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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description referring to Figure 3B: 4811-4817 and 5211-5217 .
Claim 16 recites “beamforming optics”, line 11 and “micro-optical beamformer without diaphragms” on line 31, however there is not disclosure of both of these elements which are distinctly recited as being part of the same embodiment and they both are assigned the same reference numeral.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WITH BEAM FORMING OPTICS FOR GENERATING A LIGHT DARK DISTRIBUTION WITH OBLIQUE EXTENDING EDGES.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-17 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claims 1 and 16 should have the indefinite article –A—precede “Low-beam headlight” and ”beamforming optics” in line 1 Claim 1 and line 5, Claim 16.
Claims 2-17 should have the definite article –The—precede the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 16 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential structural cooperative relationships of elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the necessary structural connections. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted structural cooperative relationships are: the “beamforming optics” and the “micro-optical beamformer without diaphragms”. For purposes of the rejection the applicant interprets the micro-optical beamformer to be a limiting example of the beamformer earlier recited in the claim as the specification does not provide a description or support showing the two are distinct elements of the low beam headlight.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The applicant is respectfully advised that in examining a pending application, the claims are interpreted as broadly as their terms reasonably convey. In re American Academy of Science Tech Center, 70 USPQ2d. 1827, 1834 (Fed. Cir. May 13, 2004). MPEP § 2111.01.
Claims 1-15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schreiber (U.S. PG Publication No. 2021/0231280).
Regarding Claim 1, Schreiber discloses in Figures 1-5, a Low-beam headlight, comprising: beamforming optics 4a,4b, 4c for generating, on the basis of light, a light/dark distribution14 (Figure 5) comprising a light/dark edge 16, 18 extending obliquely at least in portions with respect to a first transverse direction X and a second transverse direction Y perpendicular thereto (Figure 5), wherein the beamforming optics 4a, 4b, 4c comprises a condenser lens array 5, 9 (Paras 0026, 0030), for receiving incident light; and a projection lens array 7 with a multitude of projection lenses for outputting light received by the condenser lens array; wherein the condenser lens 5, 9 array comprises a plurality of condenser lenses arranged in a matrix arrangement with several columns and several lines, wherein condenser lenses of at least a first column are adapted to the obliquely-extending light/dark edge 16, 18; wherein, compared to a second projection lens assigned to a second condenser lens of the first column, a first projection lens assigned to a first condenser lens of the first column of the matrix is decentered differently with respect to the assigned condenser lens along the second transverse direction (Para 0026).
Regarding Claim 2, Schreiber discloses in Figures 1-5, the low-beam headlight according to claim 1, wherein the condenser lenses 5,9 of the first column comprises a boundary edge extending obliquely along the first and the second transverse direction X,Y at least in portions, adapted to the obliquely-extending light/dark edge (Figure 5).
Regarding Claim 3, Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 2, wherein the condenser lenses 5, 9 of the first column comprise a first and an opposite second boundary edge, each extending obliquely along the first and second transversal direction X, Y at least in portions and adapted to the obliquely-extending light/dark edge 18, 16 (the input arrays has a obliquely extending lines in solid as shown where the elbow of dark edge 18 is realized by the boundaries of input lenslets 9 para 0032).
Regarding Claim 4, Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 3, wherein an oblique portion of the first boundary edge is arranged so as to be displaced with respect to an oblique portion of the second boundary edge along the second transverse direction (para 0032).
Regarding Claim 5, Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 1, wherein condenser lenses 9 of the first column each comprise a first and an opposite second boundary edge extending along the first and second transverse directions and comprising at least one bend and extending obliquely at least in portions, and adapted to the obliquely-extending light/dark edge 18 in such a way; wherein, in at least one condenser lens, a bend of the first boundary edge is arranged so as to be offset with respect to a corresponding bend of the second boundary edge along the second transverse direction (Para 0032).
