DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1.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 Arguments
2. Applicant's arguments filed on 09/17/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
3. Applicant argues that Roux reference fails to teach the limitation, the secure module comprises a first secure element extending from the first printed circuit and coming into contact with the upper cover or lower cover through a slot of the second printed circuit when the housing is closed.
4. Examiner would like to point out that Roux teaches this limitation in Fig.1, Para:0033-0034 (see, the rejection , below).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5.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.
6.Claim(s) 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takemori (US Pub.No.2013/0058057) in view of Roux (US Pub.No.2018/0068135) and in view of Lee (US Pub.No.2016/0224807).
7.Regarding claims 1,7 and 8 Takemori teaches a secure module of an electronic payment terminal, an electronic payment terminal and a method: comprising a housing comprising an upper cover and a lower cover, first and second printed circuits each having an inner sides of the first and second printed circuits being located facing each another, a plurality of electronic components to be secured being installed on the first and/or second printed circuits, and a flexible printed circuit extending from the first printed circuit to the second printed circuit over at least part of their perimeter and forming, with the first and second printed circuits, a secure enclosure for the plurality of electronic components (Fig.1,elemnt. 1 and elemnt.3, Para:0027 and Para:0029-0030 teaches in fig.1, in the terminal unit of the present embodiment, the electronic components 2 such as memories on which information to be protected is stored are implemented on the main board 1. Above the upper surface of the main board 1, the sub-board 3 is disposed so as to cover above the electronic components 2. The sub-board 3 is disposed so as to be opposite to a surface of the main board 1 where the electronic component 2 is implemented. The frame member 4 is disposed on the main board 1 so as to surround the electronic components 2. The flexible printed circuit 5 (FPC) is wound around the frame member 4. The wiring pattern 6 (snake pattern) is formed throughout the flexible printed circuit 5 (see fig. 2). The flexible printed circuit 5 is coated with resin material in a black or dark color);
Takemori teaches all the above claimed limitations but fails to teach the secure module comprises a first secure element extending from the first printed circuit and coming into contact with the upper cover or lower cover through a slot of the second printed circuit when the housing is closed, the first secure element being connected to a first detection circuit on the first printed circuit, the first detection circuit being configured to detect opening of the housing
Roux the secure module comprises teach a first secure element extending from the first printed circuit and coming into contact with the upper cover or lower cover through a slot of the second printed circuit, when the housing is closed, the first secure element being connected to a first detection circuit on the first printed circuit, the first detection circuit being configured to detect opening of the housing (Para:0004 teaches a payment terminal conventionally has an upper half-shell and a lower half-shell. Fig.1, Para:0033-0034 teaches an electronic payment terminal having especially a first printed-circuit board 10 corresponding for example to an FPC and a second printed-circuit board 11 corresponding for example to the motherboard. According to this embodiment, the electronic payment terminal also has a smartcard reader 13 with an insertion slot 14 for the card. Finally, a security element 12 is mounted so as to come into contact via each of its extremities with the two printed-circuit boards 10 and 11 at specific locations, when the electronic payment terminal is in a closed position, for its use (i.e. when the elements are mounted and the two parts of the cover are closed. Para:0023 and Para:0047 teaches detecting an intrusion when at least one contact between one of the two extremities of the security element and one of the two printed-circuit boards is open).
Therefore, to would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was filed to modify Takemori to include a first secure element extending from the first printed circuit and coming into contact with the upper cover or lower cover through a slot of the second printed circuit, when the housing is closed, the first secure element being connected to a first detection circuit on the first printed circuit, the first detection circuit being configured to detect opening of the housing, as taught by Roux, such a setup would prevent fraud attempt against sensitive data in the payment terminals.
8. Regarding claim 11 Roux teaches the secure module, wherein it comprises two secure elements respectively for detecting opening of the upper cover and the opening of the lower cover, the two secure elements being denoted upper secure element and lower secure element, the upper secure element extending from the first printed circuit, on which it is connected to at least one circuit for detecting opening of the housing, to the second printed circuit facing a slot passing through the second printed circuit via which the upper secure element comes into contact with the at least one upper cover when the housing is closed and the lower secure element extending from the second printed circuit, on which it is connected to at least one circuit for detecting opening of the housing, to the first printed circuit facing a slot passing through the first printed circuit via which the lower secure element comes into contact with the at least one lower cover when the housing is closed (Para:0011 and Para:0047 teaches detecting opening of the upper cover and the opening of the lower cover. Fig.1, Para:0033-0034 teaches an electronic payment terminal having especially a first printed-circuit board 10 corresponding for example to an FPC and a second printed-circuit board 11 corresponding for example to the motherboard. According to this embodiment, the electronic payment terminal also has a smartcard reader 13 with an insertion slot 14 for the card. Finally, a security element 12 is mounted so as to come into contact via each of its extremities with the two printed-circuit boards 10 and 11 at specific locations, when the electronic payment terminal is in a closed position, for its use i.e. when the elements are mounted and the two parts of the cover are closed).
9. Regarding claims 3, 10 Roux teaches the secure module and the electronic payment terminal, wherein it comprises two upper secure elements to detect opening of the upper cover and two lower secure elements to detect opening of the lower cover (Para:0011 and Para:0047 teaches detecting the opening of upper and lower cover).
10. Regarding claims 4 and 11 Roux teaches the secure module and the electronic payment terminal, wherein the at least one secure element leads through the slot of the first or second printed circuit and protrudes from the outer surface the first or second printed circuit to come into contact with the at least one upper cover or the at least one lower cover when the housing is closed (Para:0042).
11. Regarding claims 5 and 12 Roux teaches the secure module and the electronic payment terminal, wherein the at least one secure element is flush with the inner side of the first or second printed circuit and comes into contact with the at least one upper cover or the at least one lower cover when the housing is closed, via at least one connecting element engaged in the slot (Para:0004, Para:0021 and Para:0033-0034).
12. Regarding claims 6 and 13 Roux teaches the secure module and the electronic payment terminal, wherein the at least one secure element is made of silicone and carbon and/or silicone and a metal part (Para:0048 teaches secure element is made of is made of silicone and carbon).
Allowable Subject Matter
13. Claims 2 and 9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 DEREENA T CATTUNGAL whose telephone number is (571)270-0506. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri : 7:30 AM-5 PM EST.
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/DEREENA T CATTUNGAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2431