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. Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement s (IDS s ) submitted on 3/14/2023, 3/24/2023, and 10/12/2023 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement s are being considered by the examiner. Specification The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: In ¶0005, “ radical directions ” should read, “radial directions.” Appropriate correction is required. Claim Objections Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informality: In line 5, “radical directions” should read, “radial directions.” Appropriate correction is required. Claims 12-15 are objected to because of the following informality: In line 3 of each of claims 12-15, “an control board” should read, “a control board.” Appropriate correction is required. 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. 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. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness . Claims 1, 3, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Xia et al (CN 105718085 A, June 29, 2016), hereinafter Xia, in view of Zhang et al. (CN 204084199 U,January 7, 2015), hereinafter Zhang. Regarding claim 1 , Xia teaches a manipulator, comprising: a light source that emits light (Xia ¶0010: "It includes: a light-incident section that is irradiated by light from a light source provided externally") ; and an operation member rotationally operatable around an axis by a user (Xia ¶0010: "The operating body is formed in the shape of a disk and is capable of rotational operation.") , the operation member having a substantially disk shape (Xia ¶0010: "The operating body is formed in the shape of a disk and is capable of rotational operation.") and including a light guide member that guides light incident from the light source (Xia ¶0010: "It includes: a light-incident section that is irradiated by light from a light source provided externally; an illumination section that is illuminated by light incident from the light-incident section") . Xia does not explicitly disclose and transmits the light to an outside in radical directions of the substantially disk shape from an outer peripheral portion thereof, and a reflecting member reflecting a portion of the light guided by the light guide member in a direction perpendicular to the radial directions at said outer peripheral portion. However, Zhang suggests and transmits the light to an outside in radial directions of the substantially disk shape from an outer peripheral portion thereof (Zhang ¶0008: "The light guide body includes a first light guide portion and a second light guide portion perpendicular to the light-emitting surface. The second light guide portion extends from the circumferential edge of the first light guide portion in a direction away from the first light guide portion.") , and a reflecting member reflecting a portion of the light guided by the light guide member in a direction perpendicular to the radial directions at said outer peripheral portion (Zhang ¶0009: "Preferably, the second light guide portion includes a reflective portion and an incident light portion. The reflective portion is at a 45-degree angle to the light emitting surface and extends away from the first light guide portion. The area enclosed by the reflective portion gradually shrinks. The incident light portion is perpendicular to the light emitting surface and extends away from the first light guide portion. A reflective layer is provided on the side wall of the reflective portion for adjusting the light emission angle of the incident light.") . It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the manipulator of Xia by adding the light transmission and reflecting member of Zhang to reduce unevenness and glare in the light guide (Zhang ¶0007). Regarding claim 3 , Xia (in view of Zhang) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 1 as discussed above. Zhang further suggests that said reflecting member has a reflecting surface inclined with respect to said radial directions (Zhang ¶0027: "the second light guide portion 12 includes a reflective portion 121 and an incident light portion 122. The reflective portion 121 is at a 45-degree angle to the light emitting surface 3 and extends away from the first light guide portion 11.") . Regarding claim 5 , Xia (in view of Zhang ) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 3 as discussed above. Zhang further suggests that a cross section taken in a plane that includes said axis, an inclination angle of said reflecting surface with respect to the radial direction in the cross section is 45 degrees (Zhang ¶0027: "the second light guide portion 12 includes a reflective portion 121 and an incident light portion 122. The reflective portion 121 is at a 45-degree angle to the light emitting surface 3 and extends away from the first light guide portion 11.") . Claims 1-10 and 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Hiroki (JP 2018054860 A, April 4, 2018), hereinafter Hiroki, in view of Hitomi et al. (JP 2012069247 A, April 5, 2012), hereinafter Hitomi. Regarding claim 1 , Hiroki teaches a manipulator (Hiroki ¶0003: "a user can manipulate pitch bend and modulation wheels while playing a melody on the keyboard") , comprising: a light source that emits light (Hiroki ¶0007: "One example of an effect-enhancing device includes a plurality of light source units that emit light") ; and an operation member rotationally operatable around an axis by a user (Hiroki ¶0007: "a wheel containing a light guide member") , the operation member having a substantially disk shape (Hiroki ¶0007 teaches a wheel which inherently has a substantially disk shape: "a wheel containing a light guide member") and including a light guide member that guides light incident from the light source (Hiroki ¶0007: "a wheel containing a light guide member having a plurality of light guide regions that guide the light emitted from the plurality of light source units") and transmits the light to an outside in radial directions of the substantially disk shape from an outer peripheral portion thereof (Hiroki ¶0014: "As shown in the side view of Figure 4(b), the light guide members 103, for example, made of acrylic, are arranged adjacent to each other so as to cover, for example, the left side of the wheel 102 when viewed from the front of the instrument, and each consists of four light guide regions 103(#1), 103(#2), 103(#3), and 103(#4) that are formed in a fan shape extending from the center of the wheel hole 307 of the wheel 102 toward the circumference.") . Hiroki does not explicitly disclose a reflecting member reflecting a portion of the light guided by the light guide member in a direction perpendicular to the radial directions at said outer peripheral portion. However, Hitomi suggests a reflecting member reflecting a portion of the light guided by the light guide member (Hitomi ¶0021: "This reflective surface 4a is formed on the circumferential surface of the rear half of the light guide member 4 at a uniform angle of approximately 45 degrees, so as to form half of the truncated cone surface with the rotation axis of the light guide member 4 as its central axis, and extends over the entire circumference.") in a direction perpendicular to the radial directions at said outer peripheral portion (Hitomi ¶0021: "Furthermore, a reflective surface 4a is formed in the rear half of the light guide member 4 to internally reflect the light emitted from the LED 7 forward.") . It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the manipulator of Hiroki by adding the reflecting member of Hitomi to illuminate the light guide member with uniform brightness (Hitomi ¶0013). Regarding claim 2 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 1 as discussed above. Hitomi further suggests that said reflecting member is provided on said outer peripheral portion of said light guide member (Hitomi ¶0009: "a reflective surface is formed on the peripheral surface of the rear part to reflect the light emitted from the LED forward") . Regarding claim 3 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 1 as discussed above. Hitomi further suggests that said reflecting member has a reflecting surface inclined with respect to said radial directions (Hitomi ¶0021: "This reflective surface 4a is formed on the circumferential surface of the rear half of the light guide member 4 at a uniform angle of approximately 45 degrees, so as to form half of the truncated cone surface with the rotation axis of the light guide member 4 as its central axis, and extends over the entire circumference." See Hitomi fig. 3, ref. no. 4a, above.) . Regarding claim 4 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 2 as discussed above. Hitomi further suggests that said reflecting member has a reflecting surface inclined with respect to said radial directions (Hitomi ¶0021: "This reflective surface 4a is formed on the circumferential surface of the rear half of the light guide member 4 at a uniform angle of approximately 45 degrees, so as to form half of the truncated cone surface with the rotation axis of the light guide member 4 as its central axis, and extends over the entire circumference." See Hitomi fig. 3, ref. no. 4a, above.) . Regarding claim 5 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 3 as discussed above. Hitomi further suggests that a cross section taken in a plane that includes said axis, an inclination angle of said reflecting surface with respect to the radial direction in the cross section is 45 degrees (Hitomi ¶0021: "This reflective surface 4a is formed on the circumferential surface of the rear half of the light guide member 4 at a uniform angle of approximately 45 degrees, so as to form half of the truncated cone surface with the rotation axis of the light guide member 4 as its central axis, and extends over the entire circumference." See Hitomi fig. 3, ref. no. 4a, above.) . Regarding claim 6 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 4 as discussed above. Hitomi further suggests that in a cross section taken in a plane that includes said axis, an inclination angle of said reflecting surface with respect to the radial direction in the cross section is 45 degrees (Hitomi ¶0021: "This reflective surface 4a is formed on the circumferential surface of the rear half of the light guide member 4 at a uniform angle of approximately 45 degrees, so as to form half of the truncated cone surface with the rotation axis of the light guide member 4 as its central axis, and extends over the entire circumference." See Hitomi fig. 3, ref. no. 4a, above.) . Regarding claim 7 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 1 as discussed above. Hiroki further teaches that the operation member further includes a wheel member arranged on one plate surface side of the light guide member (Hiroki ¶0011: "As shown in the perspective view of Figure 1(b), the pitch bender wheel unit 101a has a structure in which a pitch bender wheel 102a, to which a light guide member 103a is assembled (or attached) on, for example, the left side when viewed from the front of the instrument, is attached to an L-shaped bracket 104a. Similarly, the modulation wheel unit 101b has a structure in which a modulation wheel 102b, to which a light guide member 103b is assembled (or attached) on, for example, the left side when viewed from the front of the instrument, is attached to an L-shaped bracket 104b." This same structure can be seen in Hiroki figs. 3 and 4 above.) . Hitomi further suggests that the reflecting member is provided on the light guide member (Hitomi ¶0009: "a reflective surface is formed