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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
35 USC § 112(f) Invoked Despite Absence of “means”
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitations use a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier.
Because these claim limitations are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, they are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
Regarding claim 1, which recites (ln. 6-7) “a speed regulator configured to control a rotation cycle of the wheel train”. The phrase “a speed regulator configured to control a rotation cycle” invokes § 112(f) as insufficient structure, material and/or acts are disclosed by which this function is performed.
Support for this claim limitation may be found in the specification at para. [0031], which states “[0031] Braking Circuit
The braking circuit 73 applies a brake to rotation of the rotor 71 so that the power generator 70 functions as a speed regulator. The braking circuit 73 includes a first chopping transistor 731 coupled to the output terminal MG1 to which an AC signal generated by the power generator 70 is output and a second chopping transistor 732 coupled to the output terminal MG2 to which an AC signal is output. Further, the output terminals MG1 and MG2 are short-circuited to be in a closed loop state by turning on each of the chopping transistors 731 and 732. As a result, a short brake is applied to the power generator 70. Each of the chopping transistors 731 and 732 is coupled to the first power line 21 side.”. (Emphasis added by the examiner.)
Therefore, the phrase “a speed regulator configured to control a rotation cycle” is being interpreted to mean “a speed regulator comprising an electric generator and braking circuit configured to control...”.
Claim 1 also recites the limitation (ln. 8) “a control unit configured to control the speed regulator”. The phrase “a control unit configured to control the speed regulator” invokes § 112(f) as insufficient structure, material and/or acts are disclosed by which this function is performed.
Support for this claim limitation may be found in the specification at para. [0023]-[0024], which state “[0023] Schematic Configuration of Watch FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the watch 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the watch 1 includes an IC 10 being a control unit, the mainspring 40 being a mechanical energy source, a speed-increasing wheel train 50 being an energy transmission device that transmits a torque of the mainspring 40, a display unit 60 that is coupled to the speed-increasing wheel train 50 to display the time, a power generator 70 that is driven by a torque transmitted via the speed-increasing wheel train 50, a crystal oscillator 80, a rectifier circuit 90, and a power supply circuit 30. As described later, the power generator 70 also functions as a speed regulator that regulates a rotation speed of the speed-increasing wheel train 50.
[0024] The IC 10 includes an oscillation circuit 11, a frequency divider circuit 12, a rotation detection circuit 13, a braking control circuit 14, a power voltage detection circuit 15, and an oscillation stop detection circuit 16. Details of each of the circuits are described later.”. (Emphasis added by the examiner.)
Therefore, the phrase “a control unit configured to control the speed regulator” is being interpreted to mean “a control unit comprising an integrated circuit configured to control the speed regulator”.
Additionally, claim 1 recites (ln. 17-18) “a detection unit configured to detect a mechanical energy amount accumulated in the mainspring”. The phrase “a detection unit configured to detect a mechanical energy amount accumulated in the mainspring” invokes § 112(f) as insufficient structure, material and/or acts are disclosed by which this function is performed.
Support for this claim limitation may be found in the specification at para. [0069], which states “[0069] In the electrically controlled mechanical watch according to the present disclosure, the power generator may include a rotor coupled to the wheel train, and the detection unit may detect the mechanical energy amount, based on a rotation speed of the rotor. With the electrically controlled mechanical watch according to the present disclosure, the rotation speed of the rotor that is detected for speed regulation control is also used for detection of the mechanical energy amount. Thus, a dedicated detection circuit for detecting the mechanical energy amount is not required, and hence the circuit configuration can be simplified.”. (Emphasis added by the examiner.)
Therefore, the phrase “a detection unit configured to detect a mechanical energy amount accumulated in the mainspring” is being interpreted to mean “a detection unit a configured to detect a mechanical energy amount accumulated in the mainspring via the speed regulator and based on a rotation speed of the rotor”.
Regarding claim 5, which recites “an oscillation unit configured to output a clock signal”. The phrase “an oscillation unit configured to output a clock signal” invokes § 112(f) as insufficient structure, material and/or acts are disclosed by which this function is performed.
