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 .
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by JP2020064194.
Regarding claim 1, JP2020064194 discloses an electronic keyboard instrument comprising: a casing (3,5); a keyboard having multiple keys (2) which are provided to be exposed from the casing (3,5); a sound emitting unit (64) provided inside the casing (3,5); and multiple ribs (35) provided between the keyboard and the sound emitting unit (64)(figure 2, paragraph 17) at a position corresponding to at least one of the multiple keys ((21)(see the position in figure 2), wherein at least a part of spaces between the multiple ribs (35) has an opening (see figure 2), and wherein a communication passage (P) is formed in the casing in such a manner as to extend from the sound emitting unit (64) to reach a key gap between the multiple keys by way of the opening (see figure 2).
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 2-7, 10, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP2020064194 in view of JP2021015253.
Regarding claim 2, JP2020064194 discloses wherein the communication passage comprises a first communication passage configured to extend from the sound
emitting unit (64) to reach the opening (see figure 2).
JP2020064194 does not disclose the specific path as recited by the applicant.
JP2021015253 discloses an electronic musical instrument with a path (S2) between the speaker (7), the opening, and the path (S3) between the multiple keys (see figure 9).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time invention was made to modify the device as disclosed in JP2020064194 to include the specific opening and path as recited in JP2021015253 in order to provide a communications pathway for the speaker.
Regarding claim 3, JP2020064194 also discloses hammers corresponding individually to the multiple keys, wherein the multiple ribs are provided at a position
corresponding to at least one of the hammers (paragraph 14 and 37, figure 2 and 4, paragraph 20).
Regarding claim 4, JP2020064194 discloses a support unit provided below the keyboard (lower case 3) to support the keyboard.
JP2020064194 does not disclose wherein the multiple ribs are provided on the support unit.
JP2021015253 discloses an electronic musical instrument wherein the multiple ribs (33, 333, and 332) are provided on a support unit (3)(see figure 5b).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time invention was made to modify the device as disclosed in JP2020064194 to include the specific opening and path as recited in JP2021015253 in order to provide a support means for the keys.
Regarding claim 5, JP2020064194 discloses wherein the multiple ribs (35) are provided in such a manner that the multiple ribs are erected substantially vertical.
JP2020064194 does not disclose a corresponding means to the keys.
JP2021015253 further discloses ribs (33, 333, and 332) on a support unit at a position corresponding to at least one of the multiple keys.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the device as disclosed in JP2020064194 to include the ribs as recited in JP2021015253 in order to reinforce the keys.
Regarding claim 6, JP2020064194 discloses an electronic keyboard instrument
wherein the casing (3,5) comprises a lower surface plate on an upper surface of which the support unit is disposed (see figure 7a, 7b, paragraph 28 and 29), and wherein the communication passage comprises an inclined surface in which an angle formed between the lower surface plate and itself constitutes an angle of elevation and configured to incline from a back of the casing to a front of the casing (see paragraph 17 and figure 2).
Regarding claim 7, JP2020064194 discloses an electronic keyboard instrument
instrument wherein an inclination angle of the inclined surface is set at an angle at which the key gap is positioned on an orbital path of at least a part of reflection sound reflected on the inclined surface (see figure 7a, 7b; paragraphs 28-29).
Regarding claim 10, JP2021015253 discloses wherein the sound emitting unit (7) and a portion of the key gap (S) which is situated at a key distal end of the key (11) are provided in a position where the sound emitting unit (7) and the portion of the key gap do not overlap each other in a vertical direction in a cross-sectional view of the electronic keyboard instrument (see figure 9).
JP2011028034 discloses (see figure 3)Regarding claim 11, JP2021015253 discloses an electronic keyboard instrument
wherein a back communication passage (S1-S2) is formed in the casing, the back communication passage being configured to communicate from the sound emitting unit (7) to a portion situated further backwards than a portion of the key (11) which is situated at a key back end of the key (11) and on an upper surface side of the keyboard (see the position figure 9).
Claims 8 and 9 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIMBERLY R LOCKETT whose telephone number is (571)272-2067. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-5:00 pm M-F.
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/KIMBERLY R LOCKETT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837