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 .
Inventorship
Applicant is directed to applications with the same assignee that appear to disclose identical inventions as the one described in the instant application. Specifically US utility application, 18453657and US design application 29/913280. Both these applications have a singular inventor Zhenghui Fu which is different than the inventor listed on the current application.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: throughout the claim applicant has not followed standard grammatical rules for capitalization. For example on line 1 of claim 1, “The” is capitalized inappropriately. There are other various occurrences in claim 1. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 1-10 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.
Claims 1-10 contains the trademark/trade name “Nintendo Switch”, “Joy-Con”, “HDMI.” Where a trademark or trade name is used in a claim as a limitation to identify or describe a particular material or product, the claim does not comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph. See Ex parte Simpson, 218 USPQ 1020 (Bd. App. 1982). The claim scope is uncertain since the trademark or trade name cannot be used properly to identify any particular material or product. A trademark or trade name is used to identify a source of goods, and not the goods themselves. Thus, a trademark or trade name does not identify or describe the goods associated with the trademark or trade name. In the present case, the trademark/trade name is used to identify/describe a video game console its associated controllers and a video interface and, accordingly, the identification/description is indefinite.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the control circuit" in lines 3-4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-10 inherit this rejection by virtue of their dependency.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6, 8 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over http://dobe-game.com/en/prodcutshow-61-630.html (wayback machine capture date of 10/22/2020; hereinafter referred to Dobe) in view of Hirose (US 20170117729).
With respect to claim 1, Dobe discloses, a multifunctional station (i.e. fig. 2) for Nintendo Switch game console (switch console in fig. 1), including a base (fig. 2); The base is provided with a power interface (5V/1.A input port); the power interface are electrically connected to the control circuit (MCU control circuit) respectively; The utility model is characterized in that:
The base is also provided with Joy-Con controller charging slots (four charging slots in fig. 2) and game card storage slots (game card slots on right side of fig. 2); The Joy-Con controller charging slots are provided with charging contacts (internal to the charging ports); The control circuit is also electrically connected to the charging contacts inside the Joy-Con controller charging slots (Dobe discloses that the MCU control circuit “is equipped with self-recovery insurance for the input port” There is also discussion of red and green charging indicators for ).
Dobe discloses the inclusion of a Switch Charging Dock but does not expressly disclose a console interface and a TV connection interface.
Hirose discloses, a video game charging system including a console (100 in fig. 6) wherein the charging system includes a console interface (140 in fig. 6; para. 54) and a TV interface (para. 101).
Dobe and Hirose are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor namely electronic device charging/docking system.
At the time of filing it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have simply substituted the charging system of Hirose for the Switch Charging Docket of Dobe. The results of such a substitution would have had predictable results.
With respect to claim 2, Dobe and Hirose disclose, the multifunctional station for Nintendo Switch game console, as described in claim 1 (see above).
Dobe further discloses, the Joy-Con controller charging slots include slot body opened on the base (charging slots include slot bodies alongside the charging indicators), push-in entrances located at the edge of the base and connected with one end of the described slot body (fig. 3 shows push-in entrances for the joy-cons), and locating plates (see annotated drawings below) located at the other end of the slot body, the charging contacts are arranged inside the slot body (inherent in the base design).
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With respect to claim 3, Dobe and Hirose disclose, the multifunctional station for Nintendo Switch game console, as described in claim 2 (see above).
Dobe further discloses, C-shaped clamps are installed inside the described slot body, the bottom walls of the C-shaped clamps are fixed on the bottom walls of the slot body, and the bottom walls of the C-shaped clamps are also provided with charging interfaces to expose the charging contacts (C-shaped clamps can be seen in the above annotated drawing).
With respect to claim 4, Dobe and Hirose disclose, the multifunctional station for Nintendo Switch game console, as described in claim 1 (see above).
Dobe further discloses, is characterized in that the game card storage slots are arranged on the upper surface of the base (clear from annotated figure below); the game card storage slots include rectangular clamp slots, pick-and-place notches are arranged at one end of the rectangular clamp slots and connected with the rectangular clamp slots (clear from annotated figure below).
