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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-3, 5-7, 13-15, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamada et al. (2021/0167263).
With respect to claim 1, Yamada teaches light-emitting device (10) comprising: a substrate (22 and 41); a light-emitting element (30) located on the substrate (Figs. 1B-C); a light-transmitting member (50) covering the light-emitting element (Figs. 1B-C); and a light-shielding member (60) located on the light-transmitting member (Figs. 1B-C), the light-shielding member shielding at least a portion of light emitted from the light-emitting element (Figs. 1B-C and paragraphs 77-78); wherein: the light-transmitting member (50) includes: an upper surface (top surface of 50) on which the light-shielding member is located (Fig. 3A), and a lateral surface (51) including an inclined portion (Fig. 3A), the inclined portion being connected to the upper surface (Fig. 3A), the substrate comprises a wall part (41) positioned at a lateral side of the light-emitting element (Fig. 1C); and an upper end of the wall part (41) is positioned lower than an upper surface of the light-emitting element (Fig. 1C) and higher than a lower surface of the light-emitting element (Figs. 1C-2).
As for claim 2, Yamada teaches wherein: in a plan view, an area of a lower surface of the light-shielding member is greater than an area of the upper surface of the light- transmitting member (Figs. 3A-3B).
As for claim 3, Yamada teaches wherein: in a plan view, an area of a lower surface of the light-shielding member is substantially equal to an area of the upper surface of the light- transmitting member (Figs. 3A-3B).
As for claim 5, Yamada teaches wherein: the lateral surface (51) of the light-transmitting member (50) includes, in addition to the inclined portion (top half of 51) connected to the upper surface of the light- transmitting member (Fig. 3A), a lateral portion (bottom half of 51) that is vertical (Fig. 3A) or has an inclination angle larger than the inclined portion.
As for claim 6, Yamada teaches wherein: the lateral surface (51) of the light-transmitting member (50) includes, in addition to the inclined portion (top half of 51) connected to the upper surface of the light- transmitting member (Fig. 3A), a lateral portion (bottom half of 51) that is vertical (Fig. 3A) or has an inclination angle larger than the inclined portion.
As for claim 7, Yamada teaches wherein: the lateral surface (51) of the light-transmitting member (50) includes, in addition to the inclined portion (top half of 51) connected to the upper surface of the light- transmitting member (Fig. 3A), a lateral portion (bottom half of 51) that is vertical (Fig. 3A) or has an inclination angle larger than the inclined portion.
As for claim 13, Yamada teaches wherein: the wall part (41) surrounds the light-emitting element (Figs. 1A and 1C; paragraph 39).
As for claim 14, Yamada teaches wherein: the wall part (41) surrounds the light-emitting element (Figs. 1A and 1C; paragraph 39).
As for claim 15, Yamada teaches wherein: the wall part (41) surrounds the light-emitting element (Figs. 1A and 1C; paragraph 39).
