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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/20/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ijzerman et al.
Ijzerman et al. (US Pub. No. 2009/0046459 A1) discloses (see annotated Fig. 7):
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Regarding claim 1, a device for projecting light beams (i.e. matrix illumination system illustrated in Figure 7), characterized in that it comprises on a single supporting frame (i.e. carrier plate): a first panel (Figure 7, element 57) having a first plurality of LED sources (Figure 7, element 47) uniformly positioned on the first panel (Figure 7, element 57); each LED source (Figure 7, element 47) having a collimator device (Figure 7, element 55) configured to obtain a respective beam of parallel light rays (Figure 7, element A) along a direction of emission (clearly illustrated in Figure 7); a second panel (Figure 7, element 53) having a second plurality of LED sources (Figure 7, element 49) positioned uniformly on the second panel (Figure 7, element 53); the second panel (Figure 7, element 53) being positioned in front of the first panel (Figure 7, element 57), relative to the direction of emission (clearly illustrated in Figure 7), in such a way as to have at least a part of its LED sources (Figure 7, element 49) positioned with a center of emission of the light beam (Figure 7, element B) coinciding with the center of emission of the light beam (Figure 7, element A) of a corresponding number of LED sources (Figure 7, element 47) of the first panel (Figure 7, element 57) positioned behind the second panel (Figure 7, element 53); characterized in that the second panel (Figure 7, element 53) has, for each relative LED source (Figure 7, element 49) positioned coinciding with the center of emission of the respective LED source (Figure 7, element 47) of the first panel (Figure 7, element 57), a relative open section (clearly illustrated in Figure 7), surrounding its LED source (Figure 7, element 47), configured as an opening for the free passage of the light beam (Figure 7, element A) generated by the respective LED source (Figure 7, element 47) of the first panel (Figure 7, element 57).
Regarding claim 7, an operational control unit connected to the first and second plurality of LED sources (page 1, paragraph 0021, line 15).
Regarding claim 11, a load-bearing frame (i.e. carrier arrangement; Figure 1, element 1) configured for assembling a plurality of devices (Figure 1, elements 3 and 5) for projecting light beams (Figure 1, element 7) positioned side by side in such a way as to form a continuous projection surface (Figure 1, element 9).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ijzerman et al. in view of Song et al.
Ijzerman et al. (US Pub. No. 2009/0046459 A1) teaches the salient features of the present invention as explained above except the LED sources of the first panel have a first power supply unit having an operating power, and the LED sources of the second panel having a second power supply unit, independent of the first power supply unit, with an operating power different from the operating power of the first power supply unit.
Song et al. (US Pub. No. 2012/0257171 A1) discloses (see annotated Figure 13) LED sources of the first panel (Figure 13, element 500) have a first power supply unit (Figure 13, element 500A) having an operating power (i.e. flexible circuit board that supplies power to the light source; page 5, paragraph 0110, lines 1-6), and the LED sources of the second panel (Figure 13, element 600) having a second power supply unit (Figure 13, element 600A), independent of the first power supply unit (Figure 13, element 500A), with an operating power different from the operating power of the first power supply unit (Figure 13, element 500A).
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It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have LED sources of the first panel have a first power supply unit having an operating power, and the LED sources of the second panel having a second power supply unit, independent of the first power supply unit, with an operating power different from the operating power of the first power supply unit as shown by Song et al. in combination with Ijzerman et al.’s invention for the purpose of controlling the overall operation of the light source assembly (Song et al., page 5, paragraph 0111, lines 3-4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5 and 8-10 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 2, Ijzerman et al. (US Pub. No. 2009/0046459 A1) discloses a device for projecting light beams (i.e. matrix illumination system illustrated in Figure 7) comprising a first panel (Figure 7, element 57) having a first plurality of LED sources (Figure 7, element 47) uniformly positioned on the first panel (Figure 7, element 57) and a second panel (Figure 7, element 53) having a second plurality of LED sources (Figure 7, element 49) positioned uniformly on the second panel (Figure 7, element 53). However, Ijzerman et al. and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests a device wherein the second panel has each open section configured to match at least a part of the end section of the collimator of the respective LED source of the first panel positioned coinciding with the respective LED source of the second panel.
Regarding claim 5, Ijzerman et al. (US Pub. No. 2009/0046459 A1) discloses a device for projecting light beams (i.e. matrix illumination system illustrated in Figure 7) comprising a first panel (Figure 7, element 57) having a first plurality of LED sources (Figure 7, element 47) uniformly positioned on the first panel (Figure 7, element 57) and a second panel (Figure 7, element 53) having a second plurality of LED sources (Figure 7, element 49) positioned uniformly on the second panel (Figure 7, element 53). However, Ijzerman et al. and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests a device wherein the first panel has a number of LED sources which is less than the number of LED sources of the second panel; the first plurality of LED sources being uniformly distributed on the first panel at regular distances or steps relative to each other; the second plurality of LED sources being uniformly distributed on the second panel at regular distances or steps relative to each other; the first plurality of LED sources having a distance or step greater than the distance or step of the second plurality of LED sources.
Regarding claim 8, Ijzerman et al. (US Pub. No. 2009/0046459 A1) discloses a device for projecting light beams (i.e. matrix illumination system illustrated in Figure 7) comprising a first panel (Figure 7, element 57) having a first plurality of LED sources (Figure 7, element 47) uniformly positioned on the first panel (Figure 7, element 57) and a second panel (Figure 7, element 53) having a second plurality of LED sources (Figure 7, element 49) positioned uniformly on the second panel (Figure 7, element 53). However, Ijzerman et al. and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests a device comprising a cooling system for the respective LED sources of the first panel and second panel; the cooling system comprising a first and a second plurality of heat pipes or heat pipes associated, respectively, on the first panel and second panel and, in use, in mutual contact, in such a way as to transfer and dissipate the heat generated by the LED sources of the first panel and second panel.
Regarding claims 3-4 and 9-10, the claims are allowable based on their dependence from allowable claims 2 and 8 (respectively).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kondo et al. (US Patent No. 6,431,738 B1) teaches a lamp having at least one light emitting unit including a light source whose main light emitting direction substantially agrees with the irradiation axis of the automobile signal lamp, a first reflecting surface corresponding to at least irradiation direction side half of a parabolic reflecting surface obtained by rotating around said irradiation axis a parabola taking said light source as focal point, and a direction orthogonal to said irradiation axis of the automobile signal lamp as central line, and a second reflecting surface separated from said irradiation axis by a convenient distance respectively in the reflection direction of said first reflecting surface, disposed radially not to interfere each other, and reflecting light from said first reflecting surface in a direction parallel to said irradiation axis.
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/MAGDA CRUZ/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2882
09/23/2026
