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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, line 4, Applicant recites that the heat-absorbing base plate is disposed “in” the inner housing. Upon review of Applicant’s specification and drawings, it appears that the baes plate 2 is “on” the inner housing 1, not “in” the inner housing (see at least Figures 3 and 5). If Examiner is correct, Examiner respectfully asks Applicant to make the correction.
Similarly in line 7, Applicant recites that the light-emitting circuit board is disposed “in” the inner housing. It appears that the circuit board 3 is “on” the inner housing 1, not “in the inner housing (see at least Figures 3 and 5). If Examiner is correct, Examiner respectfully asks Applicant to make the correction.
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 and 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shum et al (US 2014/0146545).
Regarding claim 1, Shum discloses a heat dissipator with a replaceable decorative pattern, comprising: a heat dissipation main body, comprising: an inner housing (labeled as 440 in Fig. 3B); a heat-absorbing base plate (at least 450) disposed in the inner housing; an outer housing (labeled as 430 in Fig. 3B) disposed on the inner housing and surrounding the inner housing, the outer housing 430 being provided with a light exit port; a light-emitting circuit board (420) disposed in the inner housing corresponding to the light exit port; and a light-transmissive cover (at least 460, or collective 460,410) fixed to the outer housing 430 corresponding to the light exit port, the light-transmissive cover being provided with a first magnetic assembly (see magnet at center of 460; see also Fig. 1B and magnet 1021 and para [0106]); and a decorative assembly, comprising: a decorative block (generally 812, see Fig. 8A), with at least one decorative pattern (see para [0161]; “The surfaces of the collimator may be textured or polished or anodized or painted for ornamental or other purposes”) and an annular body (see Figs.8B and 8C; at least annular body 1022; Examiner also notes that the magnetic bodies can be ring or annular shaped, see Fig. 11A) fixed to the decorative block and provided with a second magnetic assembly 1022 configured to be magnetically attached to the first magnetic assembly 1021; wherein the decorative assembly 812 is detachably disposed on the heat dissipation main body via magnetic attraction between the first magnetic assembly 1021 and the second magnetic assembly 1022, and the light-emitting circuit board 420 emits light onto the decorative block via the light-transmissive cover 460 (see at least Figures 1A-3B and 7-8C and paras [0104]-[0162]). The recitation that the decorative pattern is “laser-engraved” relates to a method of manufacturing which is not germane to the issue of patentability of the device itself and is not to be given patentable weight (MPEP 2113). Examiner additionally notes that that Shum teaches that the surfaces can be textured and that engraving through lasers is a well-known texturing technique for decorating and ornamental purposes.
Regarding claim 3, Shum discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses wherein a surrounding wall is disposed on a periphery of the inner housing 440 (see Fig. 3B and top inner cylindrical wall), and the outer housing 430 is latched to the surrounding wall (see at least Figures 3A-3B).
Regarding claim 4, Shum discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the inner housing 440 is provided with two openings, and the light emitting circuit board 420 and the heat absorbing base plate 450 are disposed in the inner housing and respectively arranged corresponding to the two openings (see at least Figs. 3A-3B; circuit board 420 extends from the top opening to the bottom opening of inner housing 440 with electrical contacts protruding through the bottom opening and base plate 450 similarly extends from top opening down to bottom opening).
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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shum et al (US 2014/0146545).
Regarding claim 6, Shum discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the decorative block 812 comprises a light incident surface (see Figs. 8B-8C; bottom surface or diffuser 822), the light incident surface is disposed corresponding to the light transmissive cover 460, but Shum does not specifically teach an annular groove recessed into the light incident surface to receive the annular body 1022. However forming annular grooves to receive annular bodies is well-known in the art (Official Notice), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to form an annular groove in the light incident surface of the decorative block 812 in Shum to receive the annular body 1022 in order to securely fasten the annular body and prevent a gap between the decorative block and light assembly for improved brightness and light efficiency of the lighting assembly.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 5 and 7 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Wang US 2012/0194069 (magnetic detachable LED lamp)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN P GRAMLING whose telephone number is (571)272-9082. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdulmajeed Aziz can be reached at (571) 270-5046. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SEAN P GRAMLING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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