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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in the People’s Republic of China as application CN202320947245.X on 4/24/2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN202320947245.X application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
The attempt by the Office to electronically retrieve CN202320947245.X has failed. See the Priority Document Exchange Failure Status Report dated 9/24/2024.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of group I, claims 1-21 in the reply filed on 11/17/2025 is acknowledged.
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.
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 limitation(s) uses 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. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
“turning peeling portion” in claim 1. The specification discloses corresponding structure in paragraph 0062 that “a turning peeling portion 86 is arranged at the sticker output port 73, and the turning peeling portion 86 serves to guide the liner paper to be conveyed in a direction different from the travel direction of the sticker such that the sticker is peeled off from the liner paper.” Paragraph 0063 discloses that “an upper surface of the turning peeling portion 86 is arranged with an inclined surface 86a inclined to the upper left, such that the turning peeling portion 86 is warped to the upper left” Figure 7 shows the upper and inclined surface.
“at least one end portion” in claim 3. The specification discloses this is a subportion of the turning peeling portion in a width direction. See paragraph 0050.
“conveying resistance increasing portion” in claim 4 and “at least one protruding portion” in claim 5. The specification discloses that “The conveying resistance increasing portion 74 may be at least one protruding portion extending downwardly from the top wall of the base 71, or it may be a continuous concave-convex undulating surface formed by multiple protruding portions. The protruding portions serve to tension the liner paper by pressing downwardly against the liner paper.” See also claim 6, reciting the concave-convex undulating surface.
“rotation resistance increasing portion” in claim 9. The specification discloses corresponding structure in paragraph 0054, which discloses that “The rotation resistance increasing portion 92 is a friction block in frictional contact with a shaft end face of the winding shaft 88. In the embodiments, the friction block may be a flexible friction block made of sponge or rubber, or other flexible material, which, when rubbing against the end surface of the winding shaft 88, can increase the resistance to rotation of the winding shaft 88, thereby preventing unwinding of the wound liner paper.” See also claim 10, which claims the corresponding structure.
“separable coupling structure” in claim 12. The specification discloses corresponding structure in paragraph 0076, which discloses that “In conjunction with FIGS. 12 and 14, the coupling structure includes a shaft portion 271, and a hole portion 881 that is transmission-fit to the shaft portion 271.” See also claim 14, which claims the corresponding structure.
“locking mechanism” in claim 17. The specification discloses corresponding structure in paragraph 0060 which is that “The locking mechanism on the main body 10 includes a movable snap 40, the movable snap 40 including a push rod 43, and the push rod 43 is arranged with a hook 42.”
“control unit” in claim 18. The specification discloses corresponding structure in paragraph 0082, which discloses that “the control module including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program”.
“timing unit” in claim 21. The specification discloses corresponding structure in paragraph 0086, disclosing “a time countdown interface of the training time on the display module” and therefore a person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the structure is a timer that can be displayed such as a timer or timing function in the disclosed “control module including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program”.
“user interface portion” in claim 21. The specification discloses corresponding structure in paragraph 0095 can be “The operation part 14 may be a key, a touch part, or an electronic device, where the key may be a mechanical key, the touch part may be a commonly used touch screen or touch pad, and the electronic device may be a mobile phone or a tablet computer, etc. In the embodiments, the operation portion 14 further functions as a power button, and pressing the operation portion 14 will illuminate the screen, causing the sticker dispensing device 100 to be in an operable working state.”
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/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 it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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) 1-3 and 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Watanabe (US 20100200166 A1).
As to claim 1, Watanabe discloses A sticker output box (drawer unit 105 and 106), constructed to be detachably mounted to a box mounting structure of a sticker dispensing device (label printer 100 and/or housing 102); wherein a sticker (“labels 113”) is peelably affixed to a liner paper (“base sheet 114”) and coiled into a sticker roll (“roll paper”), and the sticker output box comprises:
a box body (“drawer units 105 and 106”), comprising a sticker compartment for positioning the sticker roll (visible in Figures 2 and 3); and
a winding shaft (“a sheet holding shaft 117”), configured to be rotatable (paragraph 0030, disclosing “base sheet winding shaft 119 rotates”) when in contact with the liner paper to wind the liner paper;
wherein the box body further comprises a liner conveying path (the path from “label sheet 112” to “base sheet winding shaft 119”), a sticker output port (“issue port 105b”), and a turning peeling portion (“label peeling section 121”); the turning peeling portion is arranged on the liner conveying path and is disposed at the sticker output port, and the turning peeling portion is configured to cause the sticker to be peeled off of the liner paper by conveying the liner paper in a direction different from a travel direction of the sticker (see paragraph 0030, disclosing “The drawer unit 105 includes the label peeling section 121 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 respectively in positions where the base sheet winding shaft 119 winds the base sheet 114 and bends the base sheet 114 at an acute angle in a portion where the label peeling section 121 is provided.”).
See the above cited components in Figures 2 and 3, below:
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See paragraphs 0019-30, reprinted below:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the external appearance of a label printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The label printer 100 includes a housing 102 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The label printer 100 includes, on the upper surface of the housing 102, an operation panel 103 including various keys such as a ten key and a display 104 as a display unit having a liquid crystal display. The label printer 100 includes an opening on the front side of the housing 102. The label printer 100 houses, in the opening, two drawer units 105 and 106 side by side.
[0020] The drawer units 105 and 106 of the label printer 100 include front panels 105a and 106a in front thereof. The front panels 105a and 106a include issue ports 105b and 106b opened in upper parts thereof. The front panels 105a and 106a include gripping sections 105c and 106c in lower parts thereof. In the label printer 100, the drawer units 105 and 106 are supported by the housing 102 and drawn out or housed in the front direction. With such a configuration, an operator can draw out the drawer units 105 and 106 from the housing 102 gripping the gripping sections 105c and 106c.
