DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of the restriction requirement of group II in the reply filed on 2-20-26 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the amendment to claim 25 obviates the grounds for the restriction requirement. This is found persuasive and the requirement for the restriction of group II has been removed. However, the restriction requirement for independent claim 28 has remained and is made FINAL.
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.
Claim 23 is 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.
Claims 23 is generally unclear and not fully understood.
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 15-18, 23-25, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kirkjan, US Patent 8,922,333.
Regarding claim 15, Kirkjan discloses essentially all of the claimed invention, including an electronic lock comprising at least the suggestion of general power bus structure (as conventional); a battery holder of some type is inherent and such a holder being inherently configured to hold at least one battery (including 318) to thereby supply power of a first voltage; a boost converter is inherently provided at 346 configured to selectively increase a voltage of the first power bus from the first voltage to a second voltage (as conventional); at least a first processor (312 and/or 332) connected to the boost converter; and a first memory (334 and/or 314) storing instructions that, when executed by the first processor, cause the electronic lock to: (a) determine a need for increased voltage; and (b) trigger the boost converter to activate to thereby increase the voltage of the first power bus (as conventional in the art).
Regarding claim 15, Kirkjan provides essentially all of the claimed invention but is not explicit with respect to the limitations regarding the first power bus. However, the examiner serves Official Notice that the use of power bus configurations of the claimed type are extraordinary well known and common in such electronic device configurations, as a means for transmitting electrify through an electronic circuit. It would have been obvious to have modified the device of Kirkjan in this way for the purpose of providing means for transmitting electrify through the electronic circuit, as well known in the art.
Regarding claims 16-18, 23-25, and 27, the prior art element performs the function specified in the claim in substantially the same manner as the function is performed by the corresponding element described in the specification, and such structure are considered art recognized equivalent structures and would have functional at least equally as well. It would have been obvious to modify the device in this way for the purpose of providing an alternative arrangement that would have functioned at least equally as well. In addition, (a) combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results; (b) simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results; (c) use of known technique to improve similar devices in the same way; (c) applying a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable have each been held as being obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art. Further, (e) it would be obvious to try such a modification, since choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success has been held as obvious. See KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 (2007).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 19-22, as best understood, 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 MARK A WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-7064. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christine Mills can be reached at (571) 272-8322. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARK A WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675