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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wacom Co., Ltd. (JP 5,831,902 B2, hereinafter Wacom).
As to claim 1, Wacom discloses an input operation device (operation switch device 3 as shown in Fig. 1), comprising:
an operation member configured to be pushed by an operator at a plurality of press positions of the operation member (operation plate unit 30 with operation areas 3A-3H, 3R as shown in Fig. 2);
a push switch configured to be in an on state from an off state by pushing (push switches 5A-5H, 5R as shown in Fig. 3);
a panel that includes an operation surface that is configured to be touched by the operator and on which a plurality of symbols are arranged (protective sheet member 32 with operation surface 30a bearing symbols in operation areas 3A-3H, 3R as shown in Fig. 2);
an electrostatic detection sensor that includes a plurality of electrostatic electrodes provided on a surface of the panel opposite to the operation surface of the panel in an area on the panel in which the symbols are arranged in a plan view, the electrostatic detection sensor being configured to detect an electrostatic capacitance upon approach of a finger of the operator for each of the electrostatic electrodes (electrostatic detection sensor with touch detection electrodes 6A-6H, 6R on circuit board surface 4a opposite to operation surface 30a in symbol areas 3A-3H, 3R in plan view as shown in Fig. 2, detecting capacitance changes per electrode upon finger approach via level changes En to Es as shown in Fig. 5); and
a determiner configured to determine which of the operation member and the symbols has been operated by the operator in accordance with the on or off state of the push switch and a detection result of the finger by the electrostatic detection sensor (operation detection circuit with ICs 7, 8, 9 as shown in Fig. 5 determining operation on member via push switch on state vs. symbols via electrostatic sensor results TA-TH, TR as shown in Fig. 5).
As to claim 2, Wacom discloses wherein each of the plurality of the electrostatic electrodes is arranged in a vicinity of a corresponding press position among the plurality of press positions of the operation member (electrodes 6A-6H, 6R arranged in vicinity of corresponding press positions 3A-3H, 3R as shown in Fig. 2).
As to claim 7, Wacom discloses wherein the operation member is projected from the operation surface of the panel (operation member 30 projected from operation surface of panel 32 via dielectric members 321A-321H, 321R and protrusions 324A-324H, 324R as shown in Fig. 3).
As to claim 8, Wacom discloses wherein the plurality of the press positions of the operation member are located at least at one end, another end, and a center of the operation member (press positions 3A-3H, 3R of member 30 located at one end 3A, another end 3H, and center 3R as shown in Fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6 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.
As to claims 3-6, the prior art alone and/or in combination does not discloses the features of the determiner determines that the operation member has been pushed by the operator upon the electrostatic capacitance detected by the electrostatic detection sensor being equal to or greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value in conjunction with the push switch being in the on state.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUNG X NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1967. The examiner can normally be reached 10:30am-6:30pm M-F.
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/TUNG X NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858 3/7/26