[0021] In FIG. 1, an apparatus arranged adjacent to the front of the label printer 100 is a measuring apparatus 108. The measuring apparatus 108 includes a main body apparatus 109 having a flat shape and a measuring plate 110 attached to the upper surface of the main body apparatus 109. The main body apparatus 109 has a function of measuring the weight of an article placed on the measuring plate 110 and outputting measurement data of the article. The measuring apparatus 108 is electrically connected to the label printer 100. The measuring apparatus 108 outputs the measurement data, which is output from the main body apparatus 109, to the label printer 100.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the label printer 100 in a state in which the drawer unit 105 is housed in the housing 102. In FIG. 2, one drawer unit 105 located on the right side viewed from the front side of the label printer 100 of the two drawer units 105 and 106 is shown. The other drawer unit 106 located on the left side is configured to be symmetrical to the drawer unit 105 shown in FIG. 2. In the following explanation, only the drawer unit 105 located on the right side is explained. Explanation of the drawer unit 106 located on the left side is omitted.
[0023] In this embodiment, a label sheet 112 used for the drawer unit 105 is roll paper wound around in a roll shape. On the label sheet 112, a plurality of labels 113 are linearly stuck to a long base sheet 114. The label sheet 112 is wound round a paper pipe 115 in a roll shape. The labels 113 of the label sheet 112 are thermally sensitive labels that develop colors when heated.
[0024] The drawer unit 105 includes a sheet holding shaft 117, a platen 118, and a base sheet winding shaft 119. The sheet holding shaft 117 holds the label sheet 112 with the paper pipe 115 inserted therein. The base sheet winding shaft 119 winds the base sheet 114 of the label sheet 112. A sidewall 120 of the drawer unit 105 supports the sheet holding shaft 117, the platen 118, and the base sheet winding shaft 119 in a cantilever state. The sheet holding shaft 117 and the platen 118 and a label peeling section 121 and a base sheet winding shaft 119 explained later form a guide path 122 for the label sheet 112 extending from the sheet holding shaft 117 to the base sheet winding shaft 119 in the drawer unit 105.
[0025] The drawer unit 105 includes the label peeling section 121. The label peeling section 121 is located near a downstream side in a sheet conveying direction of the platen 118 in the guide path 122. The label peeling section 121 bends only the base sheet 114 of the label sheet 112 at an acute angle in a direction away from the labels 113. The drawer unit 105 peels off printed labels 113 from the base sheet 114 with the label peeling section 121 and issues the labels 113 from the issue port 105b. The drawer unit 105 bends the base sheet 114 from which the printed labels 113 are peeled off by the label peeling section 121 and guides the base sheet 114 to the base sheet winding shaft 119.
[0026] The sheet holding shaft 117 is horizontally supported in a cantilever state on the sidewall 120 of the drawer unit 105 as explained above and holds the label sheet 112 while being inserted in the paper pipe 115 of the label sheet 112. In other words, the sidewall 120 is an aligning section configured to align a first end face 112a, which is one end face of the label sheet 112, and function as a reference plane for printing. The sheet holding shaft 117 functions as a sheet holding section configured to rotatably hold the label sheet 112 wound in a roll shape with reference to an end face aligned by the sidewall 120 serving as the reference plane.
[0027] A pivoting member 302 as an interfering body urges a second end face 112b facing the opposite side (the front side in FIG. 2) of the sidewall 120 side (the depth side in FIG. 2) of the label sheet 112 held by the sheet holding shaft 117 with the paper pipe 115 inserted therein. Consequently, the label sheet 112 is pushed in the width direction of the label sheet 112 (an axis direction of the sheet holding shaft 117). On the other hand, the first end face 112a of the label sheet 112 comes into contact with the sidewall 120 serving as the reference surface for printing. In this way, the sidewall 120 and the pivoting member 302 nip the label sheet 112 to thereby regulate the movement of the roll paper that is about to move in the width direction when drawn out along the guide path 122.
[0028] The pivoting member 302 is pivotably attached to the distal end of an arm main section 303, which forms a part of a roll paper holding mechanism 301, via a pivoting member pivoting shaft 307. The arm main section 303 pivots and interferes with the second end face 112b of the label sheet 112, whereby the pivoting member 302 is rotated and displaced.
[0029] In the drawer unit 105, the platen 118 is arranged below the guide path 122. The platen 118 rotates with driving force received from a platen motor (not shown) via a gear train (not shown) and applies conveying force to the label sheet 112 on the guide path 122. The platen 118 draws out, with the conveying force, the label sheet 112 held by the sheet holding shaft 117 along the guide path 122. In this way, the platen 118, the platen motor, and the gear string function as a conveying section configured to draw out the label sheet 112 and convey the label sheet 112 along the guide path 122.
[0030] The base sheet winding shaft 119 rotates with driving force received from a winding motor (not shown) via a gear train (not shown) arrayed on the rear side of the sidewall 120. The base sheet winding shaft 119 winds, according to the rotation, only the base sheet 114 of the label sheet 112 that finishes passing the label peeling section 121. The drawer unit 105 includes the label peeling section 121 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 respectively in positions where the base sheet winding shaft 119 winds the base sheet 114 and bends the base sheet 114 at an acute angle in a portion where the label peeling section 121 is provided.
As to claim 2, Watanabe discloses both wherein the turning peeling portion extends into the sticker output port; or, the turning peeling portion protrudes out of the sticker output port (see paragraph 0039, in the description of Figure 5, which recites “the label peeling section 121 projects to the issue port 105b”). Figure 2 as cited above shows wherein the turning peeling portion extends into the sticker output port, and Figure 5 shows the turning peeling portion protrudes out of the sticker output port.
