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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/12/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's argument in the reply filed on 12/11/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that Species I and II have the same major technological features and are not distinct from each other and should not be subject to restriction requirement. This is found persuasive and restriction requirement dated on 11/21/2025 is now withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 17-19 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.
Claim 17 recites “The electronic device according to claim 9…”. There is a lack of antecedent basis. In order to examine this application, examiner will assume the limitation is “The electronic device according to claim 10…”.
Claim 18 recites “The electronic device according to claim 9…”. There is a lack of antecedent basis. In order to examine this application, examiner will assume the limitation is “The electronic device according to claim 10…”.
Claim 19 depends on claim 18.
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.
Claims 1-5, 7-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kuo (US 8,714,670).
Regarding claim 1, Kuo discloses a buffer module (Figs. 1-3), comprising:
a main body (20, Figs. 1-2);
a driven component (113, Figs. 2-3), movably disposed on the main body and moved relatively to the main body; and
a sliding assembly (114, 115, Fig. 3), slidably disposed on the main body, wherein the sliding assembly is used to contact the driven component (1154 of 115 contacting 113 as shown in Fig. 3), so as to suppress the movement of the driven component (1154 suppress movement of 113).
Regarding claim 2, Kuo discloses the buffer module according to claim 1, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly comprises a sliding component (1153, Fig. 3) and a counterweight component (same as 114, which serves as counterweight against resilient member 1155 when chassis 10 is pulled or pushed by user in Fig. 3), the sliding component is slidably disposed on the main body (col. 2, lns. 34-42: “…the receiving member 1153 is moved away from the fixing plate 114…”; note 1153 moves/slides left and right in Fig. 3), and the counterweight component is disposed on the sliding component (as shown in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 3, Kuo discloses the buffer module according to claim 2, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly further comprises an elastic component (1155, Fig. 3), and the elastic component is connected between the counterweight component and the main body (as shown in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 4, Kuo discloses the buffer module according to claim 1, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly is equipped with a buffer portion (same as 1154, 11543, Fig. 3), the buffer portion is adjacent to the driven component (113), and the buffer portion is used to contact the driven component to decelerate the movement of the driven component (11543 decelerate rotational movement of 113).
Regarding claim 5, Kuo discloses the buffer module according to claim 4, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly comprises a sliding component (1153, Fig. 3) and a connection rod (1151, Fig. 3), the sliding component is slidably disposed on the main body (col. 2, lns. 34-42: “…the receiving member 1153 is moved away from the fixing plate 114…”; note 1153 move/slides left and right in Fig. 3), the connection rod is movably connected to the main body and the sliding component (col. 1, ln. 65- col. 2, ln. 42: “…stop member 1154 set around the shaft 1151 and movably received in the receiving member 1153…”), and the buffer portion is disposed at one end of the connection rod away from the sliding component (1154 connected on 1151 away from 1153 as shown in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 7, Kuo discloses the buffer module according to claim 1, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly is equipped with a stopper (same as 1154, Fig. 3), the stopper is adjacent to the driven component, and the stopper is used to contact the driven component to stop the movement of the driven component (11541 of 1154 stop 113 from moving toward right in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 8, Kuo discloses the buffer module according to claim 7, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly comprises a sliding component (11533, Fig. 3) and a connection rod (1151, Fig. 3), the connection rod is movably connected to the main body and the sliding component (col. 2, lns. 34-42: “…the receiving member 1153 is moved away from the fixing plate 114…”; note 11533 move/slides left and right in Fig. 3 and 1151 movably connected to 20 and 11533), and the stopper is disposed at one end of the connection rod far from the sliding component (1154 is disposed at left end of 1151 far from 11533 as shown in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 9, Kuo discloses the buffer module according to claim 1, and Kuo further discloses wherein the driven component is a gear and is rotatably disposed on the main body (113 is a gear and rotatable on 20).
Regarding claim 10, Kuo discloses an electronic device (Figs. 1-3), comprising:
a device body (100, Fig. 1);
an electronic assembly (10, Fig. 1), detachably installed on the device body (detached as shown in Figs. 1-2); and
a buffer module (20, 113, 114, 115, Figs. 1-3), disposed on a surface of the electronic assembly (as shown in Figs. 1-2) and comprising:
a main body (20, Figs. 1-2);
a driven component (113, Figs. 2-3), movably disposed on the main body; and
a sliding assembly (114, 1151, 1154, Fig. 3), slidably disposed on the main body, wherein the sliding assembly is used to contact the driven component (1154 contacting 113 as shown in Fig. 3), so as to suppress the movement of the driven component (1154 suppress movement of 113).