on the peripheral surface of the rear part") so as to face an inclined surface of the wheel member (Hitomi ¶¶0020-0021: "This light guide member 4 is pivotally supported on the pivot support member 81 via the first gear member 5, thereby enabling it to rotate integrally with the rotating knob 3… reflective surface 4a is formed on the circumferential surface of the rear half of the light guide member 4 at a uniform angle of approximately 45 degrees, so as to form half of the truncated cone surface with the rotation axis of the light guide member 4 as its central axis, and extends over the entire circumference." Hitomi fig. 3, ref. no 4a, shown above, faces an included surface of a wheel member 5) . Regarding claim 8 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 2 as discussed above. Hiroki further teaches that the operation member further includes a wheel member arranged on one plate surface side of the light guide member (Hiroki ¶0011: "As shown in the perspective view of Figure 1(b), the pitch bender wheel unit 101a has a structure in which a pitch bender wheel 102a, to which a light guide member 103a is assembled (or attached) on, for example, the left side when viewed from the front of the instrument, is attached to an L-shaped bracket 104a. Similarly, the modulation wheel unit 101b has a structure in which a modulation wheel 102b, to which a light guide member 103b is assembled (or attached) on, for example, the left side when viewed from the front of the instrument, is attached to an L-shaped bracket 104b." This same structure can be seen in Hiroki figs. 3 and 4 above.) . Hitomi further suggests that the reflecting member is provided on the light guide member (Hitomi ¶0009: "a reflective surface is formed on the peripheral surface of the rear part") so as to face an inclined surface of the wheel member (Hitomi ¶¶0020-0021: "This light guide member 4 is pivotally supported on the pivot support member 81 via the first gear member 5, thereby enabling it to rotate integrally with the rotating knob 3… reflective surface 4a is formed on the circumferential surface of the rear half of the light guide member 4 at a uniform angle of approximately 45 degrees, so as to form half of the truncated cone surface with the rotation axis of the light guide member 4 as its central axis, and extends over the entire circumference." Hitomi fig. 3, ref. no 4a, shown above, faces an included surface of a wheel member 5) . Regarding claim 9 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 3 as discussed above. Hiroki further teaches that the operation member further includes a wheel member arranged on one plate surface side of the light guide member (Hiroki ¶0011: "As shown in the perspective view of Figure 1(b), the pitch bender wheel unit 101a has a structure in which a pitch bender wheel 102a, to which a light guide member 103a is assembled (or attached) on, for example, the left side when viewed from the front of the instrument, is attached to an L-shaped bracket 104a. Similarly, the modulation wheel unit 101b has a structure in which a modulation wheel 102b, to which a light guide member 103b is assembled (or attached) on, for example, the left side when viewed from the front of the instrument, is attached to an L-shaped bracket 104b." This same structure can be seen in Hiroki figs. 3 and 4 above.) . Hitomi further suggests that the reflecting member is provided on the light guide member (Hitomi ¶0009: "a reflective surface is formed on the peripheral surface of the rear part") so as to face an inclined surface of the wheel member (Hitomi ¶¶0020-0021: "This light guide member 4 is pivotally supported on the pivot support member 81 via the first gear member 5, thereby enabling it to rotate integrally with the rotating knob 3… reflective surface 4a is formed on the circumferential surface of the rear half of the light guide member 4 at a uniform angle of approximately 45 degrees, so as to form half of the truncated cone surface with the rotation axis of the light guide member 4 as its central axis, and extends over the entire circumference." Hitomi fig. 3, ref. no 4a, shown above, faces an included surface of a wheel member 5) . Regarding claim 10 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 1 as discussed above. Hitomi further teaches that said reflecting member is provided with an uneven surface on which texturing is applied (Hitomi ¶0021: "In this embodiment, the reflective surface 4a is subjected to a blast treatment to diffusely reflect the light emitted from the LED 7."). Regarding claim 12 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 1 as discussed above. Hiroki further suggests a control board connected to the manipulator and causing electronically synthesized sound to be generated and output (Hiroki ¶0020: "In Figure 6, the electronic keyboard instrument 500 has a configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 601, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 602, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 603, a timer 604, a sound source LSI (Large-Scale Integrated Circuit) 605 to which a waveform ROM 606 is connected, a key scanner 607 to which the keyboard 501 and the switch panel 502 of Figure 5 are connected, individual A/D (Analog/Digital) converters 608 and D/A (Digital/Analog) converters 612 to which the pitch bend wheel unit 101a and modulation wheel unit 101b of Figure 5 are connected, and an LCD controller 609 to which the LCD 505 of Figure 5 is connected, are each connected to a system bus 612. Furthermore, the digital musical waveform data output from the sound source LSI 605 is converted into an analog musical waveform signal by the D/A converter 610, amplified by the amplifier 611, and then output from a speaker or output terminal (not shown).") . Regarding claim 13 