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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 07/30/2025 and 07/12/2024 have been considered by the Examiner.
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.
Claim 19 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 19 recites term(s) "the fourth area" and “the third area” before introduction. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 5-6, 8-9, 12-13, 15-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hotta et al. (US 11390312; hereinafter Hotta).
Regarding claim 1, Hotta discloses in figure(s) 1-9 an electrode structure comprising:
a base material (layer 30/31; figs. 3-7) including a first area (narrow-width portion 50a; fig. 4-5) configured to be fitted into a groove (gutters 14,15; fig. 3) of a rim (R) and a second area (wb width portion 59) configured to be placed along a part (outside of 14/15) of the rim other than the groove; and one or more conductive wires (conductive inks 52/54) supported by the base material (30), wherein the one or more conductive wires (52/54) are arranged to extend over the first area (50a) and the second area (59) and the one or more conductive wires (54) are arranged at a lower wiring density (less # of conductive ink patterns) in the first area (50a) than in the second area (59).
Regarding claim 8, Hotta discloses in figure(s) 1-9 an electrode structure comprising:
a base material (layer 30/31; figs. 3-7) including a first area (narrow-width portion 50a; fig. 4-5) configured to be fitted into a groove (gutters 14,15; fig. 3) of a rim (R) and a second area (wb width portion 59) configured to be placed along a part (outside of 14/15) of the rim other than the groove; and one or more conductive wires (conductive inks 52/54) supported by the base material (30), wherein the one or more conductive wires (52/54) are arranged to extend over the first area (50a) and the second area (59) and a first number (number of lines 52 in pattern 54 over 50a; figs. 4-5) of the one or more conductive wires (52/54) intersecting a first cross section (narrow section of the base) of the first area (50a) is smaller than a second number (number of lines 52 in pattern 54 over 59) of the one or more conductive wires intersecting a second cross section (wide section of the base) of the second area, wherein the first cross section and the second cross section are taken perpendicularly to a circumferential direction of the rim (R).
Regarding claim 15, Hotta discloses in figure(s) 1-9 an electrode structure comprising:
a base material (layer 30/31; figs. 3-7) including a first area (narrow-width portion 50a; fig. 4-5) configured to be fitted into a groove (gutters 14,15; fig. 3) of a rim (R) and a second area (wb width portion 59) configured to be placed along a part (outside of 14/15) of the rim other than the groove; and one or more conductive wires (conductive inks 52/54) supported by the base material (30), wherein a first radial size of the rim at the groove (width @ 50a; figs. 4-5) is reduced relative to a second radial size (WB, width @ 59) of the rim at the part other than the groove, and a first number (number of lines 52 in pattern 54 over 50a; figs. 4-5) of the one or more conductive wires (52/54) intersecting a first cross section of the first area is smaller than a second number (number of lines 52 in pattern 54 over 59) of the one or more conductive wires intersecting a second cross section of the second area, wherein the first cross section and the second cross section are taken perpendicularly to a circumferential direction of the rim (R).
Regarding claim(s) 2, 9 and 17, Hotta discloses in figure(s) 1-9 the electrode structure according to claim 1, 8 and 15, respectively, wherein the base material has a cutout (cutout 37) at a point corresponding to the groove.
Regarding claim(s) 5, 12 and 20, Hotta discloses in figure(s) 1-9 the electrode structure according to claim 1, 8 and 15, respectively, wherein a part of the one or more conductive wires is folded back in the second area so as not to pass through the first area (lattice pattern 54 of wide band partly folds back and partly continues thru narrow band 50a).
Regarding claim(s) 6 and 13, Hotta discloses in figure(s) 1-9 the electrode structure according to claim 1 and 8, respectively, comprising: a control circuit configured to detect a hand touch on the rim by a user (col. 5 lines. 63-68 :- connecting wire 65, which is to be connected to a not-shown detection circuit for detecting the driver's grip by detecting an electrostatic capacitance, is disposed in an area of the protruding portion 61 extending from the frame 59 of the conductive ink 52).
Regarding claim 16, Hotta discloses in figure(s) 1-9 the electrode structure according to claim 15, wherein the one or more conductive wires (52/54) are arranged to extend over the groove (14/15) when the base material (30) is attached to the rim (R).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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.
Claim(s) 7 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hotta in view of SEOK et al. (US 20190210630).
Regarding claim(s) 7 and 14, Hotta teaches in figure(s) 1-9 the electrode structure according to claim(s) 6 and 13, respectively, comprising: a steering wheel (W; fig. 1),
Hotta does not teach explicitly wherein the rim and the control circuit are included in the steering wheel.
However, SEOK teaches in figure(s) 1-9 wherein the rim (101; fig. 2) and the control circuit (controller 140) are included in the steering wheel (100).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Hotta by having wherein the rim and the control circuit are included in the steering wheel as taught by SEOK in order to provide touch sensor feature integrated in a steering wheel as evidenced by "a controller configured to set up a touch area for manipulation to control components of a vehicle based on a touch area of the sensor electrode having received the touch input … steering wheel 100 may include a controller 140 for controlling the plurality of sensor ICs 131" (abs.,para. 72 of SEOK).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 3-4 and 10-11 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 3, the prior arts of record do not fairly teach or suggest “wherein the first area includes: a third area; and a fourth area located next to the third area and corresponding to the cutout, and the one or more conductive wires are arranged at a lower wiring density in the third area than in the fourth area” including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 10, the prior arts of record do not fairly teach or suggest “wherein the first area includes: a third area; and a fourth area located next to the third area and corresponding to the cutout, and a third number of the one or more conductive wires intersecting a third cross section of the third area is smaller than a fourth number of the one or more conductive wires intersecting a fourth cross section of the fourth area, wherein the third cross section and the fourth cross section are taken perpendicularly to the circumferential direction of the rim” including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim(s) 4 and 11 are objected for dependent upon the objected base claim(s).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
See the List of References cited in the US PT0-892.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AKM ZAKARIA whose telephone number is (571)270-0664. The examiner can normally be reached on 8-5 PM (PST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Judy Nguyen can be reached on (571) 272-2258. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AKM ZAKARIA/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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