Support for this claim limitation may be found in the specification at para. [0038], which states (in part) “Therefore, the crystal oscillation circuit 100 including the crystal oscillator 80 and the oscillation circuit 11 is an oscillation unit that outputs a clock signal at 32,768 Hz.”. (Emphasis added by the examiner.)
Therefore, the phrase “an oscillation unit configured to output a clock signal” is being interpreted to mean “an oscillation unit comprising a crystal oscillator and an oscillation circuit configured to output a clock signal”.
Additionally, claim 5 recites (ln. 17-18) “an oscillation stop detection unit configured to detect stop of the oscillation unit”. The phrase “an oscillation stop detection unit configured to detect stop of the oscillation unit” invokes § 112(f) as insufficient structure, material and/or acts are disclosed by which this function is performed.
Support for this claim limitation may be found in the specification at para. [0043], which states “The oscillation stop detection circuit 16 is an oscillation stop detection unit that detects oscillation stop of the crystal oscillation circuit 100 by monitoring the clock signal output from the oscillation circuit 11.”. (Emphasis added by the examiner.)
Therefore, the phrase “an oscillation stop detection unit configured to detect stop of the oscillation unit” is being interpreted to mean “an oscillation stop detection circuit configured to detect stop of the oscillation unit”.
Regarding claim 6, which recites “a voltage detection unit configured to detect a voltage”. The phrase “a voltage detection unit configured to detect a voltage” invokes § 112(f) as insufficient structure, material and/or acts are disclosed by which this function is performed.
Support for this claim limitation may be found in the specification at para. [0042], which states “The power voltage detection circuit 15 is a voltage detection unit that detects the voltage VB of the second power accumulation device 32 of the power supply circuit 30 at a predetermined cycle, based on the clock signal output from the frequency divider circuit 12.”. (Emphasis added by the examiner.)
Therefore, the phrase “a voltage detection unit configured to detect a voltage” is being interpreted to mean “a voltage detection unit comprising a power voltage detection circuit configured to detect a voltage”.
Regarding claim 8, which recites (ln. 6-7) “a speed regulator configured to control a rotation cycle of the wheel train”. As with claim 1, support is found at para [0031], and thus the same interpretation (“a speed regulator comprising an electric generator configured to control...”) will be applied to the phrase “a speed regulator configured to control a rotation cycle of the wheel train” in claim 8.
Likewise, claim 8 recites “a control unit configured to control the speed regulator”. Support being found at para. [0023]-[0024] of the specification. Thus, the limitation “a control unit configured to control the speed regulator” will be interpreted to mean “a control unit comprising an integrated circuit configured to control the speed regulator” as with claim 1 above.
If applicant does not intend to have these limitations interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitations to avoid them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koike (US 6584043, hereinafter Koike) in view of Shimizu (JP 2003255057, hereinafter Shimizu) and Tombez (US 20190187623, hereinafter Tombez).
