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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 2/5/2026 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 1 and 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Basquin et al. (US 2022/0227292) in view of Reiland et al. (US 2009/0056183).
With regards to Claim 1, Basquin et al. discloses a lighting device comprising: a light source [6] (see paragraph 36 and Figure 4); a surface layer [2] provided at a position facing the light source [6] (see paragraph 34 and Figure 1a; layer [2] is a decorative layer and located at a light exit surface of the lighting device thereby substantially being a surface layer) and a first reflective member [8] provided between the light source [1] and the surface layer [2] (see Figure 4) to reflect light emitted from the light source [6] toward the light source [6] (see paragraphs 27, 36, and 37 and Figure 4; the phrasing “to reflect light emitted from the light source toward the light source” is intended use of the first reflective member, and the placement of the first reflective member [8] over the light source [6] being one or more light emitting diodes and as seen in Figure 4 and discussed in paragraph 36 such that light is diffusely reflected from light source [6] by reflective member [8] to a vehicle interior [3] will substantially position the first reflective member [8] over light source [6] such that light emitted in an upward axial direction of Figure 4 will substantially be reflected by layer [8] back toward the light source [6]), and the first reflective member [8] has a plurality of second openings [9,9’] (see paragraph 35 and Figure 4).
Basquin et al. does not explicitly disclose the surface layer has a semi-transmissive layer and a plurality of first openings formed in the semi-transmissive layer. However, Basquin et al. does disclose light emitted from the lighting device is emitted through openings [5,5’] (see Basquin et al. paragraph 34 and Figure 4), utilizing material to add color patterns to the lighting device including coloring near the openings [5,5’] and across the surface of the surface layer (see Basquin et al. paragraph 39), the surface layer [2] has a layer [13] on a light output side thereof (see Basquin et al. paragraph 40 and Figure 4), the layer [13] can be milky or colored to provide a pattern (see Basquin et al. paragraph 40), thereby substantially being semi-transmissive, the layer [13] can have a plurality of first openings formed therein at positions aligning with positions of holes [5,5’] or can be positioned at peripheries of the holes [5,5’], the material of layer [13] can cover the holes [5,5’] at least in part, thereby including the case in which the holes [5,5’] are not covered entirely and a placement of the layer [13] about a periphery of the holes [5,5’] does not fully cover the holes [5,5’] substantially forms first openings in layer [13] aligned with holes [5,5’] (see Basquin et al. paragraph 40 and Figure 4). Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would be able to form the first layer to have a semi-transmissive layer and a plurality of first openings in order to create a colored pattern effect adjacent the openings through which light emerges from the lighting device. 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 surface layer of Basquin et al. to include a semi-transmissive layer and a plurality of first openings formed in the semi-transmissive layer. One would have been motivated to do so in order to create a colored pattern effect adjacent the openings through which light emerges from the lighting device (see Basquin et al. paragraph 40).
Basquin et al. does not disclose a second reflective member disposed at such a position that the light source is interposed between the position and the first reflective member, the second reflective member reflects second light that is the first light reflected by the first reflective member, toward a surface layer side, and the second light reflected by the second reflective member passes through the first openings and the second openings to be diffused outside.
Reiland et al. teaches a second reflective member [14,19] (see paragraph 30 and Figures 3 and 4) disposed at such a position that the light source [15] is interposed between the position and the first reflective member [23] (see paragraph 28 and Figure 1), the second reflective member [14,19] reflects second light [64] that is the first light [62] reflected by the first reflective member [23], toward a surface layer side (see paragraph 34 and Figure 1; light emitted by the light source [15] is reflected by first reflective member [23], reflected by the second reflector [14,19], and towards a surface layer side of the device), and the second light [64] reflected by the second reflective member [14,19] passes through the openings [28] and the openings [25] to be diffused outside (see paragraphs 32 and 33).
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 lighting device of Basquin et al. to include a second reflective member disposed at such a position that the light source is interposed between the position and the first reflective member, the second reflective member reflects second light that is the first light reflected by the first reflective member, toward a surface layer side, and the second light reflected by the second reflective member passes through the first openings and the second openings to be diffused outside, as taught by Reiland et al. One would have been motivated to do so in order to diffuse light emitted by the light source not directly toward the light exit side of the lighting device (see Reiland et al. paragraphs 30 and 34).
With regards to Claim 3, Basquin et al. and Reiland et al. disclose the lighting device as discussed above with regards to Claim 1.
Basquin et al. further discloses the first openings overlap the second openings [9,9’] (see paragraphs 35 and 40 and Figure 4; the first openings formed in layer [13] substantially flush with openings [5,5’], which are flush with second openings [9,9’], thereby the first openings in layer [13] will be flush with and therefore align with the second openings [9,9;]).
With regards to Claim 4, Basquin et al. and Reiland et al. disclose the lighting device as discussed above with regards to Claim 1.
Basquin et al. further discloses the first reflective member [8] has the second openings [9,9’] at positions overlapping the first openings (see paragraphs 35and 40 and Figure 4; the first openings formed in layer [13] substantially flush with openings [5,5’], which are flush with second openings [9,9’], thereby the first openings in layer [13] will be flush with and therefore align with the second openings [9,9;]).
Basquin et al. does not explicitly disclose the first reflective member has the second openings at positions overlapping the semi-transmissive layer. However, Basquin et al. does disclose the first reflective member [8] has second openings [9,9’] which are flush with openings [5,5’] (see Basquin et al. paragraph 35 and Figure 4), and the semi-transmissive layer [13] can at least partially fill openings [5,5’] in order to create a colored effect (see Basquin et al. paragraph 40 and Figure 4). Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would be able to partially fill at least one of the openings [5,5’], thereby including a region of the semi-transmissive layer [13] partially overlapping the openings [5,5’] and therefore also partially overlapping the second openings [9,9’], in order to create a colored effect from light from at least one of the openings [5,5’]. 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 first reflective member second openings of Basquin et al. to be at positions overlapping the semi-transmissive layer. One would have been motivated to do so in order to add a color effect to light emitted through at least one of the second openings (see Basquin et al. paragraph 40.
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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With regards to Claim 5, the prior art of record fails to disclose or fairly suggest the second openings include: a first part opening that overlaps one of the first openings, and a second part opening that does not overlap one of the first openings and that overlaps the semi-transmissive layer, as required by the claim and in combination with the remaining limitations of the claim from which it depends.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/5/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Particularly, with regards to the applicant’s argument that Basquin fails to disclose, teach, or suggest at least “the second reflective member reflects second light that is the first light reflected by the first reflective member, towards a surface layer side, and the second light reflected by the second reflective member passes through the first openings and the second openings to be diffused outside”, as required by amended Claim 1, the examiner directs the applicant to the above rejection of Claim 1 over Basquin et al. in view of Reiland et al., which in combination, do disclose at least these limitations of amended Claim 1. Therefore, inclusion of the Reiland et al. reference to teach such limitations allows one of ordinary skill in the art to arrive at the claimed invention.
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 ERIN KRYUKOVA whose telephone number is (571)272-3761. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9a.m. - 4p.m.
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/ERIN KRYUKOVA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875