Regarding Claim 6, Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 5, wherein the condenser lens is a first condenser lens and the second boundary edge of the first condenser lens specifies a progression of a first boundary edge of a neighboring second condenser lens 5,9 or the first column; wherein the second condenser lens comprises a second boundary edge opposite the first boundary edge, comprising at least one bend along the first and second transverse direction and extending obliquely at least in portions, and adapted to the obliquely-extending light/dark edge in such a way; wherein the bend of the second boundary edge of the second condenser lens is arranged so as to be offset with respect to the bend of the first boundary edge of the second condenser lens along the second transverse direction.
Regarding Claim 7, Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 5, wherein a distance magnitude value by which the bend of the first boundary edge is arranged so as to be offset with respect to the corresponding bend of the second boundary edge along the second transverse direction X is constant within the first column and is different or individual for different columns of condenser lenses in the condenser lens array adapted to the obliquely-extending light/dark edge.
Regarding Claim 8, Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 5, wherein a vertex of a projection lens assigned to the condenser lens 5, 9 is decentered individually with respect to a vertex of the projection lens along the second transverse direction.
Regarding Claim 9. Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 5, wherein a different decentered arrangement of the first projection lens 7, compared to the second projection lens, along the second transverse direction, is adapted to a displacement of the boundary edges along the second transverse direction and at least partially compensates for a displacement of the light/dark edge 18, 16 in the light/dark distribution caused by the displacement of the boundary edges.
Regarding Claim 10, Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 1, wherein a displacement of projection lens vertices with respect to a condenser lens vertex of a condenser lens respectively assigned to the projection lens is line-dependent and column-independent along the first transverse direction and line-independent and column-dependent along the second transverse direction (the vertices of the projection lens 7 in relation to the condenser lens 5, 9).
Regarding Claim 11, Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 1, wherein condenser lenses 5, 9 of a plurality of columns of the condenser lens 5, 9 array are adapted to the obliquely-extending light/dark edge; wherein the plurality of columns forms a centrally arranged area of the condenser lens array.
Regarding Claim 12, Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 1, wherein the condenser lens array 5, 9 comprises a first, a second, and a third condenser lens array area, wherein the second condenser lens array area is arranged between the first and third condenser lens array areas and comprises the first column, wherein only part of the condenser lenses images the obliquely-extending light/dark edge 6, 18 in a transition area from the second condenser lens array area, on the one hand, and the first or third condenser lens array area, on the other hand.
Regarding Claim 13, Schreiber discloses in Low-beam headlight according to claim 1, comprising a light source arrangement 1 for generating a light cone of light so as to provide the incident light for the beamforming optics 4a,4b, 4c .
Regarding Claim 14, Schreiber discloses in Figures 1-5, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 13, wherein the condenser lens array 5, 9 is arranged so as to sharply image the light source arrangement 1 into the projection lens array 7 in order to provide a Köhler illumination (Para 0026).
Regarding Claim 15, Schreiber discloses in Figure 4, the Low-beam headlight according to claim 1, wherein at least the first column comprises decentered condenser lenses 5, 9 along the first transverse direction; or wherein the projection lens array 7 comprises at least one projection lens decentered along the first transverse direction.
Regarding Claim 17, Schreiber discloses in Figures 1-5, beamforming optics for generating, on the basis of incident light, a light/dark distribution comprising a light/dark edge 16, 18 extending obliquely at least in portions with respect to a first transverse direction and a second transverse direction perpendicular thereto, wherein the beamforming optics 4a, 4b, 4c, comprises: a condenser lens array 5, 9f or receiving the incident light; and a projection lens array 7 with a multitude of projection lenses for outputting light received by the condenser lens array 5, 9 ; wherein the condenser lens 5, 9 array comprises a plurality of condenser lenses arranged in a matrix arrangement with several columns and several lines, wherein condenser lenses of at least a first column are adapted to the obliquely-extending light/dark edge; 16, 18 wherein, compared to a second projection lens assigned to a second condenser lens of the first column, a first projection lens 7 assigned to a first condenser lens of the first column of the matrix is decentered differently with respect to the assigned condenser lens along the second transverse direction (shown in Figure 4, Para 0032).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 16 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kemetmuller (U.S. Patent No. 11,193,643) discloses a vehicle headlamp with an array of condensing and projection lenses that form a cut off distribution.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT J MAY whose telephone number is (571)272-5919. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10AM-3:30pm.
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/ROBERT J MAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875