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 § 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 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 of this title, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 and 14-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 (JP 2012063341 A) in view of D2 (US 20130240732 A1).
With regards to claims 1 and 17, D1 discloses a portable radiation image detection device comprising:
a radiation detection panel 30 configured to detect radiation (Fig. 3);
a holding member 41 configured to hold a power supply 27 (battery) [0066]; and
a casing 26 configured to house the radiation detection panel, the power supply, and the holding member,
wherein the casing includes a top surface portion 26a allowing the radiation to enter the radiation detection panel, a bottom surface portion 26b located on a side opposite to the top surface portion, and a side surface portion 26c-26f connecting the top surface portion and the bottom surface portion [0048] (Fig. 4), and
wherein the side surface portion includes an opening 28a through which the power supply is inserted into and removed from the casing [0050] (Fig. 3).
D1 does not explicitly teach wherein the holding member is a separate part from the casing and fixed to the casing. However, in a similar field of endeavor, D2 also teaches a portable radiation detector comprising a battery latch unit 100 that is separate from the detector’s casing and fixed to the casing [0036]. It would have been well known, obvious, and predictably suitable to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify D1 with the claimed holding member as taught by D2 in order to provide improved battery retention.
With regards to claim 14, D1 discloses further comprising a fixing member (engagement claw) configured to fix the power supply to the holding member [0066].
With regards to claims 15 and 16, D1 does not teach the claimed reinforcing rib. However, those skilled in the art recognize that reinforcing ribs were generally known in the art and would have been an obvious modification in order to improve the holding members’ rigidity and mechanical strength. In view of the recited benefits, it would have been well known, obvious, and predictably suitable to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify D1 with the claimed configurations.
With regards to claims 18-20, D1 does not teach the claimed holding portion. However, such a modification would have been known and considered obvious in view of precisely positioning the power supply in a desired position. Therefore, it would have been well known, obvious, and predictably suitable to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify D1 with the claimed configurations in view of the recited benefit.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-13 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Prior art does not teach the holding member according to the claimed dimensions.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20200100739 A1 teaches a portable X-ray detector comprising a side insertable battery.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARCUS H TANINGCO whose telephone number is (571)272-1848. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-6pm EST.
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, Uzma Alam can be reached on 571-272-3995. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MARCUS H TANINGCO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884
Prosecution Insights