Regarding claim 1, Koike teaches “An electrically controlled mechanical watch (col 8, ln. 51 "electronically controlled mechanical timepiece") comprising: a mainspring (col. 8, ln. 52, "mainspring"; fig. 1, element 1a); a wheel train configured to transmit mechanical energy of the mainspring (col. 8, ln. 53, "speed increasing wheel train"; fig. 1, element 7); a hand driven by the wheel train to display the time (col. 8, ln. 56-58, "hands 14, which serve as a time indicating device for indicating the time, connected to the speed increasing wheel train"; fig. 1, element 14); a speed regulator configured to control a rotation cycle of the wheel train (col. 10, ln. 2, "a rotation control device"; fig. 1, element 50); a control unit configured to control the speed regulator (col. 10, ln. 6, "a brake control circuit"; fig. 1, element 56); a power generator configured to convert the mechanical energy of the mainspring to electrical energy (col. 8, ln. 55, "a generator"; fig.1, element 20); a first power accumulation (col. 8, ln. 65, "a capacitor"; fig. 1, element 22) device configured to accumulate the electrical energy of the power generator and supply the electrical energy to the control unit (col. 11, ln.25-26, "A voltage detection circuit 32 driven by an output of the capacitor 22 is connected to the capacitor 22"; fig. 1, element 32) ... wherein in a case in which the switch is in an off state, when the detection unit detects that the mechanical energy amount exceeds a first set value (col.11, ln. 33, "a preset value Vref"), the control unit controls the switch from the off state to an on state (col. 11, ln. 33-35, "the comparator 35 outputs a signal ... which turns on the bypass circuit switch 33.”) and in a case in which the switch is in the on state, when the detection unit detects that the mechanical energy amount falls below a second set value (col. 11, ln 35-36, “When the detected voltage VSSV' is not 35 greater than the preset value Vref”), the control unit controls the switch from the on state to the off state (col. 11, ln. ).”. Specifically regarding the switching logic, Koike (col. 11, ln 25-38) teaches “A voltage detection circuit 32 driven by an output of the capacitor 22 is connected to the capacitor 22. This voltage detection circuit 32 controls the on/off state of the bypass circuit switch 33 of the bypass circuit 31 according to the voltage of the capacitor 22, and is provided 30 with a comparator 35. The comparator 35 detects the voltage input from the capacitor 22. When the detected voltage VSSV' exceeds a preset value Vref, the comparator 35 outputs a signal (low level signal) which turns on the bypass circuit switch 33. When the detected voltage VSSV' is not 35 greater than the preset value Vref, the comparator 35 outputs a signal (high level signal) which turns off the bypass circuit switch 33.” Though Koike refers to only a single preset value (Vref), modifying the switching logic to include a second set point by substituting the single setpoint comparator of Koike with a multi-setpoint comparator such as the AZV3002, TLV6710 (sometimes referred to as “window comparators”), equivalent circuitry, or adding another comparator circuit with a different setpoint to the circuitry of Koike would obtain the predictable result of using the generator output within a pre-set operating range (determined by the mainspring winding amount) to control the transfer of excess generated electrical energy to a secondary storage device. As Koike discloses the claimed invention except for a comparator with two setpoints, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to use a second comparator with a different setpoint to achieve the effect, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. (St Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8. and In re Harza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960))
Additionally, Koike teaches a dissipative circuit comprising a resistor (fig. 1, element 34) to deal with the excess electrical energy generated by the electrical generator. It would have been within the skill of a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to substitute said resistor with another component (including power storage components such as an accumulator or battery) in order to allow the timepiece to perform additional functions and, further, to prevent uncomfortable heat buildup caused by the direct dissipation of the electrical energy by the resistor.
However, Koike fails to teach “a second power accumulation device coupled to the first power accumulation device in parallel via a switch and configured to accumulate the electrical energy;” or “a detection unit configured to detect a mechanical energy amount accumulated in the mainspring”.
Shimizu teaches “a detection unit configured to detect a mechanical energy amount accumulated in the mainspring (para. [0079], "a power generation amount detection circuit"; fig. 10, element 130)”, and . Specifically, Shimizu teaches “[0079] In this embodiment, a power generation amount detection circuit 130 is provided instead of the braking amount detection circuit 110 of the first embodiment, and a voltage detection circuit 140 is provided to detect the power generation voltage of the generator, so that the remaining driving force is detected not by the braking amount but by the power generation amount; the other configurations are the same, so a description thereof will be omitted. Specifically, the generated voltage VBLD detected by the voltage detection circuit 140 is input to the generated power detection circuit 130, which is configured to detect the remaining driving force based on this voltage VBLD. That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, the remaining driving force detection process in the power generation detection circuit 130 is configured to determine the remaining driving force as being below a set value if the generated voltage is judged at 8 Hz and the generated voltage is below 0.6 V 16 or more times within 4 seconds (32 detections). Therefore, the flowchart of FIG. 11 performs the same processing as the flowchart of FIG. 7 except for determining whether the generated voltage is 0.6 V or less in S12A, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.”. (Emphasis added by the examiner.)
