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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 10/24/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-9 under 35 U.S.C 103 in view of Okano (Pub. No. US 2022/0100055; hereafter Okano) and Takei (Pub. No. US 2005/0136743; hereafter Takei) and Okano (Pub. No. US 2020/0264496; hereafter Okano ‘496) in view of Takei, respectively, have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejections have been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Okano in view of Takei and Kakiel et al. (Pub. No. US 2018/0366696 A1; hereafter Kakiel).
Applicant notes that newly amended claim 1 incorporates subject matter which was previously presented in claims 2, 3, and 7, previously rejected over Okano in view of Takei and Okano ‘496 in view of Takei, respectively. Applicant does not provide any argument for and feature or limitation which, previously presented, was not met by the prior art of record. Examiner therefore concludes that the newly presented limitation “wherein lubricant is applied to the tip end portion and the extension portion” is the distinguishing feature of amended claim 1 and the prior art of record.
Prior art Kakiel discloses that it was well known in the art at the time the invention was filed to apply lubricant to a contact pin so that “The lubricant may reduce friction and improve mechanical connections between the electrical contacts 30 of the battery and electrical contacts (not shown) of the portable communications device 17” (see Kakiel paragraph [0026]).
It would therefore have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to apply lubricant to the pins of Okano in view of Takei as suggested by Kakiel in order to reduce the friction and wear on the pins and to provide improved electrical connection between the components. Similar modifications can be made to Okano ‘496 in view of Takei.
The newly presented claims are therefore unpatentable in view of Okano in view of Takei and Kakiel, and Okano ‘496 in view of Takei and Kakiel, respectively.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 4-6, 8, and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okano et al. (Pub. No. US 2022/0100055 A1; hereafter Okano) in view of Takei et al. (Pub. No. US 2005/0136743 A1; hereafter Takei) and Kakiel et al. (Pub. No. US 2018/0366696 A1; hereafter Kakiel).
Regarding claims 1, 4-6, 8, and 9, Okano discloses a shoe device that is attachable to and detachable from an accessory shoe device provided in an electronic device in a first direction, and in which a plurality of contacts to be electrically connected to the electronic device is arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the shoe device comprising: a holding member configured to hold the plurality of contacts (see Okano Fig. 20A, item 254); and a support member configured to support the plurality of contacts in the first direction (see Okano Fig. 20A, item 272), wherein each of the plurality of contacts is formed with a tip end portion that is exposed in a third direction orthogonal to the first and the second directions with respect to the holding member and configured to come into contact with the electronic device (see Okano Fig. 20A, item 257a), and is formed with a bending portion that is connected to the tip end portion and is convex in the third direction (see Okano Fig. 20A, item 257b), and wherein the support member supports the bending portion in a first direction (see Okano Fig. 20A, item 272 and 257a); wherein each of the plurality of contacts is formed with an extension portion that connects the tip end portion and the bending portion and extends in the first direction (see Okano Fig. 20A, portion between 257a and 257b), wherein the support member is formed along a contour of the bending portion (see Okano Fig. 20A, item 272 follows the shape of item 257); [claim 4] wherein the contour of the bending portion is a curved line (see Okano Fig. 20A, item 257b is bent showing a curved angle); [claim 5] wherein the contour of the bending portion is a straight line (see Okano Fig. 20A, item 257b has straight portions); [claim 8] An accessory comprising the shoe device according to claim 1 (see Okano Fig. 17, item 120H); [claim 9] wherein the accessory is a lighting device (see Okano Fig. 17, item 120H).
Takei discloses wherein a gap between the bending portion and the support member is smaller than a displacement amount that causes plastic deformation of each of the plurality of contacts (see Takei paragraph [0014] “the support protrusions each have a height for limiting the excessive downward displacement of the contact portion of the contact terminal… thereby preventing the plastic deformation of the contact terminal”); and [claim 6] a support member that is formed of a non-conductive member (see Takei paragraph [0037] “the support protrusions 20 may be formed of… for example, a metal or plastics and more preferably, but is not limited to, an insulating material.”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to form the support member shown in Okano of a non-conductive material and position it such that the position of the support member prevents the plastic deformation of the contact terminal, as taught by Takei.
Okano in view of Takei does not disclose that a lubricant is applied to the tip end portion and the extension portion.
Kakiel discloses that it was well known in the art at the time the invention was filed to apply lubricant to a contact pin so that “The lubricant may reduce friction and improve mechanical connections between the electrical contacts 30 of the battery and electrical contacts (not shown) of the portable communications device 17” (see Kakiel paragraph [0026]).
It would therefore have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to apply lubricant to the pins of Okano in view of Takei as suggested by Kakiel in order to reduce the friction and wear on the pins and to provide improved electrical connection between the components.
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Applicant’s Fig. 6B Okano Fig. 20A
Claim(s) 1, 4-6, 8, and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okano (Pub. No. US 2020/0264496 A1; hereafter Okano ‘496) in view of Takei and Kakiel.
Similarly as with respect to claims 1, 4-6, 8, and 9 above, Okano ‘496 discloses substantially the same structure as in the present invention (see Okano ‘496 Fig. 6B, reproduced below). The holding member 254 is equivalent to Applicant’s holding member 300, lighting accessory 120, contacts 257a, bending portion 257b, and extension portion between them are the same. The only distinction with respect to the claims being the lack of the support member in Okano ‘496.
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Applicant’s Fig. 6B Okano ‘496 Fig. 6B
Takei discloses a non-conductive support member (see Takei Fig. 3b, item 20 and paragraph [0037]) which is shaped to correspond to the shape of a bending portion of a contact (see Takei Fig. 3b, item 19), such that the contact cannot be bend past the plastic deformation limit of the contact (see Takei paragraph [0014] “the support protrusions each have a height for limiting the excessive downward displacement of the contact portion of the contact terminal… thereby preventing the plastic deformation of the contact terminal”).
It would therefore have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the device of Okano ‘496 with a support member like that in Takei in order to prevent the contacts from being bent out of shape in case of poor connection of the accessory to the device.
Kakiel discloses that it was well known in the art at the time the invention was filed to apply lubricant to a contact pin so that “The lubricant may reduce friction and improve mechanical connections between the electrical contacts 30 of the battery and electrical contacts (not shown) of the portable communications device 17” (see Kakiel paragraph [0026]).
It would therefore have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to apply lubricant to the pins of Okano in view of Takei as suggested by Kakiel in order to reduce the friction and wear on the pins and to provide improved electrical connection between the components.
Finality
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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NOAM S REISNER whose telephone number is (571)270-7542. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:30PM.
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/NOAM REISNER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852 1/12/2026