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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 04/08/2026 has been entered.
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 20 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. Claim 20 is dependent on cancelled claim 19 and the dependency is unclear. For the purposes of examination, claim 20 is interpreted as being dependent on claim 1.
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 1, 10, 11, 13, 20 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu [CN 2010089506] in view of Naka et al. [Naka hereinafter, US 7,908,940].
In regard to claims 1, 20 and 21, Liu discloses [in Figs. 1 and 2] a handlebar assembly comprising: a handlebar [11] having a pair of end points [ends of 11], a portion [portion between ends of 11] extending between the pair of end points, an outer circumferential surface, an arrangement area [inside 11, pointed to at 114] disposed radially inward from the outer circumferential surface, and a handlebar opening [opening in 11 that accommodates 12] in the outer circumferential surface; and an electric switch unit including a housing [pointed to at 12], an operating portion [pointed to at 151, 152] that is coupled to the housing, wherein the operating portion at least partially extends beyond the outer circumferential surface in a radial direction of the handlebar [11], and an electric switch [151,152] disposed in the housing, the arrangement area being configured to be accessed from the handlebar opening in the outer circumferential surface and being configured to arrange the electric switch unit at least partially radially inward from the outer circumferential surface, and the handlebar opening being located in the portion extending between the pair of end points, and a support [bottom of 12] at least partially disposed in the arrangement area and supporting the electric switch unit to receive an operating force applied to operate the electric switch unit. Liu does not disclose that the operating portion is pivotally coupled to the housing. Naka teaches [in Figs. 6-9] that the operating portion [81, 82] of the electric switch unit [66] is pivotally coupled to the housing [74]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide an operating portion that is pivotally coupled to the housing in order to actuate the switch as desired.
In regard to claim 10, Liu discloses [in Figs. 1 and 2] the handlebar assembly according to claim 21, wherein the support [bottom of 12] is removably coupled to the handlebar [11].
In regard to claim 11, Liu discloses [in Figs. 1 and 2] the handlebar assembly according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement area includes an interior space in which the electric switch unit is arranged.
In regard to claim 13, Liu discloses [in Figs. 1 and 2] the handlebar assembly according to claim 21, wherein the support [bottom of 12] includes a handlebar attachment disposed in the arrangement area. Liu does not disclose that the handlebar attachment is made of an elastomeric material. Naka teaches [in Figs. 6-9] that the handlebar attachment [90a, 90b] of the support [74] is made of an elastomeric material. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide an elastomeric handlebar attachment in order to attach assembly components to each other as desired.
Claims 9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu [CN 2010089506] in view of Naka et al. [Naka hereinafter, US 7,908,940] further in view of Luman et al. [Luman hereinafter, US 10,988,209].
In regard to claim 9, Liu discloses [in Figs. 1 and 2] the handlebar assembly according to claim 21, wherein the support [pointed to at 12] is attached to the handlebar [11-13,15-18]. Liu and Naka do not disclose an adhesive attachment. Luman teaches [in Figs. 2 and 3] that the support [60] is adhesively attached [col. 8, lines 8-15] to the handlebar [27, 88]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use an adhesive for attachment between components since an adhesive is a well-known fastener used for attaching components to one another [Luman, col. 8, lines 8-15].
In regard to claim 12, Liu discloses [in Figs. 1 and 2] the handlebar assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a support [bottom of 12] at least partially disposed in the arrangement area and supporting the electric switch unit to receive an operating force applied to operate the electric switch unit [151, 152], and the support being disposed inside the handlebar opening. Liu and Naka do not disclose a snap-fit attachment. Luman teaches [in Figs. 2 and 3] a snap-fit attachment [col. 8, lines 8-15] between the support [60] and the handlebar [27, 88]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use a snap-fit attachment between components since snap-fit attachments are well-known fasteners used for attaching components to one another [Luman, col. 8, lines 8-15].
Claims 22, 24, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu [CN 2010089506] in view of Abe [US 6,073,730].
In regard to claims 22, 24 and 25, Liu discloses [in Figs. 1 and 2] a handlebar assembly comprising: a handlebar [11] having an outer circumferential surface, an arrangement area [inside 11] disposed radially inward from the outer circumferential surface, and a handlebar opening [opening in 11 that accommodates 12] in the outer circumferential surface, the arrangement area being configured to be accessed from the handlebar opening in the outer circumferential surface and being configured to support an electric switch unit at least partially inside the outer circumferential surface, the electric switch unit including a housing [pointed to at 12] at least partially disposed in the handlebar, an operating switch [151] coupled to the housing, and an electric switch [152] at least partially disposed in the housing; and a support [bottom of 12] that is removably coupled to the handlebar is at least partially disposed in the arrangement area, the handlebar opening being located in a portion of the handlebar [11] extending between a pair of end points [ends of 11] of the handlebar [11]. Liu does not disclose that the support has a recess including a supporting surface, that includes a flat surface, supporting the electric switch unit, and a printed circuit board, the printer circuit board being disposed inside the housing, the recess also including a wall connecting to the outer circumferential surface and the supporting surface, the electric switch unit being at least partially disposed in the recess, the housing of the electric switch unit being disposed between the electric switch and the supporting surface. Abe teaches [in Figs. 3-4B] the support [inside 21] has a recess [23], the recess [23] including a supporting surface [inner surface of 21], that includes a flat surface, supporting the electric switch unit [20], and a printed circuit board [32], the printed circuit board being disposed inside the housing [31, 38],the recess [23] also including a wall connecting to the outer circumferential surface and the supporting surface [inner wall of 23], the electric switch unit [20] being at least partially disposed in the recess [23], the housing [31] of the electric switch unit [20] being disposed between the electric switch and the supporting surface. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the printed circuit board and recess of Abe with the support of Liu in order to effectively actuate a switch and secure the components of the electric switch.
Claim 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu [CN 2010089506] in view of Abe [US 6,073,730] further in view of Luman et al. [Luman hereinafter, US 10,988,209]. Liu and Abe teach the handlebar assembly according to claim 22. Liu and Abe do not teach an adhesive provided between the housing and the supporting surface. Luman teaches [in Fig. 2 and col. 8, lines 8-15] an adhesive provided between the housing [8] and the supporting surface [of 60]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use an adhesive for attachment between components since an adhesive is a well-known fastener used for attaching components to one another [Luman, col. 8, lines 8-15].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 22 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any interpretation of any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Further with respect to claim 1 and the argument that “the portion of Naka relied on for the claimed operating portion merely teaches operating members 81/82 for a shift control switch assembly 66. See, Naka, column 7, lines 46-49. In contrast, the alleged operating portions 151/152 of Liu are a start switch and a direction light switch that are part of a control system” the intended use of the prior art do not differentiate the claimed apparatus from the prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations.
Further with respect to the arguments regarding claim 22, applicant refers to the rejection of claim 22 from the Non-Final Rejection mailed on 10/01/2025, not the Final Rejection mailed on 01/14/2026.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LHEIREN MAE A CAROC whose telephone number is (571)272-2730. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm.
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/LHEIREN MAE A CAROC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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