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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 27 February 2026.
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.
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 1-6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lai (US 2020/0109851 A1), in view of Sharrah (US 2020/0232634 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Lai teaches or suggests a searchlight assembly (Figs. 1-6) comprising: a base portion (5A or 5B) and a head portion (1) movably mounted relative to the base portion (for movable base portion 5B), the head portion comprising at least one housing shell (1), a heat sink (21), a ring gasket (28), and an optical device (22, 23, 25), wherein the housing shell and the heat sink are coupled together to form at least part of an enclosure for internal components of the head portion (as shown in Figs. 1-7), wherein the heat sink (21) comprises a peripheral heat sink ring (the body of 21 forms a heat sink ring) having a first mating surface (at a rear of 212), a second mating surface (a mating surface on an opposite side of 21 facing 26) opposite the first mating surface (as shown in Figs. 1-6), and a lateral surface which extends between the first and second mating surfaces and faces outward away from the head portion (as shown in Figs. 1-2), wherein the ring gasket is positioned between the first mating surface of the heat sink ring and the at least one housing shell (Figs. 1-6), wherein an exterior surface of the head portion, which is exposed to ambient surrounding environment, is formed at least in part by the lateral surface of the heat sink ring (a lateral side of 21, as shown in Fig. 1) and the housing shell (1), such that the heat sink ring is in direct thermal communication with the ambient surrounding environment (as shown in Figs. 1-6).
Lai does not explicitly teach that said seal is formed by the junction of the housing shell and the first matting surface (e.g., having the ring gasket pressed therebetween).
Sharrah teaches or suggests (Fig. 7) a ring gasket (98a or 98b) between a first mating surface of a heat sink (70, a first surface on a rear side thereof facing 98a or 98b) and a surface of the housing shell (36a, 36b, paragraph [0037]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device of Lai and incorporated the teachings of said seal is formed by the junction of the housing shell and the first matting surface, such as taught or suggested by Sharrah, since it has been held by the courts that combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results, or choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success, is not sufficient to distinguish over the prior art, as it requires only ordinary skill in the art. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1397 (2007). In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to yield the predictable result of reducing the cost or complexity in manufacturing or assembling the device (i.e., by reducing the number of parts required to form a seal for the wireway to the optical device).
Regarding claim 2, Lai does not explicitly teach that the heat sink further comprises a plurality of cooling fins extending from a rear surface thereof into the enclosure of the head portion.
Sharrah teaches or suggests (Fig. 7) the heat sink (70) further comprises a plurality of cooling fins (80) extending from a rear surface thereof (a rear surface on a rear side of 72) into the enclosure of the head portion (e.g., as shown in Fig. 3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device of Lai and incorporated the teachings of the heat sink further comprises a plurality of cooling fins extending from a rear surface thereof into the enclosure of the head portion, such as taught or suggested by Sharrah, since it has been held by the courts that combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results, or choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success, is not sufficient to distinguish over the prior art, as it requires only ordinary skill in the art. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1397 (2007). In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to yield the predictable result of increasing, or otherwise improving, the efficiency of the device (i.e., by providing a feature to increase heat dissipation from the optical element).
Regarding claim 3, Lai teaches or suggests (Figs. 1-6) the heat sink (21) is made of a thermally conductive material (as noted in the corresponding description, e.g., paragraph [0029], 21 is formed of a thermally conductive material that allows 21 the ability of absorbing heat and exchanging heat with the air of the external environment).
Regarding claim 4, while Lai would appear to teach that the heat sink is cast as a single integral piece from the thermally conductive material (e.g., as shown in Fig. 2), no such limitation is explicitly recited in the Lai reference.
However, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device of Lai and incorporated the teachings of the heat sink is cast as a single integral piece from the thermally conductive material, since it has been held that forming in one piece a structure which has formerly been formed in two, or more pieces, involves only routine skill in the art. In re Larson, 144 USPQ 347, 349 (CCPA 1965). In the instant case, one skilled in the art would have been motivated to reduce the cost of manufacturing the device.
Regarding claim 5, Lai does not explicitly teach that the thermally conductive material comprises aluminum.
Sharrah teaches or suggests (Fig. 7) the thermally conductive material (of 70) comprises aluminum (paragraph [0033]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device of Lai and incorporated the teachings of the thermally conductive material comprises aluminum, such as taught or suggested by Sharrah, since it has been held that forming in one piece a structure which has formerly been formed in two, or more pieces, involves only routine skill in the art. In re Larson, 144 USPQ 347, 349 (CCPA 1965). In the instant case, one skilled in the art would have been motivated to improve or otherwise increase, the efficiency of the device.
Regarding claim 6, neither Lai nor Sharrah explicitly teach that the housing shell is made of a molded plastic.
However, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device of Lai and incorporated the teachings of the housing shell is made of a molded plastic, such as taught or suggested by Sharrah, since it has been held that forming in one piece a structure which has formerly been formed in two, or more pieces, involves only routine skill in the art. In re Larson, 144 USPQ 347, 349 (CCPA 1965). In the instant case, one skilled in the art would have been motivated to reduce the cost of manufacturing the device, and/or reduce the weight of the device.
Regarding claim 9, Lai teaches or suggests (Figs. 1-6) the optical device is an LED lamp, halogen lamp, HID lamp, camera, infrared sensor, or heat sensor (paragraph [0029]).
Claims 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lai, in view of Sharrah, as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Tang (CN 109253411 A).
Regarding claims 7-8, neither Lai nor Sharrah explicitly teach that the heat sink further comprises a plurality of fastener openings extending therethrough, and the heat sink is coupled to the housing shell via fasteners inserted through the fastener openings (as recited in claim 7); further comprising a bezel which abuts the second mating surface of the heat sink ring, wherein the bezel is coupled to the heat sink via the fasteners (as recited in claim 8).
Tang teaches or suggests (Fig. 1) the heat sink (121) further comprises a plurality of fastener openings (around a periphery thereof, as shown in Fig. 1) extending therethrough (as shown in Fig. 1), and the heat sink (121) is coupled to the housing shell (13) via fasteners inserted through the fastener openings (by the fasteners shown at the front of 11 in Fig. 1); further comprising a bezel (11) which abuts the second mating surface of the heat sink ring (the side of 121 facing 30 in Fig. 1), wherein the bezel (11) is coupled to the heat sink (121) via the fasteners (as shown by the peripheral arrangement of openings in 11, 121 and 13 in Fig. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device of Lai and incorporated the teachings of the heat sink further comprises a plurality of fastener openings extending therethrough, and the heat sink is coupled to the housing shell via fasteners inserted through the fastener openings (as recited in claim 7); further comprising a bezel which abuts the second mating surface of the heat sink ring, wherein the bezel is coupled to the heat sink via the fasteners (as recited in claim 8), such as taught or suggested by Tang, since it has been held by the courts that combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results, or choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success, is not sufficient to distinguish over the prior art, as it requires only ordinary skill in the art. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1397 (2007). In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to yield the predictable result of reducing the cost or complexity of assembling the device (e.g., by providing an arrangement by which the fasteners can be used to combine all of the recited elements in a watertight arrangement).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-16 are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 10, the prior art of record does not teach, or merely suggest, the collective limitations of claim 10, as recited in combination with all of the limitations of claim 1 upon which claim 10 depends.
Claims 11-16 are allowable as they depend upon and further limit allowable claim 10.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: please see Leber (US 2020/0080713 A1), pertinent to the features of claims 1-9.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Colin J Cattanach whose telephone number is (571)270-5203. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM.
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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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/COLIN J CATTANACH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875