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 .
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.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “diffusion lens portion for diffusion” of claim 1 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). Note that Fig. 5 shows the diffusion lens portion (38c and 38d) condensing and/or collimating, rather than diffusing. No new matter should be entered.
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. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. 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.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 5, line 3, it is suggested that “6 to 8° above a horizontal line” be changed to “6° to 8° above a horizontal line”.
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.
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sakurai et al. (2021/0317968) in view of Amano (2005/0152153).
With respect to claims 1, 3, and 4, Sakurai a lamp unit (10) comprising: a light emitting element (20a2) having a light emission surface (top surface of 20a2); and a Fresnel lens (24) having an incident surface (24a) facing the light emission surface (Fig. 19), wherein the Fresnel lens has a condensing lens portion (24c2) for condensing light (Fig. 19 and paragraph 128), which is located in front of the light emission surface (Fig. 19), and a diffusion lens portion (24c3) for diffusion (Fig. 19 and paragraph 128), which is provided below the condensing lens portion and on which light obliquely emitted downward from the light emission surface is incident (Fig. 19 and paragraph 128), and the diffusion lens portion is configured to emit light refracted by a diffusion emission surface discontinuous with a condensing emission surface of the condensing lens portion toward the front of the vehicle lamp (Fig. 19) [claim 1]; wherein light emitted from the Fresnel lens is incident on a front lens that is a projection lens (Fig. 1)[claim 3].
Sakurai does not explicitly teach a light emission surface facing a front of a vehicle lamp (claim 1); wherein light emitted from the Fresnel lens is incident on the front lens without being reflected by other members (claim 3); wherein the diffusion lens portion includes a first diffusion lens portion located below the condensing lens portion and having an emission surface in front of a tip end of the condensing lens portion, and a second diffusion lens portion located below the first diffusion lens portion and having an emission surface in front of the first diffusion lens portion (claim 4).
As for claim 1, Amano also drawn to lamp units, teaches a light emission surface (top of 12a) facing a front of a vehicle lamp (Figs. 2 and 7).
As for claim 3, Amano teaches wherein light emitted from the Fresnel lens is incident on the front lens (24) without being reflected by other members (Figs. 2 and 7).
As for claim 4, Amano teaches wherein the diffusion lens portion (items 14e and paragraph 61) includes a first diffusion lens portion (second to lowest item 14e) located below the condensing lens portion (14A) and having an emission surface in front of a tip end of the condensing lens portion (Fig. 2), and a second diffusion lens portion (lowest item 14e) located below the first diffusion lens portion and having an emission surface in front of the first diffusion lens portion (Fig. 2).
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 arrangement of Amano in the lamp unit of Sakurai, in order to provide a lamp with a more attractive appearance in its lit-up state (paragraph 10 of Amano).
As for claim 2, Sakurai teaches further comprising: a projection lens (26) that projects light emitted from the Fresnel lens as a light distribution pattern in the front of the vehicle lamp (Fig. 4), wherein the diffusion lens portion is configured to irradiate an upper area (P1’) of the light distribution pattern with emitted light (paragraph 93).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is 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.
With respect to claim 5, the prior art does not teach or suggest wherein the second diffusion lens portion is configured to emit light for irradiating a region of a high-beam light distribution pattern 6° to 8° above a horizontal line; along with the other limiting elements of claims 1, 4 and 5.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Iwasaki (2015/0300589); see: Fig. 3
Koizumi (8,974,101); see: Fig. 1
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM JOSEPH CARTER whose telephone number is (571)272-0959. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ABDULMAJEED AZIZ can be reached at 571-270-5046. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/WILLIAM J CARTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875 9/25/2026