Regarding claim 11, Kuo discloses the electronic device according to claim 10, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly comprises a sliding component (1153, Fig. 3) and a counterweight component (same as 114, which serves as counterweight against resilient member 1155 when chassis 10 is pulled or pushed by user in Fig. 3), the sliding component is slidably disposed at the main body (col. 2, lns. 34-42: “…the receiving member 1153 is moved away from the fixing plate 114…”; note 1153 moves/slides left and right in Fig. 3), and the counterweight component is disposed at the sliding component (as shown in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 12, Kuo discloses the electronic device according to claim 11, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly further comprises an elastic component (1155, Fig. 3), and the elastic component is connected between the counterweight component and the main body (as shown in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 13, Kuo discloses the electronic device according to claim 10, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly is equipped with a buffer portion (same as 1154, 11543, Fig. 3), the buffer portion is adjacent to the driven component (113), and the buffer portion is used to contact the driven component to decelerate the movement of the driven component (11543 decelerate rotational movement of 113).
Regarding claim 14, Kuo discloses the electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the sliding assembly comprises a sliding component (1153, Fig. 3) and a connection rod (1151, Fig. 3), the sliding component is slidably disposed on the main body (col. 2, lns. 34-42: “…the receiving member 1153 is moved away from the fixing plate 114…”; note 1153 move/slides left and right in Fig. 3), the connection rod is movably connected to the main body and the sliding component (col. 1, ln. 65- col. 2, ln. 42: “…stop member 1154 set around the shaft 1151 and movably received in the receiving member 1153…”), and the buffer portion is disposed at one end of the connection rod away from the sliding component (1154 connected on 1151 away from 1153 as shown in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 15, Kuo discloses the electronic device according to claim 10, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly is equipped with a stopper (same as 1154, Fig. 3), the stopper is adjacent to the driven component, and the stopper is used to contact the driven component to stop the movement of the driven component (11541 of 1154, stop 113 from moving toward right in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 16, Kuo discloses the electronic device according to claim 15, and Kuo further discloses wherein the sliding assembly comprises a sliding component (11533, Fig. 3) and a connection rod (1151, Fig. 3), the sliding component is slidably disposed on the main body (col. 2, lns. 34-42: “…the receiving member 1153 is moved away from the fixing plate 114…”; note 11533 move/slides left and right in Fig. 3), the connection rod is movably connected to the main body and the sliding component (1151 movably connected to 20 and 11533), and the stopper is disposed at one end of the connection rod far from the sliding component (1154 is disposed at left end of 1151 far from 11533 as shown in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 17 as best understood, Kuo discloses the electronic device according to claim 10, and Kuo further discloses a rack (21, Fig. 3), wherein the rack is disposed on the device body (21 on 100 after assembled), the driven component is a gear and is rotatably disposed on the main body, and the gear is engaged with the rack (113 is a gear and rotatable on 21 as shown in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 18 as best understood, Kuo discloses the electronic device according to claim 10, and Kuo further discloses a deceleration module (same as 1155, Fig. 3), wherein the electronic assembly (10) is equipped with a leaning portion (same as 11542, which leans toward 1155; col. 1, ln. 65-col. 2, ln. 18: “…resilient member 1155 abuts against the stepped portion 11542 and the receiving member 1153…”), and the electronic assembly is used to contact the deceleration module through the leaning portion to decelerate the electronic assembly (will decelerate due to friction of 11543 and compression of resilient member 1155).
Regarding claim 20, Kuo discloses a buffer module (20, 113, 114, 115, Figs. 1-3), disposed on an electronic assembly (10, Fig. 1), the electronic assembly being used to move along a moving direction (direction along length direction of 20, Figs. 1-2), the buffer module comprising:
a main body (20, Figs. 1-2);
a driven component (113, Figs. 2-3), movably disposed on the main body and used to move relatively to the main body (refer to Figs. 1-3); and
a sliding assembly (114, 1151, 1153, 1154, Fig. 3), comprising:
a sliding component (1153, Fig. 3), slidably disposed on the main body and used to move relatively to the driven component in a direction opposite to the moving direction and contact the driven component (col. 2, lns. 34-42: “…the receiving member 1153 is moved away from the fixing plate 114…”; note 1153 moves/slides left and right in Fig. 3 and 114 is fixed to 10), so as to suppress the movement of the driven component (1154 via 1153 suppress movement of 113).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is 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.
Claim 19 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Re claim 6, prior arts do not teach or suggest the combination of the buffer module according to claim 6, in particular, wherein the connection rod has a first connection portion and a second connection portion, and the connection rod is connected to the sliding component through the first connection portion and is rotatably connected to the main body through the second connection portion.
Re claim 19, prior arts do not teach or suggest the combination of the electronic device according to claim 19, in particular, wherein the deceleration module comprises a contact component and an elastic component, the contact component is slidably disposed on the device body, the elastic component is connected between the contact component and the device body, and the leaning portion of the electronic assembly is used to push against the contact component.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES WU whose telephone number is (571)270-7974. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00AM - 5:00PM.
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/JAMES WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841