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 .
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, 3-7, 9-16, and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sharrah et al. (11,162,649) in view of Harvey et al. (11,073,265) and Mitsuhashi (2024/0418352).
With respect to claims 1 and 9, Sharrah teaches a lighting device (10), comprising: a first base (30) having a fixing part (16) that is configured to be fixed to an installation object (column 3, lines 27-33) or an installation accessory; a second base (40) extending from the first base (Fig. 2A); a battery mounting part (34) that is arranged on the first (30) or second base and has a terminal (“receptacle” in column 4, lines 51-67) configured to be electrically connected to a battery (column 4, lines 51-67); and a lighting part (100) that is configured to emit light by power supplied from the battery (column 4, lines 51-67) and is connected to the second base (40) so as to be rotated around a first rotational axis crossing an extending direction of the second base (Figs. 1A and 2A-2C); wherein: when an up-down direction is defined where a side of the first base on which the fixing part is located is defined as a lower side and a side of the first base on which the second base is located is defined as an upper side, the extending direction of the second base is a direction upward from the first base (Figs. 1A and 2A-2C), the battery mounting part is configured such that the battery mounted to the battery mounting part is arranged on the upper side of the first base (Fig. 1A); and a connecting part between the lighting part and the second base is arranged above the battery mounted to the battery mounting part in the up-down direction (Figs. 1A and 2A-2C).
Sharrah does not explicitly teach a connector configured to be mechanically connected to the battery, the battery mounting part being configured such that the battery can be removably mounted thereto, the battery mounting part faces upward such that the battery located above the first base is connected downward to the first base (claim 1); wherein the fixing part includes a hook configured to be hooked to an installation object (claim 9).
As for claim 1, Harvey also drawn to lighting devices, teaches a connector (top of 54 in Fig. 6) configured to be mechanically connected to the battery (column 3, lines 18-33), the battery mounting part being configured such that the battery can be removably mounted thereto (Figs. 1, 2, and 6).
As for claim 9, Harvey teaches wherein the fixing part (66 and 78) includes a hook (74) configured to be hooked to an installation object (Fig. 8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to use the connector, removable battery configuration, and hook of Harvey in the lighting device of Sharrah, in order to allow for easy removal, replacement, and charging of the battery (column 3, lines 18-33 of Harvey) and to provide mounting to a variety of surfaces (column 4, lines 24-46 of Harvey).
As for claim 1, Mitsuhashi also drawn to lighting devices, teaches the battery mounting part (5) faces upward such that the battery (2) located above the first base (12b) is connected downward to the first base (Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to use the battery and battery mounting part arrangement of Mitsuhashi in the lighting device of Sharrah, in order to protect the connection between the battery and battery mounting part (Fig. 2 of Mitsuhashi).
As for claim 3, Sharrah teaches wherein the battery mounting part (34) is arranged on the first base (Fig. 1A).
As for claim 6, Sharrah teaches wherein the battery mounting part (34) is arranged on a side opposite to the fixing part (16) relative to the first base (Fig. 1A).
As for claim 7, Sharrah wherein the first base (30) extends in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction (vertical extending direction of 40) of the second base (Fig. 1A).
As for claim 10, Sharrah teaches wherein the lighting part (100) is further configuredto be rotated around a second rotational axis orthogonal to the first rotational axis (Figs. 1A and 2A-2C).
As for claim 11, Sharrah teaches wherein the lighting part (100) has a light emitting surface that is configured to emit the light, and is configured such that the position of the light emitting surface is changeable between a first position in which at least part of the light emitting surface is covered by the second base and a second position in which the whole of the tight emitting surface is exposed to the outside of the lighting device (Figs. 1A and 2A-2C).
