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.
Regarding claim 14, the phrase "for example" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 11, and 13-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye (Pub # US 2020/0207442 A1), and further in view of Cheng et al. (Pub # US 2016/0285213 A1).
Consider claim 1, Ye teaches a bicycle or e-bike interface for providing a connection between a bicycle or e-bike and a data processing device, e.g., a mobile device, the bicycle or e-bike interface comprises: a plug, a plug socket (USB output port) [0049], a holder (mounting fixture on seat tube), and attachment means [0065].
Ye does not specifically teaches wherein the plug socket is displaceably attached to the holder by the attachment means.
In the same filed of endeavor, Cheng et al. teaches wherein the plug socket (connector assembly) is displaceably attached to the holder by the attachment means (a movable connector body and guide structure) [0026] for the benefit of protecting the connector from environmental exposure.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the plug socket is displaceably attached to the holder by the attachment means as shown in Cheng et al., in Ye device for the benefit of protecting the connector from environmental exposure.
Consider claim 2, Ye clearly shown and disclose the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the data processing device comprises a mobile device, e.g., a mobile phone, and the bicycle or e-bike interface is designed to be used to provide charging current for the mobile device [0068].
Consider claim 3, Ye teaches similar invention.
Ye does not teach the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the attachment means comprise socket attachment means arranged on the plug socket and holder attachment means arranged on the holder, which are designed to correspond to one another.
In the same field of endeavor, Cheng et al. teaches wherein the attachment means comprise socket attachment means arranged on the plug socket (USB connector) (121, Fig. 1A) and holder attachment means (111, Fig. 1A) arranged on the holder (11, Fig. 1A), which are designed to correspond to one another [0020 and 0022] for the benefit of supporting the movement of the connector relative to the housing.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the attachment means comprise socket attachment means arranged on the plug socket and holder attachment means arranged on the holder, which are designed to correspond to one another as shown in Cheng et al., in Ye device for the benefit of supporting the movement of the connector relative to the housing.
Consider claim 4, Ye teaches similar invention.
Ye does not teach the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the plug socket is attached to the holder by the attachment means so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis.
In the same field of endeavor, Cheng et al. teaches wherein the plug socket is attached to the holder by the attachment means so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis [0041] for the benefit of providing the connector movement through a guided path including rotational movement corresponding to a pivot arrangement.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the plug socket is attached to the holder by the attachment means so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis as shown in Cheng et al., in ye device for the benefit of providing the connector movement through a guided path including rotational movement corresponding to a pivot arrangement.
Consider claim 5, Ye teaches similar invention.
Ye does not teach the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the pivot axis is virtual and displaceable.
In the same field of endeavor, Cheng et al. teaches guided movement generated by interaction between guide structures and attachment structures such that connector follows a compound movement path rather than rotational about fixed mechanical shaft [0041], wherein the use of virtual or shifting pivot axis generated by guide geometry represents a known design alternative and produced an expected result.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the pivot axis is virtual and displaceable as shown in Cheng et al., in Ye device as known design alternative that produced an expected result as a design choice for the particular application.
Consider claim 6, Ye teaches similar invention.
Ye does not teach the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the attachment means are designed to enable a displacement of the plug socket relative to the holder between a first pivoted-in, position of the plug socket, in which the plug is at least partially recessed in the holder and a second, pivoted-out position, of the plug socket, in which the plug is arranged at least partially outside the holder.
In the same filed of endeavor, Cheng et al. teaches the movement of the connector between a recessed position and an exposed use position [0020] for the benefit of improving weather resistance and reduce the connector wear.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the attachment means are designed to enable a displacement of the plug socket relative to the holder between a first pivoted-in, position of the plug socket, in which the plug is at least partially recessed in the holder and a second, pivoted-out position, of the plug socket, in which the plug is arranged at least partially outside the holder as shown in Cheng et al., in Ye device for the benefit of improving weather resistance and reduce the connector wear.
Consider claim 7, Ye teaches similar invention.
Ye does not teaches the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the bicycle or e-bike interface comprises return means, which create a pulling force between the plug socket and the holder, wherein the pulling force is greater in the first position than in the second position.
In the same field of endeavor, Cheng et al. teaches biasing structures configured to letting connector toward a retracted position [0026] for the benefit of improving weather resistance and reduce the connector wear.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the bicycle or e-bike interface comprises return means, which create a pulling force between the plug socket and the holder, wherein the pulling force is greater in the first position than in the second position as shown in Cheng et al., in Ye device for the benefit of improving weather resistance and reduce the connector wear.
Consider claim 8, Ye teaches similar invention.
Ye does not teach the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the plug socket is in a lock-in position in the second position, in which the pulling force of the return means is absorbed by a locking device.
