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 .
Notice to Applicant
Claims 1-11 have been examined in this application. This communication is the first action on the merits of these claims.
Drawings
New corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in this application because the drawings are blurry in places that make it hard to ascertain details and contain handwritten reference numbers that are sometimes difficult to read. Applicant is advised to employ the services of a competent patent draftsperson outside the Office, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office no longer prepares new drawings. The corrected drawings are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The requirement for corrected drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
(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, 2, 5, 11 are rejected under 35 USC 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Number 9,156,554 to Grosse-Plankermann.
Regarding claim 1, Grosse-Plankermann discloses a ceiling panel for an aircraft (Figure 1 shows PSU area 24 being part of the ceiling for the aircraft), comprising:
A base panel (100); and
A light module (cabin lighting panel 94),
Wherein the base panel comprises a base plate (support 28) and two side plates extending from a bottom surface of the base plate (see 70 and 38 in Figure 3),
Wherein the two side plates form a personal service channel on a respective interior side (see PSU duct 34 in Figure 3), the personal service channel configured to support at least one personal service unit (column 9, lines 39-40 disclose “At least one PSU 20a-20f can be accommodated in the PSU duct 34”), and
Wherein the light module is connected to the base plate on an exterior side of one of the two side plates (see cabin lighting panel 94 in Figure 5a, 5b, and 5c).
Regarding claim 2 (dependent on claim 1), Grosse-Plankermann discloses the base plate comprises a tongue configured to hold a portion of the light module, and a snap-and-click device configured to receive a latch of the light module. Column 5, lines 51-54 disclose “the connection elements executed on the second holding element as well as on the PSU duct cover and/or the cabin lighting panel may also be designed as snap-on connection elements” and column 11, lines 37-43 disclose “The second connection element 90 of the second holding element 68 is provided in turn with a projection 96, which engages with a groove 98 formed in the connection element 92 of the cabin lighting panel 94 when the cabin lighting panel 94 is displaced parallel to the longitudinal axis L”.
Regarding claim 5 (dependent on claim 2), Grosse-Plankermann discloses the light module comprises a receptacle configured to receive the tongue. Figure 5a shows projection 96 and groove 98 forming a receptacle configured to receive connection element 92.
Regarding claim 11 (dependent on claim 1), Grosse-Plankermann discloses an aircraft comprising at least one ceiling panel of claim 1 (aircraft cabin 22).
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 USC 103 as being obvious over US Patent Number 9,156,554 to Grosse-Plankermann in view of US Patent Application Number 2012/0119029 by Tappe.
Regarding claims 3 (dependent on claim 2) and 4 (dependent on claim 3), Grosse-Plankermann does not disclose the base plate comprises a Bowden cable configured to bring the snap-and-click device into an open position releasing the latch, wherein the base plate further comprises an activation mechanism coupled to the Bowden cable. However, this limitation is taught by Tappe. Tappe discloses a monument for a vehicle with actuating devices, and paragraph 18 discloses “a pivotable handgrip is imaginable, which is arranged, centrally and within easy reach of an operator, on a lateral surface of the second housing part, and by way of a linear elastic or rigid means of locomotion, for example a type of Bowden cable or a rod, moves a latch body”. It would be obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Grosse-Plankermann using the teachings from Tappe in order to use known ways to actuate devices on a vehicle.
Grosse-Plankermann and Bowden do not explicitly disclose the activation mechanism arranged at a lateral side of the base plate. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to place the activation mechanism wherever desired to be accessible by a user, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being obvious over US Patent Number 9,156,554 to Grosse-Plankermann in view of US Patent Application Number 2022/0375741 by Edquist.
Regarding claim 6 (dependent on claim 1), Grosse-Plankermann does not disclose the light module comprising a main plate and wherein a plurality of light emitting elements is provided on a bottom surface of the main plate. However, this limitation is taught by Edquist. Edquist discloses a lighting system for an aircraft with a main plate (casing 216) and a plurality of light emitting elements 200 provided on the bottom surface of casing 216. It would be obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Grosse-Plankermann using the teachings from Edquist to use known types of lights for aircrafts.
Regarding claim 7 (dependent on claim 6), Edquist further teaches the light module comprises a diffusion plate, or a patterned plate, or both, and wherein the light emitting elements emit light towards the diffusion plate, or the patterned plate, or both. Paragraph 49 discloses “the cover 220 may have a surface pattern that facilitates diffusion of the combined light from the excimer lamp 200 and the at least one additional gith source 206. For example, the surface pattern may be etched or otherwise formed into the material of the cover 220”.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 USC 103 as being obvious over US Patent Number 9,156,554 to Grosse-Plankermann.
Regarding claim 8 (dependent on claim 1), Grosse-Plankermann does not explicitly disclose a first electric cable with an interface provided at the base plate, and a second electric cable with an interface provided at the light module, wherein the interface of the first electric cable and the interface of the second electric cable are configured to be coupled to one another and to achieve an electric connection of the first and second electric cables. However, Grosse-Plankermann suggests the use of cables 16a-16f with connection plugs 14a-14f to connect to second connection plugs 18a-18f, and Figures 1 and 11 further shows cables from plugs 18a-18f to PSUs 20a-20f. It would be obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Grosse-Plankermann to use known types of electrical connections to provide power to the lighting panel 94.
Claims 9-10 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being obvious over US Patent Number 9,156,554 to Grosse-Plankermann in view of US Patent Application Number 2018/0319502 by Maclay.
Regarding claim 9 (dependent on claim 1), Grosse-Plankermann does not disclose a personal mounting bar provided at each of the two side plates, the personal service mounting bar being configured to hold at least one personal service unit, or at least one cover, or both. However, this limitation is taught by Maclay. Maclay discloses an overhead mounting section of an aircraft cabin with fastening points 516 on side plates (flanges 512) and that cabin divider 216 can be attached to these fastening points to form a cover.
Regarding claim 10 (dependent on claim 1), Maclay further teaches a blind element configured to be connected to the base plate instead of a light module. Cabin divider 216 comprises a blind element configured to be connected to the base plate.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL H WANG whose telephone number is (571)272-6554. The examiner can normally be reached 10-6:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Josh Michener can be reached at 571-272-1467. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MICHAEL H. WANG
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3642
/MICHAEL H WANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642
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