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 .
Application Status
Claims 1-20 are pending and have been examined in this application. Claims 1, 8, and 15 are amended, claims 2-7, 9-14, 16-20 are original.
Information Disclosure Statement
As of the date of this action, no information disclosure statement has been filed on behalf of this case.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 8, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by (CN 221178600 U) to Yu.
In regards to claim 8, Yu anticipates a self-sustaining farming system, comprising: a building proximate having an aperture on a side of the building (Yu; see aperture on the side of the building in FIG 1 through which the light passes), the aperture configured to receive reflected sunlight from one or more heliostats (Yu; the light guide device 107 being a type of heliostat); a compound parabolic concentrator proximate the aperture and configured to direct and concentrate the reflected sunlight onto the aperture (Yu; 107c1 the condenser lens being the parabolic concentrator which directs the sunlight towards the opening; see FIG 12);
the compound parabolic concentrator having a proximal opening spaced from the aperture (Yu; see FIG 12 where the proximal opening is the opening created by the outward edges of 107c1, which is spaced from the aperture in the side of the building as seen in FIG 1), a distal opening adjacent the aperture (Yu; see FIG 12 where the distal opening is the opening through 107c1 through which light passes) and opposite curved walls extending between the proximal opening and the distal opening (Yu; see FIG 12 where the opposite curved walls of 107c1 extends between the two openings), the compound parabolic concentrator configured to receive the reflected sunlight via the proximal opening, to concentrate said reflected sunlight via the opposite curved walls and to direct the concentrated reflected sunlight to the aperture via the distal opening (Yu; see FIG 12 where the light in the form of arrows passes through the proximal opening to the curved walls of 107c1, which reflects the sunlight to 107c2 and through the distal opening that exists in the center of 107c1);
and a light tube extending into the building from the aperture (Yu; light outlet pipeline 104), the light tube configured to direct light along a length of the light tube and direct said light via one or more concentrators onto one or more plants disposed inside the building (Yu; see FIG 1 where the arrow represents the passage of light through 104 and out through 105, using a plurality of concentrators or reflector pieces 106 to direct light onto plants 103).
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In regards to claim 14, Yu anticipates the system of Claim 8, wherein the aperture is a plurality of spaced apart apertures on the side of the building (Yu; see FIG 1 where an aperture exists on a second story of the building as well, spaced apart from the first aperture).
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(s) 1, 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (CN 221178600 U) to Yu in view of (US 20080011288 A1) to Olsson.
In regards to claim 1, Yu teaches a self-sustaining farming system, comprising: a heliostat (Yu; the light guide device being a type of heliostat); a building proximate the heliostat (Yu; building adjacent to the light guide device 107 in FIG 1), the building having an aperture on a side of the building (Yu; see aperture on the side of the building in FIG 1 through which the light passes), the aperture configured to receive reflected sunlight from the heliostat (Yu; via arrows in FIG 1); a compound parabolic concentrator proximate the aperture and configured to direct and concentrate the reflected sunlight onto the aperture (Yu; 107c1 the condenser lens being the parabolic concentrator which directs the sunlight towards the opening; see FIG 12); and a light tube extending into the building from the aperture (Yu; light outlet pipeline 104),
the compound parabolic concentrator having a proximal opening spaced from the aperture (Yu; see FIG 12 where the proximal opening is the opening created by the outward edges of 107c1, which is spaced from the aperture in the side of the building as seen in FIG 1), a distal opening adjacent the aperture (Yu; see FIG 12 where the distal opening is the opening through 107c1 through which light passes) and opposite curved walls extending between the proximal opening and the distal opening (Yu; see FIG 12 where the opposite curved walls of 107c1 extends between the two openings), the compound parabolic concentrator configured to receive the reflected sunlight via the proximal opening, to concentrate said reflected sunlight via the opposite curved walls and to direct the concentrated reflected sunlight to the aperture via the distal opening (Yu; see FIG 12 where the light in the form of arrows passes through the proximal opening to the curved walls of 107c1, which reflects the sunlight to 107c2 and through the distal opening that exists in the center of 107c1);
the light tube configured to direct light along a length of the light tube and direct said light via one or more concentrators onto one or more plants disposed inside the building (Yu; see FIG 1 where the arrow represents the passage of light through 104 and out through 105, using a plurality of concentrators or reflector pieces 106 to direct light onto plants 103).