As for claim 19, Yamada teaches planar light source comprising: a substrate (22 and 41); a plurality of light-emitting devices (10) located on the substrate (Figs. 1B-1C and Figs. 7-8); and at least one partitioning member (170) located on the substrate, the partitioning member comprising: a plurality of first wall parts (174s), each of the plurality of first wall parts comprising a first ridge extending in a first direction (Figs. 7-8), a plurality of second wall parts (174s), each of the plurality of second wall parts comprising a second ridge extending in a second direction (Figs. 7-8), the second direction crossing the first direction (Fig. 7), and a partitioning region comprising two opposing first wall parts among the plurality of first wall parts and two opposing second wall parts among the plurality of second wall parts, the partitioning region being surrounded with the first and second ridges in a plan view (Figs. 7-8); wherein: a plurality of the partitioning regions are located in the first and second directions (Figs. 7-8); at least one first gapped portion is provided on at least one of the first ridges (Figs. 7-8); the plurality of light-emitting devices are respectively located inside the plurality of partitioning regions (Figs. 7-8); each of the plurality of light-emitting devices comprises: a light-emitting element (30) located on the substrate (Figs. 1B-1C and Figs. 7-8), a light-transmitting member (50) covering the light-emitting element (Figs. 1B-1C), and a light-shielding member (60) located on the light-transmitting member (Figs. 1B-1C), the light-shielding member shielding at least a portion of light emitted from the light-emitting element (Figs. 1B-C and paragraphs 77-78); the light-transmitting member comprises: an upper surface (top surface of 50) on which the light-shielding member is located (Figs. 1B-C), and a lateral surface (51) including an inclined portion (Figs. 1B-C), the inclined portion being connected to the upper surface (Figs. 1B-C); the substrate comprises a wall part (41) positioned at a lateral side of the light-emitting element (Figs. 1B-C); and an upper end of the wall part of the substrate is positioned lower than an upper surface of the light-emitting element (Figs. 1B-C) and higher than a lower surface of the light-emitting element (Figs. 1B-2).
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamada in view of Liu et al. (2015/0129919).
With respect to claim 4, Yamada teaches all of the claimed elements, as is discussed above, except for explicitly teaching wherein: in a plan view, an area of a lower surface of the light-shielding member is less than an area of the upper surface of the light-transmitting member (claim 4).
As for claim 4, Liu also drawn to light-emitting devices, teaches wherein: in a plan view, an area of a lower surface of the light-shielding member (8) is less than an area of the upper surface of the light-transmitting member (6; Fig. 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to use the relationship of the light-shielding member to the light-transmitting member of Liu in the light-emitting device of Yamada, in order to produce a desired lighting output such as emitting light from the top surface of the light-transmitting member (Fig. 6 of Liu).
Claims 8-12, 16-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamada in view of Shichijo et al. (2017/0373225).
With respect to claims 8-12, 16-18, and 20, Yamada teaches all of the claimed elements, as is discussed above, as well as teaching wherein: the wall part (41) includes: an inner lateral surface (vertical surface of 41 facing 30) facing the light-emitting element (Figs. 1B-C), and an outer lateral surface (inclined top surface of 41) located opposite to the inner lateral surface (Figs. 1B-C), the outer lateral surface forming a lateral surface of the substrate (Figs. 1B-C) [claims 8-12 and 20].
Yamada does not explicitly teach the inner lateral surface of the wall part is inclined away from the light-emitting element as a height of the inner lateral surface increases (claims 8-12 and 20); a protection element located on the substrate; wherein: an upper surface of the protection element is positioned lower than the upper end of the wall part (claims 16-18).
As for claims 8-12 and 20, Shichijo also drawn to light-emitting devices, teaches the inner lateral surface of the wall part (5a) is inclined away from the light-emitting element (3 and 4) as a height of the inner lateral surface increases (Fig. 3).
As for claims 16-18, Shichijo teaches a protection element (7) located on the substrate (1); wherein: an upper surface of the protection element is positioned lower than the upper end of the wall part (Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to use the shape of the wall part, the protection element and the relationship of the wall part to the protection element of Shichijo in the light-emitting device of Yamada, in order to help with assembly (paragraph 69 of Shichijo) and to provide protection for the protection element (Fig. 3).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 10 April 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argues that item 23 of Yamada is not at a position higher than a lower surface of the light source 30. With respect to Yamada, it is reasonable to interpret items 20 and 41 as combining to form the substrate in claims 1 and 19. By this interpretation, it is reasonable to interpret item 41 of Yamada as a wall part. Item 41 of Yamada has an upper end that is positioned lower than an upper surface of the light-emitting element and higher than a lower surface of the light-emitting element. Therefore, the current interpretation of Yamada reads on the amended claim language.
The arguments with respect to the remaining claims rely on the same argument addressed above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/WILLIAM J CARTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875 4/20/2026
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