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
2. 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.
3. Claim 32 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.
4. Claim 32 recites the limitation "the first input devices" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
6. Claim(s) 21-24 and 26-40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the Tanaka reference (US Patent Publication No. 2019/0322176) in view of the Yamazaki reference (US Patent No. 9,346,423).
7. Regarding claim 21, the Tanaka reference discloses:
a reconfigurable controller system for one or more switchable electronic devices [Abstract], the switch controller system comprising:
a plurality of first input devices (212, 213, 214) each having an independent, physically separated indicator screen [Paragraphs 0086-0088] coupled to a respective one of the first input devices, each of the first input devices (212, 213, 214) being programmable with one or more display outputs displayable on the corresponding indicator screen and associated output functions [Paragraphs 0086-0088—the screens would have a variety of outputs depending on the screens] to a specific one the control circuit lines generated in response to an actuation thereof (FIG. 3); and
a second input device (12) receptive to an input responsively switching (rotation), for one or more of the plurality of first input devices [Paragraphs 0110-0118—changes values depending on whichever of the first inputs were inputted], given ones of the display outputs and associated output functions to another one of the display outputs and associated output functions of the corresponding ones of the first input devices [Paragraph 0110-0118—changes the temperature, etc., based on the inputted operation screen of the first switches].
The Tanaka reference discloses the invention as essentially claimed. However, the Tanaka reference fails to disclose a relay junction with a plurality of relay connections each including at least a load circuit input, a load circuit output connectible to a respective one of the one or more switchable electronic devices, and a control circuit line; and a controller head unit connectible to the relay junction.
The Yamazaki reference teaches it is conventional in the art of controllers for vehicles to provide as taught in (FIG. 3) a relay junction (43) with a plurality of relay connections (FIG. 3) each including at least a load circuit input, a load circuit output connectible to a respective one of the one or more switchable electronic devices (44), and a control circuit line (FIG. 3); and a controller connectible to the relay junction (FIG. 3). Such configurations/structures would allow controlling whether the batteries are connected or not [Abstract].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art by the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of the Tanaka reference, such that the system further includes a relay junction with a plurality of relay connections each including at least a load circuit input, a load circuit output connectible to a respective one of the one or more switchable electronic devices, and a control circuit line; and connectible to the relay junction, as clearly suggested and taught by the Yamazaki reference, in order to allow controlling whether the batteries are connected or not [Abstract].
8. Regarding claim 22, the Tanaka reference further discloses:
wherein a specific set of display outputs and associated output functions of each of the first input devices set in response to a given scroll dial input define a first input page [Paragraph 0118—changes the temperature, etc., based on the inputted operation screen of the first switches].
9. Regarding claim 23, the Tanaka reference further discloses:
wherein a different set of display outputs and associated output functions of each of the first input devices set in response to another input on the second input device define a second input page [Paragraph 0118—changes the temperature, etc., based on the inputted operation screen of the first switches].
10. Regarding claim 24, the Tanaka reference fails to disclose:
wherein the controller head unit further includes a pagination indicator displaying an output corresponding to a selected one of the first input page and the second input page. The
examiner takes Official Notice that it is well known in the art of display screen outputs to provide a pagination indicator for the purpose of ordering screen displays.
11. Regarding claim 26, the Tanaka reference fails to disclose:
a wiring harness connecting the relay junction to the controller head unit.
The Yamazaki reference teaches it is conventional in the art of controllers for vehicles to provide as taught in (FIG. 3) a wiring harness connecting the relay junction to the controller head unit (Column 7, lines 1-10). Such configurations/structures would allow a voltage difference (Column 7, lines 1-10)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art by the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of the Tanaka reference, such that the system further includes a wiring harness connecting the relay junction to the controller head unit, as clearly suggested and taught by the Yamazaki reference, in order to allow a voltage difference (Column 7, line 1-10).
12. Regarding claim 27, the Tanaka reference further discloses:
wherein the first input devices are mechanically actuated electrical switches (the gestures are mechanical movements), and the second input device is a scroll dial (12).
13. Regarding claim 28, the Tanaka reference further discloses:
wherein the indicator screens of the first input devices are liquid crystal displays [Paragraph 0064], and the one or more display outputs are graphical bitmap data (FIG. 4).
14. Regarding claim 29, the Tanaka reference further discloses:
wherein the output function of a given one of the first input devices is selected from a group consisting of: an on/off switching function, a momentary switching function (FIGS. 4-14), a timer switch function, and a dimmer switch function.
