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 . Claims 1-8 are pending in the current application.
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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Specifically, Claim 1, line 5, is rejected since the language -the other- lacks antecedent basis.
Regarding Claim 4, line 2, the language “designed at” is indefinite.
Regarding Claim 5, line 3, the language “four buttons, namely the” is indefinite.
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, 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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al. (Chinese Pat. No. CN 212008695 U, hereinafter “Yu”) in view of Matsui et al. (Japanese Pat. Pub. No. JPH 06278069 A, hereinafter “Matsui”), and further in view of Jensen et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 11,426,651 B1, hereinafter “Jensen”).
Specifically, regarding Claim 1, Yu discloses a full-motion electronic handwheel, comprising: a handwheel housing (11, 12; FIGS. 1 and 2), a control circuit board (21) being arranged in the handwheel housing (11, 12), and a magnification toggle switch (16), arranged on a [the other] side of the handwheel housing (11, 12). Yu does not disclose the claimed buttons, general function and full-motion changeover switch, and multi-axis changeover switch.
However, Matsui discloses an X-axis button (2a; FIG. 1), a Y-axis button (2b; FIG. 1), a Z-axis button (2c; FIG. 1) and a 4-axis button (2d; FIG. 1), sequentially arranged on one side of the handwheel housing (11, 12) from top to bottom (FIG. 1). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Matsui with those of Yu to provide ease of access for a user input.
The combination of Yu and Matsui discloses substantially all of the limitations of the present invention but does not disclose the claimed general function and full-motion changeover switch, and multi-axis changeover switch.
However, Jensen discloses a general function switch (e.g., a first and top one of 58; FIG. 1, col. 5, ll. 54-57, col. 6, ll. 33-35), arranged on a housing (12; FIGS. 1 and 5), and a switch (e.g., a second and bottom one of 58; FIG. 1) arranged on the housing (12) and positioned below the general function and full-motion changeover switch (FIG. 1). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Jensen with those of the combination of Yu and Matsui to provide user-defined operational input capabilities.
Although the combination of Yu, Matsui, and Jensen, does not disclose that the switches are a full-motion changeover switch and a multi-axis changeover switch, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the assignable buttons of Jensen as a full-motion changeover switch and a multi-axis changeover switch to simplify device operation and minimize required device interaction.
Regarding Claim 2, Yu discloses a display screen (10) is arranged at the front of the handwheel housing (11, 12), and the display screen (10) is positioned at an upper portion of the front of the handwheel housing (11, 12).
Regarding Claim 3, Yu discloses a magnification knob (16) and an axis selection knob (15) are juxtaposed at a middle of the front of the handwheel housing (11, 12).
Regarding Claim 4, Yu discloses a manual pulse generator (13) is designed at a lower portion of the front of the handwheel housing (11, 12; FIG. 1).
Regarding Claims 5 and 6, the combination of Yu, Matsui, and Jensen, discloses substantially all of the limitations of the present invention, and Matsui further that the four buttons, namely the X-axis button (2a), the Y-axis button (2b), the Z-axis button (2c) and the 4-axis button (2d), are integrally arranged in an arc shape along finger ends of a holder (FIG. 1), and Yu further discloses that the magnification toggle switch (16) is arranged at an upper portion of a right side of the handwheel housing (11, 12). Although the combination of Yu, Matsui, and Jensen, does not disclose the right side button arrangement and that the switch is arranged at an upper portion of a left side, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to place the switch on the left side for left-handed operation (e.g., with a left thumb) since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 U.S.P.Q. 70.
Regarding Claim 7, the combination of Yu, Matsui, and Jensen, discloses substantially all of the limitations of the present invention, but does not disclose the claimed connection. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to electrically connect the claimed generator, buttons, screen, switches, to the control circuit board in the housing to provide optical feedback to a device user.
Regarding Claim 8, Yu discloses that while holding a handwheel body with one hand, fingers can simultaneously control: the magnification toggle switch (16) and axes selection buttons (15; FIG. 1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY R. JIMENEZ whose telephone number is 313-446-6518. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, 1030am - 9pm.
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/ANTHONY R JIMENEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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