Additionally, Shimizu teaches an electronically controlled timepiece which uses a similar rotary electrical generation mechanism to Koike, including the mainspring, wheel train, hands, control units, detection units, and oscillator circuits. Shimizu further discusses details of the rotary generator operation including generating a reference signal and a rotation detecting signal, stating “[0029] The oscillator circuit 51 outputs an oscillation signal (32768 Hz) using a quartz oscillator 51A, which is a time standard source, and this oscillation signal is divided to a certain period by a frequency divider circuit 54 consisting of 13 stages of flip-flops. The output Q12 of the 12th stage of the frequency divider circuit 54 is output as the 8 Hz reference signal fs. [0030] The rotation detection circuit 52 is composed of a waveform shaping circuit 61 connected to the generator 2 and a mono-multivibrator 62. The waveform shaping circuit 61 is composed of an amplifier and a comparator, and converts a sine wave into a rectangular wave. The mono multivibrator 62 functions as a band-pass filter that passes only pulses having a period equal to or shorter than a certain period, and outputs a rotation detection signal FG1 from which noise has been removed.” Shimizu further discusses how this reference signal (fs) relates to the rotational speed of the rotor by stating “[0052] At this time, the input timing of the rotation detection signal FG1 relative to the reference signal fs differs depending on the rotation speed of the rotor, and therefore, particularly in a locked state in which the up counter signal and the down counter signal are input alternately and the counter value repeats between "15" and "16", if the rotation speed of the rotor is fast, the phase difference between the reference signal fs and the rotation detection signal FG1 becomes small and the time it takes for the counter value to change from "15" to "16" becomes short, so that the strong brake control time becomes longer and a greater braking force is applied. On the other hand, when the rotor rotation speed slows down, the phase difference between the reference signal fs and the rotation detection signal FG1 increases, and the time it takes for the counter value to change from "15" to "16" also becomes longer, so that the weak brake control time becomes longer and the braking force becomes smaller. Therefore, in this embodiment, the braking force can also be automatically adjusted based on the phase difference between the reference signal fs and the rotation detection signal FG1.”.
However Koike and Shimizu fail to teach “... a second power accumulation device coupled to the first power accumulation device in parallel via a switch and configured to accumulate the electrical energy; ...”.
Tombez teaches “... a second power accumulation device (para. [0113], “electric condenser”; fig. 17, element CACC) coupled to the first power accumulation device in parallel via a switch (para. [0113], “load pump”; fig. 17, element 60b) and configured to accumulate the electrical energy ...”.
Specifically, Tombez teaches “[0113] The load pump device is formed from a load pump 60b which defines a voltage booster and which is arranged between the power supply capacitor (primary storage CAL unit) and an electric condenser (secondary storage unit) so as to be able to transfer electric loads from the primary storage unit into the secondary storage unit. The load pump 60b quadruples the primary power supply voltage delivered UAL by the primary power supply such that the auxiliary power supply voltage of the electric condenser may be greater, VCA particularly double the voltage UAL. The design and functioning of such a voltage booster are well-known to those skilled in the art. The electrical diagram of an alternative embodiment is given in FIG. 18. It comprises four transfer capacitors CTR two input switches Sw1, six switches 82, three switches 84 and two output switches Sw2. To extract a certain electric load from the capacitor CAL, the switches Sw1 and 82 are closed whereas the switches Sw2 and 84 are open (the capacitors CTR are then arranged in parallel). To subsequently charge the electric condenser CACC the switches Sw1 and 82 are open whereas the switches Sw2 and 84 are closed (the capacitors CTR are then arranged in series).” Thus, the load pump acts as a switching circuit for transferring electrical energy from the primary storage (CAL) to the secondary storage (CACC) via the opening and closing of switches within the load pump circuit.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece having a rotating wheel generator, voltage detection circuitry and, and switch control of Koike and the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece having a control method which detects the level of mainspring winding via voltage detection of Shimizu, with the secondary accumulator and switching load pump of Tombez to create an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece having a rotating wheel generator wherein exists an movement regulator which transfers excess electrical energy from the electromechanical movement to a separate electrical accumulator, according to known methods, with the expected benefit of creating a spring driven electromechanical timepiece with the capability of powering auxiliary electrical/electronic functions (lighting, short range communication circuits, display lighting, etc.) of the timepiece.