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As to claim 3, Watanabe discloses wherein at least one end portion of the turning peeling portion in a width direction of the liner paper is formed with a loading port (via the open side of the drawer unit), and the liner paper is configured to be loaded into between the turning peeling portion and the sticker output port from the loading port. See Figures 2, 3 and 5 above. See also paragraph 0033, disclosing:
[0033] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the state in which the drawer unit 105 is drawn out from the housing 102. The drawer unit 105 includes a side frame 130 having the sidewall 120 as described previously and a bottom frame 131 forming the bottom. The drawer unit 105 fixedly includes the side frame 130 on one side of the bottom frame 131. The other side is opened. Therefore, the drawer unit 105 assumes a substantially L-shape viewed from the front side. The sidewall 120 of the side frame 130 supports, in parallel to the bottom frame 131, the sheet holding shaft 117, the platen 118, the label peeling section 121, and the base sheet winding shaft 119 in a cantilever state. The drawer unit 105 slidably supports both side sections of the bottom frame 131 in the housing 102 via the rails 111.
As to claim 12, Watanabe discloses a sticker dispending device (label printer 100 and/or housing 102), wherein a sticker (labels 113) is peelably affixed to a liner paper (base sheet 114), and the sticker dispending device comprises:
a main body (housing 102), arranged with a motor (Paragraph 0029, “The platen 118 rotates with driving force received from a platen motor (not shown) via a gear train (not shown)”; paragraph 0030, disclosing “a winding motor (not shown) via a gear train (not shown)”); wherein the motor is configured to output rotation power; and (
a sticker output box (drawer unit 105 and 106), comprising a winding shaft (sheet holding shaft 117);
wherein the winding shaft is configured to wind the liner paper from which the sticker is peeled off (see paragraph 0029, disclosing “The platen 118 draws out, with the conveying force, the label sheet 112 held by the sheet holding shaft 117 along the guide path 122”);
wherein the sticker output box is separably combined with the main body (see Figure 3, showing the uncombined state; as contrasted with Figure 1), and the winding shaft and the motor are connected through a separable coupling structure (“the gear train”, see paragraphs 0029-30).
See the above cited components in Figures 2 and 3, below:
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See paragraphs 0019-30, reprinted below:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the external appearance of a label printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The label printer 100 includes a housing 102 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The label printer 100 includes, on the upper surface of the housing 102, an operation panel 103 including various keys such as a ten key and a display 104 as a display unit having a liquid crystal display. The label printer 100 includes an opening on the front side of the housing 102. The label printer 100 houses, in the opening, two drawer units 105 and 106 side by side.
[0020] The drawer units 105 and 106 of the label printer 100 include front panels 105a and 106a in front thereof. The front panels 105a and 106a include issue ports 105b and 106b opened in upper parts thereof. The front panels 105a and 106a include gripping sections 105c and 106c in lower parts thereof. In the label printer 100, the drawer units 105 and 106 are supported by the housing 102 and drawn out or housed in the front direction. With such a configuration, an operator can draw out the drawer units 105 and 106 from the housing 102 gripping the gripping sections 105c and 106c.
[0021] In FIG. 1, an apparatus arranged adjacent to the front of the label printer 100 is a measuring apparatus 108. The measuring apparatus 108 includes a main body apparatus 109 having a flat shape and a measuring plate 110 attached to the upper surface of the main body apparatus 109. The main body apparatus 109 has a function of measuring the weight of an article placed on the measuring plate 110 and outputting measurement data of the article. The measuring apparatus 108 is electrically connected to the label printer 100. The measuring apparatus 108 outputs the measurement data, which is output from the main body apparatus 109, to the label printer 100.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the label printer 100 in a state in which the drawer unit 105 is housed in the housing 102. In FIG. 2, one drawer unit 105 located on the right side viewed from the front side of the label printer 100 of the two drawer units 105 and 106 is shown. The other drawer unit 106 located on the left side is configured to be symmetrical to the drawer unit 105 shown in FIG. 2. In the following explanation, only the drawer unit 105 located on the right side is explained. Explanation of the drawer unit 106 located on the left side is omitted.
[0023] In this embodiment, a label sheet 112 used for the drawer unit 105 is roll paper wound around in a roll shape. On the label sheet 112, a plurality of labels 113 are linearly stuck to a long base sheet 114. The label sheet 112 is wound round a paper pipe 115 in a roll shape. The labels 113 of the label sheet 112 are thermally sensitive labels that develop colors when heated.
[0024] The drawer unit 105 includes a sheet holding shaft 117, a platen 118, and a base sheet winding shaft 119. The sheet holding shaft 117 holds the label sheet 112 with the paper pipe 115 inserted therein. The base sheet winding shaft 119 winds the base sheet 114 of the label sheet 112. A sidewall 120 of the drawer unit 105 supports the sheet holding shaft 117, the platen 118, and the base sheet winding shaft 119 in a cantilever state. The sheet holding shaft 117 and the platen 118 and a label peeling section 121 and a base sheet winding shaft 119 explained later form a guide path 122 for the label sheet 112 extending from the sheet holding shaft 117 to the base sheet winding shaft 119 in the drawer unit 105.
[0025] The drawer unit 105 includes the label peeling section 121. The label peeling section 121 is located near a downstream side in a sheet conveying direction of the platen 118 in the guide path 122. The label peeling section 121 bends only the base sheet 114 of the label sheet 112 at an acute angle in a direction away from the labels 113. The drawer unit 105 peels off printed labels 113 from the base sheet 114 with the label peeling section 121 and issues the labels 113 from the issue port 105b. The drawer unit 105 bends the base sheet 114 from which the printed labels 113 are peeled off by the label peeling section 121 and guides the base sheet 114 to the base sheet winding shaft 119.
