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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 04/13/2026 has been entered.
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 22-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Snyder et al. (US 2012/0235593 hereinafter refer as “Snyder”) in view of Liu et al. (US 9,954,205 hereinafter refer as “Liu”).
Regarding claim 22. Snyder discloses a lighting device (10, see Fig. 1B) comprising: a light source (200, see Fig. 1B, Para. 0025); a body including (140, Fig. 1C, Para. 0025) a battery compartment (compartment 150, 302, see Fig. 4, Para. 0025, 0036) electrically connected to the light source, the battery compartment adapted to alternatively receive a first number, equal to or greater than one (e.g. AA, AAA, C, D, CR123 and CR2 sizes, see Fig. 6, Para. 0041 and 0051), of units of a first battery size having a first battery voltage (e.g. CR123 batteries having 3 volts, Para.0051) or a second number, equal to or greater than one, of units of a second battery size (e.g. AA and AAA batteries, see Para. 0051, 0101, 0102) having a second battery voltage (e.g. 1.2-1.5 volts, see Para. 0051, 0101, 0102, 0104); and a circuit (400, see Fig. 6, Para. 0052) adapted for measuring the battery voltage and setting an operating condition of the light source based at least in part on the measured battery voltage (see Para. 0098-0099); wherein the first battery size and the second battery size are electrically connected to the light source through a contact strip (310) which includes a conductive strip (314, see Fig. 2, Para. 0042).
However, Snyder is silent with respect to the first battery size and the second battery size are electrically connected to the light source through at least one non-identical contact point.
Liu discloses a lighting device (20, see Fig. 3, Col. 7; lines 4-12) comprising: a light source (26, see Fig. 2A, Col. 7; lines 16-20); a battery compartment (10, see Fig. 3, Col. 7; lines 4-12) electrically connected to the light source, the battery compartment adapted to alternatively receive a first number (e.g. a battery or series of batteries (not shown) in the cavity formed by slot A, see Col. 7; lines 50-55), equal to or greater than one, of units of a first battery size, or a second number (e.g. two B2), equal to or greater than one, of units of a second battery size (e.g. batteries are provided to the cavity formed by slot B, see Fig. 5A), wherein the first number and the second number are not identical; and wherein the first battery size and the second battery size are electrically connected to the light source (26) through at least one non-identical contact point (e.g. contact surface 28, see Figs. 2A and 3, see Col. 7; lines 40-67 and Col. 8; lines 1-14).
Therefore, in view of Liu, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Snyder by forming the contact point non-identical for the first battery and the second battery thereby effectively engaging the batteries inserted into the battery compartment so as to ensure they will be retained firmly therein, as suggested by Liu. One would have been motivated to make this combination to provide for a lighting device that offers enhanced functionality and performance.
Regarding claim 23. Snyder further discloses the first number is equal to or greater than two and the second number is equal to or greater than one (e.g., two or more CR123 batteries in series or two or more AA batteries in series or two or more AAA batteries in series, and so forth, see Para. 0131).
Regarding claim 24. Snyder further discloses the first number and the second number are not identical (e.g. two different sets of two or more batteries in series, see Para. 0131).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-10, 15, 18-21, and 25-28 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the claims are allowable based on Applicant’s amendments to independent claim 3, the prior art taken as a whole does not show nor suggest a “the first number of units of the first battery type is equal to or greater than two, and the battery compartment further comprises a first contact point adapted to make an electrical connection with a first terminal type of a first unit of the first battery type, a second contact point adapted to make an electrical connection with a second terminal type of the first unit of the first battery type, a third contact point adapted to make an electrical connection with a first terminal type of at least one unit of the second battery type, a fourth contact point adapted to make an electrical connection with a second terminal type of the at least one unit of the second battery type, a fifth contact point adapted to make an electrical connection with the first terminal type of a second unit of the first battery type, a sixth contact point adapted to make an electrical connection with the second terminal type of the second unit of the first battery type, a first contact extender that electrically connects the first contact point to the third contact point, a second contact extender that electrically connects the second contact point to the fifth contact point, Anda third contact extender that electrically connects the fourth contact point to the sixth contact point” and as specifically called for the claimed combinations.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: With regard to independent claim 15, the Applicant has sufficiently defined the lighting device having a combination of structural and functional limitations that are not taught or suggested by the prior art. In particular, the prior art fails to teach or suggest the specific arrangement of the claim elements, namely, “the selector being rotatable about a rotation axis to change an orientation of the magnet, wherein the electromagnetic sensor is configured to receive the signal based on the orientation of the magnet with respect to the rotation axis and provide a signal to the PCB to change a status of the light source based on the orientation of the magnet” and as specifically called for the claimed combinations.
With regard to independent claim 21, the claim is allowable in view of the Applicant’s persuasive argument, particularly those addressing the distinction between the cited prior art references and the claimed limitation that “the vent hole extends between the interior of the body and the vent seal, the vent seal being configured to allow for gases to escape from the interior of the body and simultaneously provide the lighting device with resistance to the ingress of liquids from an exterior of the lighting device” as recited in claim 21.
Response to Arguments
Applicant has cancelled previously rejected claims 1-2 and 13-14. Accordingly, the prior art rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejections are now applied to newly submitted claims 22-24 in view of Snyder et al. (US 2012/0235593).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tsion Tumebo whose telephone number is 571-270-1668. The examiner can normally be reached on 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday thru Friday.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jong-Suk (James) Lee can be reached on (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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/TSION TUMEBO/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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