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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is a first action on the merits, in response to the claims received 5/15/2023. Claims 1-20 are pending for prosecution below.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) file on 2/11/2025 has been considered by the examiner. An initialed copy is attached herewith.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-5,18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu et al, (Liu), (USNO.2006/0109610).
As for claim 1, Liu discloses and shows in Figs.1-5 an electrical apparatus comprising a main housing and electronic and/or electrical circuitries housed inside the main housing; wherein the main housing comprises a first housing portion (ref’s housing) and a second housing portion (ref’s cover), the second housing portion being movable relative to the first housing portion in a first direction between a first relative position and a second relative position; a movable portion (ref’s button) which is received inside the first housing portion and which is movable in the first direction relative to the main housing between a non-actuation position and an actuation position; and a wedge mechanism (via ref’s moveable member) which is configured to move the movable portion from the non-actuation position to the actuation position in an actuation direction which is parallel to the first direction; wherein the second housing portion comprises a driving portion which is configured to operate the wedge mechanism to move the movable portion from the non-actuation position to the actuation position when the second housing portion moves from the second relative position to the first relative position (par.[0014-0016]).
As for claim 2, Liu discloses and shows in Fig.2 wedge mechanism comprises wedging components which are distributed on the first housing portion and the second housing portion, and wherein the wedging components on the first housing portion and the second housing portion are configured to cooperate so that movement of the second housing portion relative to the first housing portion along the actuation direction is to bring about the movement of the movable portion in the actuation direction.
As for claim 3, Liu discloses and shows in Fig.2 wedge mechanism comprises a first wedging portion which is inside the first housing portion, and wherein the first wedging portion comprises a wedging member which is configured to move (via sliding) at an angle to the actuation direction when the second housing portion moves in the actuation direction, the angle being between 60 and 90 degrees, including at 60°, 65°, 70°, 75°, 80°, 85°, 90°, or a range or ranges combined by selection of any of the aforesaid values (par.[0016])
As for claim 4, Liu discloses and shows in Fig.2 the first wedging portion comprises a plurality of wedging members including a first wedging member and a second wedging member , and wherein the first wedging member and the second wedging member are configured to move towards each other in response to movement of the second housing portion in the actuation position
As for claim 5, Liu discloses and shows in Fig.2 first wedging member and the second wedging member are mirror-symmetrically disposed about a longitudinal center axis of the main housing, the longitudinal center axis being parallel to the actuation
direction
As for claim 18, Liu discloses and shows in Fig. 2 the first housing portion comprises a battery compartment (ref’s recess) and a circuitry compartment (within housing to accommodate printed circuit board), wherein the movable portion is received inside the circuitry compartment, and wherein the wedge mechanism is configured to move the movable portion towards the battery compartment (par.[0018]).
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu in view of Lam et al, (Lam), (USNO.2004/0130289).
As for claim 20, Liu discloses all limitations, but differs from the claimed invention because he does not explicitly disclose circuitries are configured for battery charging
Lam discloses and shows in Fig. 7 circuitries are configured for battery charging (par.[0022])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have modified the teachings of Liu by using circuitries are configured for battery charging for advantages such as providing the ability to deliver ac power supply to a compartment (par.[0003]), as taught by Liu.
As for claim 19, Liu discloses and shows in Figs.2-3, 7 circuitries comprise a first set of contact terminals and a second set of terminals (via ref’s plurality of conductors) which cooperate with the battery compartment to define a battery receptacle, wherein the battery receptacle is configured for releasable reception and engagement of batteries, wherein batteries in the battery receptacle are to enter into compressive contact with the first and second sets of contact terminals when the second housing is moved into the actuation position, and wherein batteries in compressive contact with the first and second sets of contact terminals are released for retrieval when the second housing is moved from the actuation position to the non-actuation position (par.[0022-0024])
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8,10-17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 6: wedging member comprises a wedging surface which is in abutment with the movable portion, and wherein the wedging surface is an inclined surface which is at an acute inclination angle to the actuation direction, the inclination angle being between 30° and 60°, including at 30°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 60°, or a range or ranges combined by selection of any of the aforesaid values, in combination with the remaining limitations of independent claims.
Claim 10: the wedge mechanism comprises a second wedging portion on the second housing portion, and wherein the second wedging portion comprises a wedging member which extends in a longitudinal direction between a first longitudinal end and a second first longitudinal end, the longitudinal direction being parallel to the actuation direction; and wherein the wedging member comprises a wing portion including a first flank portion which tapers on extending in the actuation direction from the second longitudinal end to the first longitudinal end to define a wedging surface, and wherein the wedging surface has a wedging angle of 15 degrees or less, including 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 degrees or a range or ranges formed by a combination of the aforesaid values, the wedging angle being with respect to the actuation direction.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARUN C WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-9765. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9 a.m. - 6 p.m..
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman can be reached on 571-272-2147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ARUN C WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859