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 2 as discussed above. Hiroki further suggests a control board connected to the manipulator and causing electronically synthesized sound to be generated and output (Hiroki ¶0020: "In Figure 6, the electronic keyboard instrument 500 has a configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 601, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 602, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 603, a timer 604, a sound source LSI (Large-Scale Integrated Circuit) 605 to which a waveform ROM 606 is connected, a key scanner 607 to which the keyboard 501 and the switch panel 502 of Figure 5 are connected, individual A/D (Analog/Digital) converters 608 and D/A (Digital/Analog) converters 612 to which the pitch bend wheel unit 101a and modulation wheel unit 101b of Figure 5 are connected, and an LCD controller 609 to which the LCD 505 of Figure 5 is connected, are each connected to a system bus 612. Furthermore, the digital musical waveform data output from the sound source LSI 605 is converted into an analog musical waveform signal by the D/A converter 610, amplified by the amplifier 611, and then output from a speaker or output terminal (not shown).") . Regarding claim 14 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 3 as discussed above. Hiroki further suggests a control board connected to the manipulator and causing electronically synthesized sound to be generated and output (Hiroki ¶0020: "In Figure 6, the electronic keyboard instrument 500 has a configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 601, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 602, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 603, a timer 604, a sound source LSI (Large-Scale Integrated Circuit) 605 to which a waveform ROM 606 is connected, a key scanner 607 to which the keyboard 501 and the switch panel 502 of Figure 5 are connected, individual A/D (Analog/Digital) converters 608 and D/A (Digital/Analog) converters 612 to which the pitch bend wheel unit 101a and modulation wheel unit 101b of Figure 5 are connected, and an LCD controller 609 to which the LCD 505 of Figure 5 is connected, are each connected to a system bus 612. Furthermore, the digital musical waveform data output from the sound source LSI 605 is converted into an analog musical waveform signal by the D/A converter 610, amplified by the amplifier 611, and then output from a speaker or output terminal (not shown).") . Regarding claim 15 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 4 as discussed above. Hiroki further suggests a control board connected to the manipulator and causing electronically synthesized sound to be generated and output (Hiroki ¶0020: "In Figure 6, the electronic keyboard instrument 500 has a configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 601, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 602, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 603, a timer 604, a sound source LSI (Large-Scale Integrated Circuit) 605 to which a waveform ROM 606 is connected, a key scanner 607 to which the keyboard 501 and the switch panel 502 of Figure 5 are connected, individual A/D (Analog/Digital) converters 608 and D/A (Digital/Analog) converters 612 to which the pitch bend wheel unit 101a and modulation wheel unit 101b of Figure 5 are connected, and an LCD controller 609 to which the LCD 505 of Figure 5 is connected, are each connected to a system bus 612. Furthermore, the digital musical waveform data output from the sound source LSI 605 is converted into an analog musical waveform signal by the D/A converter 610, amplified by the amplifier 611, and then output from a speaker or output terminal (not shown).") . Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Hiroki in view of Hitomi, and further in view of Saijo et al. (US 20150358707 A1, October 24, 2013), hereinafter Saijo . Regarding claim 11 , Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) teaches a manipulator comprising the features of claim 1 as discussed above. Hitomi further suggests that the light guide member directs light from each of the plurality of light emitting devices in the radial directions (Hitomi ¶0024: "LEDs 7,7 are top-view type light-emitting diodes, positioned approximately below the reflective surface 4a of the light guide member 4, and mounted on the substrate 9 so as to emit light radially upward.") . Hiroki (in view of Hitomi) does not explicitly disclose that the light source includes a plurality of light emitting devices emitting respectively light of different wavelengths. However, Saijo suggests that the light source includes a plurality of light emitting devices ( Saijo ¶0042: "Along an outer periphery of the sound volume adjusting knob 24, a ring-shaped light emission section 25 is provided. The ring-shaped light emission section 25 includes a plurality of LEDs and a light guide(s).") emitting respectively light of different wavelengths ( Saijo ¶0040: "The LEDs 4 are not limited to LEDs for emitting a single color, and may be configured to emit a plurality of colors. In case where the LEDs 4 are configured to emit a plurality of colors, the LEDs 4 may be configured to switch over the plurality of colors.") . It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the manipulator of Hiroki (as modified by Hitomi) by adding the LEDs of Saijo to selectively emit light of a color selected from among plural ones of these colors ( Saijo ¶0044). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Enter examiner's name" \* MERGEFORMAT PHILIP SCOLES whose telephone number is (703)756-1831. The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30 ET. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /PHILIP G SCOLES/ Examiner, Art Unit 2837 /DEDEI K HAMMOND/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2837