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
The preliminary amendment filed 3 July 2025 has been entered. Currently Claims 1-15 are pending.
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: AN AUTOMOTIVE LUMININOUS MODULE HAVING AN OPTICAL ELEMENT WITH AN ATTACHMENT ELEMENT THAT DOES NOT CROSS THE LIGHT SOURCE SUBSTRATE.
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 3 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 3 recites the limitation "the reflector part" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For purposes of the rejection the office interprets this term as referring to the “first optical element”.
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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Son (U.S. Patent No. 10,330,285).
Regarding Claim 1 and 14, Son discloses in Figures 1-4, a headlamp for vehicle 1 (Col 1, lines 26-27) having a luminous module for an automotive luminous device, the luminous module comprising a first substrate 510 including a first light source (first light source section 110 comprising light sources 111, 112, 113) configured to emit light; a first optical element (reflection section 120) arranged to receive emitted light from first the light source 110 and project the light; and a heatsink (heat radiation unit 600) arranged in thermal communication with the first substrate 510, the heatsink 600 being configured to dissipate heat from the first substrate 510 (Col 5,lines 40-45 wherein the first optical element includes a main attachment element (flange of reflector 120 with hole) configured to attach the first optical element 120 to the heatsink 600 without crossing the first substrate 510; and in that the first substrate 510 is retained between at least a portion of the first optical element 120 and a portion of the heatsink 600.
Regarding Claim 2, Son discloses in Figures 1-4, the luminous module (according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the heatsink 600 forms a portion of a frame for the first substrate 510.
Regarding Claim 3, Son discloses in Figures 1-4, the luminous module according to claim 1, wherein the main attachment element (6)element comprises includes a fixing portion (being the through hole of the flange shown, not labeled) and is joined to the rest of the reflector 120 part by means of an arm (seen to be planar flange portion shown), the fixing portion being attached to the heatsink 600.
Regarding Claim 4, Son discloses in Figures 1-4, the luminous module according to claim 1, wherein the first optical element 120 is a reflector including a first reflection portion (any one of surfaces 121,122, 123) with a first reflection surface that reflects the light rays emitted by the first light source 110 and defines the front of the first reflection surface.
Regarding Claim 5, Son discloses in Figures 1-4, the luminous module according to claim 4, wherein an arm is arranged on the first optical element 120 at the rear of the first reflection portion 120 and extending at the rear and away from the first reflection portion 120 (the arm being the flange portion that extends away from the main reflective section 120).
Regarding Claim 6, Son discloses in Figures 1-4, the luminous module according to claim 1, wherein the light source 110 is a solid-state light source (LED Col 5, lines 34-40).
Regarding Claim 7, Son discloses in Figure 4, the luminous module according to claim 1, wherein the main attachment element has a triangular shape (in Figure 4,the flange has a triangular shaped surface).
Regarding Claim 8, Son discloses in Figures 1 and 3-4, the luminous module according to claim 1, wherein the main attachment element is located between two fins of the heatsink 600 (the reflector section 120 is in between the two lateral fins of the heat sink shown in Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 9, Son discloses in Figure 4, the luminous module according to claim 1, further comprising a second substrate 520 comprising including a second light source (light source assembly 210 comprising LEDs 211, 212, 213) configured to emit light; a second optical element 220 arranged to receive emitted light from the second light source 210 and project the light; the main attachment element (flange with hole of reflector section 220) is arranged to further attach the first optical element 120 to the second optical element 220 without being in the path of rays emitted by the second light source 210 and deviated by the second optical element 220.
Regarding Claim 10, Son discloses in Figure 4, the luminous module according to claim 9, wherein the second optical element 220 is a reflector comprising a second reflection portion with a second reflection surface that reflects the light rays emitted by the second light source (11) and defines the front of the second reflection surface (second reflection part has second reflecting surfaces or parts 221, 221, 223 corresponding to light sources 211, 212, 213).
Regarding Claim 11, Son discloses in Figures 4 and 11, the luminous module according to claim 10 wherein an arm extends such that it is in a longitudinal direction at the level of the rear of the second reflection portion 220, such that the said fixing portion is attached to the second optical element 220 at the rear of the second reflection portion 220 (there are fixing portions that extend rearward from the reflection section 220).
Regarding Claim 12, Son discloses in Figures 4-5 and 11, the luminous module according to claim 11,wherein the second optical element 220 is arranged such that the second reflection portion 220 is at least partially offset at the rear compared to the said first reflection portion 120 (the bottom lamp unit 200 is offset with respect tot the first optical unit 100 in Figure 5).
Regarding Claim 13, Son discloses in Figures 1-4 the luminous module according to claim 12,further comprising at least one auxiliary attachment element configured to attach the first optical element 120 with the second optical element 220, retaining the heatsink 600, the first substrate (2)substrate 510 and the second substrate 520 between a portion of the first optical element 120 and a portion of the second optical element 220 (the auxiliary element is seen to be the hole annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 15, Son discloses in Figures 1-4, 6, 10 and 12-13 the headlamp according to claim 14, wherein a second substrate 520 comprises includes light emitting diodes 210 configured to provide a matrix beam functionality.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yasuda (U.S. Patent No. 8,534,888) discloses a headlamp with optical element and heat sink and substrate.
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.
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, Jong-Suk (James) Lee can be reached at 571-272-7044. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ROBERT J MAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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