Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 31 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 31 recites the limitation "the first component" in line 16. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claims 31, 32, 35-38, 40-45, 48-49 is/are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Schrems (US Patent 9,906,851) in view of Franklin et al. (US 10,892,625 B1)
Re claim 31: Schrems teaches a charging system for a handheld device (12)
comprising:
at least one power source (32)
an accessory housing (case 10) configured to be removably attached to an electronic
device (12),
the accessory housing being distinct from the handheld electronic device (note
the case is used to support an electric device (12) when the electronic device is
inserted therein), the accessory housing comprising:
an accessary area (see figure 5D) that is used to provide at least power to at least one removable accessary component (64); note (a battery (32) used as the power source) configured to provide at least one of power and data to at least one removable accessory component (earbuds 64) of the handheld electronic device (see column 16, lines 49-60);
at least one electronic logic board (PCBs 26, 28, 30; column 12, lines 51-56);
at least one transmitter (at least the use of battery management system (29) used with processor (31)) mounted on said at least one electronic logic board, said at least one transmitter configured to transmit at least one of power (charge) and data between at least two of the following: said at least one removeable accessary component (earbuds 64), the accessary area, said at least one power source (32), the accessary housing, and the handheld electronic device (12);
wherein a software installed on said at least one electronic logic board is configured to control a transfer of at least one of power and data between said at least one removable accessary component, a first component, said at least one power source, the accessary housing, and the handheld electronic device (battery management system see column 13, lines 26-58; see also column 11, 49-60 and column 12, lines 10-50).
Schrems does not teach the at least one removable accessory component comprises a magnetic material configured to removably attach to a corresponding magnetic material of the accessory housing.
Franklin et al. teaches in a similar environment (see figure 6) in which a removeable accessary component (600) includes a magnetic material (606) to removably attach to a corresponding magnetic material of the accessary housing (612) to retain the accessory within the accessory housing. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to incorporate the use of magnetic connections as taught by Franklin et al. into the arrangement of Schrems to predictably provide a way of retaining the accessory component within the accessory housing. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Re claim 32: see Schrems, column 8, lines 26-29
Re claim 35: note the wireless earbuds taught in Schrems, satisfies as set forth a
wireless headphone as broadly as set forth
Re claim 36: The teaching of Schrems (US Patent 9,906,851) is discussed above and incorporated herein. Schrems does not teach that the accessary item can be an arial vehicle or drone as set forth in claim 36. Franklin et al. teaches in a similar environment that a drone (column 5, line 11 can be attached to an accessory station of a housing for storage (column 4, lines 1-4) and charging (column 4, line 4-8 and which allows for the charging of the accessory without the need of a specialized charger. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to include a drone as taught in Franklin et al. as a possible accessary item for an electronic device as taught in Schrems (US Patent 9,906,851) to predictably allow for the charging of the accessory without the need of a specialized charger. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Re claim 37: Schrems teaches electrical contacts mounted on or near the accessary area, the electrical contacts being configured to electrically connect said at least one removable accessary component to one of the following to transfer a charging power or data: said at least one power source, said at least one electronic logic board and the handheld electronic device (see column 16, lines 6-19: The earbud charging contact 76 is configured to contact and charge the wireless earbud 64 when the wireless earbud 64 is positioned in the case 10. In some embodiments, the earbud charging contact 76 is further positioned adjacent to a rechargeable battery 32 disposed in the second housing 38.)
Re claim 38: note teaching in column 11, lines 61-64, the use of a jack, i.e. a port capable of accepting a plug head used for connecting the electronic device to one of the accessory area the accessory housing an accessory component system.
Re claim 40: note the use of a controller (31) Schrems used in conjunction with PCBs (26, 28 and 30) used to activate a connection (charge connection to charge a battery of the earbuds) when at least the earbuds are engaged with the charging system; satisfying at least one of the alternative possibilities set forth in the claim by the use of the word “or” on lines 3 and 4 in the claim. See also figure 15A teaching that device (12) can directly control the accessory (64) without the use of case (10) for storage of the accessory
Re claim 41: See figure 15A in Schrems teaching that the device (12) can directly control operations between earbud(s) (64) without the need of case structure (10)
Re claim 42: note controller (31) in Schrems is a component of the charging system
Re claim 43: note power source (32) in Schrems is mounted in the accessory housing
Re claim 44: note column 13, lines 26-54 in Schrems discussing the charging of the mobile device (12) suggesting the device includes a battery (power source)
Re claim 45: note battery (32) in Schrems can be considered an accessory item used to transfer power as set forth
Re claim 48: note in Schrems (the power source (32) provides power to the electronic device (column 13, lines 36-38 and a removeable accessory component (earbuds, column 16, lines 46-49) in an accessory area
Re claim 49: note in Schrems (the power source (32) provides power to at least one of the accessory area for a removeable accessory component and the accessory housing (See column 13, Lines 36-38 and column 16, lines 46-49)
Claim 33 is rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Schrems (US Patent 9,906,851) in view of Franklin et al.as applied to claims 31, 32, 35-38, 40-45, 48-49 above, and further in view of Dilaura (US 2019/0250677 A1)
The teaching of Schrems (US Patent 9,906,851) in view of Franklin et al. is discussed above and incorporated herein. This combination does not teach that the accessary item can be a wireless camera as set forth in claim 33. Dilaura teaches in a similar environment that a camera (20) can be attached to an accessory station of a housing for storage (paragraph [0058]) and charging (paragraph [0061]) and which allows for an expanded reach of a camera function of an electronic device. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to include a camera as taught in Dilaura as a possible accessary item for an electronic device as taught in Schrems (US Patent 9,906,851) in view of Franklin et al. as applied to predictably allow for an expanded reach of a camera function. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Claim 34 is rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Schrems (US Patent 9,906,851) in view of Franklin et al. as applied to claims 31, 32, 35-38, 40-45, 48-49 above, and further in view of UHM (US 20170170678 A1.
The teaching of Schrems (US Patent 9,906,851) in view of Franklin et al. is discussed above and incorporated herein. This combination does not teach that the accessary item can be a device used for virtual or augmented reality as set forth in claim 34. Uhm teaches in a similar environment that an accessory item that can be connected to an electronic device can include at least a HMD (paragraph [0054], that allows for an image to be displayed to a person wearing such device which typically used in virtual reality applications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the invention to incorporate this teaching of Uhm into the arrangement of Schrems in view of Franklin et al. as applied to predictably provide an arrangement that can be used for virtual reality applications. Therefor the claimed subject matter would have been obvious before the filing of the invention.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 31-38, 41-45, 48-49 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the combination of references as applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Concerning applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 40: note the earbuds used in Schrems are wireless earbuds and are controlled to be (activated/deactivated) when taken out of the accessary area and placed in a user’s ears; i.e. without physically engaging/disengaging from the charging system .
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW SNIEZEK whose telephone number is (571)272-7563. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00 AM-3:30 PM EST.
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/ANDREW SNIEZEK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
/A.S./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693 11/13/25