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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
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)(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 1-8, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bowen et al. 2020/0305250.
Regarding claim 1, Bowen discloses a lamp having a plug-in electrical connection structure (luminaria 100), comprising [FIG 1A] [33-34]: a lamp body (housing 105), wherein a light-emitting assembly is disposed in the lamp body [FIG 1A] [035], a protruding part (protruding trim 110) is disposed on an outer wall of the lamp body [FIG 1A] [035-36], and an electrical contact strip (DIP switch 131) [FIG 1I-1K] [036]electrically connected to the light-emitting assembly is disposed on one side of the protruding part; and an electrical connector (electrical cable 127), wherein one end of the electrical connector is connected to a side plate [FIG 1I-1K] [033-36], and a plug slot (slot 103) adapted to the protruding part is formed on the electrical connector [FIG 1A]; and the electrical connector further comprises a plurality of groups of conducting strips (plug 132) [037], a first end of any conducting strip protrudes from a first surface of the electrical connector, and a second thereof extends to an inner side wall of the plug slot [037] [FIG 1J].
Regarding claim 2, Bowen discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Bowen further discloses a plug-in electrical connection structure according to wherein the electrical connector comprises a main shell (the side of the housing 105) and a cover plate (cover 126), and the main shell and the cover plate enclose a cavity for accommodating the plurality of groups of conducting strips; and one end of the cover plate is connected to the side plate, a part of an end surface of the main shell fits the side plate to limit the plurality of groups of conducting strips, and the other part of the end surface of the main shell define the plug slot together with the side plate [FIG 1I-1K].
Regarding claim 3, Bowen discloses all of the limitations of claim 2. Bowen further discloses a plug-in electrical connection structure (receptacle 133) according to wherein a profile column is further disposed on a surface of the cover plate proximal to the main shell, one end of the profile column protrudes from the first surface, conducting pins are further disposed in a penetrating manner at both ends of the profile column, and the conducting pins are electrically connected to the first end of each of the conducting strips [037][ FIG 1I-1K].
Regarding claim 4, Bowen discloses all of the limitations of claim 3. Bowen further discloses a plug-in electrical connection structure according to wherein first limiting grooves are formed in the surface of the cover plate proximal to the main shell, and the quantity of the first limiting grooves is adapted to the quantity of the conducting strips; and the conducting strips are placed in the first limiting grooves [FIG 1I-1K].
Regarding claim 5, Bowen discloses all of the limitations of claim 4. Bowen further discloses a second limiting grooves (grooves 123/124)are further formed in a part of the profile column located on the cover plate, the quantity of the second limiting grooves is adapted to the quantity of the first limiting grooves, the second limiting grooves communicate with the first limiting grooves, and the first end of each of the conducting strips extends along each of the second limiting grooves to be connected to the conducting pins [FIG 1L] [038].
Regarding claim 6, Bowen discloses all of the limitations of claim 5. Bowen further discloses third limiting grooves (holes on cover plate for screws ) are formed in the surface of the cover plate proximal to the main shell, the quantity of the third limiting grooves is adapted to the quantity of the second limiting grooves, the third limiting grooves communicate with the first limiting grooves, and the first end of each of the conducting strips extends to each of the third limiting grooves to form an elastic sheet part [FIG 1J].
Regarding claim 7, Bowen discloses all of the limitations of claim 6. Bowen further discloses a plurality of groups of first protrusions (screws)that correspondingly press the conducting strips into the first limiting grooves are further disposed on a surface of the main shell proximal to the cover plate [FIG 1I-1j].
Regarding claim 8, Bowen discloses all of the limitations of claim 7. Bowen further discloses a plug-in electrical connection structure according to wherein a plurality of groups of third protrusions that correspondingly press the conducting strips into the third limiting grooves are further disposed on a part of the end surface of the main shell [FIG 1I-1j].
Regarding claim 10, Bowen discloses all of the limitations of claim 7. Bowen further discloses a plug-in electrical connection structure according to wherein the protruding part is a convex ring (ring 110), the light-emitting assembly is a flexible light strip (light-emitting aperture 115) and is placed in the convex ring, and the electrical contact strip electrically connected to the flexible light strip is formed on an outer side surface of the convex ring [033] [FIG 1C].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bowen et al. 2020/0305250 in view of Tickner et al. 2024/0191866.
Regarding claim 9, Bowen discloses all of the limitations of claim 2. However, Bowen fails to explicitly disclose the main shell and the cover plate are assembled by way of a snap fit or an interference fit.
Tickner discloses snap fit assemblies [052]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention as Bowen and Tickner are analogous art and it is well known in the art to use snap fits for its ease of assembly and cost efficiency.
Conclusion
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/ASIFA HABIB/Examiner, Art Unit 2876
/STEVEN S PAIK/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2876