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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the second and third cantilevers as cantilevers of claims 2 and 16 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hsu et al. [Hsu hereinafter, US 11,189,440].
In regard to claim 1, Hsu discloses [in Figs. 1 and 2] a button element, having an elasticity and configured for being connected to a housing [10], the button element comprising: a pressing portion [at 20, Fig. 1] configured for being exposed from an opening [12] of the housing [12] for a user to press; and an open portion extending from a first connection end to an open end and comprising a first cantilever [22] and an open anchoring area [221] in sequence, wherein the first connection end is connected to the pressing portion, and the open anchoring area [221] is configured to be fixedly connected to the housing [10].
In regard to claims 14 and 15, Hsu discloses [in Figs. 1 and 2] an electronic device, comprising: a housing [10] comprising an opening [12]; a button element comprising a pressing portion [at 20, Fig. 1] and an open portion, wherein the pressing portion is exposed from the opening [12], the open portion extends from a first connection end to an open end and comprises a first cantilever [22] and an open anchoring area [221] in sequence, the first connection end is connected to the pressing portion, and the open anchoring area [221] is fixedly connected to the housing [10]; and a touch switch disposed correspondingly to the pressing portion and comprising a contact portion [at 30, Fig. 2]; wherein when a user presses the pressing portion, the pressing portion is in contact with the contact portion, wherein the contact portion is disposed eccentrically and correspondingly to the pressing portion.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-13, 16 and 17 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.
In regard to claims 2 and 16, in combination with other limitations, a closed portion extending from a second connection end to a third connection end and comprising a second cantilever, a closed anchoring area, and a third cantilever in sequence, wherein the second connection end and the third connection end are respectively connected to the pressing portion, and the closed anchoring area is configured to be fixedly connected to the housing is neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Huang et al. [US 2008/0064321] and Lin et al. [US 2011/0036693] disclose similar button elements.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LHEIREN MAE A CAROC whose telephone number is (571)272-2730. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke can be reached at 571-272-2009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LHEIREN MAE A CAROC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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