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Yu fails to teach the heliostat is a heliostat field comprising a plurality of heliostats; a building proximate the heliostat field, the aperture configured to receive reflected sunlight from one or more of the plurality of heliostats in the heliostat field.
Olsson teaches a heliostat field comprising a plurality of heliostats (Olsson; see FIG 6 with field having a plurality of flat tracking mirrors 142, 144; [0006-0008] heliostat mirrors; and a heliostat being a moveable or driven mirror to reflect sunlight in a fixed direction); a building proximate the heliostat field, the aperture configured to receive reflected sunlight from one or more of the plurality of heliostats in the heliostat field (Olsson; building with aperture via 140 receiving light from the field, see also FIG 5 where opening in building 102 receives the light).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yu such that it utilizes a heliostat field with a plurality of heliostats proximate a building, and where the aperture receives the reflected sunlight from the one or more plurality of heliostats in the heliostat field as taught by Olsson. The motivation for doing so would be to increase the amount of natural light which can be collected and diffused through a building regardless of the time of day.
In regards to claim 7, Yu as modified by Olsson teach the system of Claim 1, wherein the aperture is a plurality of spaced apart apertures on the side of the building (Yu; see FIG 1 where an aperture exists on a second story of the building as well, spaced apart from the first aperture).
Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (CN 221178600 U) to Yu as modified by (US 20080011288 A1) to Olsson as applied to claim 1 above, in further view of (US 20200091363 A1) to Gupta.
In regards to claim 2, Yu as modified by Olsson teach the system of Claim 1, but fail to teach it further comprising a filter configured to filter a portion of said sunlight passing through the aperture and direct it to a photovoltaic panel to generate one or both of heat and electricity.
Gupta teaches a filter configured to filter a portion of said sunlight passing through the aperture and direct it to a photovoltaic panel to generate one or both of heat and electricity (Gupta; see abstract where the dichroic mirror is the filter which filters a portion of light entering through aperture defined by 64 to be absorbed by a photovoltaic panel to generate electricity, where another portion of the light is filtered into the building).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yu as modified by Olsson such that it has a filter to filter a portion of the sunlight onto a photovoltaic panel to generate electricity such as taught by Gupta. The motivation for doing so would be to have multiple uses for sunlight both to provide power and energy by converting it to electricity as well as to still utilize the visible light spectrum to illuminate an interior of a building.
In regards to claim 3, Yu as modified by Olsson and Gupta teach the system of Claim 2, wherein the filter is a dichroic mirror (Gupta; see abstract where the filter is a dichroic mirror).
Claim(s) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (CN 221178600 U) to Yu as modified by (US 20080011288 A1) to Olsson as applied to claim 1 above, in further view of (US 4198953 A) to Power.
In regards to claim 4, Yu as modified by Olsson teach the system of Claim 1, but fail to teach it further comprising a heat storage unit configured to store heat.
Power teaches further comprising a heat storage unit configured to store heat (Power; see abstract and heat system 22 with heat storage unit 21).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yu as modified by Olsson such that it has a heat storage unit configured to store heat, such as taught by Power. The motivation for doing so would be to utilize the energy from the sunlight to provide heat that can be used for heating the interior of the greenhouse.
In regards to claim 5, Yu as modified by Olsson and Power teach the system of Claim 4, wherein said heat from the heat storage unit is used to control a temperature inside the building (Power; Col 6 lines 60-Col 7 line 6; where the heat storage unit 21 is part of heating system 22 which allows for heating of the greenhouse during a period when the sun is not shining into the air).
In regards to claim 6, Yu as modified by Olsson teaches the system of Claim 1, but fails to teach wherein a size of the aperture is selectively adjustable to adjust an amount and intensity of light passing through the aperture and into the light tube.
Power teaches wherein a size of the aperture is selectively adjustable to adjust an amount and intensity of light passing through the aperture and into the light tube (Power; the aperture having shutter lens 15, with adjustable shutter cap 23 in FIG 7; allowing the size of the aperture to be adjustable by opening and closing the cap; into the light tube of Yu).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yu as modified by Olsson such that the aperture is selectively adjustable to adjust an amount and intensity of light passing through the aperture and into the light tube such as taught by Power. The motivation for doing so would be to provide the user with the ability to adjust the amount or intensity of light entering the building as desired.
