DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Applicant’s Communication filed on 11/21/2024. In virtue of the communication:
Claims 1-25 are pending in the instant application.
The references cited in the Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed on 11/21/2024 have been considered by the examiner.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claim 23 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 23, line 1, --further-- should be added before “comprises”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1, 2 and 5-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brebenel (U.S. Pub. 2017/0303368 A1) in view of Zarcone (U.S. Patent 11,125,399 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Brebenel discloses a linear lighting device (Figs. 1-36) comprising:
an elongated housing (housing as in Figs 21-27) defining a cavity (Figs. 22, 27) extending along a longitudinal axis of the housing; and
a printed circuit board (42, Fig. 22) within the housing having a plurality of emitter modules (44, Fig. 22; 401-403, Fig. 9-18), an emitter control circuit (MCC 38, Figs. 9-18), and a drive circuit (DVR36, Figs. 9-18), mounted thereto, the respective emitter control circuit configured to control the respective drive circuits to cause the respective plurality of emitter modules to emit light;
wherein the printed circuit board has a communication circuit (COM 39, Figs. 9-18) mounted thereto, the communication circuit configured to receive a message including a command via a communication bus (The microcontroller can exchange data with remote external devices and/or with the service PC through the USB service port, par [0254]); and
wherein the emitter control circuit (MCC 38) is configured to control the respective drive circuit to control the respective plurality of emitter modules (401-403) mounted to the printed circuit board to control a cumulative light emitted by the respective plurality of emitter modules based on the command in the message received via the communication circuit (Figs. 9-18, 29-36).
Brebenel does not teach the lighting device having a plurality of printed circuit boards.
However, as evidenced by Zarcone, providing the plurality of PCBs (502, Fig. 2) is well known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having skill before the filing date of the invention to employ the device of Brebenel with the PCBs as taught by Zarcone in order to assure the electrical communication of the plurality of electrical components integrated within the lighting device.
Regarding claim 2, Brebenel discloses the linear lighting device wherein the respective drive circuit (DRV 36) of each of the plurality of printed circuit boards is configured to conduct one or more drive currents through the respective plurality of emitter modules (401-403) mounted to the printed circuit board to control the cumulative light emitted by the respective plurality of emitter modules (Figs. 9-18, 29-36).
Regarding claim 5, Brebenel discloses the linear lighting device wherein at least one printed circuit board of the plurality of printed circuit boards receives the command in the message from a controller, and wherein the at least one printed circuit board relays the command to one or more other printed circuit boards of the plurality of printed circuit boards (one or more of the plurality of LEDs 216 is in electrical communication with a dimmer circuit (not shown), which may be manually adjusted or may be adjusted remotely using a suitable controller in communication with a wireless network or the like, col. 9, lines 26-30 of Zarcone).
Regarding claim 6, Brebenel discloses the linear lighting device wherein the at least one printed circuit board also has a master control circuit (COM 39/MMC 3999, Figs.9-18 and 30 of Brebenel) mounted thereto, the master control circuit configured to receive the command in the message received via the communication circuit and control the emitter control circuit mounted to the at least one printed circuit board to control the respective plurality of emitter modules based on the command (The microcontroller can exchange data with remote external devices and/or with the service PC through the USB service port, par [0254] of Brebenel).
Regarding claim 7, Brebenel discloses the linear lighting device wherein the master control circuit is further configured to communicate with the respective emitter control circuits mounted to the one or more other printed circuit boards for controlling the respective plurality of emitter modules of the one or more other printed circuit boards based on the command (combination of Brebenel and Zarcone provides the LED modules of PCBs based on the command, e.g., “LED 216 may be adjusted remotely using a suitable controller in communication with a wireless network or the like”, col. 9, lines 26-30 of Zarcone; and/or “The microcontroller can exchange data with remote external devices and/or with the service PC through the USB service port”, par [0254] of Brebenel).
