DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
1. The information disclosure statement submitted are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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.
3. Claims 1, 2 and 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0089373 (hereinafter Liu) in view of Ding et al, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0174391 (hereinafter Ding).
Regarding claim 1, Liu discloses an electronic device (from abstract, see wearable device) comprising:
a touch-sensing device (from abstract, see touch component) comprising a plurality of touch sensors (from abstract, see self-capacitive touch electrodes) arranged in a pattern (from abstract, see pattern) configured to detect user input (from abstract, see touch) at a plurality of angular orientations, the plurality of touch sensors comprising:
a first sensor (from Figure 4, see Cs1) having a first end (from Figure 4, see top end of Cs1), a second end (from Figure 4, see bottom end of Cs1), a first outer portion (from Figure 4, see outer portion of Cs1) connecting the first end to the second end, a first inner arc (from Figure 4, see inner portion of Cs1) connecting the first end to the second end, and a first horizontal centerline (from Figure 4, see middle of Cs1), the first sensor having a first variable width between the first outer portion and the first inner arc, the first variable width having a largest width at substantially the first horizontal centerline (from Figure 4, see middle of Cs1);
a second sensor (from Figure 4, see Cs3) having a third end (from Figure 4, see top end of Cs3), a fourth end (from Figure 4, see bottom end of Cs3), a second outer portion (from Figure 4, see outer portion of Cs3) connecting the third end to the fourth end, a second inner arc (from Figure 4, see inner portion of Cs3) connecting the third end to the fourth end, and a second horizontal centerline (from Figure 4, see middle of Cs3), the second sensor having a second variable width between the second outer portion and the second inner arc, the second variable width having a largest width at substantially the second horizontal centerline (from Figure 4, see middle of Cs3);
a third sensor (from Figure 4, see Cs4) positioned between the first sensor (from Figure 4, see Cs1) and the second sensor (from Figure 4, see Cs3), the third sensor having a fifth end (from Figure 4, see right end of Cs4), a sixth end (from Figure 4, see left end of Cs4), and a first length that extends (from Figure 4, see length between the right and left end of Cs4) from the fifth end to the sixth end, the fifth end (from Figure 4, see right end of Cs4) proximate to the third end (from Figure 4, see bottom end of Cs3) of the second sensor;
a fourth sensor positioned (from Figure 4, see Cs2) between the first sensor (from Figure 4, see Cs1) and the third sensor (from Figure 4, see Cs4), the fourth sensor having a seventh end (from Figure 4, see top left of Cs2), an eighth end (from Figure 4, see bottom left of Cs2), and a second length (from Figure 4, see length between the top left and bottom left of Cs2) that extends from the seventh end to the eighth end, the seventh end (from Figure 4, see top left of Cs2) proximate to the first end (from Figure 4, see top of Cs1) of the first sensor;
and a fifth sensor (from Figure 4, see Cs5) positioned between a placement, the fifth sensor having a ninth end (from Figure 4, see left end of Cs5), a tenth end (from Figure 4, see right end of Cs5), and a third length (from Figure 4, see length between the left and right ends of Cs5) that extends from the ninth end to the tenth end.
Further regarding claim 1, Liu fails to teach the outer portion is an arc, the sixth end is proximate to the fourth end of the second sensor, the eight end is proximate to the first horizontal centerline, the placement is between the first sensor and the third sensor, the tenth end is proximate to the second end of the first sensor and the ninth end is proximate to the first horizontal centerline. Nonetheless, changes in shape is considered a matter or design choice which a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found obvious per MPEP 2144.04 IV A. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Liu wherein the outer portion is an arc, the sixth end is proximate to the fourth end of the second sensor, the eight end is proximate to the first horizontal centerline, the placement is between the first sensor and the third sensor, the tenth end is proximate to the second end of the first sensor and the ninth end is proximate to the first horizontal centerline. This modification would have improved the system’s flexibility by providing a circular periphery as suggested by Ding (from paragraph 0027, see While the peripheral circumference of the earbud 10 is shown as being circular, it should be understood that in other examples, the periphery of the accessory may take a different shape, such as oval, square, rectangular, octagonal, etc. Regardless of the shape of the housing of the accessory, the sensors may be positioned along the periphery to receive contact from a user's fingers).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Liu and Ding discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a wireless earbud (from paragraph 0004, see According to some examples, the wireless accessory may be an earbud), the electronic device further comprising: a vertical centerline (from Figure 4, see top of Cs5 to the bottom of Cs4) for the touch-sensing device, the vertical centerline having an initial vertical position, and wherein the plurality of touch sensors (from Figure 4, see Cs1, Cs2, Cs3, Cs4 and Cs5) is disposed proximate to a surface of the wireless earbud, the plurality of touch sensors configured to detect, via at least three sensors of the plurality of touch sensors, user input at the surface of the wireless earbud (from paragraph 0037 of Ding, see FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6A illustrate a 7 mm diameter simulated fingertip 50 adjacent to the second pair of the electrodes 36, 38, which are covered by a dielectric cover 39. As can be seen in FIG. 6A, this arrangement may be used to test the sensed capacitance of the electrodes 30 as the simulated fingertip 50 translates across the electrodes from a starting point 60 to an ending point 62 along a lateral swipe path 64).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Liu and Ding discloses the electronic device of claim 2, wherein the user input comprises a horizontal swipe across the surface of the wireless earbud (from paragraph 0037 of Ding, see FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6A illustrate a 7 mm diameter simulated fingertip 50 adjacent to the second pair of the electrodes 36, 38, which are covered by a dielectric cover 39. As can be seen in FIG. 6A, this arrangement may be used to test the sensed capacitance of the electrodes 30 as the simulated fingertip 50 translates across the electrodes from a starting point 60 to an ending point 62 along a lateral swipe path 64).
Regarding claim 6, Liu as modified by Ding discloses the electronic device of claim 2, wherein the wireless earbud is stemless (from paragraph 0025, see Referring to FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, a wireless earbud 10 may include an internal portion 12 including a speaker (not shown) for playing audio signals (e.g., music, telephone audio, podcasts, etc.) to a user. The internal portion 12 may be configured to be seated at least partially into a human ear canal. The wireless earbud 10 may have an external portion 14 including a knob-like input 16, the knob-like input 16 having a peripheral circumference 18 adapted to receive input through contact at one or more portions of the peripheral circumference 18. The knob-like input need not have a moveable part with respect to a housing of the wireless earbud. Rather, the knob-like input may include one or more sensors positioned at selected portions along a peripheral circumference of the earbud. Within the internal portion 12 and/or the external portion 14, the wireless earbud 10 may include a communication component configured to transmit a signal to wirelessly coupled device).
Regarding claim 7, Liu discloses the electronic device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of touch sensors are capacitive touch sensors (from abstract, see M self-capacitive touch electrodes (Cs1 to Csm) disposed on a single pattern wiring layer (10)).
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claims 3, 4 and 8-15 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.
Conclusion
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Olisa Anwah whose telephone number is 571-272-7533. The examiner can normally be reached from Monday to Friday 8.30 AM to 6 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Carolyn Edwards can be reached on 571-270-7136. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are 571-273-8300 for regular communications and 571-273-8300 for After Final communications.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is 571-272-2600.
Olisa Anwah
Patent Examiner
January 9, 2026
/OLISA ANWAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2692
/CAROLYN R EDWARDS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2692