Claim(s) 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (CN 221178600 U) to Yu in view of (US 20200091363 A1) to Gupta.
In regards to claim 9, Yu teaches the system of Claim 8, but fails to teach it further comprising a filter configured to filter a portion of said sunlight passing through the aperture and direct it to a photovoltaic panel to generate one or both of heat and electricity.
Gupta teaches a filter configured to filter a portion of said sunlight passing through the aperture and direct it to a photovoltaic panel to generate one or both of heat and electricity (Gupta; see abstract where the dichroic mirror is the filter which filters a portion of light entering through aperture defined by 64 to be absorbed by a photovoltaic panel to generate electricity, where another portion of the light is filtered into the building).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yu such that it has a filter to filter a portion of the sunlight onto a photovoltaic panel to generate electricity such as taught by Gupta. The motivation for doing so would be to have multiple uses for sunlight both to provide power and energy by converting it to electricity as well as to still utilize the visible light spectrum to illuminate an interior of a building.
In regards to claim 10, Yu as modified by Gupta teach the system of Claim 9, wherein the filter is a dichroic mirror (Gupta; see abstract where the filter is a dichroic mirror).
Claim(s) 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (CN 221178600 U) to Yu in view of (US 4198953 A) to Power.
In regards to claim 11, Yu teaches the system of Claim 8, but fails to teach it further comprising a heat storage unit configured to store heat.
Power teaches further comprising a heat storage unit configured to store heat (Power; see abstract and heat system 22 with heat storage unit 21).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yu such that it has a heat storage unit configured to store heat, such as taught by Power. The motivation for doing so would be to utilize the energy from the sunlight to provide heat that can be used for heating the interior of the greenhouse.
In regards to claim 12, Yu as modified by Power teach the system of Claim 11, wherein said heat from the heat storage unit is used to control a temperature inside the building (Power; Col 6 lines 60-Col 7 line 6; where the heat storage unit 21 is part of heating system 22 which allows for heating of the greenhouse during a period when the sun is not shining into the air).
In regards to claim 13, Yu teaches the system of Claim 8, but fails to teach wherein a size of the aperture is selectively adjustable to adjust an amount and intensity of light passing through the aperture and into the light tube.
Power teaches wherein a size of the aperture is selectively adjustable to adjust an amount and intensity of light passing through the aperture and into the light tube (Power; the aperture having shutter lens 15, with adjustable shutter cap 23 in FIG 7; allowing the size of the aperture to be adjustable by opening and closing the cap; into the light tube of Yu).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Yu as modified by Olsson such that the aperture is selectively adjustable to adjust an amount and intensity of light passing through the aperture and into the light tube such as taught by Power. The motivation for doing so would be to provide the user with the ability to adjust the amount or intensity of light entering the building as desired.
Claim(s) 15, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US 20110197317 A1) to Wong in view of (CN 221178600 U) to Yu.
In regards to claim 15, Wong teaches a self-sustaining farming system, comprising: a building (Wong; see FIG 3); and a light tube extending into the building (Wong; light pipe 310, 314), the light tube configured to direct light along a length of the light tube and direct said light via one or more concentrators downward onto one or more plants disposed inside the building (Wong; 315 being the concentrator, a diffuser lens see [0040]) the one or more concentrators being one or more lenses on an outer wall of the light tube and via which light in the light tube is directed downward onto the one or more plants (Wong; [0040-0041] where the light pipes and dispersing systems 314, 310, 315 can diffuse light downward onto a bioreactor with photosynthetic organisms, each of 313 may also be 314).
Wong fails to teach an aperture on a side of the building, the aperture configured to receive reflected sunlight from one or more heliostats.
