Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 23, 2026
Application No. 19/481,099

LUMINAIRE ASSEMBLY AND PACKING METHOD

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Nov 03, 2025
Priority
May 04, 2023 — EU 23171493.2 +2 more
Examiner
SONG, ZHENG B
Art Unit
2875
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Signify Holding B.V.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
70%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 2m
Est. Remaining
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 70% — above average
70%
Career Allowance Rate
551 granted / 786 resolved
+2.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +15% lift
Without
With
+15.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 1m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
812
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
61.4%
+21.4% vs TC avg
§102
18.5%
-21.5% vs TC avg
§112
17.2%
-22.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 786 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . The preliminary amendment filed 11/03/2025 has been entered. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 11/03/2025 is/are being considered by the examiner. Claim Objections Claim(s) 2-8 and 10-11 is/are objected to because of the following informalities: Claims 2-8 recites “A luminaire assembly according to claim” which should be changed to – The luminaire assembly according to claim --. Claims 10 and 11 recite “A packing method according to claim 9” which should be changed to – The packing method according to claim 9 --. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Regarding claim 2, the phrase "such as" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d). The examiner is interpreting the limitation as “wherein the first and second luminaires- each has a maximum height in the range of 35-55 mm, and wherein the first and second luminaires packed back-to-back have a total height in the range of 60-80mm.” Allowable Subject Matter Claim(s) 1 and 9 is/are allowed. Claim 2 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Claims 3-8 and 10-11 would be allowable if amended to overcome the claim objections. As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a). The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art taken as a whole does not show nor suggest a luminaire assembly, comprising: a first luminaire, wherein the first luminaire comprises a plurality of first light emitting diodes, LEDs, adapted to emit first LED light, a first back plate, and a first protruding component protruding from the first back plate, wherein the first protruding component is positioned offset from and on one side of a centerline of the first back plate, whereas the first back plate on the other side of the centerline is devoid of any protruding component; anda second luminaire, wherein the second luminaire comprises a plurality of second light emitting diodes adapted to emit second LED light, a second back plate, and a second protruding component, protruding from the second back plate, wherein the second protruding component is positioned offset from and on one side of a centerline of the second back plate, whereas the second back plate on the other side of the centerline is devoid of any protruding component, wherein the first luminaire and the second luminaire are packed back-to-back such that the first protruding component faces said other side of the second back plate devoid of any protruding component and such that the second protruding component faces said other side of the first back plate devoid of any protruding component, wherein each protruding component is selected from the group consisting of a protruding electronic component, a drivers for powering LEDs, a junction box, a sensor, a sensor enclosure, a battery, a battery enclosure, a connection component, and a wireless connection component, and wherein the luminaire assembly further comprises a plurality of corner brackets adapted to position and keep the first and second luminaires a predetermined distance from each other when the first and second luminaires are packed back-to-back with respect to claim 1, A packing method, comprising: providing a first luminaire, wherein the first luminaire comprises a plurality of first light emitting diodes, LEDs, adapted to emit first LED light a first back plate, and a first protruding component a protruding from the first back plate, wherein the first protruding component is positioned offset from and on one side of a centerline- of the first back plate, whereas the first back plate on the other side of the centerline is devoid of any protruding component; providing a second luminaire, wherein the second luminaire comprises a plurality of second light emitting diodes adapted to emit second LED light, a second back plate, and a second protruding component protruding from the first back plate, and, wherein the second protruding component is positioned offset from and on one side of a centerline of the second back plate, whereas the second back plate on the other side of the centerline is devoid of any protruding component; packing the first luminaire and the second luminaire back-to-back such that the first protruding component faces said other side of the second back plate devoid of any protruding component and such that the second protruding com faces said other side of the first back plate devoid of any protruding component, wherein each protruding component is selected from the group consisting of: a protruding electronic component, a driver for powering LEDs, a junction box, a sensor, a sensor enclosure, a battery, a battery enclosure, a connection component, and a wireless connection component, and positioning and keeping the first and second luminaires a predetermined distance from each other by means of a plurality of corner brackets with respect to claim(s) 9, as specifically called for in the claimed combinations. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Moilanen (WO 2017/220847), Myers (US 9,546,781), Blessit et al. (US 9,069,106), Ham (US 2018/0017218), Linden et al. (US 2013/0328587) discloses a similar luminaire assembly. 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. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. 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. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ZHENG SONG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 03, 2025
Application Filed
Aug 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12754359
OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE-BASED SIDE ILLUMINATING ASSEMBLY, ELONGATED REINFORCING STRUCTURE, AND RECEPTACLE
1y 8m to grant Granted Oct 06, 2026
Patent 12748253
Color Liquid Crystal Displays and Display Backlights
4y 7m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12746995
SADDLE-RIDING VEHICLE AND HEADLAMP UNIT
2y 5m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12729844
LIGHTING DEVICE OR LAMP WITH CONFIGURABLE BEAM ANGLE AND/OR PROFILE
2y 4m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12729836
COLORFULLY DAZZLING FAN LAMP
1y 0m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
70%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (+15.0%)
2y 1m (~1y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 786 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month