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 .
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claims are replete with various method steps. The applicant should either re-write the claims in terms structure and function, or may wish to draft method claims.
Claim 1, lines 9-11 recites “a width… is changed”. It is unclear if the claim scope includes the cutouts 12a in fig 1a which gives the electrically conductive elastic body a non-constant width or the process of making the cutouts.
Claim 2, lines 7 and 8 recite “the width… is adjusted”.
Claim 4, line 2, recites “the width is changed due to omission of a part”.
Claim 5, line 2, recites “the width is changed due to provision of a cutout”.
Claim 6, line 2, recites “the width is changed due to provision of an opening”.
Each of claim 2, 4, 5 and 6 are unclear if the scope of those claims covers the structure of the process to make the structure.
Claims 7, 8 and 9 recite “a shape change” or “the shape change”. A “shape change” is not a physical object. From the specification and drawings, it appears the cutouts are a change in shape as compared to a prior invention that electrically conductive elastic bodies with a constant width.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
To expedite prosecution, the examiner searched with respect to the invention seen in figure 1a. No prior art load sensor has cutouts giving a non-constant width to the electrically conductive elastic body such that “a relationship between a load and a contact area between the electrically-conductive elastic body and the electrically-conductive member via the dielectric body becomes close to a linear relationship.”
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEX T DEVITO whose telephone number is (571)270-7551. The examiner can normally be reached 12pm- 8 pm EST M-S.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, John Breene can be reached at 571-272-4107. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALEX T DEVITO/Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/JOHN E BREENE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
Prosecution Insights