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
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/25/23 was acknowledged. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Claim Objections
Claim 28 is objected to because of the following informalities: Applicant is recommended to amend the phrase "the input device" to "the peripheral input device", "the or each sensing electrode" to "the one or more each sensing electrode".
Claims 31, 34, 36, 42, 44, 47 are objected to because of the following informalities: Applicant is recommended to remove the phrase “optionally or preferably”.
Claim 33 is objected to because of the following informalities: Applicant is recommended to amend the phrase “and/ or” to “and/or”. Appropriate correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 33, 36-40 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.
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.
Claim(s) 28-29, 32, 34-35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al. (2019/0346974).
Re Claim 28,
Lin discloses the input device comprising:
one or more sensing electrodes formed of a thermo-formable non-metallic conductive material, the or each sensing electrode configured to provide one or more electrical signals in response to a change in capacitance between ((¶¶0011-0012; one or more of the plurality of electrode portions may be formed of or comprise a thermo-formable conductive material)):
(i) a sensing portion of the respective sensing electrode and a conductive object being near to or in contact with the respective sensing portion, and/or (ii) a sensing portion of the respective sensing electrode and a sensing portion of another of the one or more sensing electrodes or another sensing portion of the respective sensing electrode (¶0013; the operation of the device relies on the capacitive interaction between separate electrode portions and/or a capacitive interaction between a conductive object (e.g. a user's finger) and one or more of the electrode portions);
wherein at least one of the one or more sensing electrodes comprises one or more connector portions that form an electrical connector, wherein each connector portion is configured to electrically connect to a respective electrical contact of a capacitive sensing circuit of the main control device for measuring the electrical signals (¶0090; ach of the plurality of conductive elements may be connected to a measurement apparatus at a respective wiring/measuring point).
Lin further teaches in various examples that a peripheral input device module connectable to a main control device to form a coherent modular control device and provide one or more electrical signals to the main control device in response to a user interaction with the peripheral input device module (Fig 11A-13B, ¶¶0013, 0121-0129). In addition, Lin teaches such a configuration improves user efficiency and experience (¶0007). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Lin with a peripheral input device in order to improve user efficiency and experience.
Re Claim 29,
Lin discloses the peripheral input device module is formed entirely from thermo-formable materials; or wherein the peripheral input device module does not include any metal and/or electronic components (¶¶0013, 0120).
Re Claim 32,
Lin discloses a cover provided on or over at least a portion of the housing, and wherein the cover is formed or comprises a substantially soft, flexible, deformable and/or pliable thermo-formable material (Fig 10A, ¶0120).
Re Claims 34, 42,
Lin discloses an exposed contact portion configured to mechanically contact a corresponding electrical contact of the sensing circuit of the main control device to form an electrical connection between them; and optionally or preferably wherein the exposed contact portion is configured to abut, inter-engage with and/or bias against a corresponding electrical contact of the sensing circuit of the main control device, optionally or preferably, wherein the contact portion comprises one or more of: a projection, a recess, and a resiliently deformable biasing element (Fig 4A, ¶0094).
Re Claim 35,
Lin discloses a sensing portion of at least one of the one or more sensing electrodes is separated from another sensing portion of the same or a different sensing electrode by a distance and is configured to move relative to the another sensing portion in response to an applied force or pressure, and wherein relative movement between said sensing portions causes the change in capacitance between them; and optionally or preferably wherein a substantially deformable, flexible, and/or pliable thermo-formable non-conductive material is provided between the respective sensing portions; or the wherein respective sensing portions are separated by a gap (Fig 10C, ¶0118-0120).
Re Claim 41,
Lin discloses a main control device; and one or more peripheral input device modules, as defined in claim 28, configured to interchangeably connect to the main control device to form a coherent modular control device and provide one or more electrical signals to the main control device in response to a user interaction with a connected peripheral input device module, wherein the main control device module comprises: a capacitive sensing circuit configured to measure the one or more electrical signals provided by a connected peripheral input device module; and an electrical connector comprising a plurality of electrical contacts of the capacitive sensing circuit, each electrical contact configured to electrically contact a respective connector portion of the connected peripheral input device module (¶¶0011-0013, 0090).
Claim(s) 30-31, 43-44, 46 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al. (2019/0346974) in view of Furuike et al. (2018/0099225).
Re Claim 30,
Lin discloses all limitations as set forth above including the connector portions of the one or more sensing electrodes are arranged in an array (¶0132) but does not explicitly disclose a housing configured to support and retain the one or more sensing electrodes, wherein the housing comprises an integral connector body portion configured to hold the connector portions in place, and wherein the housing is formed of or comprises, at least in part, a substantially rigid thermo-formable material, and the connector body portion of the housing comprises one or more integral spacer elements that extend between adjacent connector portions to maintain a separation between them.
However, Furuike teaches a housing configured to support and retain the one or more sensing electrodes, wherein the housing comprises an integral connector body portion configured to hold the connector portions in place, and wherein the housing is formed of or comprises, at least in part, a substantially rigid thermo-formable material, and the connector body portion of the housing comprises one or more integral spacer elements that extend between adjacent connector portions to maintain a separation between them (Fig 5, ¶¶0018-0020, 0067, 0124-0125). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching Furuike into the system of Lin in order to attract new players by attaching the sensor device with new game controllers.
