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 § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2 and 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bartug et al. US 8,995,039 (“Bartug”).
Bartug teaches:
Re 1: a decorative assembly, comprising (Figs. 1-4):
a main board structure 12, being transparent (col. 3 ll 34-55)) and comprising a first main board surface and a second main board surface (Figs. 1-4: 12 has two main surfaces), wherein the first main board surface and the second main board surface are relatively disposed (Figs. 1-4: first main surface faces outside and includes side walls that connect to the second main surface which is closest to the interior of the device); and
a liquid crystal panel 18 (Figs. 1-4; col. 5 ll 40-48) comprising a first liquid crystal surface and a second liquid crystal surface (Figs. 1-4: 18 has two outer surfaces), wherein the first liquid crystal surface and the second liquid crystal surface are relatively disposed (Figs. 1-4; col. 5 ll 40-67), and the first liquid crystal surface is connected to at least one portion of the second main board surface (Figs. 1-4: they are facing each other and connected through interstitial components);
wherein the decorative assembly has a main board side and a liquid crystal side, the first main board surface faces towards the main board side (Figs. 1-4: the first main board surface faces the vehicle exterior which is the main board side), the second liquid crystal surface faces towards the liquid crystal side (Figs. 1-4: opposite side of 12 faces the liquid crystal side), and the liquid crystal panel is in a flat plate shape or only bends along a first direction (Figs. 1-4: shown as flat).
Re 2: an optical clear adhesive 16 (Figs. 1-4; claim 11), wherein the first liquid crystal surface is indirectly connected to the at least one portion of the second main board surface via the optical clear adhesive (Figs. 1-4).
Re 5: wherein when the liquid crystal panel is switched to a transparent mode and a second light of a second light source is configured to enter the decorative assembly from the second liquid crystal surface, the second light source is observed by an observer located on the main board side (claim 1: PDLC 18 can switch to a transparent mode, allowing light entering from the interior side to pass through and be observable on the main board side i.e., outside).
Re 6: wherein the liquid crystal panel comprises two transparent substrates towards the main board side and the liquid crystal side (Fig. 4: see 19a and 19b; col. 5 ll 49-67, col. 6 ll 1-6), respectively.
Re 7: wherein the second main board surface, the first liquid crystal surface and the second liquid crystal surface are parallel to each other and not parallel to the first main board surface (Figs. 1-4: only the first main board surface comprises a non parallel portion – i.e., the part that connects the outermost surface of first main board surface to second main boar surface – making the other surfaces non-parallel (i.e., perpendicular) to that portion).
Re 8: A vehicle, having an outer side, and comprising:
a decorative assembly, comprising (Figs. 1-4):
a main board structure 12, being transparent (col. 3 ll 34-55)) and comprising a first main board surface and a second main board surface (Figs. 1-4: 12 has two main surfaces), wherein the first main board surface and the second main board surface are relatively disposed (Figs. 1-4), and the first main board surface faces towards and is exposed to the outer side of the vehicle;
a liquid crystal panel 18 (Figs. 1-4; col. 5 ll 40-48) comprising a first liquid crystal surface and a second liquid crystal surface (Figs. 1-4: 18 has two outer surfaces), wherein the first liquid crystal surface and the second liquid crystal surface are relatively disposed (Figs. 1-4; col. 5 ll 40-67), and the first liquid crystal surface is connected to at least one portion of the second main board surface (Figs. 1-4: they are facing each other and connected through interstitial components);
wherein the liquid crystal panel is in a flat plate shape or only bends along a first direction (Figs. 1-4: shown as flat).
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 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bartug in view of Willingham et al. US 6,580,472 (“Willingham”).
Re 3-4: Bartug does not explicitly teach:
Claim 3: wherein when the liquid crystal panel is switched to a pattern mode and a first light of a first light source is configured to enter the decorative assembly from the first main board surface, a liquid crystal pattern of the liquid crystal panel is observed by an observer located on the main board side.
Claim 4: wherein the first light passes through a first corresponding point of the first main board surface and a second corresponding point of the second main board surface in sequence, and a curvature radius of the first corresponding point and a curvature radius of the second corresponding point are different.
Willingham teaches (Fig. 1: teaching having a liquid crystal panel incorporated into a rear window which is naturally curved, with the interior portion closest to car interior has a smaller radius of curvature; abstract; claim 2; col. 1-3):
Claim 3: wherein when the liquid crystal panel is switched to a pattern mode and a first light of a first light source is configured to enter the decorative assembly from the first main board surface, a liquid crystal pattern of the liquid crystal panel is observed by an observer located on the main board side.
