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 § 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.
Claims 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shimizu (US 2001/0030909) in view of Nakao (US 4,320,482).
Regarding claim 1, Shimizu discloses an electronically controlled mechanical watch (title), comprising: a mechanical energy source (abstract: “mainspring”); a time indication device ([0068]: “hands”) including a time indication wheel train ([0068]: “train wheel”) configured to indicate a time using a transmitted torque of the mechanical energy source ([0068]); a circuit board on which a crystal oscillator ([0075]), an electronic control circuit (abstract: “brake control signal generating circuit”) configured to adjust a rotation speed of a generator ([0014] and [0075]) based on an oscillation frequency of the crystal oscillator ([0013]), wherein the electronic control circuit includes: an oscillation circuit configured to oscillate the crystal oscillator ([0075]); a frequency divider circuit configured to divide an oscillation signal output from the oscillation circuit and output a reference signal ([0075]).
Shimizu does not show the electronic control circuit adjusting a rotation speed of the time indication wheel train based on an oscillation frequency of the crystal oscillator ([0013]), a plurality of logical regulation setting patterns disposed on the circuit board; and a single rotary switch including a plurality of conduction portions each being configured to conduct to a corresponding one of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns, the single rotary switch being configured to rotate with respect to the circuit board to select the corresponding one of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns to conduct to one of the plurality of conduction portions; and a logical regulation circuit configured to control the frequency divider circuit based on a conduction state of the conduction portion and the logical regulation setting pattern, and a number of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns is more than a number of the plurality of conductor portions.
Nakao teaches (Fig. 5) an electronic control circuit (abstract: “timepiece circuit”) adjusting a rotation speed of the time indication wheel train (the abstract discloses controlling the frequency division, which, when varied, necessarily changes the rotation speed of a timepiece’s wheel train in a quartz timepiece; see also column 1, lines 8-15) based on an oscillation frequency of the crystal oscillator (column 1, lines 19-23), and a plurality of logical regulation setting patterns (see image below and abstract: “different external connections”) disposed on a circuit; and a single rotary switch (A) including a plurality of conduction portion (4a, 4b) each configured to conduct to a corresponding one of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns (Table 1), the single rotary switch being configured to rotate with respect to a circuit board (7 and 2 in Fig. 2; see column 2, lines 1-2) to select the corresponding one of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns to conduct to one of the plurality of conduction portions (Table 1), of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns (column 2, lines 37-45), conducting to the conduction portion; and a logical regulation circuit (7) configured to control the frequency divider circuit based on a conduction state of the conduction portion and the logical regulation setting pattern (see column 2, lines 37-45: depending on how the switch connects to the frequency divider circuit, the patterns change), and a number of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns (there are 3 patterns) being more than a number of the plurality of conductor portions (4a-4b make 2 portions).
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It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Nakao’s rotary switch and logical regulation setting patterns with Shimizu’s watch. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this combination to provide an easily adjustable frequency divider (column 1, lines 60-64 of Nakao) that prolongs the lifetime of the watch (column 1, lines 24-25).
Regarding claim 13, Shimizu in view of Nakao discloses the electronically controlled mechanical watch according to claim 12, wherein the conduction state includes a state in which none of the plurality of conductor portions is conducted with the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns (“00” in Table 1 of Nakao).
Regarding claim 14, Shimizu in view of Nakao discloses the electronically controlled mechanical watch according to 12, wherein the conduction state includes a state in which one of the plurality of conductor portions is conducted with one of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns and another of the plurality of conductor portions is not conducted with any of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns (“01” and “10” in Table 1 of Nakao).
Regarding claim 15, Shimizu in view of Nakao discloses the electronically controlled mechanical watch according to 12, wherein the conduction state includes a state in which one of the plurality of conductor portions is conducted with one of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns and another of the plurality of conductor portions is conducted with another of the plurality of logical regulation setting patterns (“11” in Table 1 of Nakao).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2026-02-19 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The rejections of new claims 12-15 point to a single rotary switch having three logical regulation setting patterns and two conductive portions.
Furthermore, Applicant remarks that Nakao teaches two rotary switches. However, Applicant does not recite that there is only a singular switch. Applicant merely recites that a singular switch exists. Note that Nakao teaches a single switch (abstract: “the plurality of mechanical switches includes at least one rotary switch”).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/MATTHEW DANIEL HWANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2831
/renee s luebke/Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2831