[0026] The sheet holding shaft 117 is horizontally supported in a cantilever state on the sidewall 120 of the drawer unit 105 as explained above and holds the label sheet 112 while being inserted in the paper pipe 115 of the label sheet 112. In other words, the sidewall 120 is an aligning section configured to align a first end face 112a, which is one end face of the label sheet 112, and function as a reference plane for printing. The sheet holding shaft 117 functions as a sheet holding section configured to rotatably hold the label sheet 112 wound in a roll shape with reference to an end face aligned by the sidewall 120 serving as the reference plane.
[0027] A pivoting member 302 as an interfering body urges a second end face 112b facing the opposite side (the front side in FIG. 2) of the sidewall 120 side (the depth side in FIG. 2) of the label sheet 112 held by the sheet holding shaft 117 with the paper pipe 115 inserted therein. Consequently, the label sheet 112 is pushed in the width direction of the label sheet 112 (an axis direction of the sheet holding shaft 117). On the other hand, the first end face 112a of the label sheet 112 comes into contact with the sidewall 120 serving as the reference surface for printing. In this way, the sidewall 120 and the pivoting member 302 nip the label sheet 112 to thereby regulate the movement of the roll paper that is about to move in the width direction when drawn out along the guide path 122.
[0028] The pivoting member 302 is pivotably attached to the distal end of an arm main section 303, which forms a part of a roll paper holding mechanism 301, via a pivoting member pivoting shaft 307. The arm main section 303 pivots and interferes with the second end face 112b of the label sheet 112, whereby the pivoting member 302 is rotated and displaced.
[0029] In the drawer unit 105, the platen 118 is arranged below the guide path 122. The platen 118 rotates with driving force received from a platen motor (not shown) via a gear train (not shown) and applies conveying force to the label sheet 112 on the guide path 122. The platen 118 draws out, with the conveying force, the label sheet 112 held by the sheet holding shaft 117 along the guide path 122. In this way, the platen 118, the platen motor, and the gear string function as a conveying section configured to draw out the label sheet 112 and convey the label sheet 112 along the guide path 122.
[0030] The base sheet winding shaft 119 rotates with driving force received from a winding motor (not shown) via a gear train (not shown) arrayed on the rear side of the sidewall 120. The base sheet winding shaft 119 winds, according to the rotation, only the base sheet 114 of the label sheet 112 that finishes passing the label peeling section 121. The drawer unit 105 includes the label peeling section 121 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 respectively in positions where the base sheet winding shaft 119 winds the base sheet 114 and bends the base sheet 114 at an acute angle in a portion where the label peeling section 121 is provided.
As to claim 13, Watanabe discloses and/or is capable of operation wherein the winding shaft is configured to be capable of a forward rotation and a reverse rotation driven by the motor; after the winding shaft is forwardly rotated such that the liner paper is tightened and at least one the sticker is peeled off, the winding shaft is controlled to reversely rotated at a set angle such that the liner paper is slackened to allow the coupling structure to be easily separated. See especially paragraph 0038, disclosing “the label printer 100 drives to reversely rotate the platen 118 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 to thereby back-feed the label sheet 112.” See also paragraph 0039, disclosing “However, with the label printer 100, when slack is caused by reversely rotating the platen 118 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 to back-feed the label sheet 112, as shown in FIG. 5, the base sheet 114 in a portion bent at an acute angle by the label peeling section 121 projects to the issue port 105b side and comes into contact with the vertex 201 of the label guide member 200.”
See paragraphs 0038-30, disclosing:
[0038] If the next print instruction is received after one label 113 is issued from the issue port 105b, the label printer 100 drives to reversely rotate the platen 118 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 to thereby back-feed the label sheet 112. The label printer 100 operates in this way to thereby align the following label 113 in the printing position. When the following label 113 is aligned, since the speed of winding of the base sheet 114 by the base sheet winding shaft 119 is set higher than the conveying speed of the label sheet 112 in the printing section 126 but not to cause a slip in the printing position, slack conventionally inevitably occurs in the base sheet 114.
[0039] However, with the label printer 100, when slack is caused by reversely rotating the platen 118 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 to back-feed the label sheet 112, as shown in FIG. 5, the base sheet 114 in a portion bent at an acute angle by the label peeling section 121 projects to the issue port 105b side and comes into contact with the vertex 201 of the label guide member 200. The label printer 100 brings the slacked base sheet 114 into contact with the vertex 201 of the label guide member 200 to thereby guide the base sheet 114 along the shape of the label guide member 200 and move the base sheet 114 closer to the sidewall 120 side functioning as the reference plane.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 4-6 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe (US 20100200166 A1) as applied to claims 1-3 and 12-13 above, and further in view of Furustu (US 4511073 A).
As to claim 4, Watanabe does not disclose wherein a conveying resistance increasing portion is arranged on a side of the box body at an upstream of the sticker output port on the liner conveying path; the conveying resistance increasing portion is configured to increase a conveying resistance of the liner paper, causing the liner paper to be in a tensioned state when the sticker is being peeled off.
