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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Claims 9-12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group I, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1/26/26.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/1/24 was acknowledged. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Applicant's claim for domestic priority benefit of Provisional Application no 63/430919, filed 12/7/22, is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-8 are objected to because of the following informalities: Applicant is recommended to amend the phrase "the first controller" to "the first video game . Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1, 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kamata et al. (2018/0193732).
Re Claim 1,
Kamata discloses an accessory attachable alternately to either a first video game controller or a second video game controller, wherein the first controller comprises a first controller mating part and the second controller comprises a second controller mating part that is geometrically different from the first controller mating part (Fig 4, 5, ¶¶0041, 0062-0063, 0128, 0140-0142, 0153; an accessory device is for use with a first game controller including a protruding portion on a rear surface thereof, a second game controller including a protruding portion on a rear surface thereof, the second game controller having a shape different from that of the first game controller),
the accessory (Fig 8-14) comprising:
a body; a first body adapter and a separate second body adapter; wherein each of the first and second body adapters is geometrically configured for releasable attachment, by interference fit, to the body (Fig 8-14, ¶¶0062-0065, 0191, 0193; the accessory has a recessed shape formed around the center of the rim portion, wherein the recessed compartment can engage with the first controller or the second controller);
wherein the first body adapter comprises a mating part that is geometrically configured for releasable attachment, by interference fit, to the first controller mating part, at the same time that the first body adapter is attached to the body; and wherein the second body adapter comprises a mating part that is geometrically different from the mating part of the first body adapter, and geometrically configured for releasable attachment, by interference fit, to the second controller mating part, at the same time that the second body adapter is attached to the body (Fig 8-14, ¶¶0062-0065, 0191, 0193, 0201-0203, 0207, 0212, 0214; both of the first controller and the second controller can be removably attached to the steering wheel-shaped attachment, for instance, when the first controller is attached to the steering wheel-shaped attachment , the housing of the first controller is engaged with the compartment so that the right side surface of the left controller to be attached to the main unit faces the upper wall of the compartment of the grip portion and the rear surface of the left controller, When the second controller is attached to the steering wheel-shaped attachment, the housing of the second controller is engaged with the compartment so that the left side surface of the right controller to be attached to the main unit faces the upper wall of the compartment of the grip portion and the rear surface of the right controller, i.e., for the lack of any clear distinct feature, the mating part of the first and the second controllers are considered to be geometrically different from each other).
Re Claim 5,
Claim is a method for the accessory described in claim 1. See claim 1 for rejection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 6-8 are 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON TAHAI YEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1777. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon - Fri 7am- 3pm PST.
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/JASON T YEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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