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 § 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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 8, 15 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. These claims recite “an operation receiver, wherein, in a situation that the operation receiver receives an instruction to cancel indication of the first information before the first pointer points at the target first scale mark, the processor causes the first pointer to arrive at the target first scale mark and then cancels the indication of the first information.” It is unclear what applicant means by “cancel indication before the first pointer points at the target first scale mark” in view of the following “causes the first pointer to arrive at the target first scale mark”. If the pointer points at the target scale mark how is the indication “canceled before”? The scope of these claims is unclear.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7, 9, 13, 14, 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Abramov, US 2018/0039232.
Regarding claim 1, Abramov discloses an electronic timepiece comprising: a dial (Fig 3); a first indicator (360) provided on a region of the dial; a second indicator (380) provided on a region of the dial different from the region of the first indicator; and a processor (abstract, [0008]) that causes the first indicator and the second indicator to indicate first information (time of day) at a predetermined timing for a predetermined period (the predetermined period is the battery life of the watch).
Regarding claim 2, Abramov discloses the first indicator includes first scale marks (marks on 330) and a first pointer (360) for pointing at a first scale mark among the first scale marks, and the first pointer is rotated to point at a target first scale mark among the first scale marks to indicate the first information (Fig 3 hour hand rotates to indicate the time of day), wherein the second indicator digitally indicates the first information (digital display 380 also indicates time of day).
Regarding claim 3, Abramov discloses the dial includes indexes (Fig 11, 1180) and a second pointer (1140) for pointing at an index among the indexes, wherein the first pointer is positioned behind the second pointer in a direction in which the electronic timepiece is viewed (Fig 11).
Regarding claim 7, Abramov discloses the first indicator includes a first area that has the first scale marks and a second area that has a second scale mark for indicating second information different from the first information, wherein the second area is provided outside the first area on the dial (Fig 11).
Regarding claim 9, Abramov discloses the electronic timepiece has multiple operation modes including a first operation mode, wherein the predetermined timing is a timing of switching to the first operation mode from an other operation mode different from the first operation mode (Figs 3, 9 and 11 show different operation modes for display different information).
Regarding claim 13, Abramov discloses an indication method for an electronic timepiece that includes a dial (Fig 3), a first indicator (360) provided on a region of the dial, a second indicator (380) provided on a region of the dial different from the region of the first indicator, and a processor (abstract, [0008]), the method being executed by the processor, the method comprising: causing, by the processor, the first indicator and the second indicator to indicate first information (time of day) at a predetermined timing for a predetermined period (the predetermined period is the battery life of the watch).
Regarding claim 14, Abramov discloses the first indicator includes first scale marks (marks on 330) and a first pointer (360) for pointing at a first scale mark among the first scale marks, and the first pointer is rotated to point at a target first scale mark among the first scale marks to indicate the first information (Fig 3 hour hand rotates to indicate the time of day), wherein the second indicator digitally indicates the first information (digital display 380 also indicates time of day).
Regarding claim 17, Abramov discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that is executable by a processor of a computer of an electronic timepiece (abstract, [0008]), the electronic timepiece including a dial (Fig 3), a first indicator (360) provided on a region of the dial, and a second indicator (380) provided on a region of the dial different from the region of the first indicator, wherein, in accordance with the program, the processor causes the first indicator and the second indicator to indicate first information (time of day) at a predetermined timing for a predetermined period (the predetermined period is the battery life of the watch).
Regarding claim 18, Abramov discloses the first indicator includes first scale marks (marks on 330) and a first pointer (360) for pointing at a first scale mark among the first scale marks, and the first pointer is rotated to point at a target first scale mark among the first scale marks to indicate the first information (Fig 3 hour hand rotates to indicate the time of day), wherein the second indicator digitally indicates the first information (digital display 380 also indicates time of day).
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 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abramov in view of Tsuji, US 2008/0198697.
Regarding claim 5, Abramov does not explicitly disclose the first pointer is rotatable in a regular direction and in a counter direction, wherein, in a situation that the processor causes the first indicator to indicate the first information at the predetermined timing, the processor causes the first pointer to rotate in a direction in which the first pointer arrives faster at a position of the target first scale mark from a current position of the first pointer.
Tsuji discloses when updating the indication, the hand choosing a direction based on which direction arrives faster at the target from the current position [0064]-[0066].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Abramov to implement bidirectional pointers which base directional rotation on the direction to arrive fastest a target position from the current position of the pointer for the purpose of reducing wait time for the user to display the requested information and increase the accuracy of the timepiece.
Regarding claim 6, Abramov and Tsuji disclose the first indicator includes a first area that has the first scale marks and a second area that has a second scale mark for indicating second information different from the first information, wherein, in a situation that the first indicator is indicating the second information by the first pointer pointing at the second scale mark in the second area and that the processor causes the first indicator to indicate the first information by moving the first pointer from the second area to the first area, the processor causes the first pointer to rotate in a direction in which the first pointer arrives faster at the position of the target first scale mark from the current position of the first pointer (Fig 11).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 10-12, 16 and 20 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 JASON COLLINS whose telephone number is (571)270-3994. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM.
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/JASON M COLLINS/ Examiner, Art Unit 2831
/EDWIN A. LEON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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