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 .
Amendments to the specification, drawings, and claims, filed 16 February 2024, have been entered in the above identified application
Claims 1-11 are pending in the application
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “an accommodation member that accommodates the power supply unit inserted from an opening of the accommodation member” in lines 4-5 which renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is unclear if “that accommodates the power supply unit inserted from an opening of the accommodation member” is a statement of intended use, and therefore the opening of the accommodation member is an optional limitation, or if an opening of the accommodation member is intended to be positively claimed.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal are arranged side by side in the accommodation member” in lines 7-8 and “a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal are arranged side by side on one end side in the power supply unit” in lines 9-10 which renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is unclear if the positive electrode terminals and negative electrode terminals in lines 7-8 and 9-10 are required to be two separate sets of terminals, or if they can be the same positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal with their location being further specified.
Claim 2 recites the limitation “the power supply adjustment board is detachably held by the holder while being fixed to a mounting member” in lines 1-2 which renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is unclear if a mounting member is being positively claimed, or if it is an optional limitation and the power adjustment board must be detachably held by the holder only while it is fixed to a mounting member.
It is further unclear if the power supply adjustment board and holder are detachable from the mounting member, or if the power supply adjustment board is detachable from the holder when the power supply adjustment board is fixed to a mounting member.
Claim 2 recites the limitation “the power supply adjustment board is detachably held by the holder while being fixed to a mounting member on which the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the power supply unit are provided” in lines 1-4 which renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is unclear if the positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal are of the power supply unit are provided on the power supply adjustment board, on the holder, or on the mounting member.
Claim 6 recites the limitation “an accommodation member that accommodates the power supply unit inserted from an opening of the accommodation member” in lines 3-4 which renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is unclear if “that accommodates the power supply unit inserted from an opening of the accommodation member” is a statement of intended use, and therefore the opening of the accommodation member is an optional limitation, or if an opening of the accommodation member is intended to be positively claimed.
Claim 6 recites the limitation “a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal are arranged side by side in the accommodation member” in lines 6-7 and “a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal are arranged side by side on one end side in the power supply unit” in lines 8-9 which renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is unclear if the positive electrode terminals and negative electrode terminals in lines 6-7 and 8-9 are required to be two separate sets of terminals, or if they can be the same positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal with their location being further specified.
Claims 2-5 and 7-11 are rejected as being dependent upon a rejected claim.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Valentini (US Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0001466).
Regarding Claim 1, Valentini teaches an electronic device (electric power tool, title) which includes a power supply unit including a power supply adjustment board (PCB, [0070] and fig. 4 ref. #114, see below, which contains a controller which adjusts the power supply, [0070] and [0077]) and a holder (receptacle) that holds the power supply adjustment board ([0058], and fig. 4 ref. #46, see below). An accommodation member (housing, [0047] and fig. 4 ref. #12 and #108, see below) that accommodates the power supply unit inserted from an opening of the accommodation member, and a cap member that closes the opening of the accommodation member (the opening being the portion of the external housing that is occupied by the conical member on the righthand side of fig. 4, the cap being the conical member, see below).
A positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal are arranged side by side in the accommodation member ([0063] and fig. 4, ref. #56, see below), a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal are arranged side by side on one end side in the power supply unit ([0063], and fig. 6 ref. #58, shown also in fig. 5, unlabeled above ref. #122). There is also a locking mechanism that locks the power supply unit in the accommodation member while the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the power supply unit are brought into electrical contact with the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the accommodation member ([0064] and fig. 3 ref. #60) and a power supply line disposed to penetrate the cap member in a sealed state and configured for connecting an external power supply to the power supply adjustment board ([0067], [0070], and fig 4 ref. #104 and the conical cap on the righthand side that ref.# 104 penetrates, see below).
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Regarding Claim 2, Valentini further teaches the power supply adjustment board is detachably held by the holder while being fixed to a mounting member (the portion of the tool housing, fig. 3 ref. #12 that contains the fastening elements, fig. 3 ref. #60) on which the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the power supply unit ([0063], and fig. 6 ref. #58, shown also in fig. 5, unlabeled above ref. #122) are provided (on the holder, fig. 4 ref. #46).
Regarding Claim 3, Valentini further teaches the mounting member is attached to the holder in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the holder is inserted into the accommodation member
Regarding Claim 3, Valentini further teaches the mounting member (fig. 3 ref. #12, which contains the fastening element ref. #60, see below) is attached to the holder in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the holder is inserted into the accommodation member ([0058] and [0061], the external battery unit is inserted in the direction of the arrow ref. #62 in fig. 3, see below. The fastening members, fig. 3 ref. #60, insert into holes or recesses in the external battery unit in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction).
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Regarding Claims 4, 8, and 10, Valentini further teaches a part of the power supply line is flexible (fig. 6, the power supply line ref. #104 is shown to be flexible as it is partially wound).
Regarding Claims 5, 9, and 11, Valentini further teaches the holder has a grip portion ([0058], fig. 2 ref. #38, the housing of the holder can be gripped).
Regarding Claim 6, Valentini teaches an electronic device (electric power tool, title) which includes a power supply unit including a holder (receptacle) and a power supply section held by the holder ([0058], and fig. 1 ref. #46, see below). An accommodation member accommodates the power supply unit inserted from an opening of the accommodation member (housing, fig. 1 ref. #12, the opening present when the external battery unit is not inserted, demarcated by the dashed line fig. 1 ref. #48, see below), and a cap member that closes the opening of the accommodation member ([0059] and fig. 1 ref. #38, see below).
A positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal are arranged side by side in the accommodation member ([0063] and fig. 1 ref. #56, see below), and a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal are arranged side by side on one end side in the power supply unit ([0063] and figs. 1 and 6, ref. #58, see below).
There is also a locking mechanism that locks the power supply unit in the accommodation member while the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the power supply unit are brought into electrical contact with the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the accommodation member ([0064] and fig. 3 ref. #60), and the power supply section has a power supply adjustment board (control unit, [0054] and fig. 1 ref. #42, see below) to which a battery ([0032], [0054] and fig. 1 ref. #40, see below) is connected.
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Regarding Claim 7, Valentini further teaches a spacer corresponding to a shape of the battery (the portion of the inner housing fig. 1 ref. #38 that spaces the battery ref. #40 from the outer housing to the right of the dashed line ref. #48, see above).
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.
Claims 4, 8, and 10, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Valentini (US Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0001466) in view of Bennet et. al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0066928).
Valentini is relied upon as described above.
In the alternative, if Valentini does not explicitly teach a part of the power supply line is flexible.
Bennet teaches an electronic device (handheld device, [0009]) that is connected to an external power source (battery pack) with a power cable ([0006], and fig. 1 ref. #20). The power cable is flexible, which allows for the cable to be wound and repeatedly moved, in turn making use of the electronic device easier.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use a flexible power supply line as taught by Bennet in the electronic device of Valentini. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this inclusion to make use of the electronic device easier.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Myles Alan Lovasz whose telephone number is (571)272-0214. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30 am - 5:00 pm.
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/MAL/
Myles Alan LovaszExaminer, Art Unit 1788 07/02/2026
/ALEXANDRE F FERRE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1788
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