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 .
Drawings
The drawings were received on 12/01/2025. These drawings are acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang et al. [Huang hereinafter, US 8,759,702].
In regard to claim 1, Huang discloses [in Figs. 1-5] a key structure of an electronic device, comprising: a substrate [20]; a light source [42] disposed on the substrate [20]; an elastic member [22a] disposed on the substrate; and a key cap [50] disposed on the elastic member [22a], wherein the elastic member [22a] has a tunnel [Fig. 4] for light generated by the light source [42] to be projected to the key cap [50] through the tunnel, and an inner diameter of the tunnel is gradually expanded from the light source [42] toward the key cap [50], wherein the elastic member [22a, see Fig. 4] has a base portion [223], a crumple portion [222] and an abutment portion [221], which are centered around the light source [42], sequentially stacked layer by layer from the substrate [20] toward the key cap [50] and away from the light source [42], the base portion [223] leans against the substrate [20], the crumple portion [222] connected between the base portion [223] and the abutment portion [221], and the abutment portion [221] leans against the key cap [50] constantly.
In regard to claim 2, Huang discloses [in Figs. 1-5] the key structure of the electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastic member [22a] leans against the substrate [20] through a structure [223] at an inlet of the tunnel and surrounds the light source [42], the elastic member [22a] leans against the key cap [50] through a structure [221] at an outlet of the tunnel, the substrate [50], the elastic member [22a] and the key cap [50] form a closed space, and an inner diameter of the inlet is smaller than an inner diameter of the outlet.
In regard to claim 3, Huang discloses [in Figs. 1-5] the key structure of the electronic device as claimed in claim 1, in which the expanding angle of the tunnel is greater than or equal to the emission angle of the light source [42].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang et al. [Huang hereinafter, US 8,759,702] in view of Chiu [US 11,373,819]. Huang discloses [in Figs. 1-5] the key structure of the electronic device as claimed in claim 1. Huang does not disclose that the key cap comprises a first component and a second component, the first component leans against the elastic member and is movably clasped onto a casing of the electronic device, and the second component is detachably disposed on the first component. Chiu teaches [in Figs. 1-5] that the key cap [30] comprises a first component [40] and a second component [50], the first component [40] leans against the elastic member [20] and is movably clasped onto a casing [101] of the electronic device, and the second component [50] is detachably disposed on the first component [40]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to replace the key cap of Chiu with the keycap of Huang in order to provide the user with a sturdier actuator.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang et al. [Huang hereinafter, US 8,759,702] in view of Chiu [US 11,373,819] further in view of Muller [US 9,728,350]. Huang and Chiu teach the key structure of the electronic device as claimed in claim 9. Huang and Chiu do not teach that at least one of the first component and the second component has a diffusion agent and is translucent. Muller teaches [in Fig. 6B] that the second component has a diffusion agent and is translucent. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide a translucent second component of the key cap in order to communicate switch actuation with the user as desired.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8 remain objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/01/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In regard to claim 1, Applicant argues that “the "light source" (42) of Huang is not "disposed on the substrate (conductive membrane 20)," but rather should be characterized as "disposed below the substrate (conductive membrane 20)." The Examiner disagrees. The word “on” can be defined as “used as a function word to indicate position in close proximity with” [www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on]. Huang clearly discloses [in Figs. 1-5] that the light source [42] is disposed on the substrate as recited in claim 1. Applicant also argues that “Huang clearly exhibits a tunnel inner diameter variation that is contrary to that of the present application. The tunnel of Huang actually tapers from the light source toward the key cap.” However, the Examiner would like to point out that the elastic member relied upon for this limitation is the elastic member shown in Fig. 4, which does disclose that “an inner diameter of the tunnel is gradually expanded from the light source toward the key cap as recited in claim 1.
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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/LHEIREN MAE A CAROC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833