This method for improving the movement and regulator with the secondary accumulator connected in parallel via a switch was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention based on the teachings of Koike.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez to obtain the invention as claimed in claim 1.
Thus the combined art of Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez make obvious the invention according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 3, Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez make obvious the invention according to claim 1 wherein Koike teaches the electronically controlled timepiece using an electric generator and switching logic, Shimizu teaches the winding up amount detection, and Tombez teaches the secondary energy storage and switching circuitry. Shimizu further teaches “the power generator includes a rotor (para. [0024], “a rotor”) and the second set value is a value at which a rotation speed of the rotor is equal to or lower than a reference speed (para. [0052], “the braking force can also be automatically adjusted based on the phase difference between the reference signal fs and the rotation detection signal FG1”).”.
Thus, the combined art of Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez make obvious the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 3.
Regarding claim 4, Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez make obvious the invention according to claim 1 wherein Koike teaches the electronically controlled timepiece using an electric generator and switching logic, Shimizu teaches the winding up amount detection, and Tombez teaches the secondary energy storage and switching circuitry. Tombez further teaches “an accumulated power amount accumulated in the second power accumulation device is greater than an accumulated power amount accumulated in the first power accumulation device (para. 0113], “the auxiliary power supply voltage of the electric condenser may be greater, particularly double the voltage.”)”. (Reference characters omitted for clarity.)
Thus, the combined art of Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez make obvious the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 4.
Regarding claim 7, Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez make obvious the invention according to claim 1 wherein Koike teaches the electronically controlled timepiece using an electric generator and switching logic, Shimizu teaches the winding up amount detection, and Tombez teaches the secondary energy storage and switching circuitry. Shimizu further teaches “the power generator includes a rotor coupled to the wheel train and the detection unit detects the mechanical energy amount, based on a rotation speed of the rotor (para. [0079], “a voltage detection circuit 140 is provided to detect the power generation voltage of the generator, so that the remaining driving force is detected not by the braking amount but by the power generation amount”)”.
Thus, the combined art of Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez make obvious the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 7.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Sakumoto (US 20120056480, hereinafter Sakumoto).
Regarding claim 5, Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez make obvious the invention according to claim 1 above, wherein Koike teaches the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece with rotary generator movement , Shimizu teaches the mechanical energy detection, and Tombez teaches the secondary energy storage device connected in parallel via a switch.
However, the combined art of Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez fail to teach “an oscillation unit configured to output a clock signal; and an oscillation stop detection unit configured to detect stop of the oscillation unit, wherein when the oscillation stop detection unit detects stop of the oscillation unit, the control unit maintains the switch in the off state.”
Sakumoto teaches “an oscillation unit configured to output a clock signal (para. [0124], "a crystal oscillation circuit"; fig. 6, element 82); and an oscillation stop detection unit configured to detect stop of the oscillation unit (para. [0128], "an oscillation stop detecting circuit"; fig. 6, element 51), wherein when the oscillation stop detection unit detects stop of the oscillation unit, the control unit maintains the switch in the off state (para. [0128], "the oscillation stop detecting circuit 51 controls an oscillation stop detection signal to have a Low level and outputs it to the reset circuit 52").”
Specifically, Sakumoto teaches “[0128] The power control unit 5 includes an oscillation stop detecting circuit 51 and a reset circuit 52. A clock signal frequency-divided by the frequency divider circuit 83 of the oscillation circuit control section 8 is input to the oscillation stop detecting circuit 51. Then, the oscillation stop detecting circuit 51 detects whether or not the oscillation circuit control section 8 has stopped an oscillation operation on the basis of the input clock signal. For example, when it is detected that the oscillation circuit control section 8 has stopped the oscillation operation, the oscillation stop detecting circuit 51 controls an oscillation stop detection signal to have a Low level and outputs it to the reset circuit 52. On the other hand, when it is detected that the oscillation circuit control section 8 does not stop the oscillation operation, the oscillation stop detecting circuit 51 controls an oscillation stop detection signal to have a High level and outputs it to the reset circuit 52.
