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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-14 in the reply filed on 1/16/2026 is acknowledged.
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 1 and 6-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Igarashi et al. U.S. Patent 9,789,395 (hereinafter D1) in view of Kazama et al. U.S. Pub. 2011/0306424 (hereinafter D2).
Regarding claim 1, D1 teaches an input device (1; figure 1) comprising:
a device main body (40; figure 2) including an operation member unit (input stick 31; figure 1); and
a first exterior cover (41; figure 1) in which an opening (see above annotated figure 1) configured to expose at least a part of the operation member unit (31) is formed and that is attached (see figure 1) to the device main body.
However, D1 does not specifically teach the first exterior cover having a first engaging portion, the device main body having a cover lock member, and the cover lock member having a second engaging portion for engaging with the first engaging portion and being movable between a locking position at which the second engaging portion engages with the first engaging portion and an unlocking position at which the engagement between the second engaging portion and the first engaging portion is released.
D2 teaches a device (10; figure 2) comprising an exterior cover (50; figure 2) coupling to the device main body (40; figure 2), wherein the exterior cover (50) having a first engaging portion (51; see above annotated figure 2), the device main body (40) having a cover lock member (see above annotated figure 2), and the cover lock member having a second engaging portion (46b; figure 3) for engaging with the first engaging portion (51) and being movable between a locking position (engaged position between 46b and 51) at which the second engaging portion engages with the first engaging portion (51) and an unlocking position (rearward of the engaged position) at which the engagement between the second engaging portion and the first engaging portion is released.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the input device of D1 and apply the same engaging structures as suggested by D2, such that the first exterior cover would have a first engaging portion, the device main body would have a cover lock member, and the cover lock member would have a second engaging portion for engaging with the first engaging portion and being movable between a locking position at which the second engaging portion engages with the first engaging portion and an unlocking position at which the engagement between the second engaging portion and the first engaging portion is released, as suggested by D2, to facilitate quick engaging/disengaging said exterior cover and the main body together.
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Regarding claim 6, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the input device according to claim 1, wherein the first exterior cover has the first engaging portion (see above annotated figure 2 of D2) at a first edge (see above annotated figure 2 of D2) of the first exterior cover, and the first exterior cover has a third engaging portion (see above annotated figure 2 of D2) at a second edge (see above annotated figure 2 of D2) located on an opposite side from the first edge.
Regarding claim 7, D1/D2 teaches the input device according to claim 1, wherein the device main body has a housing recessed portion (the space inside bottom part of 12; figure 1) that houses the operation member unit including an operation member (31b; figure 1 of D1) and a supporting mechanism (31; figure 1 of D1) configured to support the operation member (31b) and from which the operation member unit is detachable (see figure 1 of D1), and the first exterior cover (41; figure 1) covers at least a part of an opening (the top space of said recess) of the housing recessed portion.
Regarding claim 8, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the input device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the operation member unit (31; figure 1 of D1) projects upward (see figure 1 of D1) from the device main body, the input device has an upper surface (31b; figure 1 of D1) and a lower surface (opposite surface of upper surface) located on opposite sides from each other in an upward- downward direction (see figure 1 of D1), the first exterior cover constitutes (see figure 1 of D1) at least a part of the upper surface, and the cover lock member includes an operation portion (as resulted from modification, equivalent to unit 46b shown in figure 3 of D2) exposed on the lower surface.
Regarding claim 9, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the input device according to claim 8, wherein a distance (see figure 6 of D1) between the upper surface and the lower surface is gradually (see figure 6 of D1) decreased rearward, and the first exterior cover has the first engaging portion at a rear edge (as resulted from modification) of the first exterior cover.
Regarding claim 10, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the input device according to claim 8, wherein the device main body includes an upper case (12; figure 6 of D1) and a lower case (12b; figure 6 of D1) combined with each other in the upward-downward direction (see figure 6 of D1), a distance (see figure 6 of D1) between the upper surface and the lower surface is gradually (see figure 6 of D1) decreased rearward and the second engaging portion would be located at a rear edge (as equivalent as shown in figure 3 of D2) of the lower case.
