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.
Claims 1-11 and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin (US20130140165)
Regarding claim 1, Lin teaches a keyboard comprising: a top portion 400 defining opposing first and second major surfaces (401, 405) and a through hole 406 extending between the first and second major surfaces, the through hole defined by an inwardly-facing minor surface of the top portion (the hole 406 has sidewalls that face inward toward the interior of the hole) and an inwardly-facing electrical contact positioned on the inwardly-facing minor surface (the conductive sheet 402 have a coupling section 404 that is bent and positioned such that it is located on and extend along the inward facing surface of the hole 406, see Fig. 23, and paragraphs 41, 46); and, a key switch (300, 600) positioned at least partially in the through hole and having a user-engagement surface (100, 301) that is generally parallel to the first major surface and an outwardly-facing surface (the side surface of the base 600 where a sheet 605 is provided, the side surface is facing outward from the switch body) and an outwardly-facing electrical contact 605 positioned on the outwardly-facing surface against the inwardly-facing electrical contact (Figs. 19, 26 and paragraph 55).
Regarding claim 2, Lin teaches the keyboard wherein the key switch 300 is configured where a downward movement of the user-engagement surface (100, 301) toward the second major surface completes an electrical circuit that includes the inwardly-facing electrical contact 404 and the outwardly-facing electrical contact 605 (paragraph 58).
Regarding claim 3, Lin teaches the keyboard further comprising a bottom portion 500 underlying the top portion 400 (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4, Lin teaches the keyboard wherein the key switch is suspended from the top portion and does not contact the bottom portion (Fig. 2, 26).
Regarding claim 5, Lin teaches the keyboard wherein the bottom portion 500 does not include or contact any electrical components (shell 500 is only providing a space 501 that receives the circuit board, see Fig. 1 and paragraph 38).
Regarding claim 6, Lin teaches the keyboard further comprising electrical traces positioned on the top portion (the conductive sheet 402 and the routing conductor of the circuit board form the electrical traces).
Regarding claim 7, Lin teaches the keyboard further comprising electrical traces extending from the key switch to a processing unit (the conductive sheet 402 and the routing conductor of the circuit board form the electrical traces; and the circuit board inherently have a controller or processing unit, see paragraph 6).
Regarding claim 8, Lin teaches the keyboard wherein the processing unit comprises a printed circuit board positioned on the top portion but not underlying the key switch (the circuit board inherently have a controller or processing unit, see paragraph 6).
Regarding claim 9, Lin teaches the keyboard wherein the processing unit is formed on the top portion (the circuit board inherently have a controller or processing unit, see paragraph 6).
Regarding claim 10, Lin teaches the keyboard wherein the key switch 300 comprises a self-contained electrical switch (the switch 300 includes internal contacts and a plunger that performs switching independently of the circuit board, see paragraph 58) .
Regarding claim 11, Lin teaches the keyboard wherein the inwardly-facing electrical contact 404 comprises a first inwardly-facing electrical contact and a second inwardly-facing electrical contact (Fig. 4) and the outwardly-facing electrical contact 605 comprises a first outwardly-facing electrical contact and a second outwardly-facing electrical contact (fig. 19).
Regarding claim 14, Lin teaches a device, comprising: a top portion 400 defining opposing first and second major surfaces (401, 405) and a through hole 406 extending between the first and second major surfaces, the through hole defined by an inwardly-facing minor surface (the hole 406 has sidewalls that face inward toward the interior of the hole) of the top portion and an inwardly-facing electrical contact positioned on the inwardly-facing minor surface (the conductive sheet 402 have a coupling section 404 that is bent and positioned such that it is located on and extend along the inward facing surface of the hole 406, see Fig. 23, and paragraphs 41, 46), the top portion further including an electrical trace extending from the inwardly-facing electrical contact toward a processing unit (it’s implicit and inherent for keyboard’s circuit boards to have electrical traces that the conductive sheet 402 is connected to and a controller or processing unit to process electrical signals); and, a self-contained key switch 300 positioned at least partially in the through hole and having an outwardly-facing surface (the side surface of the base 600 where a sheet 605 is provided, the side surface is facing outward from the switch body) and an outwardly-facing electrical contact 605 positioned on the outwardly-facing surface against the inwardly-facing electrical contact (Figs. 19, 26 and paragraph 55).
Regarding claim 15, Lin teaches the device wherein the self-contained key switch 300 is not soldered to an underlying PCB or is not received in a socket of an underlying PCB (paragraph 61).
Regarding claim 16, Lin teaches the device wherein the self-contained key switch is suspended from the top portion and does not physically or electrically contact any underlying components (Fig. 29).
Regarding claim 17, Lin teaches the device wherein the self-contained key switch includes a retention element (303, 600, 602) configured to provide a retention force to retain the self-contained key switch in the through hole (Fig. 29 and paragraph 53).
Regarding claim 18, Lin teaches the device wherein the self-contained key switch comprises a user-engagement surface 100 and movement of the user-engagement surface perpendicular to the first and second major surfaces closes the self-contained key switch and causes a circuit to be completed between the self-contained key switch and the processing unit (paragraph 58).
Regarding claim 19, Lin teaches the device wherein the device comprises a keyboard that includes a bottom cover 500 that does not include any electronic components but that physically supports the top portion when forces are applied to the top portion perpendicular to the first and second major surfaces (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 20, Lin teaches a keyboard, comprising: a top portion 400 and an opposing bottom portion 500; key switches (300, 600) that are mechanically retained in holes 406 formed in the top portion; and, electrical traces formed on the top portion that extend from the holes to a processing unit that is configured to receive electrical signals along the electrical traces when the key switches are closed (it’s implicit and inherent for keyboard’s circuit boards to have electrical traces that the conductive sheet 402 is connected to and a controller or processing unit to process electrical signals, see paragraph 6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12 and 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.
Regarding claim 12, the prior art fails to teach or show, alone or in combination, the claimed keyboard wherein the first inwardly-facing electrical contact and the first outwardly-facing electrical contact are electrically coupled to the self-contained electrical switch and the second inwardly-facing electrical contact and the second outwardly-facing electrical contact are electrically insulated from the self-contained electrical switch and are electrically coupled to another self-contained electrical switch.
Regarding claim 13, the prior art fails to teach or show, alone or in combination, the claimed keyboard wherein the first inwardly-facing electrical contact and the first outwardly-facing electrical contact are electrically coupled to the self-contained electrical switch and the second inwardly-facing electrical contact and the second outwardly-facing electrical contact are electrically insulated from the self-contained electrical switch and are electrically coupled to a light associated with the self-contained electrical switch.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yu and Chen each teaches a similar keyboard.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED M SAEED whose telephone number is (571)270-7976. The examiner can normally be reached 10-8pm.
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/AHMED M SAEED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833