As for claim 12, Sharrah teaches wherein: when a front-rear direction is defined where a direction toward the second base from a center of the first base is defined as a front direction, and the opposite direction is defined as a rear direction, and a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is defined as a left-right direction, in a top view of the first base, a width in a longitudinal direction of the lighting part is shorter than a width in an extending direction of the first base in a view from the left-right direction of the lighting device (Figs. 1A and 2A-2C).
As for claim 13, Sharrah teaches an operation member that is configured to be manually operated in one direction by a user to turn on and off the lighting part, wherein: an axis that is parallel to a depressing direction of the operation member and passes through the operation member is arranged to pass through the first base (Fig. 1A and column 3, lines 34-50).
As for claim 14, Sharrah teaches a handle (300) including: (i) a pair of base parts (320 and 412) that extend rearward from the second base (40), and (ii) a grip part (310) that is connected between the base parts and configured to be held by a user (Figs. 1, 2A and 3B), when a front-rear direction is defined where a direction toward the second base from a center of the first base is defined as a front direction and the opposite direction is defined as a rear direction in a top view of the first base, wherein: the operation member is arranged in an area surrounded by the second base, the base parts and the grip part (Fig. 1A).
As for claim 15, Sharrah teaches a handle including: (i) a pair of base parts that extend rearward from the second base, and (ii) a grip part that is connected between the base parts and configured to be held by a user, when a front-rear direction is defined where a direction toward the second base from a center of the first base is defined as a front direction and the opposite direction is defined as a rear direction in a top view of the first base, wherein: the grip part is arranged below an uppermost end of an area that the lighting part occupies when rotated around the first rotational axis (Fig. 2A).
As for claim 16, Sharrah teaches wherein the grip part (310) is arranged above the first base in a rear area behind the second base (Figs. 1A and 3B).
As for claim 18, Sharrah teaches a cover (120) that is configured to cover at least part of the lighting device when removably attached to at least one position of the lighting device (Fig. 3A), where the at least part of the lighting device includes a lower side of the fixing part (Fig. 1A).
As for claim 19, Sharrah teaches wherein: the cover (120) has a first surface (inside surface of 120) that faces the lighting device with the cover attached to the least one position of the lighting device (Fig. 3A), and a second surface (outside surface of 120) on the opposite side to the first surface, and the second surface has a support projection (122) that protrudes in a direction away from the lighting device with the cover attached to the least one position of the lighting device (Fig. 3A).
As for claims 4 and 5, Sharrah, Harvey, and Mitsuhashi teach all of the claimed elements, as is discussed above.
Claims 8 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sharrah, Harvey, and Mitsuhashi as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Reiff et al. (7,682,036).
With respect to claims 8 and 17, Sharrah, Harvey, and Mitsuhashi teach all of the claimed elements, as is discussed above, except for explicitly teaching wherein the fixing part includes a magnet configured to magnetically fix the first base to an installation object (claim 8); wherein the first base, the second base and the lighting part all have a cuboid shape (claim 17).
With respect to claim 8, Reiff also drawn to lighting devices, teaches wherein the fixing part includes a magnet configured to magnetically fix the first base to an installation object (column 10, lines 46-49).
As for claim 17, Reiff teaches wherein the first base (space for 194), the second base (168) and the lighting part (170) all have a cuboid shape (Fig. 9).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to use the magnet and shape of Reiff in the lighting device of Sharrah, in order to hold the lighting device in a desired position in a work area (column 10, lines 46-49) and in order to provide a shape that is easy to manufacture.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 20 and 21 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.
With respect to claim 20, the prior art does not teach or suggest wherein the cover is configured to be attached to two or more positions including: (i) the lower side of the first base and (ii) a position other than the lower side of the first base, on the first base, the second base or the lighting part; along with the other limiting elements of claims 1, 18, and 20.
As for claim 21, the prior art does not teach or suggest wherein the handle is connected only to the second base and forms an annular shape together with only the second base; along with the other limiting elements of claims 1, 15, and 21.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 3-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any of the combination of references applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
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/WILLIAM J CARTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875 4/23/2026
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