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
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(s) 1, 3, 5 and 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baker et al. [US 2013/0223070 A1] in view of McCaslin et al. [US 9,829,182 B1].
Regarding claim 1, Baker et al. discloses a light-emitting system [light-emitting system 30, figure 2] removably attachable to headgear, the light-emitting system comprising: a form factor [a light-emitting unit 32] configured to be positioned adjacent a portion of the headgear [figures 3-4] when the light-emitting system is removably attached to the headgear for use, the form factor comprising a housing [an annular housing 40] with at least one lens [lens 46]; a plurality of primary lighting elements [a light-emitting assembly 60 including the lighting elements 44] configured to selectively generate light that radiates outwardly away from the light-emitting system to provide general illumination of the user and an environment around the user, including in at least a forward region in front of the user and a rearward region aft of the user [figures 2-6].
However, Baker et al. does not clearly show the at least one task lighting element aligned in a direction along a task light axis that is fixed and oriented downwardly at an oblique angle relative to a transverse plane of the light-emitting system, the at least one task lighting element being configured to selectively generate flood task lighting in a task area in front of the user.
McCaslin et al. teaches at least one task lighting element [a front-mounted forward light assembly 14] aligned in a direction along a task light axis that is fixed and oriented downwardly at an oblique angle [figure 9] relative to a transverse plane of the light-emitting system, the at least one task lighting element [14] being configured to selectively generate flood task lighting [figures 11-12, cause by reflector 112b, column 8 lines 10-15] in a task area in front of the user (column 2 lines 38-45).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine the light-emitting system of Baker et al. with the task lighting element being configured to selectively generate flood task lighting as taught by McCaslin et al. for purpose of providing an advantageous way of that, head units can be provided with different lighting characteristics such as spot, flood, different levels of brightness, different endurances, and/or different colors.
Regarding claim 3, Baker et al. discloses at least some of the plurality of primary lighting elements [44] are supported by the housing [40] and fixed in a stationary manner relative to the housing and the at least one task lighting element (figures 5-6).
Regarding claim 5, McCaslin et al. teaches at least one spot lighting element [figures 11-12, cause by reflector 112a, column 8 lines 10-15] configured to selectively generate spot lighting in a spot light area in front of the user (figure 9).
Regarding claim 10, Baker et al. discloses an attachment mechanism [an attachment mechanism 31] attached to the housing for removably securing the light- emitting system to the headgear without compromising the integrity of the headgear (figures 2-6, paragraph 0032).
Regarding claims 11 and 12, McCaslin et al. teaches the at least one task lighting element is selectively illuminable independently of the plurality of primary lighting elements (figures 9-10; column 5 lines 4-15).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, 6-9 and 13-20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: claims 2, 4, 6-9, 13, 14 and 19, each recites further details of the light emitting system, which are not disclosed or suggested by the prior art of record. Claims 15-18 depend on claim 14. Claim 20 depend on claim 19.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BAO Q TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-2383. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 am - 3 pm.
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/BAO Q TRUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875