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
Applicant's amendment filed on August 24 of 2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 2, 5, 12, 15 and 20 have been amended. No claim has been cancelled, or added. Claims 1-20 are still pending in this application, with claims 1, 5 and 15 being independent.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 1-4, 10, 11, and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a), as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor, or a joint inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Newly amended independent claim 1 defines the “rib” as comprising the same material as the “faceplate”; however, the originally filed specification fails to disclose the ribs 141 as including the same material as the face plate 102, or even the veneer 130. Therefore, the specification fails to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor, or a joint inventor, before the effective filing date of the instant application, had possession of the claimed invention.
Dependent claims 2-4, 10, 11, and 14 are rejected for their dependency on independent claim 1, as previously detailed.
Newly amended independent claim 15 defines the “rib” as comprising the same material as the “faceplate”; however, the originally filed specification fails to disclose the ribs 141 as including the same material as the face plate 102, or even the veneer 130. Therefore, the specification fails to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor, or a joint inventor, before the effective filing date of the instant application, had possession of the claimed invention.
Dependent claims 16-20 are rejected for their dependency on independent claim 15, as previously detailed.
Allowable Subject Matter
Regarding claims 1-4, 10, 11, and 13-20, which have been rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph (see previous sections 3-8), the applicant is advised that no prior art was found teaching individually, or suggesting in combination, a control device configured for use in a load control system, the control device including a faceplate with an opening configured to be backlit, the opening defining an indicia indicating a function of the load control system; and at least one rib is disposed in the opening and including the same material as the faceplate.
Therefore, no art rejections have been made of claims 1-4, 10, 11, and 13-20.
Claims 5-9 and 12 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
A control including a faceplate with an opening configured to be backlit and defining an indicia indicating a function of a load control system; and wherein a rib is disposed in the opening and having an outermost surface recessed with respect to an outermost surface defined by the faceplate.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ISMAEL NEGRON whose telephone number is (571)272-2376. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jong-Suk Lee, can be reached at telephone number 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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/ISMAEL NEGRON/Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2875