Yu teaches a building having an aperture on a side of the building (Yu; see aperture on the side of the building in FIG 1 through which the light passes), the aperture configured to receive reflected sunlight from one or more heliostats (Yu; aperture is capable of receiving light from a heliostat, also where the light guide device 107 is a type of heliostat); and a light tube extending into the building from the aperture (Yu; light outlet pipeline 104), the light tube configured to direct light along a length of the light tube and direct said light via one or more concentrators onto one or more plants disposed inside the building (Yu; see FIG 1 where the arrow represents the passage of light through 104 and out through 105, using a plurality of concentrators or reflector pieces 106 to direct light onto plants 103).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Wong such that it uses the external light collecting device as taught by Yu through a sidewall in the building. The motivation for doing so would be to allow for direct sunlight to be collected from an external source onto the heliostat and be projected through the multistoried building in order to distribute light to plants.
In regards to claim 20, Wong as modified by Yu teaches the system of Claim 15, wherein the aperture is a plurality of spaced apart apertures on the side of the building (Yu; see FIG 1 where an aperture exists on a second story of the building as well, spaced apart from the first aperture).
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US 20110197317 A1) to Wong as modified by (CN 221178600 U) to Yu as applied to claim 15 above, in further view of (US 20200091363 A1) to Gupta.
In regards to claim 16, Wong as modified by Yu teaches the system of Claim 15, but fails to teach it further comprising a filter configured to filter a portion of said sunlight passing through the aperture and direct it to a photovoltaic panel to generate one or both of heat and electricity.
Gupta teaches a filter configured to filter a portion of said sunlight passing through the aperture and direct it to a photovoltaic panel to generate one or both of heat and electricity (Gupta; see abstract where the dichroic mirror is the filter which filters a portion of light entering through aperture defined by 64 to be absorbed by a photovoltaic panel to generate electricity, where another portion of the light is filtered into the building).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Wong as modified by Yu such that it has a filter to filter a portion of the sunlight onto a photovoltaic panel to generate electricity such as taught by Gupta. The motivation for doing so would be to have multiple uses for sunlight both to provide power and energy by converting it to electricity as well as to still utilize the visible light spectrum to illuminate an interior of a building.
Claim(s) 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US 20110197317 A1) to Wong as modified by (CN 221178600 U) to Yu as applied to claim 15 above, in further view of (US 4198953 A) to Power.
In regards to claim 17, Wong as modified by Yu teaches the system of Claim 15, but fails to teach it further comprising a heat storage unit configured to store the heat.
Power teaches further comprising a heat storage unit configured to store heat (Power; see abstract and heat system 22 with heat storage unit 21).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Wong as modified by Yu such that it has a heat storage unit configured to store heat, such as taught by Power. The motivation for doing so would be to utilize the energy from the sunlight to provide heat that can be used for heating the interior or the water.
In regards to claim 18, Wong as modified by Yu and Power teach the system of Claim 17, wherein said heat from the heat storage unit is used to control a temperature inside the building (Power; Col 6 lines 60-Col 7 line 6; where the heat storage unit 21 is part of heating system 22 which allows for heating of the greenhouse during a period when the sun is not shining into the air).
In regards to claim 19, Wong as modified by Yu teaches the system of Claim 15, but fails to teach wherein a size of the aperture is selectively adjustable to adjust an amount and intensity of light passing through the aperture and into the light tube.
Power teaches wherein a size of the aperture is selectively adjustable to adjust an amount and intensity of light passing through the aperture and into the light tube (Power; the aperture having shutter lens 15, with adjustable shutter cap 23 in FIG 7; allowing the size of the aperture to be adjustable by opening and closing the cap; into the light tube of Yu).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Wong as modified by Yu such that the aperture is selectively adjustable to adjust an amount and intensity of light passing through the aperture and into the light tube such as taught by Power. The motivation for doing so would be to provide the user with the ability to adjust the amount or intensity of light entering the building as desired.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 05/08/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Specifically with respect to claims 1 and 8, applicant argues that Yu fails to teach the amended claim language. However it is indicated that Yu teaches a configuration of its parabolic concentrator in FIG 12 (see the updated rejection above), which teaches the described configuration of the concentrator with its openings.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Specifically, to teach the amended claim language, Wong is introduced in a 103 rejection with Yu to teach the amended claim language.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KATELYN T TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-0023. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 8-6.
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, KIMBERLY BERONA can be reached at (571) 272-6909. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KATELYN T TRUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3647
Prosecution Insights