DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-7 are pending.
Claim Interpretation
The claim elements do not invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).
References
D1: JP2008191007 SATO YOSHIHISA August 21, 2008
D2: US6862935 Akiharu Fukuda et al. March 8, 2005
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by D1.
With regards to claim 1, the D1 reference discloses a transducer apparatus (Fig. 2: 13), comprising: a main body, which, in operation, transmits and receives ultrasound; and an exterior attachment (Fig. 2: 15) attached to a transmission and reception portion (Fig. 2: 17) of the main body, wherein the exterior attachment includes a first portion (Fig. 2: 21) and a second portion (Fig. 2: 15), the first portion (21) being disposed in contact (Fig. 2: 23) with a leading end of the transmission and reception portion (Fig.2, 17), the second portion (Fig. 2: 15) being disposed with a distance (Fig. 2: 19, internal space) from the transmission and reception portion (Fig. 2: 7).
With regards to claim 4, the D1 reference discloses mounting at a mounting hole at an end of a moving body (bumper 3).
Claims 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by D2.
With regards to claim 7, the D2 reference discloses equipment (Fig. 5) attached to a transmission and reception (Fig. 5: 33 & 34) portion of a transducer, the transducer, which, in operation, transmits and receives ultrasound (Fig. 2), the exterior equipment comprising: a first portion (Fig. 5: 57) having an inner diameter that allows the first portion (57) to be fitted to a side wall of a leading end of the transmission and reception (Fig. 5: 33) portion; and a second portion (Fig. 5:76) having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the first portion (Fig. 5, column 1, lines 32-33).
Examiner Note
Examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record in the body of this action for the convenience of the Applicant. However, any citation to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the references should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. In re Heck, 699 F.2d 1331, 1332-33, 216 USPQ 1038, 1039 (Fed. Cir. 1983) (quoting In re Lemelson, 397 F.2d 1006, 1009, 158 USPQ 275, 277 (CCPA 1968)). Applicant, in preparing the response, should consider fully the entire reference as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 5, and 6 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Dan Pihulic whose telephone number is 571-272-6977. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Isam Alsomiri, can be reached on 571-272-6970.
/Daniel Pihulic/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3645