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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on 12 August 2024. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN202411100376.X application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. The Examiner notes that Applicant provided an access code to have the Office retrieve the documents electronically. At the time of the action, it appears an attempt by the appropriate department has not been made likely due to the 9 June 2025 filing date of the instant application. Thus, since this is the first action on the merits and prosecution is still open, Applicant is encouraged to either provide a copy themselves or wait for the electronic retrieval.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 9 June 2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 5, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bailey et al. (US 2016/0348861; hereinafter ‘Bailey’).
Regarding claim 1, Bailey discloses an easy-to-mount/dismount recessed borderless spotlight structure, comprising:
a front ring (not shown, as described in at least paragraph [0026]), wherein a guide slot (not shown, as described in at least paragraph [0026]) is provided in the front ring (paragraph [0026]); and
a recessed borderless spotlight module (as disclosed in at least paragraph [0011]), wherein the recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) is a fixed recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]), the fixed recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) comprises a first wire (16, as disclosed in at least paragraphs [0013-0015]), a first heat sink (at least 23, see at least paragraph [0014]), a first chip-on-board (COB) lamp bead (at least 4; as seen in at least figs. 1-4), a first COB holder (at least 5; as seen in at least figs. 1-4), a first screw (not shown, but corresponding to holes 26 as seen in at least figs. 1-4), a reflective sheet (at least 6; as seen in at least figs. 1-4), a first lens (at least 27; as seen in at least fig. 2; as disclosed in at least paragraph [0029]), a first retaining ring (at least 7; as seen in at least figs. 1-4), and a first wire clip (at least 8, as seen in at least figs. 1-4, as disclosed in at least paragraph [0014]), wherein
the recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) is configured to rotate along a path of the guide slot (para [0026]), and is nested in the front ring (paragraph [0026]), and the recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) is upward pushed along a middle position of the front ring (paragraph [0026]); and
a top of the first wire (16) is passed through a wire hole of the first heat sink (23; para [0014]) to extend upward, and then the top of the first wire (16) is clamped by the first wire clip (8) and is locked by the first screw (for holes 26), and a bottom of the first wire (16) is soldered with the first COB lamp bead (at least 4; as seen in at least figs. 1-4) through tin soldering; the first COB lamp bead (4) is pre-fastened to the first COB holder (5) through a clip fastener, the first COB holder (5) is pushed into the first heat sink (23; para [0014]), the first COB holder (5) is locked through the first screw (for holes 26), the reflective sheet (6) and the first lens (27) are sequentially mounted, and the first retaining ring (7) is snapped into the first heat sink (23; para [0014]), to complete assembling; and a first protrusion is disposed on the first heat sink (23; para [0014]).
Regarding claim 5, the Examiner notes that the claim limitation “wherein a ceiling is perforated, the front ring (paragraph [0026]) is fastened to the ceiling through a bolt, and the front ring (paragraph [0026]) is covered and hidden by using decorative paint” is drawn to a process of manufacturing the claimed apparatus. It is well established that a claimed apparatus cannot be distinguished over the prior art by a process limitation. Consequently, absent a showing of an unobvious difference between the claimed product and the prior art, the subject product-by-process claim limitation has been considered, but not patentably distinct over Bailey (see MPEP 2113).
Regarding claim 6, the Examiner notes that the claim limitation “the recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) is die-cast through a die-casting mold. ” is drawn to a process of manufacturing the claimed apparatus. It is well established that a claimed apparatus cannot be distinguished over the prior art by a process limitation. Consequently, absent a showing of an unobvious difference between the claimed product and the prior art, the subject product-by-process claim limitation has been considered, but not patentably distinct over Bailey (see MPEP 2113).
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 2, 4, 7, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bailey, and further in view of Portinga (US 2020/0132278; hereinafter ‘Portinga’).