[0129] The reset circuit 52 controls a reset signal on the basis of the output voltage of the oscillation stop detecting circuit 51 and the secondary battery 2. For example, the reset circuit 52 controls a reset signal to have a High level (resetting) when the oscillation stop detection signal input from the oscillation stop detecting circuit 51 changes to a Low level. Moreover, in a state where the reset signal is controlled to have a High level, the reset circuit 52 controls the reset signal to change from a High level to a Low level when the oscillation stop detection signal is at a High level and the output voltage of the secondary battery 2 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value (second threshold value) (resetting cancel). Here, the predetermined threshold value (second threshold value) is a voltage (potential difference) which is higher by a voltage (potential difference) set in advance than the lower-limit voltage (potential difference) at which the oscillation circuit control section 8 can oscillate a basic clock.
[0130] In addition, the power control unit 5 outputs the reset signal controlled by this reset circuit 52 to the timepiece control section 9 and the operation input unit 7. That is, the power control unit 5 outputs the High-level reset signal from the reset circuit 52 to the timepiece control section 9 and the operation input unit 7 for transition of the timepiece device 100 to the power saving mode. On the other hand, the power control unit 5 outputs the Low-level reset signal from the reset circuit 52 to the timepiece control section 9 and the operation input unit 7 for transition of the timepiece device 100 from the power saving mode to the normal operation mode.
[0131] When the input reset signal is at a Low level, the timepiece control section 9 executes an operation of controlling the timepiece device 100 which is not reset (normal operation mode). On the other hand, when the input reset signal is at a High level, the timepiece control section 9 is reset to stop its operation (power saving mode). In addition, when the input reset signal is at a Low level, the operation input unit 7 performs control to pull down or pull up the signal input from the operating unit 6 (normal operation mode). On the other hand, when the input reset signal is at a High level, the operation input unit 7 performs control so as not to pull down or pull up the signal input from the operating unit 6 (power saving mode).
[0132] That is, when the oscillation of the basic clock is stopped by the oscillation circuit control section 8, the power control unit 5 controls the timepiece control section 9 of the control unit 10 so as not to execute a predetermined operation (operation set in advance) and performs transition of the operation input unit 7 to the power saving mode in which the signal input from the operating unit 6 is controlled so as not to be pulled down or pulled up. In addition, when the timepiece device 100 is in a power saving mode, the power control unit 5 determines whether or not the output voltage of the secondary battery 2 is equal to or higher than the second threshold value. When it is determined that the output voltage of the secondary battery 2 is equal to or higher than the second threshold value, the power control unit 5 controls the timepiece control section 9 of the control unit 10 to execute a predetermined operation (operation set in advance) and performs transition of the operation input unit 7 to the normal operation mode in which the signal input from the operating unit 6 is controlled to be pulled down or pulled up.”
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece taught by the combined art of Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez with the oscillation stop detection and switching control of Sakumoto with the expected benefit preventing charging of the secondary energy storage device when the detected mechanical storage energy amount is below a threshold to extend the operation of the mechanical movement as long as possible until there is a sufficient mechanical storage amount to allow charging of the secondary energy storage.
This method for improving the movement and regulator with the secondary accumulator connected in parallel via a switch was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention based on the teachings of Koike.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Koike, Shimizu, Tombez, and Sakumoto to obtain the invention as claimed in claim 5.
Thus the combined art of Koike, Shimizu, Tombez, and Sakumoto makes obvious the invention according to claim 5.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koike in view of Shimizu, and Tombez.
