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 1-19 are pending in the current application.
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, 2, 5-8, 11-15, 18, and 19, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2008/0135392 A1, hereinafter “Huang”).
Specifically, regarding Claim 1, Huang discloses a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys (FIG. 3), each key of the plurality of keys comprising: a circuit assembly comprising: a substrate (35; FIG. 3), a first metal layer (3131; FIG. 4) patterned into a circuit (FIG. 3) and formed on the substrate (35), and a membrane comprising a second metal layer (3111; FIG. 3) interfaced between a first electrically-insulative layer (312; FIG. 3) and a second electrically-insulative layer (311; FIG. 3), and assembled to the first metal layer (3131) such that the first electrically-insulative layer (312) is interfaced between the first metal layer (3131) and the second metal layer (3111; FIG. 3), and a keycap (32) mechanically coupled to the circuit assembly via a mechanical member (331; FIG. 3) having a spring force biased to separate the keycap (32) from the circuit assembly by a predetermined distance (¶ [0026]; FIG. 5), such that when a force is applied to the keycap (32) to overcome the spring force, the first metal layer (3131) comes in physical contact with the second metal layer (3111; ¶ [0021]).
Regarding Claim 2, Huang discloses an illumination source mounted to the first metal layer (3131; ¶ [0022]).
Regarding Claim 5, Huang discloses that the substrate (35) comprises metal (¶ [0022]).
Regarding Claim 6, Huang discloses a third electrically-insulative layer (313) interfaced between the substrate (35) and the first metal layer (3131; FIG. 3).
Claims 7, 8, 11, and 12, include language similar to that of Claims 1, 2, 5, and 6, respectively, and are rejected for reasons at least similar to those discussed above. Huang discloses the claimed information handling system comprising: a processor, and a keyboard communicatively coupled to the processor at, e.g., ¶¶ [0029], [0031], and FIG. 8.
Claims 13, 14, 15, 18, and 19, include language similar to that of Claims 1, 1, 2, 5, and 6, respectively, and are rejected for reasons at least similar to those discussed above.
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 3, 4, 9, 10, 16, and 17, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang.
Huang discloses substantially all of the limitations of the present invention but does not disclose the claimed material. However, It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to utilize such metals to establish electrical conductivity since it has been held to be within the general ordinary skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Claims 9 and 16 and Claims 10 and 17 include language similar to that of Claims 3 and 4, respectively, and are rejected for reasons at least similar to those discussed above.
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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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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/ANTHONY R JIMENEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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