Regarding claim 11, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the input device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the operation member unit (31; figure 1 of D1) projects upward from the device main body, the device main body includes an upper case (12; figure 6 of D1) and a lower case (12b; figure 6 of D1) combined with each other in an upward-downward direction (see figure 6 of D1), the first exterior cover covers an external surface (see figures 1 and 6) of the upper case, and the cover lock member has an operation portion (equivalent of unit 46b of figure 3 of D2); and said operation portion is located on a lower side (as equivalent to the lower side of the lower case as shown in figure 3 of D2) of the lower case and exposed on an external surface of the input device.
Regarding claim 12, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the input device according to claim 11, wherein the cover lock member would be located on (as equivalently shown in figure 3 of D3) the lower side of the lower case, and the input device includes a second exterior cover (lower side of 12; figure 2 of D1) configured to cover the lower case and the cover lock member.
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Regarding claim 13, D1/D2 teaches the input device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the operation member unit (31; figure 1 of D1) projects upward (see figure 1) from the device main body, the device main body includes an upper case (see above annotated figure 1) and a lower case (see above annotated figure 1) combined with each other in an upward-downward direction (see above figure 1), the input device includes a second exterior cover (12; figure 1) configured to cover the lower case and the cover lock member, the first exterior cover (41; figure 1) has a third edge (see below annotated figure 3) as a part of a peripheral edge (see figure 1) of the first exterior cover (41), and the second exterior cover has a fourth edge (see above annotated figure 1) adjacent to the third edge as a part of a peripheral edge of the second exterior cover.
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Regarding claim 14, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the input device according to claim 13, wherein the first exterior cover (41) has a rear edge (see above annotated figure 1) provided with the first engaging portion, the first exterior cover (41) has the third edge (see above annotated figure 3) at each of a right portion and a left portion located on opposite sides from each other with the rear edge interposed between the right portion and the left portion, and the second exterior cover has the fourth edge (see above figures 1 and 3) at each of a right portion (10R; figure 3 of D1) and a left portion (10L; figure 3 of D1) of the second exterior cover.
Claims 2-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Igarashi et al. U.S. Patent 9,789,395 (hereinafter D1) in view of Kazama et al. U.S. Pub. 2011/0306424 (hereinafter D2) and in further view of JPH04236930 (hereinafter D3).
Regarding claim 2, as mentioned above, D1/D2 teaches the input device according to claim 1.
However, D1/D2 does not specifically teach the device main body includes an elastic member configured to bias the first exterior cover in a direction of separating from the device main body.
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D3, teaches a device (see above annotated figure 6), which suggests that the device main body (33; figure 6) includes an elastic member (see abstract and figure 6) configured to bias the first exterior cover in a direction (vertical direction shown in figure 6) of separating from the device main body.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to further modify the device main body of D1/D2 to include an elastic member configured to bias the first exterior cover in a direction of separating from the device main body, as suggested by D3, to facilitate opening of said exterior cover from said main body.
Regarding claim 3, the modification of D1/D2/D3 would result in the input device according to claim 2, wherein the operation member unit includes an operation member (body of 31; figure 1 of D1) extending in a direction of passing through the opening (see figure 1 of D1) of the first exterior cover, and the elastic member biases the first exterior cover in the direction in which the operation member extends (implicitly taught in figure 1 of D1 and figure 6 of D3).
Regarding claim 4, as mentioned above, D1/D2/D3 teaches the input device according to claim 2.
D3 further suggests the device main body having a recessed portion (see above annotated figure 6) configured to house a locking member (40; figure 6), and the exterior cover has a projecting portion (38; figure 6) configured to be fitted in the recessed portion.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to further equip the input device of D1/D2/D3 such that the device main body having a recessed portion configured to house a elastic locking member, and the exterior cover would have a projecting portion configured to be fitted in the recessed portion, as suggested by D3, to facilitate the coupling of said exterior cover and said main body.
Regarding claim 5, the modification of D1/D2/D3 would result in the input device according to claim 4, wherein the device main body includes two operation member units (11 and 19; figure 1 of D1), the first exterior cover has two openings (openings accommodate units 11 and 19, respectively; figure 1) configured to respectively expose (see figure 1 of D1) at least a part of one of the two operation member units (11 and 19) and at least a part of the other of the two operation member units, and the projecting portion 31; figure 1 of D1) is located between the two openings.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG Q DANG whose telephone number is (571)272-3069. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6PM..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani N Hayman can be reached at 571-270-5528. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUNG Q DANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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