In the same field of endeavor, Cheng et al. teaches retention and stopper structures configured to maintain the connector in an extended parallel position [0035] for the benefit of maintaining the connector in an extended position until released by a user.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the plug socket is in a lock-in position in the second position, in which the pulling force of the return means is absorbed by a locking device as shown in in Cheng et al. in Ye device for the benefit of maintaining the connector in an extended position until released by a user.
Consider claim 11, Ye teaches similar invention.
Ye does not teach the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the attachment means comprise at least one guide slot and a sliding block engaging in the guide slot and/or in that the attachment means comprise at least one protrusion, configured as a latching lug, which provides a stop with at least one counter protrusion.
In the same file of endeavor, Cheng et al. teaches a movable connector assembly in which a connector body is constrained to move relative to a housing by cooperating guide structures and engagement members. The guiding structure correspond to the claimed guide slot, while the engagement members corresponding to the claimed sliding track [0011] for the benefit of guiding the connector along the predetermined direction.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the attachment means comprise at least one guide slot and a sliding block engaging in the guide slot and/or in that the attachment means comprise at least one protrusion, configured as a latching lug, which provides a stop with at least one counter protrusion as shown in Cheng et al., in Ye device for the benefit of guiding the connector along the predetermined direction.
Consider claim 13, Ye clearly shown and disclose the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the plug comprises a USB plug or is formed thereby [0049].
Consider claim 14, Ye clearly shown and disclose the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the bicycle or e-bike interface has a display device [0049].
Consider claim 15, Ye clearly shown and disclose the bicycle or e-bike, comprising a bicycle or e-bike interface [0046].
Consider claim 16, Ye clearly shown and disclose the bicycle or e-bike, wherein the bicycle or e-bike has an electric drive motor and a drive accumulator and the bicycle or e-bike interface is connected to the drive accumulator and/or to the drive motor by means of an electrical line [0053].
Claims 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye (Pub # US 2020/0207442 A1) in view of Cheng et al. (Pub # US 2016/0285213 A1) as applied to claims 1 and 7 above, and further in view of Wu (Pub # US 2009/0117783 A1).
Consider clam 9, Ye and Cheng et al. combined teaches similar invention.
Ye and Cheng et al. combined reference does not teach the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the return means comprise a magnet and a magnetic counterpart.
In the same field of endeavor, Wu teaches wherein the return means comprise a magnet and a magnetic counterpart [0029] for the benefit of using magnetic attraction to retain the connector.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the return means comprise a magnet and a magnetic counterpart as shown in Wu, in Ye and Cheng et al. combined device for the benefit of using magnetic attraction to retain the connector.
Consider claim 10, Ye and Cheng combined reference teaches similar invention.
Ye and Cheng et al. combined reference does not teach the bicycle or e-bike interface, wherein the plug socket is configured to be connected to the holder and/or removed from the holder without tools.
In the same field of endeavor, Wu teaches wherein the plug socket is configured to be connected to the holder via magnetic attraction and/or removed from the holder without tools (with separation force above magnetic force) (Abstract) for the benefit of proving easy connect and disconnect.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the plug socket is configured to be connected to the holder and/or removed from the holder without tools as shown in Wu, in Ye and Cheng et al. combined device for the benefit of proving easy connect and disconnect.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye (Pub # US 2020/0207442 A1) in view of Cheng et al. (Pub # US 2016/0285213 A1) as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Galstad (Pub # US 2019/0276109 A1).
Consider claim 12, Ye teaches the bicycle or e-bike interface mounted to an electrical and configured for connection to external device [0022].
Ye and Cheng et al. does not teach wherein the holder has fixing means for attaching the holder to the bicycle or e-bike and the fixing means comprise at least one retaining clip for engaging behind a region of the bicycle or e-bike and/or a screw, wherein the screw interacts with a fork nut of the holder, wherein the fork nut comprises a fork head with a female thread and fork prongs for support on the bicycle or e-bike, and wherein the fork nut is arranged on the holder in a captive manner by a catch strap of the holder and a holding claw of the holder.
In the same field of endeavor, Galstad teaches a bicycle mounting accessory support structure including fastening arrangement configured to attach a holder to a bicycle frame or bicycle steering assembly comprising retaining portions, clamping structure, fastening screws, and support structure configured to secure an accessory holder to a bicycle component [0029-0030] for the benefit of securing the accessory on to the bicycle.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the holder has fixing means for attaching the holder to the bicycle or e-bike and the fixing means comprise at least one retaining clip for engaging behind a region of the bicycle or e-bike and/or a screw, wherein the screw interacts with a fork nut of the holder, wherein the fork nut comprises a fork head with a female thread and fork prongs for support on the bicycle or e-bike, and wherein the fork nut is arranged on the holder in a captive manner by a catch strap of the holder and a holding claw of the holder as shown in Galstad, in Ye and Cheng et al. combined device for the benefit of securing the accessory on to the bicycle.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACK K WANG whose telephone number is (571)272-1938. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9AM - 5PM.
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/JACK K WANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686
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