Regarding claim 2, Bailey discloses an easy-to-mount/dismount recessed borderless spotlight structure, comprising:
a front ring (not shown, as described in at least paragraph [0026]), wherein a guide slot (not shown, as described in at least paragraph [0026]) is provided in the front ring (paragraph [0026]); and
a recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]), wherein the recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) is a recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) with a function of adjusting a light outgoing angle, wherein
the recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) is configured to rotate along a path of the guide slot (para [0026]), and is nested in the front ring (paragraph [0026]), and the recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) is upward pushed along a middle position of the front ring (paragraph [0026]); and the recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) comprises a second wire (16, as disclosed in at least paragraphs [0013-0015]), a second heat sink (at least 23, see at least paragraph [0014]), a second COB lamp bead (at least 4; as seen in at least figs. 1-4), a second COB holder (at least 5; as seen in at least figs. 1-4), a second screw (not shown, but corresponding to holes 26 as seen in at least figs. 1-4), a second lens (at least 27; as seen in at least fig. 2; as disclosed in at least paragraph [0029]), a second wire clip (at least 8, as seen in at least figs. 1-4, as disclosed in at least paragraph [0014]), a reflector cup, an O-shaped ring, and a second retaining ring (at least 7; as seen in at least figs. 1-4), wherein a top of the second wire (16) is passed through a wire hole of the second heat sink (23; para [0014]), and then the top of the second wire (16) is clamped by the second wire clip (8) and is locked by the second screw (for holes 26), a bottom of the second wire (16) is soldered with the second COB lamp bead (4) through tin soldering, the second COB lamp bead (4) is clamped by the second COB holder (5), and the second COB holder (5) is locked by the second screw (for holes 26); and
a second protrusion is disposed on the second heat sink (23; para [0014]).
Bailey does not specifically disclose a ball body.
Portinga teaches a ball body (at least 118) vertically placed on the reflector cup, and then, the O-shaped ring and the second retaining ring are sequentially sleeved on the ball body, and are locked through the second screw, to complete assembling; the second lens is vertically placed in the ball body, the second heat sink is tightened with the ball body through threads (as seen in at least fig. 2 and discussed in the associated text).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include Portinga’s ball body vertically placed on Bailey’s reflector cup, with an O-shaped ring and the second retaining ring are sequentially sleeved on the ball body, and are locked through the second screw, to complete assembling; the second lens is vertically placed in the ball body, the second heat sink is tightened with the ball body through threads.
One having ordinary skill in the art would have motivated to include Portinga’s ball body to allow a user to selectively angle the light in a desired direction.
Regarding claim 4, Bailey, as modified by Portinga teaches the claimed invention as indicated above. Bailey further teaches that a “twist-and-lock” mechanism.
Bailey does not specifically specify the specifics of the rotational path of the guide slot.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the second protrusion is configured to rotate a plurality of times along the path of the guide slot of the front ring, and the fixed recessed borderless spotlight module is nested in the front ring.
One would have been motivated to have a “plurality of times along the patch of the guide slot” in order to secure Bailey’s lamp in place.
Regarding claim 7, the Examiner notes that the claim limitation “wherein a ceiling is perforated, the front ring (paragraph [0026]) is fastened to the ceiling through a bolt, and the front ring (paragraph [0026]) is covered and hidden by using decorative paint” is drawn to a process of manufacturing the claimed apparatus. It is well established that a claimed apparatus cannot be distinguished over the prior art by a process limitation. Consequently, absent a showing of an unobvious difference between the claimed product and the prior art, the subject product-by-process claim limitation has been considered, but not patentably distinct over Bailey (see MPEP 2113).
Regarding claim 8, the Examiner notes that the claim limitation “the recessed borderless spotlight module (paragraph [0011]) is die-cast through a die-casting mold. ” is drawn to a process of manufacturing the claimed apparatus. It is well established that a claimed apparatus cannot be distinguished over the prior art by a process limitation. Consequently, absent a showing of an unobvious difference between the claimed product and the prior art, the subject product-by-process claim limitation has been considered, but not patentably distinct over Bailey (see MPEP 2113).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bailey.
Regarding claim 3, Bailey discloses the claimed invention as indicated above. Bailey further teaches that a “twist-and-lock” mechanism.
Bailey does not specifically specify the specifics of the rotational path of the guide slot.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the first protrusion is configured to rotate a plurality of times along the path of the guide slot of the front ring, and the fixed recessed borderless spotlight module is nested in the front ring.
One would have been motivated to have a “plurality of times along the patch of the guide slot” in order to secure Bailey’s lamp in place.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEAH S MACCHIAROLO whose telephone number is (571)272-2719. The examiner can normally be reached M-F approx 8:30am to 4:30pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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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/LEAH MACCHIAROLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875