However, Furustu makes obvious using wherein a conveying resistance increasing portion (friction wheel 22) is arranged on a side of the box body at an upstream of the sticker output port on the liner conveying path; the conveying resistance increasing portion is configured to increase a conveying resistance of the liner paper, causing the liner paper to be in a tensioned state when the sticker is being peeled off. Furustu discloses the use of a friction wheel 22. See column 6, lines 16-48, disclosing:
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a friction wheel 22 is rotatably mounted inwardly beside the guide groove 16 formed at a front end portion of the main body 10. This wheel 22 is so mounted as to abut against connection necks 4 arranged in series on the carrier rod 5 and, through the friction force then generated, feed or advance the carrier bar 5. While in the illustrated example, the wheel 22 is formed on its outer peripheral face with a number of teeth of a pitch finer than that of the connection necks 4, those teeth may be replaced by fine bevel lands and grooves by knurling. Further alternatively, the friction wheel 22 may be so structured as to wholly comprise a material having a high friction coefficient such as rubber for example, or comprise a peripheral face having such material bonded thereto. By the employment of this friction wheel 22, an efficient feeding of the fastener assembly can be made even if fastener assemblies different in the pitch of necks 4 are to be manipulated.
Further, in the first embodiment of the invention under consideration, a support plate 24 is rockably mounted, coaxially with the friction wheel 22.
As best seen in FIG. 7, at a central portion on one side (the right side in FIG. 7), the support plate 24 is provided with a pin 24a, by which a wheel driving member 25 is rockably supported. An upper side face portion of the wheel driving member which faces the peripheral face of the friction wheel 22 is curved in a concavity complemental to the circular peripheral face of the wheel 22, and is formed with a projection portion 25a having pawl-like projections, which engage the fine teeth on the peripheral face of the wheel 22, if so formed.
See also column 8, lines 35-49, disclosing:
According to the modified example or second embodiment, the friction wheel is mounted to be elastically movable toward the fastener assembly as stated above, so that the friction engagement between the wheel and the fastener assembly or, more specifically, connection necks of individual fasteners thereof, can take place at an advanced certainty; also, there can be effectively avoided a failure in feeding fasteners which is likely when a change occurs in the pitch of the fastener arrangement in fastener assemblies, and further, regardless how great is the change, if any, in the pitch of connection necks on the carrier bar of the fastener assembly, the friction wheel can be rotated free of a slipping or, on the contrary, a heavy resistance felt by the operator.
Furthermore, rearrangement of parts is often obvious. MPEP 2144.04.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein a conveying resistance increasing portion is arranged on a side of the box body at an upstream of the sticker output port on the liner conveying path; the conveying resistance increasing portion is configured to increase a conveying resistance of the liner paper, causing the liner paper to be in a tensioned state when the sticker is being peeled off as a rearrangement of the parts of Furustu in order so that there can be effectively avoided a failure in feeding by providing frictional resistance.
As to claim 5, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the conveying resistance increasing portion comprises at least one protruding portion; the at least one protruding portion protrudes towards the liner paper to press against the liner paper, for causing an increase in the conveying resistance of the liner paper.
As noted above in claim 4, Furustu discloses a frictional wheel for conveying resistance. Additionally, rearrangement of parts is often obvious. MPEP 2144.04.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the conveying resistance increasing portion comprises at least one protruding portion; the at least one protruding portion protrudes towards the liner paper to press against the liner paper, for causing an increase in the conveying resistance of the liner paper as a rearrangement of the parts of Furustu in order so that there can be effectively avoided a failure in feeding by providing frictional resistance.
As to claim 6, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the conveying resistance increasing portion is a concave-convex undulating surface formed on an outer wall of the box body.
As noted above in claims 4-5, Furustu discloses a frictional wheel for conveying resistance. Additionally, rearrangement of parts is often obvious. MPEP 2144.04.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the conveying resistance increasing portion is a concave-convex undulating surface formed on an outer wall of the box body as a rearrangement of the parts of Furustu in order so that there can be effectively avoided a failure in feeding by providing frictional resistance.
As to claim 9, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the box body comprises a base and a lid, and the lid is arranged with a rotation resistance increasing portion configured to increase a rotation resistance of the winding shaft, for preventing the liner paper wound on the winding shaft from coming loose.
As noted above in claim 4-6, Furustu discloses a frictional wheel for conveying resistance. Additionally, rearrangement of parts is often obvious. MPEP 2144.04.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the box body comprises a base and a lid, and the lid is arranged with a rotation resistance increasing portion configured to increase a rotation resistance of the winding shaft, for preventing the liner paper wound on the winding shaft from coming loose as a rearrangement of the parts of Furustu in order so that there can be effectively avoided a failure in feeding by providing frictional resistance.
As to claim 10, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the rotation resistance increasing portion is a friction block in frictional contact with a shaft end face of the winding shaft.
As noted above in claim 4-6, Furustu discloses a frictional wheel for conveying resistance. Additionally, rearrangement of parts is often obvious. MPEP 2144.04.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the rotation resistance increasing portion is a friction block in frictional contact with a shaft end face of the winding shaft as a rearrangement of the parts of Furustu in order so that there can be effectively avoided a failure in feeding by providing frictional resistance.
Claim(s) 7-8, 11 and 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe (US 20100200166 A1) as applied to claims 1-3 and 12-13 above, and further in view of Sato ‘228 (US 5049228 A)
As to claim 7, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the liner conveying path is upwardly inclined from an upstream of the liner conveying path to the sticker output port, causing the liner paper to be in a tensioned state when the sticker is being peeled off.
However, rearrangement of parts is often obvious. Additionally, Sato ‘228 discloses a desk to type label printer wherein the liner conveying path is upwardly inclined from an upstream of the liner conveying path to the sticker output port, causing the liner paper to be in a tensioned state when the sticker is being peeled off.
See especially Figure 3, below:
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the liner conveying path is upwardly inclined from an upstream of the liner conveying path to the sticker output port, causing the liner paper to be in a tensioned state when the sticker is being peeled off as taught by Sato ‘228 as an obvious rearrangement of the parts of Watanabe.