15. Regarding claim 30, the Tanaka reference further discloses:
wherein the controller head unit further includes a third input device (15) coupled to the second input device (12) (FIG. 2).
16. Regarding claim 31, the Tanaka reference further discloses:
wherein the controller head unit further includes a data processor connected to each of the first input devices and to the second input device, the data processor being pre-programmed with instructions to receive input from the first input devices and generate signals corresponding to the associated output functions [Paragraph 0127]
The Tanaka reference discloses the inventions as essentially claimed. However, the Tanaka reference fails to disclose to the relay junction.
The Yamazaki reference teaches it is conventional in the art of controllers for vehicles to provide as taught in (FIG. 3) a relay junction. Such configurations/structures would allow controlling whether the batteries are connected or not [Abstract].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art by the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of the Tanaka reference, such that the system further includes a relay junction, as clearly suggested and taught by the Yamazaki reference, in order to allow controlling whether the batteries are connected or not [Abstract].
17. A reconfigurable controller head unit, comprising:
a plurality of first input devices (212, 213, 214) each having an independent, physically separated indicator screen [Paragraphs 0086-0088] coupled to a respective one of the first input devices, each of the first input devices (212, 213, 214) being programmable with one or more display outputs displayable on the corresponding indicator screen and associated output functions [Paragraphs 0086-0088—the screens would have a variety of outputs depending on the screens] to a specific one the control circuit lines generated in response to an actuation thereof (FIG. 3); and
a second input device (12) receptive to an input responsively switching (rotation), for one or more of the plurality of first input devices [Paragraphs 0110-0118—changes values depending on whichever of the first inputs were inputted], given ones of the display outputs and associated output functions to another one of the display outputs and associated output functions of the corresponding ones of the first input devices [Paragraph 0110-0118—changes the temperature, etc., based on the inputted operation screen of the first switches].
18. Regarding claim 38, the Tanaka reference fails to disclose:
a relay junction with a plurality of relay connections each including at least a load circuit input, a load circuit output connectible to a respective one of one or more switchable electronic devices, and a control circuit line connectible to a given one of the first input devices.
The Yamazaki reference teaches it is conventional in the art of controllers for vehicles to provide as taught in (FIG. 3) a relay junction (43) with a plurality of relay connections (FIG. 3) each including at least a load circuit input, a load circuit output connectible to a respective one of the one or more switchable electronic devices (44), and a control circuit line (FIG. 3); and a controller connectible to a given one of the first input devices (FIG. 3). Such configurations/structures would allow controlling whether the batteries are connected or not [Abstract].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art by the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of the Tanaka reference, such that the system further includes a relay junction with a plurality of relay connections each including at least a load circuit input, a load circuit output connectible to a respective one of the one or more switchable electronic devices, and a control circuit line; and connectible to a given one of the
first input devices, as clearly suggested and taught by the Yamazaki reference, in order to allow controlling whether the batteries are connected or not [Abstract].
19. Regarding claim 29, the Tanaka reference further discloses:
wherein the output function of a given one of the first input devices is selected from a group consisting of: an on/off switching function, a momentary switching function (FIGS. 4-14), a timer switch function, and a dimmer switch function.
20. Regarding claim 27, the Tanaka reference further discloses:
wherein the first input devices are mechanically actuated electrical switches (the gestures are mechanical movements), and the second input device is a scroll dial (12).
21. Claim(s) 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the Tanaka reference and the Stambaugh reference (US Patent Publication No. 2010/0253653).
22. Regarding claim 25, the Tanaka reference fails to disclose:
a haptic feedback generator, a haptic feedback response being outputted thereby in response to the inputs on the second input device.
The Stambaugh reference teaches it is conventional in the art of user interfaces for use in vehicles to provide as taught in [Paragraph 0040] a haptic feedback generator, a haptic feedback response being outputted thereby in response to the inputs on the second input device (14) [Paragraph 0040]. Such configurations/structures would allow vibrational feedback [Paragraph 0040].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art by the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of the Tanaka reference, such that the system further includes a haptic feedback generator, a haptic feedback response being outputted thereby in response to the inputs on the second input device, as clearly suggested and taught by the Stambaugh reference, in order to allow vibrational feedback [Paragraph 0040].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 32-36 allowed if all 112 rejections are overcome.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES J BRAUCH whose telephone number is (313)446-6511. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 AM to 6 PM.
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/CHARLES JOSEPH BRAUCH/
Examiner
Art Unit 3747
/LONG T TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747