DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-9 are pending in the application.
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 § 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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wen (EP 0 873 010 A1).
As per claim 1, Wen discloses an electrical module intended to be incorporated into an item of electrical equipment (fig. 1, printed circuit board 70 is inserted into housing 20), and comprising:
a support that comprises an inner wall (fig. 1 housing 20 has an inner wall), a hole passing through the thickness of the support (fig. 1, housing 20, has a hole passing through), and lateral edges arranged to implement a sliding connection for inserting the support vertically into a notch formed in a lower or upper edge of a lateral face of a housing part of the electrical equipment (fig. 1, housing 20, has lateral edges arranged to insert printed circuit board 70 having a notch inside housing 20);
at least one dust protection component (fig. 1, dust-proofing cover 11); and
a printed circuit board comprising a camera (fig. 1, printed circuit 70 has an image receiver 71);
the electrical module being such that, when it is assembled, the printed circuit board is fastened to the inner wall of the support in such a way that the camera is positioned facing the hole, and the at least one dust protection component forms, with a thickness of the support, an enclosure in which a lens of the camera is positioned and which protects it from dust (fig. 1, printed circuit board 70 is fastened to inner wall of housing 20, and image receiver 71 is facing hole through front housing 10 inside of dust-proofing cover 11 having a lens 11).
As per claim 2, Wen further discloses the electrical module according to claim 1, in which the at least one dust protection component comprises a seal positioned around the camera lens between the printed circuit board and the support, and a protective window fastened to an outer wall of the support (fig. 1, printed circuit board 70, image receiver 71, has a inner threading 64 (i.e. seal) around the image receiver 71, between printed circuit board 70 housing 20, and front housing 10 is fastened to wall of housing 20).
As per claim 3, Wen further discloses the electrical module according to claim 1, in which the support comprises at least one first fastening post situated next to a first lateral edge of the support, and at least one second fastening post situated next to a second lateral edge of the support, the first fastening post and the second fastening post allowing the printed circuit board to be fastened to the inner wall of the support, a longitudinal axis of each fastening post being tilted upwards, relative to a horizontal plane, by a non-zero angle (fig. 1, printed circuit board 70 has a fastening post next to lateral edge and a second lateral edge which allow printed circuit board to a inner wall of housing 20).
As per claim 4, Wen further discloses the electrical module according to claim 3, the support further comprising a first fastening bracket and a second fastening bracket that extend in the horizontal plane and that make it possible to fasten the electrical module to the housing part, the first fastening bracket and the second fastening bracket extending laterally and towards the outside of the support respectively from the first fastening post and the second fastening post, such that, when the electrical module is assembled, the printed circuit board is positioned between the first fastening bracket and the second fastening bracket (fig. 1, printed circuit board 70 has a first fastening bracket, and a mounting seat 60 (second fastening bracket) which allows printed circuit board 70 to housing 20 which extends laterally).
As per claim 5, Wen further discloses the electrical module according to claim 3, in which the support comprises two first fastening posts and two second fastening posts, and in which a first microphone and a second microphone are mounted on the printed circuit board, the first microphone and the second microphone being in acoustic communication with the outside respectively via a first duct and a second duct formed on the support, the first duct extending between the two first fastening posts and the second duct between the two second fastening posts (fig. 1, printed circuit board 70, has two holes and mounting seat 60 has two holes, microphone(s) 13 are mounted in corner of housing 10, that’s connected to printed circuit board 70 having acoustic communication with the outside environment and the holes where the printed circuit board 70 are mounted).
As per claim 6, Wen further discloses the electrical module according to claim 1, in which an infrared receiver is mounted on the printed circuit board, the support being manufactured from a material that is transparent or translucent to infrared light (fig. 1, printed circuit board 70, image receiver 71 may receive infrared light, which is mounted on printed circuit board 70).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9 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:
Regarding claim 7, none of the prior art cited alone or in combination provides the motivation to teach the following claimed limitations, with emphasis that it is each claim, taken as a whole including the interrelationships and interconnections between various claimed elements make them allowable over the prior art of record, An item of electrical equipment comprising: the electrical module according to claim 1; and a housing comprising a housing part having a lateral face comprising a lower or upper edge in which a notch is formed, lateral edges of the notch being arranged to cooperate with the lateral edges of the support in order to implement the sliding connection; an outer wall of the support of the electrical module extending into the notch in order to form a portion of an outer wall of the lateral face of the housing part.
Regarding claims 8 and 9, claims depend from claim 7, and are allowable for the same reasons stated above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN H MOREHEAD III whose telephone number is (571)270-3845. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 0930-1800 EST.
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/JOHN H MOREHEAD III/Examiner, Art Unit 2639
/TWYLER L HASKINS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2639