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With respect to claim 6, Dobe and Hirose disclose, the multifunctional station for Nintendo Switch game console, as described in claim 1 (see above).
Dobe and Hirose disclose that the base includes a U-shaped clamping seat extending along one side wall for holding the console (Dobe; u-shaped seat in the switch charging dock holds the console; Hirose: fig. 2b/11 shows a u-shaped seat); the U-shaped clamping seat is provided with a console slot with an upper end opening (Dobe; clear from figures; Hirose: fig. 6 , 120b points toward a console slot; also note fig. 11); and the bottom wall of the console slot is provided with the console interface (Hirose; 140 in fig. 6).
With respect to claim 8, Dobe and Hirose disclose the multifunctional station for Nintendo Switch game console, as described in claim 1 (see above).
Dobe further discloses, the side surface of the base is also equipped with status indicator lights connected to the control circuit (charging indicators shown on the sides in the various figures).
While Dobe does not expressly contemplate locating the indicator lights on the upper surface of the base, the specific location of the indicator lights is seen as a design choice and a mere rearrangement of parts. See MPEP 2144.04 VI.C
With respect to claim 10, Dobe and Hirose disclose, the multifunctional station for Nintendo Switch game console, as described in claim 1 (see above).
Hirose further discloses, the power interface is a Type-C interface (para. 70), and the TV connection interface is an HDMI interface (para. 101).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over http://dobe-game.com/en/prodcutshow-61-630.html (wayback machine capture date of 10/22/2020; hereinafter referred to Dobe) in view of Hirose (US 20170117729) and further in view of Hardinger, Jr. (US 5413215).
With respect to claim 5, Dobe and Hirose disclose, the multifunctional station for Nintendo Switch game console, as described in claim 4 (see above).
Neither Dobe nor Hirose expressly disclose, that the rectangular clamp slots are equipped with elastic clamping strips on their side walls.
Hardinger, Jr. discloses, rectangular clamp slots are equipped with elastic clamping strips (21 in fig. 2) on their side walls (fig. 2).
Dobe, Hirose, and Hardinger, Jr. are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor namely electronic device charging/docking system.
At the time of filing it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have included the clamping strips of Hardinger, Jr. in the clamp slots of the Dobe/Hirose combination. The motivation for doing so would have been to allow the disks to be removably retained in the recesses (Hardinger, Jr.; col. 3, lines 26-29).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over http://dobe-game.com/en/prodcutshow-61-630.html (wayback machine capture date of 10/22/2020; hereinafter referred to Dobe) in view of Hirose (US 20170117729) and further in view of
Lau (US 20130119225).
With respect to claim 7, Dobe and Hirose disclose, the multifunctional station for Nintendo Switch game console, as described in claim 6 (see above).
Neither Dobe nor Hirose expressly disclose silicone clamp blocks on the side walls.
Lau discloses, silicone clamp blocks (fig. 1; para. 43).
Dobe, Hirose, and Lau are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor namely electronic device charging/docking system.
At the time of filing it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have included the silicone clamp blocks of Lau in the side walls of the Dobe/Hirose combination. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide anti slip characteristics (Lau; para. 45).
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over http://dobe-game.com/en/prodcutshow-61-630.html (wayback machine capture date of 10/22/2020; hereinafter referred to Dobe) in view of Hirose (US 20170117729) and further in view of
Knutson (US 20130058022).
With respect to claim 9, Dobe and Hirose disclose, the multifunctional station for Nintendo Switch game console, as described in claim 1 (see above).
Neither Dobe or Hirose expressly disclose, that the side wall of the base is equipped with a switch electrically connected to the control circuit.
Knutson discloses, discloses a base is equipped with a switch (SW2-4 in fig. 1a) electrically connected to a control circuit (microcontroller in fig. 11c).
Dobe, Hirose, and Knutson are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor namely electronic device charging/docking system.
At the time of filing it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have included the switches of Knutson in the side walls of the Dobe/Hirose combination. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide additional functionality and user control.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
FU US 2025/0007304
FU D1104152
Koshiishi US 20150333549
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/WILLIAM BODDIE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2625