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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 4/21/2026, with respect to the 102(a)(1) rejections of claims 16-18 in view of Funahashi (Pub. No. US 2005/0117897; hereafter Funahashi) have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections of claim 16-18 have been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments filed 4/21/2026 with respect to the 102(a)(1) rejection of claim 11 in view of Funahashi have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
As mentioned in the interview held with Michael DeBono on March 24, 2026, the amendment to claim 11 requires a reinterpretation of which portion of the Funahashi reference was considered the “body,” but does not change the fact that the Funahashi reference discloses all of the claimed limitations of amended claim 11. If the “body” referred to in claim 1 is construed as outer shell body of Funahashi (see Funahashi Fig. 2, item 11), then the body encloses the inner camera, thereby “enclosing electronics such that the electronics are internal to the body” as called for in the claim. Those electronics further include a lens (Funahashi item 17) and an image capture device (Funahashi item 15), as called for in the claim. Applicant’s assertion that Funahashi does not disclose the claim limitations recited in claim 11 is therefore unpersuasive, and claim 11 is rejected in view of Funahashi under the new interpretation set forth above.
Applicant’s arguments regarding claims 12-16 rest on the perceived deficiency of Funahashi, and are therefore similarly maintained.
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) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Funahashi et al. (Pub. No. US 2005/0117897 A1; hereafter Funahashi).
Regarding claim 11, Funahashi discloses an image capture system comprising: an image capture apparatus including: a body including exterior surfaces enclosing electronics such that the electronics are internal to the body (see Funahashi Fig. 2, item 11); and a door coupled to one of the exterior surfaces (see Funahashi Fig. 2, items 21 and 22 which are hingedly connected to each other, item 21 can be construed as the door) and including a first electrical interface (see Funahashi Fig. 5, item 34); and an image capture device supported by the body and including a lens configured to receive and direct light onto the image sensor (see Funahashi Fig. 2, items 15 and 17); and an external accessory configured for electrical connection to the image capture apparatus and including a second electrical interface (see Funahashi Figs. 7 and 8, items 101 and 111), wherein the first electrical interface and the second electrical interface are configured for contact to facilitate power and/or data transmission between the image capture apparatus and the external accessory (see Funahashi Fig. 8, items 38 and 111).
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Funahashi in view of Reber (Pub. No. US 2012/0099265 A1; hereafter Reber).
Regarding claims 12-15, Funahashi discloses the image capture system of claim 11, but does not specifically disclose that the first electrical interface includes a dynamic configuration, and the second electrical interface includes a static configuration; [claim 13] wherein the first electrical interface includes a static configuration, and the second electrical interface includes a dynamic configuration; [claim 14] wherein the second electrical interface is reconfigurable between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration; [claim 15] wherein the second electrical interface is biased towards the expanded configuration.
Reber discloses that it was well known in the art at the time the invention was filed that it was well known to have one connection have pogo pins, and the other connection terminals be fixed (see Reber Figs. 5 and 8, items 330 and 350).
Pogo pins are well known dynamic connectors which have springs which bias them towards the connection contact (see Reber paragraph [0108] “The pogo pins 330 are spring-biased electric contacts”). Pogo pins therefore are “dynamic” connectors that are “reconfigurable between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration” and are “biased towards the expanded configuration” as called for in claims 12-15.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to replace either the first connector or the second connector of Funahashi with pogo pins like that in Reber in order to ensure good connection between the contacts by biasing the pins towards the other contact surface.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-10, 16, 18, and 20-22 are allowed.
Finality
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NOAM S REISNER whose telephone number is (571)270-7542. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:30PM.
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/NOAM REISNER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852 10/7/2026