Regarding claim 8, Koike teaches ““An electrically controlled mechanical watch (col 8, ln. 51 "electronically controlled mechanical timepiece") comprising: a mainspring (col. 8, ln. 52, "mainspring"; fig. 1, element 1a); wheel train configured to transmit mechanical energy of the mainspring (col. 8, ln. 53, "speed increasing wheel train"; fig. 1, element 7); a hand driven by the wheel train to display the time (col. 8, ln. 56-58, "hands 14, which serve as a time indicating device for indicating the time, connected to the speed increasing wheel train"; fig. 1, element 14); a speed regulator configured to control a rotation cycle of the wheel train (col. 10, ln. 2, "a rotation control device"; fig. 1, element 50); a control unit configured to control the speed regulator (col. 10, ln. 6, "a brake control circuit"; fig. 1, element 56); a power generator configured to convert the mechanical energy of the mainspring to electrical energy (col. 8, ln. 55, "a generator"; fig.1, element 20); a first power accumulation device configured to accumulate the electrical energy of the power generator and supply the electrical energy to the control unit (col. 8, ln. 65, "a capacitor"; fig. 1, element 22); ... ; and a switch arranged between the first power accumulation device (col. 11, ln. 7-8, "a bypass circuit switch", fig. 1, element 33) ... , wherein when a winding-up amount of the mainspring exceeds a predetermined value (col 11, ln 32-33, "When the detected voltage VSSV' exceeds a preset value Vref"), the switch is switched from an off state to an on state (col 11, ln. 33-35, "the comparator outputs a signal ... which turns on the bypass circuit switch"), ... and when the winding-up amount of the mainspring falls below the predetermined value (col 11, ln. 35-36, "When the detected voltage VSSV' is not greater than the preset value Vref"), the switch is switched from the on state to the off state (col 11, ln. 36-38, "the comparator ... turns off the bypass circuit switch"), ...”.
Koike fails to teach that the coupling via the switch occurs based upon “... a winding-up amount of the mainspring ...”, “a second power accumulation device”, or that the switch is “configured to switch a coupling state between the first power accumulation device and the second power accumulation device”.
Shimizu teaches detection of “a winding-up amount of the mainspring (para. [0079], "a power generation amount detection circuit"; fig. 10, element 130)” and performing switching operations based upon that winding up amount. Thus the winding up detection of Shimizu can be applied to the switching logic of Koike to control switching.
Shimizu fails to teach “a second power accumulation device coupled to the first power accumulation device in parallel and configured to accumulate the electrical energy”.
Tombez teaches “a second power accumulation device (para. [0113], “electric condenser”; fig. 7, element CACC) coupled to the first power accumulation device in parallel and configured to accumulate the electrical energy”. Tombez also teaches “a switch arranged between the first power accumulation device and the second power accumulation device and configured to switch a coupling state between the first power accumulation device and the second power accumulation device (para. [0113], "load pump"; fig.18, element 60b)”.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece having a rotating wheel generator, voltage detection circuitry and, and switch control of Koike and the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece having a control method which detects the level of mainspring winding via voltage detection of Shimizu, with the secondary accumulator and switching load pump of Tombez to create an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece having a rotating wheel generator wherein exists an movement regulator which transfers excess electrical energy from the electromechanical movement to a separate electrical accumulator, according to known methods, with the expected benefit of creating a spring driven electromechanical timepiece with the capability of powering auxiliary electrical/electronic functions (lighting, short range communication circuits, display lighting, etc.) of the timepiece.
This method for improving the movement and regulator with the secondary accumulator connected in parallel via a switch was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention based on the teachings of Koike.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez to obtain the invention as claimed in claim 8.
Thus the combined art of Koike, Shimizu, and Tombez make obvious the invention according to claim 8.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 6 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim (independent claim 1), but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Likewise, the limitations recited by dependent claim 6 would need to be incorporated into claim 8 to overcome the rejection thereof. Additionally, minor modifications to the claim language would need to be made to claim 1 to disambiguate the “detection unit” for the winding amount and the “voltage detection unit” of claim 6 in order to prevent potential indefiniteness rejections under 35 USC § 112(b).
The examiner would gladly agree to an interview with the applicant’s representative to discuss the above modifications and advance the prosecution of the application.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Hara – US 6367699 – Timepiece – Discloses an early version of the spring driven rotary generator movement used in the instant application as well as the art of Koike and Shimizu.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL J WALKER whose telephone number is (571)270-7599. The examiner can normally be reached from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM ET Monday through Friday.
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/MICHAEL JAMES WALKER/ Examiner, Art Unit 2844
/REGIS J BETSCH/ SPE, Art Unit 2844