Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 7300194, I will examine the "Cited By" section of the patent on Google Patents, as this lists patents and publications that have cited 7300194 as prior art. I will also review the "References Cited" section of US7300194B2 on Google Patents, which lists prior art that the examiners considered during the prosecution of 7300194.

After reviewing the full patent text and the Google Patents page for US7300194B2, the "Cited By" section lists patents that cite US7300194B2, meaning these are later patents that considered 7300194 as prior art to them. The request is to find prior art for US7300194. Therefore, I need to look at the "References Cited" section within US7300194B2 itself, as these are the documents that were considered prior art to US7300194 during its examination.

The Google Patents page for US7300194B2 already provides a list of "Priority Applications" and "Applications Claiming Priority" which indicate the lineage of the patent. The most direct prior art will be the parent applications from which US7300194B2 claims priority.

Here's the breakdown of the most relevant prior art based on the patent's own claims of priority:

Most Relevant Prior Art for US Patent 7300194

US Patent 7300194 is a divisional application of prior patents, meaning it claims priority from earlier applications. These earlier applications are the most relevant prior art for this patent.

Here are the direct parent applications from which US7300194B2 claims priority, representing the most relevant prior art:

• 1. US Patent 7,160,015 (Light Emitting Panel Assemblies)

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,160,015
  • Publication Date: January 9, 2007
  • Filing Date: February 23, 2004 (application Ser. No. 10/784,527)
  • Brief Description: This patent describes light emitting panel assemblies including a transparent panel member for conducting light and controlling its emission from one or more light output areas. It details embedding or bonding light sources to eliminate air gaps, and using reflective or refractive surfaces for efficiency. It also covers patterns of light extracting deformities for desired light output distribution and using multiple colored light sources for colored or white light output.
  • Potential Anticipation: US7300194B2 is a division of US7160015B2. Therefore, US7160015B2 anticipates all claims of US7300194B2 to the extent that the subject matter of the claims of US7300194B2 is disclosed in US7160015B2. This means that if any claim in 7300194 is directly and entirely disclosed in 7160015, that claim would be anticipated.

• 2. US Patent 6,712,481 (Light Emitting Panel Assemblies)

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,481
  • Publication Date: March 30, 2004
  • Filing Date: February 23, 1999 (application Ser. No. 09/256,275)
  • Brief Description: This patent also describes light-emitting panel assemblies with transparent panel members and light sources mounted in a light transition area. It emphasizes eliminating air gaps, using reflective/refractive surfaces, and employing patterns of light-extracting deformities to control light output. It further covers using multiple colored light sources for desired color or white light.
  • Potential Anticipation: US7300194B2 is a division of US7160015B2, which itself is a division of US6712481B2. Therefore, US6712481B2 potentially anticipates claims of US7300194B2 if the claimed subject matter was disclosed in US6712481B2.

• 3. US Patent 6,079,838 (Light Emitting Panel Assemblies)

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,838
  • Publication Date: June 27, 2000
  • Filing Date: January 2, 1997 (application Ser. No. 08/778,089)
  • Brief Description: This patent describes similar light-emitting panel assemblies, focusing on a transparent panel member, light sources in a transition area, and light-extracting deformities for controlling light emission.
  • Potential Anticipation: US7300194B2 claims priority through a chain that includes US6079838A. Thus, US6079838A potentially anticipates claims of US7300194B2 if the claimed subject matter was disclosed in US6079838A.

• 4. US Patent 5,613,751 (Light Emitting Panel Assemblies)

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,751
  • Publication Date: March 25, 1997
  • Filing Date: June 27, 1995 (application Ser. No. 08/495,176)
  • Brief Description: This is the earliest patent in the priority chain. It covers light-emitting panel assemblies with a transparent panel, light sources in a transition area, and methods for controlling light output, including the use of light-extracting deformities.
  • Potential Anticipation: As the earliest priority document, US5613751A potentially anticipates claims of US7300194B2 if the claimed subject matter was disclosed in US5613751A. This patent establishes the priority date for much of the core invention.