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 1-4 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.
As to claim 1, the portion of the claim “the bag body being formed with a hole disposed with the connecting portion on one end side in a longitudinal direction” is indefinite. It is not clear what exactly is “on one side in a longitudinal direction.” Is it just the hole or is it the hole and the connecting portion? For purposes of examination, it is read to mean, “the bag body being formed with a hole disposed, along with the connecting portion, on one end side in a longitudinal direction.” The “one end side in a longitudinal direction” is understood to mean a side on an end that is an end with respect to the longitudinal direction of the belt.
Also in claim 1, “the other end side” lacks antecedent basis. Is it not clear that there are only two sides. The same may be said of “the other end portion.”
Also in claim 1 it is recited: “an attachment portion including one end portion fixed on the one end side of the bag body and the other end side from the hole, and the other end portion attached to the attached portion.” To what are all of these ends and sides referring to? Is the “other end side” fixed?
Given that the claims of 2-4 do not cure the indefiniteness of claim 1, they are also rejected as indefinite.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-4 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The closest references found during Examiner’s search of the prior art were US 2021/0307629 A1 to Nishioka et al. and CN 105686817 A to Gong et al.
Independent claim 1 recites, inter alia,
a pump accommodated in the case body, the pump being fluidly continuous with the connected portion;
a cuff including a connecting portion provided at a portion facing the wrist side of the case body, the connecting portion being connected to the connected portion, the cuff being fluidly connected to the pump through the connecting portion; and
a belt including a bag body inside which the cuff is accommodated, the bag body having a band shape to be wound around the wrist, the bag body being formed with a hole disposed with the connecting portion on one end side in a longitudinal direction, an attachment portion including one end portion fixed on the one end side of the bag body and the other end side from the hole, and the other end portion attached to the attached portion, the attachment portion having a length from the one end portion to the attached portion shorter than a length from the one end portion to the connecting portion disposed in the hole, and a fixing portion provided at the bag body, the fixing portion being configured to fix a portion configured to be folded back and layered at the shaft portion of the bag body.
Nishioka discloses the pump and case body combination along with the connected portion and connecting portion and a fixing portion provided, the fixing portion being configured to fix a portion configured to be folded back and layered at the shaft portion of the bag body, but fails to disclose
a belt including a bag body inside which the cuff is accommodated, the bag body having a band shape to be wound around the wrist, the bag body being formed with a hole disposed with the connecting portion on one end side in a longitudinal direction, an attachment portion including one end portion fixed on the one end side of the bag body and the other end side from the hole, and the other end portion attached to the attached portion, the attachment portion having a length from the one end portion to the attached portion shorter than a length from the one end portion to the connecting portion disposed in the hole, and a fixing portion provided at the bag body, the fixing portion being configured to fix a portion configured to be folded back and layered at the shaft portion of the bag body.
Gong teaches a belt including a bag body inside which the cuff is accommodated, the bag body having a band shape to be wound around the wrist, the bag body being formed with a hole disposed with the connecting portion on one end side in a longitudinal direction, but fails to disclose
an attachment portion including one end portion fixed on the one end side of the bag body and the other end side from the hole, and the other end portion attached to the attached portion, the attachment portion having a length from the one end portion to the attached portion shorter than a length from the one end portion to the connecting portion disposed in the hole.
Examiner can find no prior art that is suitable render an prima facie case of obviousness given that neither Nishioka nor Gong teaches the recited attachment portion, the attachment portion including one end portion fixed on the one end side of the bag body and the other end side from the hole, and the other end portion attached to the attached portion, the attachment portion having a length from the one end portion to the attached portion shorter than a length from the one end portion to the connecting portion disposed in the hole.
For these reasons, Examiner can find no suitable grounds to reject the claims over the prior art. Examiner notes that this decision may be revisited after amendments clarifying the invention have been made and entered.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US 6,344,025 B1 to Inagaki et al., US 2018/0184926 A1 to Doi et al., and US 2020/0085319 A1 to Lin.
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/ERIC J MESSERSMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3791
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