As to claim 8, both Watanabe and Sato ‘228 disclose wherein the liner paper forms a turn angle greater than 900 at the turning peeling portion. See Figure 2 of Watanabe, cited below again, and Figure 5 of Sato ‘228, cited above.
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As to claim 11, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the box mounting structure comprises a positioning post with a motor built-in, and the box body is arranged with a positioning groove receiving the positioning post and adapted to the positioning post.
However, rearrangement of parts is often obvious. MPEP 2144.04. Additionally, Sato ‘228 discloses using a post and a motor, and makes obvious wherein the box mounting structure comprises a positioning post (fixed shaft 31) with a motor built-in (motor 71), and the box body is arranged with a positioning groove receiving the positioning post and adapted to the positioning post.
See column 5, lines 51-58, disclosing:
For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 6, a driving system 70 is provided in said casing 10 and has a reversible motor 71 housed in said electric circuit part 12 and two transmission systems which are driven by a motor 71. One of these transmission systems has the pulley 73 to drive the holding base 72 for the takeup reel 43 of said carbon ribbon 41 and the other has the pulley 74 pivoted on the fixed shaft 31 to rotate said platen roller 34.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the box mounting structure comprises a positioning post with a motor built-in, and the box body is arranged with a positioning groove receiving the positioning post and adapted to the positioning post as taught by Sato ‘228 as an obvious rearrangement of the parts of Sato ‘228 and Watanabe.
As to claim 14, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the coupling structure comprises a shaft portion, and a hole portion that is transmission-fit to the shaft portion; one of the shaft portion and the hole portion is arranged on the main body, and the other of the shaft portion and the hole portion is arranged on the sticker output box.
However, rearrangement of parts is often obvious. MPEP 2144.04. Additionally, Sato ‘228 discloses using two transmission systems and makes obvious wherein the coupling structure comprises a shaft portion, and a hole portion that is transmission-fit to the shaft portion; one of the shaft portion and the hole portion is arranged on the main body, and the other of the shaft portion and the hole portion is arranged on the sticker output box.
See column 5, lines 51-58, disclosing:
For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 6, a driving system 70 is provided in said casing 10 and has a reversible motor 71 housed in said electric circuit part 12 and two transmission systems which are driven by a motor 71. One of these transmission systems has the pulley 73 to drive the holding base 72 for the takeup reel 43 of said carbon ribbon 41 and the other has the pulley 74 pivoted on the fixed shaft 31 to rotate said platen roller 34.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the coupling structure comprises a shaft portion, and a hole portion that is transmission-fit to the shaft portion; one of the shaft portion and the hole portion is arranged on the main body, and the other of the shaft portion and the hole portion is arranged on the sticker output box as taught by Sato ‘228 as an obvious rearrangement of the parts of Sato ‘228 and Watanabe.
As to claim 15, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the main body is arranged with an output shaft transmission-connected to the motor; the shaft portion is formed on the output shaft, and the hole portion is formed on the winding shaft.
However, rearrangement of parts is often obvious. MPEP 2144.04. Additionally, Sato ‘228 discloses using two transmission systems and makes obvious wherein the main body is arranged with an output shaft transmission-connected to the motor; the shaft portion is formed on the output shaft, and the hole portion is formed on the winding shaft.
See column 5, lines 51-58, disclosing:
For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 6, a driving system 70 is provided in said casing 10 and has a reversible motor 71 housed in said electric circuit part 12 and two transmission systems which are driven by a motor 71. One of these transmission systems has the pulley 73 to drive the holding base 72 for the takeup reel 43 of said carbon ribbon 41 and the other has the pulley 74 pivoted on the fixed shaft 31 to rotate said platen roller 34.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the main body is arranged with an output shaft transmission-connected to the motor; the shaft portion is formed on the output shaft, and the hole portion is formed on the winding shaft as taught by Sato ‘228 as an obvious rearrangement of the parts of Sato ‘228 and Watanabe.
As to claim 16, Watanabe discloses and makes obvious wherein after the forward rotation of the winding shaft is stopped, the liner paper is tightened to provide a tight fit between the shaft portion and the hole portion; after the reverse rotation of the winding shaft is stopped, the liner paper is slackened to provide a loose fit between the shaft portion and the hole portion. See especially paragraph 0038, disclosing “the label printer 100 drives to reversely rotate the platen 118 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 to thereby back-feed the label sheet 112.” See also paragraph 0039, disclosing “However, with the label printer 100, when slack is caused by reversely rotating the platen 118 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 to back-feed the label sheet 112, as shown in FIG. 5, the base sheet 114 in a portion bent at an acute angle by the label peeling section 121 projects to the issue port 105b side and comes into contact with the vertex 201 of the label guide member 200.”
See paragraphs 0038-30, disclosing:
[0038] If the next print instruction is received after one label 113 is issued from the issue port 105b, the label printer 100 drives to reversely rotate the platen 118 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 to thereby back-feed the label sheet 112. The label printer 100 operates in this way to thereby align the following label 113 in the printing position. When the following label 113 is aligned, since the speed of winding of the base sheet 114 by the base sheet winding shaft 119 is set higher than the conveying speed of the label sheet 112 in the printing section 126 but not to cause a slip in the printing position, slack conventionally inevitably occurs in the base sheet 114.
