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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/13/2026 has been entered.
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 1-4 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ueda et al. [Ueda hereinafter, US 9,606,569].
In regard to claim 1, Ueda discloses [in Figs. 1-4] an operator [122]; a state switching mechanism [156] that performs switching of operation modes of the acoustic device in response to a switching operation; and an operational-feeling switching mechanism [151-153, 155] that performs switching of operational feelings of the operator in response to the switching operation, along with the switching of the operation modes performed by the state switching mechanism.
In regard to claim 2, Ueda discloses [in Figs. 1-4], the limitations of claim 1,
wherein the operator comprises a plurality of operators [col. 4, lines 27-41], the operational-feeling switching mechanism is provided correspondingly to each of the plurality of operators, and the state switching mechanism performs the switching of the operation modes of the acoustic device, and causes a plurality of the operational-feeling switching mechanisms to operate.
In regard to claim 3, Ueda discloses [in Figs. 1-4], the limitations of claim 1, wherein the operational-feeling switching mechanism performs the switching of the operational feelings between a state in which a clicking feeling occurs when the operator is operated and a state in which no clicking feeling occurs when the operator is operated.
In regard to claim 4, Ueda discloses [in Figs. 1-4], the limitations of claim 1, wherein the state switching mechanism comprises a slide switch comprising a slide operator [at 156, Fig. 4] and that performs the switching of the operation modes in accordance with a position of the slide operator, and a slide member [156a] that is slidable with the slide operator, and the operational-feeling switching mechanism comprises an engagement portion [155a] that engages with the slide member [156a].
In regard to claim 8, Ueda discloses [in Figs. 1-4], the limitations of claim 1, wherein the state switching mechanism [156] includes a switching operator [156a] that performs the switching of the operation modes of the acoustic device in accordance with a position to which the switching operator is moved by a switching operation of a user, and the operational-feeling switching mechanism [151-153, 155] engages with the state switching mechanism and, in conjunction with movement of the switching operator in response to the switching operation of the user, perform the switching of the operational feelings of the operator.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 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 03/13/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. First, it is noted that Examiner Caroc did not specify that an agreement was reached in the interview held on 02/19/2026 with respect to claim amendments [please see interview summary]. With respect to claim 1, Applicant argues that “Ueda does not teach or suggest an acoustic device in which an operational-feeling switching mechanism performs switching of operational feelings "in response to [a] switching operation" by which the operation modes of the acoustic device are switched by a state switching mechanism. Instead, at best, Ueda only discloses a state switching mechanism configured to receive a switching operation to switch the operational feelings of an operator, not that switches operation modes of an acoustic device and also the operational feelings of the operator.” The Examiner disagrees. Ueda discloses [in Figs. 1-4] and [col. 4, line 63 – col. 5, line 2 and col. 5, lines 24-48] that the state switching mechanism [156] performs switching of the operation modes, wherein the operation modes are continuous mode or click mode, and that the operational-feeling switching mechanism performs switching of operational feelings of the operator in response to the switching operation, along with the switching of the operation modes [continuous mode or click mode] performed by the state switching mechanism as recited in claim 1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LHEIREN MAE A CAROC whose telephone number is (571)272-2730. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke can be reached at 571-272-2009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LHEIREN MAE A CAROC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833
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