an AC input signal and to generate a rectified signal (¶ [0067,0094]);
a light driver configured to generate a drive signal to drive a light source (100, Fig. 2) based on the rectified signal (¶ [0067] “The circuit configuration of the power unit module 200 for driving the light emitting device 100”); and
a housing (400, Fig. 2) configured to encapsulate the power supply and the light driver (seen in Fig. 1), the housing comprising a heatsink base (300, Fig. 2) forming a bottom portion of the housing and a case cover (410, 420, 430, 440, Fig. 2) forming a top portion of the housing, the heatsink base being configured to channel heat away from the lighting system (¶ [0072] “the support unit 300 supports the light emitting device 100 to be disposed in a central portion of the power unit module 200 and allows heat generated by the light emitting device 100 to be emitted outwardly”),
the heatsink base comprising: a base plate (the base portion of 300, Fig. 2).
However, Woo does not disclose “a rolled insulator around the base post of the housing and configured to electrically insulate the base post from circuitry of the light driver, the rolled insulator is thermally conductive..”
The references of record do not teach or suggest the aforementioned limitations, nor would it be obvious to modify those references to include such limitations.
Claims 2-13 are allowed due to their dependence on claim 1.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/24/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claim 14, the Applicant argues on pages 9-11 in the Remarks filed 5/24/2026 that the prior art references fail to disclose the limitations “a light driver configured to receive the dimmer signal from a dimmer via a dimming control wire, and to receive the CCT signal from a CCT controller via a CCT control wire;, and a housing configured to encapsulate components of the lighting system, wherein the plurality of AC input wires and the dimming and CCT control wires pass through a base plate of the housing” and “the mounting surface having an opening configured to pass through … the dimming and CCT control wires that penetrate a bottom of the base plate.” In support, the Applicant points to prior art reference Cho, stating that Cho does not show the limitation where the cords and cables passing through an opening in the recited mounting surface of the heatsink, in other words the limitation “a heatsink mount configured to channel heat away from the lighting system, the heatsink mount having a mounting surface configured to contact the base plate of the housing to enable thermal conduction, the mounting surface having an opening configured to pass through the plurality of AC input wires and the dimming and CCT control wires that penetrate a bottom of the base plate". Cho does not show a heatsink.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees.
In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Primary reference Danesh shows the limitation where the external wires are routed through the heatsink and the bottom of the base plate (see rejection of claim 14 above, and Danesh Fig. 21 and 25). Cho is relied upon for the teaching that the wires can comprise a power cord and communication cables that allow the light to be controlled over wires.
Therefore, Claim 14 is rejected over 35 USC 103 over Danesh in view of Cho.
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 MICHAEL CHIANG whose telephone number is (571)270-3811. The examiner can normally be reached M to F, 9am-6pm.
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/MICHAEL CHIANG/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875
/JAMES R GREECE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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