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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313- 1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`APPLICATION NO.
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` F ING DATE
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`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
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`CONF {MATION NO.
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`13/383,694
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`01/12/2012
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`Hiroshi Saiki
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`MAT—10537US
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`3432
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`EXAMINER
`RATNERPRESTIA —
`””3”“ —
`7590
`52473
`PO BOX 980
`FAROKHROOZ,FAT1MA N
`VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-0980
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`ART UNIT
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`28 89
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`NOT *ICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`12/13/2013
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
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`ptocorrespondence @ratnerprestia.c0m
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`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

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`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 13/383,694 SAIKI ET AL.
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`Examiner
`Art Unit
`AIA (First Inventorto File)
`Office Action Summary
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`2339FATIMA FAROKHROOZ first“
`
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
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`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING DATE OF
`THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a).
`after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
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`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
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`-
`-
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`Status
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`1)IXI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 1/2/12.
`[I A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)lX| This action is non-final.
`2a)I:| This action is FINAL.
`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:I Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under EX parte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`3) I] Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`2) E Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
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`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date 1/15/13 1/15/13 1/12/13.1/12/13.
`4) D Other: —-
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`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20131129
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`Disposition of Claims*
`5)|XI Claim(s) L8is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`6 III Claim s) _ is/are allowed.
`s L8 is/are rejected.
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`is/are objected to.
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`) )
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`_
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)|:l Claim(s
`)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`htt
`://www.usoto. ov/ atents/init events"
`h/index.‘s
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`, or send an inquiry to PF"I-Ifeedback{<‘buspto.qov.
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`Application Papers
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`10)I:I The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)|:I The drawing(s) filed on _ is/are: a)I:I accepted or b)I:I objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
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`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)IZI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`b)I:I Some” c)I:I None of the:
`a)le All
`1.IZI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:| Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.I:I Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attach ment(s)
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/383,694
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2889
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent
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`provisions.
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`Priority
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`Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which
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`papers have been placed of record in the file.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all
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`obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set
`forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and
`the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the
`invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains.
`Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
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`Claims 1 and 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable
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`over Lausch (US 4853596)
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`Regarding claim 1, Lausch teaches a flash discharge tube electrode (see Fig.3)
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`sealed to an end of a glass bulb of a flash discharge tube, comprising: an internal
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`electrode led into the glass bulb (2 and 8); a sintered electrode structure 3 connected to
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`a top end of the internal electrode, with an external diameter equal to or smaller than an
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`external diameter of the internal electrode; and a projection 4 made of a high-melting-
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`point metal, provided so as to partially project from a top end face of the sintered
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`electrode structure.
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`Application/Control Number: 13/383,694
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2889
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`Although, the term "high-melting-point" in claim 1
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`is a relative term not defined by
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`the claim, yet, since it is well known and also disclosed by Lausch that high heat is
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`generated in discharge lamps, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the
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`art, at the time the invention was made, to use a high-melting point electrode tip, in
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`order to prevent melting of the electrode in the high temperature discharge environment.
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`Regarding Claim 3, Lausch teaches the invention set forth above (see rejection
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`in Claim 1 above). Lausch is silent regarding the projection to cover 20% to 60% of an
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`area size of the top end face. However, since Lausch already teaches that the
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`projection width is much smaller than the base portion 3, therefore it would have been
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`obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was made, to use the
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`projection coverage between 20-60%, since where the general conditions of a claim are
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`disclosed in the prior art, discovering the “optimum range” involves only routine skill in
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`the art.
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`Regarding Claim 4, Lausch teaches a flash discharge tube electrode, wherein
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`the projection is formed on the top end face (see Fig.3).
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`Regarding Claim 5, Lausch teaches a flash discharge tube electrode, wherein
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`the top end face 7 further has a depressed part, and wherein a part of the projection 6 is
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`embedded in the depressed part (see Fig.2).
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`Application/Control Number: 13/383,694
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2889
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`Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103ja) as being unpatentable over Lausch
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`(US 4853596) in view of Choi (US 6255764)
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`Lausch teaches the invention set forth above (see rejection in Claim 1 above).
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`Lausch is silent regarding the projection projects to a thickness of 0.1 to 0.3 mm
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`from the top end face.
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`In the same field of endeavor, Choi teaches the projection 14 projects to a
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`thickness of 0.1 to 0.3 mm from the top end face in order to optimize the diffusion path.
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`Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the
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`time the invention was made, to use the thickness as disclosed by Choi, in the device of
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`Lausch in order to optimize the diffusion path.
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`Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103ja) as being unpatentable over Lausch
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`(US 4853596) in view of Aizawa (US 5572088)
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`Lausch teaches the invention set forth above (see rejection in Claim 1 above).
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`Lausch is silent regarding a part of the projection is embedded in the sintered
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`electrode structure and the projection is in contact with the internal electrode.
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`In the same field of endeavor, Aizawa teaches the projection is embedded in the
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`sintered electrode structure and the projection is in contact with the internal electrode in
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`order to avoid malfunction by spattering (Fig.2).
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`Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the
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`time the invention was made, to use the configuration as disclosed by Aizawa, in the
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`device of Lausch in order to avoid malfunction by spattering.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/383,694
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2889
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`Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Lausch
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`(US 4853596) and Aizawa (US 5572088) in view of Harada (US 20010052755)
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`Regarding Claim 7, Lausch in view of Aizawa teaches the invention set forth
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`above (see rejection in Claim 1 above).
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`Lausch in view of Aizawa is silent regarding an external diameter of the part of
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`the projection embedded in the sintered electrode structure is smaller than an external
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`diameter of a part exposed outside the sintered electrode structure.
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`In the same field of endeavor, Harada teaches an external diameter of the part of
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`the projection 22a (Fig.2) embedded in the sintered electrode structure is smaller than
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`an external diameter of a part exposed outside the sintered electrode structure in order
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`to achieve better heat dissipation ([0055]).
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`Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the
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`time the invention was made, to use the configuration as disclosed by Harada, in the
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`device of Lausch in view of Aizawa in order to achieve better heat dissipation.
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`Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Lausch
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`(US 4853596) in view of Nakaya (US 5998921)
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`Regarding Claim 8, Lausch teaches that the electrode is sealed to one end of the
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`glass bulb and a rod-shaped electrode (11, 12) is sealed to the other end of the glass
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`bulb, and wherein the inside of the glass bulb is filled with a gas (also see rejection in
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`Claim 1 above).
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`Application/Control Number: 13/383,694
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2889
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`Lausch is silent regarding wherein a transparent trigger electrode is provided on
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`an entire outer circumferential surface of the glass bulb and wherein the gas is a noble
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`gas.
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`In the same field of endeavor, Nakaya teaches a transparent trigger electrode 6 is
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`provided on an entire outer circumferential surface of the glass bulb and wherein the
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`gas is a noble gas in order to achieve easier manufacturing process.
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`Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the
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`time the invention was made, to use the external electrode as disclosed by Nakaya, in
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`the device of Lausch in order to achieve easier manufacturing process.
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`Other Prior Art Cited
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`The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
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`applicant’s disclosure: US 5572088.
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`Contact Information
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to Fatima Farokhrooz whose telephone number is (571 )-
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`272—6043. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday- Friday, 9 am - 5 pm. If
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`attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Anh Mai can be reached on (571) 272-1995. The fax phone number for the
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`organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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