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 .
Claims 1-10 are pending in the current application.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure. The language should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc.
Claim Objections
Regarding Claim 1, each of line 5, and line 9, perhaps the language “of the static plate” should be removed.
Regarding Claim 4, lines 2-3, perhaps the language “of the movable plate” should be removed.
Regarding Claim 5, line 2, perhaps the language “of the static plate” should be removed.
Regarding Claim 6, the 2nd to the last line, the language “the movement” should be changed to “a movement” to avoid an antecedent basis rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(B) CONCLUSION. - The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 1, each of line 4, lines 5-6, and lines 9-10, there is no antecedent basis for the terms “outside” and “side.”
Regarding Claim 4, line 5, there is no antecedent basis for the language “other end.”
Regarding each of Claims 9 and 10, the 2nd to the last line, there is no antecedent basis for the term “direction.”
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.
Claims 1-5, 9, and 10, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yuan et al. (Chinese Pat. No. CN 206834114 U, hereinafter “Yuan”).
Specifically, regarding Claim 1, Yuan discloses a static and movable plate assembly of a key switch (FIG. 6, Abstract), comprising a static plate (70; FIG. 6) and a movable plate (contact spring 60, itself including movable portion 64; FIG. 6), wherein the movable plate (60) and the static plate (70) are contacted or separated under the push of an external force (via depression of 40 on 641; FIGS. 4 and 5), wherein the movable plate (60) comprises a support arm of the movable plate (61; FIG. 5) which is integrally formed and bent twice to [the outside of the side] (e.g., at 611 and 613; FIG. 5), the static plate (70) comprises a support arm of the static plate (SA; FIG. 6, a portion of which is reproduced and annotated below) which is integrally formed and bent twice to [the outside of the side] (at B1 and B2; FIG. 6 below), wherein the support arm of the movable plate (61) is provided with a first bent portion of the movable plate (612; FIG. 5) externally bent to [the outside of the side] (FIG. 5), the first bent portion of the movable plate (612) being electrically connected to an external circuit (via 63 in contact with 70 upon depression; FIG. 4), and the support arm of the static plate (SA) is provided with a first bent portion of the static plate (B3) externally bent to [the outside of the side] (FIG. 6 below), the first bent portion of the static plate (70) being electrically connected to an external circuit (p. 2, the 1st paragraph and the 5th to the last paragraph of the attached English machine translation of the Specification of Yuan).
PNG
media_image1.png
278
360
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 2, Yuan discloses that the support arm of the movable plate (61) is further provided with a second bent portion of the movable plate (62; which is bent at an end thereof to join with 63) which bends downwards (from an area adjacent 613 towards an end portion of 63) and extends upwards (from the end portion of 63), wherein the first bent portion of the movable plate (612) is provided on the second bent portion of the movable plate (62; e.g., when S1 is utilized as a resting surface).
PNG
media_image2.png
486
528
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 3, Yuan discloses that the support arm of the static plate (SA) is further provided with a second bent portion of the static plate (B4; FIG. 7 above) which bends downwards (towards a distal portion of 70; FIG. 7 above) and extends upwards (from the distal portion of 70), wherein the first bent portion of the static plate (B3) is provided on the second bent portion of the static plate (B4; FIG. 7).
Regarding Claim 4, Yuan discloses that the movable plate (60) is further provided with an integrally formed fixing portion of the movable plate (FFP; FIG. 5 reproduced and annotated below), a contact portion of the movable plate (65; FIG. 5) connected to one end of the fixing portion of the movable plate (FFP; FIG. 5), and a pushing portion of the movable plate (641) connected to the contact portion of the movable plate (65; FIG. 5), wherein the support arm of the movable plate (61) is provided at [the] other end of the fixing portion of the movable plate (FFP; FIG. 5).
PNG
media_image3.png
448
556
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 5, Yuan discloses that the static plate (70) is further provided with an integrally formed fixing portion of the static plate (FP; FIG. 7 above), and a contact portion of the static plate (CP; FIG. 7 above) connected to one end of the fixing portion of the static plate (FIG. 7) and matched with the contact portion of the movable plate (in an assembled state; FIGS. 1 and 4).
Regarding Claim 9, Yuan discloses that the pushing portion of the movable plate (641) is bent in [the] direction of the contact portion of the static plate (641 is bent towards 70 in an assembled state; FIG. 1).
Regarding Claim 10, Yuan discloses that the contact portion of the static plate (70) is bent in [the] direction of the contact portion of the movable plate (CP is bent upwards from a bottom surface of SA in a direction of 66, in an assembled state; FIGS. 6 and 7).
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.
Claims 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yuan in view of Ramsay et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,389, hereinafter “Ramsay”).
Yuan discloses substantially all of the limitations of the present invention, and further discloses that at least one contact projection of the movable plate (66) is provided at one end of the contact portion of the movable plate (65) close to the pushing portion of the movable plate (641; FIG. 5), the static plate (70) matched with the contact projection of the movable plate (60) is provided at one end of the contact portion of the static plate (70) close to the pushing portion of the movable plate (641), wherein the contact or separation between the contact projection of the movable plate (66) and the static plate (70) is controlled by [the] movement of the pushing portion of the movable plate (641) in the left-right direction (upon depression of 40 and hinge movement via 612; FIGS. 5 and 7). Yuan does not disclose the claimed at least one contact projection of the static plate.
However, Ramsay discloses at least one contact projection (16b) of a static plate (14; FIG. 1), as required by Claim 6, and (ii) that the contact projection of the static plate (70) is in a longitudinally disposed semi-cylindrical shape (16b extends across a length of 14, e.g., from a side adjacent 36 towards a side adjacent 12; FIG. 1), as recited in Claim 8. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Ramsay with those of Yuan to ensure a stable electrical contact connection between corresponding plates and to ensure increased device product life.
Regarding Claim 7, Yuan discloses that the contact projection of the movable plate (66) is in a laterally disposed semi-cylindrical shape (66 on a surface of 65; FIG. 5).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY R. JIMENEZ whose telephone number is 313-446-6518. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, 1030am - 9pm.
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.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke, can be reached at (571) 272-2009.
The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ANTHONY R JIMENEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833