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
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song (KR 1020080087511). Claim 1: Song teaches a longitudinally gripping light device, comprising: a lighting system (130, fig. 1), wherein said lighting system comprises a headlamp assembly (133, fig. 2) and a circumferential lighting assembly (133, fig. 2), wherein said headlamp assembly (130) emits light in an extending direction (upward direction, fig. 4c) of a central axis (central axis of 100, fig. 4c), wherein said circumferential lighting assembly (133) emits light outward around the central axis (see figs. 4a,b);a support system (110, 120, 133’, fig. 2), wherein said support system comprises a light source support (120, 133’, fig. 2) component to provide support for said lighting system (130), wherein said light source support component (110, 120, 133’) comprises a headlamp support structure (133’, fig. 2) and a circumferential lighting support structure (121, fig. 2), wherein said headlamp support structure (133’) supports said headlamp assembly (133) to emit light in the extending direction of the central axis (see fig. 4c), wherein said circumferential lighting support structure (121) supports said circumferential lighting assembly (130) outside the central axis and emits light outside around the central axis (see figs. 4a,b);wherein said circumferential lighting assembly (130) comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements (131, 132, fig. 2), wherein said light-emitting elements (131, 132, fig. 2) are evenly arranged around the central axis (131 and 132 are arranged oppositely and evenly, see fig. 2) to emit light outward within a predetermined angle (131 and 132 emit light in 180° angle on opposite sides, see figs. 2 and 4a,b) around the central axis.
However, Song is silent about the predetermined angle is greater than 300 degrees.
Song discloses the claimed invention except for the predetermined angle is greater than 300 degrees. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to arrange the light-emitting elements where the light-emitting elements emit light outward within a predetermined angle greater than 300 degrees around the central axis to adjust the light output to produce a desired lighting range, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involved only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950).
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song (KR 20080087511) as applied to claim(s) 1 above, and further in view of Grandadam (US 2019/0063696).
Claim 2: Song teaches said circumferential lighting assembly (133, fig. 2) further comprises a circuit substrate (substrate supporting 131 and 132, fig. 2) and a light homogenizing cover (120, fig. 2), wherein said light-emitting elements (131, 132) are electrically connected and evenly arranged on said circuit substrate (see figs. 1-4), wherein said circuit substrate (substrate supporting 131 and 132) is mounted on said circumferential lighting support structure (122, fig. 2), wherein said light homogenizing cover (120) is arranged on the periphery of the circuit substrate to form a light mixing space between said circuit substrate and said light homogenizing cover (see figs. 4), wherein the light emitted by said light-emitting elements passes through said light mixing space and then passes through said light homogenizing cover to form a more uniform light beam (see figs. 4).
However, said circuit substrate extends in a curved surface with a fixed radius around the central axis,
Grandadam teaches a circuit substrate (162, fig. 10) is mounted on a circumferential lighting support structure (150, fig. 10) and extends in a curved surface (see fig. 10) with a fixed radius (see fig. 10) around a central axis (central axis of 100, fig. 10).
Therefore, in view of Grandadam, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to change the shape of the circuit substrate where it extends in a curved surface with a fixed radius around the central axis, in order to adjust the light output to a desired lighting range.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 3-20 is/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:
The prior art taken as a whole does not show nor suggest said circumferential lighting support structure comprises a circumferential lighting component carrier and a bracket, wherein said circuit substrate is mounted on said circumferential lighting component carrier, wherein said circumferential lighting component carrier is made of metal, wherein said circumferential lighting component carrier is installed on said bracket with respect to claim(s) 3, as specifically called for in the claimed combinations.
Claim(s) 4-20 is/are dependent upon claim(s) 2 and is/are therefore allowable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Teng et al. (US 2007/0014103), Liu (US 6,099,142), KR 20030002352, Rugendyke (WO 2013/188275), Ko (US 2006/0034074), Hsien (US 2004/0090775) disclose a similar gripping light devices.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHENG B SONG whose telephone number is (571)272-9402. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9AM - 5PM.
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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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/ZHENG SONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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