[0039] However, with the label printer 100, when slack is caused by reversely rotating the platen 118 and the base sheet winding shaft 119 to back-feed the label sheet 112, as shown in FIG. 5, the base sheet 114 in a portion bent at an acute angle by the label peeling section 121 projects to the issue port 105b side and comes into contact with the vertex 201 of the label guide member 200. The label printer 100 brings the slacked base sheet 114 into contact with the vertex 201 of the label guide member 200 to thereby guide the base sheet 114 along the shape of the label guide member 200 and move the base sheet 114 closer to the sidewall 120 side functioning as the reference plane.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe (US 20100200166 A1) as applied to claims 1-3 and 12-13 above, and further in view of Sato ‘323 (US 4451323 A).
As to claim 17, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the main body is arranged with a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism being capable of locking the sticker output box to the main body; the main body is further arranged with a button, the button being operable to release the sticker output box from a locked state.
However, Sato ‘323, which is also directed to a label applicator, i.e., a sticker dispensing device, discloses and makes obvious wherein the main body is arranged with a locking mechanism (locking mechanism 67), the locking mechanism being capable of locking the sticker output box to the main body; the main body is further arranged with a button (eject button 70), the button being operable to release the sticker output box from a locked state. See especially column 5, lines 38-51, disclosing:
A locking mechanism 67 for facilitating mounting of the label cassette 1 is arranged at the proximal end portion of the frame 33 (FIG. 6). The locking mechanism 67 comprises a locking member 69 and an eject button 70. The locking member 69 is pivotally mounted on the frame 33 and is normally biasd clockwise by a spring 68. The eject button 70 is mounted on the upper portion of the proximal end of the frame 33 so as to be longitudinally slidable. Part of the eject button 70 is in contact with the locking member 69. When the label cassette 1 is mounted, a lower end corner 71 of the locking member 69 engages with an engaging member 73 formed at the lower end of an opening 72 formed in the rear surface of the label cassette 1 (FIGS. 4, 7 and 10B).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the main body is arranged with a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism being capable of locking the sticker output box to the main body; the main body is further arranged with a button, the button being operable to release the sticker output box from a locked state as taught Sato ‘323 in order to facilitate mounting of the output box.
Claim(s) 18-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe (US 20100200166 A1) as applied to claims 1-3 and 12-13 above, and further in view of Druckman (US 6109925 A).
As to claim 18, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the sticker dispensing device is configured to be capable of operably outputting the sticker in at least a first mode and a second mode, comprising a body and a control unit; the sticker dispensing device further comprises: a toggle switch; wherein in response to the sticker output box being attached to the body, the toggle switch produces a mode switching trigger; wherein the control unit is electrically connected to the toggle switch, and the control unit is configured to control to switch between the first mode and the second mode according to the mode switching trigger from the toggle switch.
However, Druckman make obvious wherein the sticker dispensing device is configured to be capable of operably outputting the sticker in at least a first mode (“card game mode”) and a second mode (“puzzle type game”), comprising a body (housing 102) and a control unit (processor 200); the sticker dispensing device further comprises: a toggle switch (switch 232); wherein in response to the sticker output box being attached to the body, the toggle switch produces a mode switching trigger; wherein the control unit is electrically connected to the toggle switch (switch 232), and the control unit (processor 200) is configured to control to switch between the first mode and the second mode according to the mode switching trigger from the toggle switch.
See Druckman, column 5, line 62 to column 6, line 22, disclosing:
(26) Referring to FIG. 5, in another embodiment of the puzzle type game, templates 136, 138 are shown wherein the indicia is a picture that is divided into a grid, as described above, but has no associated numbers printed within each grid box. In such an instance, the sticker dispenser provides stickers that have portions of a picture that are matched to the particular portion of the grid containing a corresponding picture portion. Number reading skills are therefore not required. As shown, in a particular implementation of the embodiment, the template 136 has an imprinted grid having a black and white picture, such that the child is required to compare the stickers 124d-124f, for example, to the black and white picture imprinted upon the template Alternatively, the template 138 provides a picture that is in full color. Such a picture may better hold the attention of relatively younger children.
(27) Referring to FIG. 6, the system is shown wherein the dispensed stickers may be used to create user-designed custom playing cards. Children are then able to use the playing cards to design their own card games. Accordingly, several playing card sized templates 140 may be provided in a box 142, in a manner similar to a deck of adult playing cards. Similar to the puzzle type games described above, the templates 140 are available in the variations described above. As shown, each template includes a small grid such that relatively fewer stickers are required to complete a picture Thus, a child, after filling several of the templates with stickers, is able to play a card game.
See Druckman, column 7, lines 24-43, disclosing:
As mentioned above, the keyboard 104 is used to enter user input to the processor 200 in response to questions and activities. The keyboard contacts 210 within the apparatus housing 102 are connected to the general input/output ports on the processor 200. As such, when the user presses a key or inputs a sequence of keyboard inputs, the processor 200 receives a signal corresponding to the particular keys being pressed. The processor 200 stores the received key press signals and then processes them to determine whether the particular key or keys pressed in response to a presented question are correct
The motor control circuit 202 is provided to activate a motor 230 when the apparatus 100 is preparing to award a sticker 124. In particular, as described above, when a predetermined number of questions has been answered correctly and the counter reaches, for example, 5, then the processor 200 sends a signal to the motor controller 202 to activate the motor 230 for a fixed duration. This advances the roil of stickers 126 to the point that a sticker 124 protrudes from the apparatus housing 102 such that a user may grasp the sticker. in addition, a feedback loop 222 is used as a motor sensor to determine the length of time that the motor is actually in the on state. When the motor turns on, the switch 232 closes. Once the motor 230 completes its operation, the switch 232 opens. The processor 200 measures the duration that the switch 232 was closed and calculates the exact amount that the sticker roll 126 advanced. The information is subsequently used by the processor 200 to periodically adjust the amount of time the motor 230 is activated. Thus, the stickers 124 will protrude the same amount during every time.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the sticker dispensing device is configured to be capable of operably outputting the sticker in at least a first mode and a second mode, comprising a body and a control unit; the sticker dispensing device further comprises: a toggle switch; wherein in response to the sticker output box being attached to the body, the toggle switch produces a mode switching trigger; wherein the control unit is electrically connected to the toggle switch, and the control unit is configured to control to switch between the first mode and the second mode according to the mode switching trigger from the toggle switch as suggested by Druckman in order to processes them to determine whether the particular key or keys pressed in response to a presented question are correct in the games of Druckman.