Regarding claim 8, Brebenel discloses the linear lighting device wherein the communication circuit is a serial communication circuit and the communication bus is a serial communication bus (Figs. 9-18 and 30 of Brebenel).
Regarding claim 9, Brebenel discloses the linear lighting device wherein each of the plurality of emitter modules comprises a plurality of emitters (401-403, Figs. 9-18 and 30 of Brebenel) and a plurality of detectors (481-48N, Figs. 30 of Brebenel) mounted to a substrate and encapsulated by a dome (as shown in Figs 23-24 of Brebenel).
Regarding claim 10, Brebenel discloses the linear lighting device wherein each of the plurality of printed circuit boards has a socket (blocks 210, Figs. 1-9 of Zarcone) mounted thereto, the socket configured to connect adjacent printed circuit boards of the plurality of printed circuit boards (502, Fig. 2 of Zarcone), and wherein the linear lighting device further comprises a cable (400, Fig. 3 of Zarcone) that is configured to connect a first printed circuit board of the plurality of printed circuit boards to a second printed circuit board of the plurality of printed circuit boards via the respective sockets (Figs. 1-9 of Zarcone).
Claim(s) 3 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brebenel/Zarcone, as applied above, in view of BAYAT (U.S. Pub. 2010/0254135 A1).
Regarding claims 3 and 4, Brebenel/Zarcone discloses all of the limitations as claimed except a total internal reflection lens having ridges for the printed circuit board, wherein the total internal reflection lens is configured to diffuse light emitted by the respective plurality of emitter modules.
However, as evidenced by BAYAT, providing the total internal reflection lens (20, Fig. 2) having ridges (106, 108, Fig. 2) for the printed circuit board (46, Fig. 2), wherein the total internal reflection lens (20) is configured to diffuse light emitted by the respective plurality of emitter modules (the lens 20 may be slightly etched, such as by a wire EDM (electric discharge machining) process, to provide a thin, very fine-grain matte finish for filtering or diffusion, par [0041]) is well known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to employ the lighting device of Brebenel/Zarcone with the structure as taught by BAYAT in order to assure the reflection of light emitted from the light source in the lighting device.
Claim(s) 23-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brebenel/Zarcone, as applied above, in view of HUANG (U.S. Pub. 2018/0058676 A1).
Regarding claim 23, Brebenel/Zarcone discloses all of the limitations as claimed except the lighting device comprises a reflector configured to direct the light generated by the emitter modules toward a lens, the printed circuit board comprising mounting studs that are configured to secure the reflector within the lighting device.
However, as evidenced by HUANG, providing the lighting device (Fig. 2) comprises a reflector (12, Fig. 2) configured to direct the light generated by the emitter modules toward a lens, the printed circuit board (21, Fig. 2) comprising mounting studs (crews 1132, 1221, Fig. 2) that are configured to secure the reflector within the lighting device (insert the screws 1132 through the respective mounting through holes 1131 of the hollow outer shell 11 and thread them into the respective female screws 1221 to affix the hollow outer shell 11 and the reflector cup 12 together, enabling the circuit board 21 to be firmly secured in between the hollow outer shell 11 and the lens 13, par [0033]) is well known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to employ the lighting device of Brebenel/Zarcone with the securing structure as taught by HUANG in order to assure all the parts are secured inside the housing of the lighting device.
Regarding claim 24, Brebenel/Zarcone/HUANG discloses the lighting device wherein the reflector (21) is soldered to a pair of mounting studs (screws 1132, 1221) on the printed circuit board (21) (Fig. 2 of HUANG).
Regarding claim 25, Brebenel/Zarcone/HUANG discloses the lighting device wherein the reflector (12) comprises slots at opposed ends (where the screws 1221 go through) that are configured to receive the mounting studs (1132, 1221) of the printed circuit board (21) (Fig. 2 of HUANG).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-22 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.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIMMY T VU whose telephone number is (571)272-1832. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alexander H. Taningco can be reached on 571-272-8048. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are 571-273-8300.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is 571-272-2800.
/JIMMY T VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844