Re Claims 31, 44,
Lin discloses all limitations as set forth above but is silent on a locking mechanism configured to engage a locking mechanism of the main control device to releasably attach the peripheral input device module to the main control device, optionally or preferably, by mechanical engagement and/or magnetic attraction; and/or wherein the locking mechanism is or comprises a slide rail mechanism, and/or wherein the electrical connector and the connector body portion extend for a length along a side of peripheral input device module in a slide direction, and the connector body portion comprises one or more male or female rail members that extend at least part of the length of the connector body portion in the slide direction and are configured to slidingly engage one or more complementary rail members of the main control device. However, Furuike teaches a locking mechanism configured to engage a locking mechanism of the main control device to releasably attach the peripheral input device module to the main control device, optionally or preferably, by mechanical engagement and/or magnetic attraction; and/or wherein the locking mechanism is or comprises a slide rail mechanism, and/or wherein the electrical connector and the connector body portion extend for a length along a side of peripheral input device module in a slide direction, and the connector body portion comprises one or more male or female rail members that extend at least part of the length of the connector body portion in the slide direction and are configured to slidingly engage one or more complementary rail members of the main control device (Fig 5, ¶¶0018-0020, 0067, 0124-0125). See claim 30 for motivation.
Re Claim 43,
Lin discloses all limitations as set forth above but is silent on a metallic contact pad and/or a metallic mechanical biasing element such as a spring finger or pogo pin; or wherein each electrical contact of the capacitive sensing circuit comprises a metallic contact and a connection element formed of a non-metallic conductive thermo-formable material provided over and/or extending from the metallic contact for contacting the connector portion, and optionally wherein the connection element comprises a contact pad and/or a mechanical biasing element. However, Furuike teaches a metallic contact pad and/or a metallic mechanical biasing element such as a spring finger or pogo pin; or wherein each electrical contact of the capacitive sensing circuit comprises a metallic contact and a connection element formed of a non-metallic conductive thermo-formable material provided over and/or extending from the metallic contact for contacting the connector portion, and optionally wherein the connection element comprises a contact pad and/or a mechanical biasing element (Fig 5, ¶¶0018-0020, 0067, 0124-0125). See claim 30 for motivation.
Re Claim 46,
Lin discloses all limitations as set forth above including forming the one or more sensing electrodes from a thermo-formable non-metallic conductive material; forming a cover from a substantially soft, flexible, deformable and/or pliable thermo-formable non-conductive material but is silent on forming a housing with an integral connector body from a thermo-formable material and assembling the peripheral input device module. However, Furuike teaches forming a housing with an integral connector body from a thermo-formable material and assembling the peripheral input device module (Fig 5, ¶¶0018-0020, 0067, 0124-0125). See claim 30 for motivation.
Claim(s) 45 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al. (2019/0346974) in view of Hodges et al. (2016/0149426).
Re Claim 45,
Lin discloses all limitations as set forth above but is silent on an external computing device in communication with the main control device, and the external computing device is configured to: execute one or more operations based on the one or more user interactions with the connected peripheral input device module determined by the main control device; and/or determine one or more user interactions with the connected peripheral input device module based on measurement data received from the main control device; and optionally or preferably determine a unique identifier of the connected peripheral input device module based on detection of a predefined electrical signal pattern or sequence at the electrical contacts upon connection of the peripheral input device module to the main controller device; and/or wherein the main control device is or forms at least part of: a game console, a control system for a vehicle interior, or a computer peripheral.
However, Hodges teaches an external computing device in communication with the main control device, and the external computing device is configured to: execute one or more operations based on the one or more user interactions with the connected peripheral input device module determined by the main control device; and/or determine one or more user interactions with the connected peripheral input device module based on measurement data received from the main control device; and optionally or preferably determine a unique identifier of the connected peripheral input device module based on detection of a predefined electrical signal pattern or sequence at the electrical contacts upon connection of the peripheral input device module to the main controller device; and/or wherein the main control device is or forms at least part of: a game console, a control system for a vehicle interior, or a computer peripheral (¶¶0040, 0045, 0055-0058). Hodges further teaches such a configuration improves user’s interaction with the computing devices (¶0016). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Hodges into the sensor device of Lin in order to improve user’s interaction with the computing devices.
Claim(s) 47 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al. (2019/0346974) in view of Furuike et al. (2018/0099225), further in view of Meyers et al. (5883690).
Re Claim 47,
Lin as modified by Furuike discloses all limitations as set forth above but is silent on the one or more sensing electrodes, the housing, and the cover, are formed by a moulding process, and optionally or preferably, wherein the moulding process includes one or more: of injection moulding; compression moulding; and over-moulding. However, Meyers teaches one or more sensing electrodes, the housing, and the cover, are formed by a moulding process, and optionally or preferably, wherein the moulding process includes one or more: of injection moulding; compression moulding; and over-moulding (col 7, ln 46-63). Meyers further teaches such a configuration provides game controller components that is very simple in construction (col 7, ln 46-63). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Meyers into the sensor device of Lin as modified by Furuike in order to provide game controller components that is very simple in construction.
Conclusion
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/JASON T YEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715