As to claim 19, Watanabe disclose wherein the sticker output box comprises at least a first box and a second box (see 105 and 106).
Watanabe does not disclose that the first box being associated to the first mode and the second box being associated to the second mode. However, duplication of parts is often obvious. MPEP 2144.04. Additionally, Druckman discloses two game modes for a sticker or label dispenser. See the citations of claim 18 above.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein t that the first box being associated to the first mode and the second box being associated to the second mode as an obvious duplication of parts in order to play multiple modes as suggested by Druckman.
As to claim 20, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the toggle switch is in a turned-on state in response to the first box being attached to the body, and the toggle switch is in a turned-off state in response to the second box being attached to the body.
Additionally, Druckman discloses two game modes for a sticker or label dispenser and makes obvious wherein the toggle switch is in a turned-on state in response to the first box being attached to the body, and the toggle switch is in a turned-off state in response to the second box being attached to the body. See the citations in claim 18 above.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the toggle switch is in a turned-on state in response to the first box being attached to the body, and the toggle switch is in a turned-off state in response to the second box being attached to the body as an obvious duplication of parts in order to play multiple modes as suggested by Druckman.
As to claim 21, Watanabe does not disclose wherein the sticker dispensing device further comprises a timing unit, and a user interface portion for receiving a sticker output instruction from a user; the first mode is configured such that, the control unit determines, based on a preset condition, whether or not to control the sticker output mechanism to output the sticker in response to the sticker output instruction; the second mode is configured such that, the control unit controls the sticker output mechanism to output the sticker in response to the sticker output instruction.
However, Druckman discloses wherein the sticker dispensing device further comprises a timing unit, and a user interface portion for receiving a sticker output instruction from a user; the first mode is configured such that, the control unit (a RISC controller with a timer) determines, based on a preset condition, whether or not to control the sticker output mechanism to output the sticker in response to the sticker output instruction; the second mode is configured such that, the control unit controls the sticker output mechanism to output the sticker in response to the sticker output instruction.
See Druckman, column 6, lines 23-42 and column 7, lines 24-43, disclosing:
FIGS. 7A-7E are a schematic of the electronic circuitry of the learning device 100. The processor 200 is shown as a microprocessor model SP512 available from SunPlus Company of Korea, but it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that other microprocessors and controllers may be used as well. The processor 200 controls operation of the various components of the electronic game. As shown in FIG. 8, the processor 200 is a general purpose processor, and includes an 8-bit RISC controller 211, a read only memory (ROM) 215 for storing the program used in the learning toy apparatus, and a random access memory (RAM) 213. The RISC controller 210, ROM 215 and RAM 213 are connected to a controller 217 that is used to provide a timer, time based and interrupt control signals. In addition, two 8-bit digital to analog (D/A) converters 219 provide audio synthesis to provide voice output from the speaker 106. A general input/output port 221 is also provided to enable input from the keyboard 104 and output to the speaker 106 and LCD 108.
…
As mentioned above, the keyboard 104 is used to enter user input to the processor 200 in response to questions and activities. The keyboard contacts 210 within the apparatus housing 102 are connected to the general input/output ports on the processor 200. As such, when the user presses a key or inputs a sequence of keyboard inputs, the processor 200 receives a signal corresponding to the particular keys being pressed. The processor 200 stores the received key press signals and then processes them to determine whether the particular key or keys pressed in response to a presented question are correct
The motor control circuit 202 is provided to activate a motor 230 when the apparatus 100 is preparing to award a sticker 124. In particular, as described above, when a predetermined number of questions has been answered correctly and the counter reaches, for example, 5, then the processor 200 sends a signal to the motor controller 202 to activate the motor 230 for a fixed duration. This advances the roil of stickers 126 to the point that a sticker 124 protrudes from the apparatus housing 102 such that a user may grasp the sticker. in addition, a feedback loop 222 is used as a motor sensor to determine the length of time that the motor is actually in the on state. When the motor turns on, the switch 232 closes. Once the motor 230 completes its operation, the switch 232 opens. The processor 200 measures the duration that the switch 232 was closed and calculates the exact amount that the sticker roll 126 advanced. The information is subsequently used by the processor 200 to periodically adjust the amount of time the motor 230 is activated. Thus, the stickers 124 will protrude the same amount during every time.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the invention to have utilized wherein the sticker dispensing device further comprises a timing unit, and a user interface portion for receiving a sticker output instruction from a user; the first mode is configured such that, the control unit determines, based on a preset condition, whether or not to control the sticker output mechanism to output the sticker in response to the sticker output instruction; the second mode is configured such that, the control unit controls the sticker output mechanism to output the sticker in response to the sticker output instruction as suggested by Druckman in order to processes them to determine whether the particular key or keys pressed in response to a presented question are correct in the games of Druckman and provide timing capabilities.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GEORGE R KOCH whose telephone number is (571) 272-5807. The examiner can also be reached by E-mail at george.koch@uspto.gov if the applicant grants written authorization for e-mails. Authorization can be granted by filling out the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) Form.
The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, PHILIP C TUCKER can be reached at (571)272-1095. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GEORGE R KOCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1745
GRK