Claim 4: wherein the first light passes through a first corresponding point of the first main board surface and a second corresponding point of the second main board surface in sequence, and a curvature radius of the first corresponding point and a curvature radius of the second corresponding point are different.
As Willingham teaches, incorporating a liquid crystal panel device onto a rear window can increase safety by alerting passersby to hazardous conditions. These warnings or symbols are a pattern mode which an observer can see on the main boar side.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of effective filing, to modify Bartug with Willingham’s teachings in order to incorporate the device into the part of the vehicle that passersby can easily see, thereby allowing the user to broadcast messages for help or secours.
Claims 9-10 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bartug in view of Singh et al. US 20220355730 (“Singh”).
Re 9-10: Bartug does not explicitly teach:
Claim 9: wherein when the vehicle is in a specific state, the liquid crystal panel is switched to a pattern mode; wherein when the liquid crystal panel is switched to the pattern mode and a first light of a first light source is configured to enter the main board structure and the liquid crystal panel from the outer side in sequence, a liquid crystal pattern of the liquid crystal panel is observed by an observer located on the outer side.
Claim 10: wherein the specific state is before turning off a power source of the vehicle, while stopping the vehicle or while the liquid crystal panel unnecessary to provide a light penetration characteristic.
Singh teaches:
Claim 9: wherein when the vehicle is in a specific state, the liquid crystal panel is switched to a pattern mode (Figs. 6A-7; ¶¶43-52); wherein when the liquid crystal panel is switched to the pattern mode and a first light of a first light source is configured to enter the main board structure and the liquid crystal panel from the outer side in sequence, a liquid crystal pattern of the liquid crystal panel is observed by an observer located on the outer side (Fig. 7; ¶52).
Claim 10: wherein the specific state is before turning off a power source of the vehicle, while stopping the vehicle or while the liquid crystal panel unnecessary to provide a light penetration characteristic (Figs. 6A-7; ¶¶43-52).
Singh’s setup allows for multifunctional lighting, such as the ability to broadcast messages for help or simply advertisements.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the time of effective filing of the invention, to modify Bartug with Singh’s teachings in order to display information such as distress signals or advertising.
Re 12: Bartug does not explicitly teach: wherein the main board structure is a lamp housing, and the vehicle further comprises: a second light source, being a lamp and located on an inner side of the main board structure and the liquid crystal panel; wherein when the vehicle is moving, the liquid crystal panel is switched to a transparent mode; wherein when the liquid crystal panel is switched to the transparent mode and a second light of the second light source enters the liquid crystal panel and the main board structure in sequence, the second light source is observed by an observer located on the outer side.
Singh teaches wherein the main board structure is a lamp housing (claim 7; Figs. 1A-1C), and the vehicle further comprises: a second light source 202 (Figs. 2-3B; ¶74), being a lamp and located on an inner side of the main board structure and the liquid crystal panel 204 (Figs. 2-3B: ); wherein when the vehicle is moving, the liquid crystal panel is switched to a transparent mode (claim 1; ¶74); wherein when the liquid crystal panel is switched to the transparent mode and a second light of the second light source enters the liquid crystal panel and the main board structure in sequence, the second light source is observed by an observer located on the outer side (claim 1; ¶74).
Singh’s setup allows for multifunctional lighting, such as the ability to broadcast messages for help or simply advertisements.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the time of effective filing of the invention, to modify Bartug with Singh’s teachings in order to enable multifunctional lighting that combines regulatory illumination with external display capabilities, improving safety, aesthetics, and information communication.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11 and 13 have been 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. In combination with other limitations:
Re 11: “a temperature sensor adjacent to the liquid crystal panel and configured to provide a sensing temperature; wherein when the sensing temperature is higher than a conversion temperature of the liquid crystal panel and then lower than the conversion temperature of the liquid crystal panel, the liquid crystal panel is configured to resend a pattern signal corresponding to the liquid crystal pattern.”
The closest prior art of record is US 20230273492 which teaches about the need to avoid excessive temperature effects on PDLC films; however, it is silent with respect to the use of a temperature sensor in combination with the other limitations recited.
Re 13: “wherein a ratio of an area of the first liquid crystal surface to an area of the second main board surface is less than 0.5, and the second light is not located on a central main light path of the second light source.”
None of the references disclose the recite area ratio and off-center positioning of the second light from the second light source.
Conclusion
Relevant prior art considered: US 20230152654 a multi-zone tintable window.
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GERALD J. SUFLETA II
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2875
/GERALD J SUFLETA II/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875