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 .
Response to Election/Restrictions
2. Per Applicants' response dated 12/30/2025, an election was made without traverse to prosecute Species I, claims 1-12. Claims 13-17 are withdrawn from further consideration by the Examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention. The requirement is deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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; or
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
4. Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rosenberg (US 3749806 A).
Regarding claim 1, Rosenberg discloses an input device (Fig. 1) comprising: a first operating element (T); and a first sensor including a first conductor (E), a first coil (Sp), and a first magnetic material (M+P), wherein the first coil and the first magnetic material form a first open magnetic circuit (Fig. 1a), wherein a positional relationship between the first coil and the first magnetic material is fixed (the poles P, magnet M and coil Sp are fixedly arranged with one another), wherein a first distance between a first end portion of the first magnetic material and the first conductor (see annotated Fig. 1 below) varies based on an amount of operation on the first operating element (Fig. 1), and wherein the first sensor is configured to output a first signal based on the first distance (col. 2, lines 55-61; see also Fig. 2 and related text).
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Regarding claim 2, Rosenberg discloses: a second operating element (i.e., a second key of the instrument) disposed adjacent to the first operating element in a first direction (Abstract; col. 1, lines 1-6: an electronic key-operated musical instrument such as a piano comprises keys arranged in order of increasing pitch from left to right, including a second key disposed adjacent to a first key; see also discussion of Fig. 5); and a second sensor including a second conductor, a second coil, and a second magnetic material, wherein the second coil and the second magnetic material form a second open magnetic circuit, wherein the second sensor is configured to output a second signal based on a second distance between a second end portion of the second magnetic material and the second conductor (by inherency, the second key and the associated second sensor has the same structure and configuration as the first key/sensor as shown in Figs. 1 and 2); wherein the first magnetic material includes a first portion extending in a second direction (longitudinal direction of the key) different from the first direction with respect to the first coil (see annotated Fig. 1a above), wherein the first end portion is positioned a side of the first portion in the first magnetic material (Figs. 1 and 1a), wherein the second magnetic material includes a second portion (the pole shoes P for the second key) extending in the second direction with respect to the second coil, wherein a positional relationship between the second coil and the second magnetic material is fixed (see discussion for the first sensor above), wherein the second magnetic material is divided from the first magnetic material (inherent to the second key), wherein the second end portion is positioned a side of the second portion in the second magnetic material, and wherein the second distance varies based on an amount of operation on the second operating element (see discussion for the first sensor above).
Regarding claims 3-10, Rosenberg discloses: wherein the first conductor is interlocked with the first operating element (Fig. 1); wherein the first conductor includes a third coil (col. 3, lines 7-10); wherein a portion of the first magnetic material passes through an internal space of the first coil (Fig. 1); wherein the first coil is formed on a substrate (Fig. 1), and the first coil is arranged between at least a portion of the first magnetic material and the first conductor at a position corresponding to one of a plurality of positions included in a range of movement of the first operating element (Figs. 1 and 2 and related text).
Regarding claim 11, Rosenberg discloses: wherein the first operating element (1st key) and the second operating element (2nd key) have a longitudinal shape in the second direction (inherent to the electronic key-operated piano).
Regarding claim 12, Rosenberg discloses: a sound signal generation device comprising: the input device according to claim 2; and a generation unit configured to generate a sound signal based on the first signal and the second signal (see Fig. 2 and related text).
Contact Information
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIANCHUN QIN whose telephone number is (571)272-5981. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5:30PM EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dedei Hammond can be reached at (571)270-7938. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JIANCHUN QIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837