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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On line 1, the word “an”, before the word “fishing”, should be replaced with the word --a--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “first detector is one of a plurality of first detectors of the fishing device that are arranged at intervals at an inner wall of the guide hole and along a circumferential direction of the guide hole” as set forth in Claim 2, lines 7-9; the “plurality of accommodation grooves are formed on the inner wall and along the circumferential direction of the guide hole; the plurality of first detectors are embedded in the accommodation grooves, respectively, and a depth of each of the plurality of accommodation grooves is greater than a height of a corresponding one of the plurality of first detectors” as set forth in Claim 3, lines 1-7; the “inner wall of the guide hole is coated with a light-wave absorbing layer configured to absorb a light wave without noise” as set forth in Claim 4, lines 1-2; the “inner wall of the guide hole is coated with a sound-wave absorbing layer configured to absorb a sound wave without noise” as set forth in Claim 5, lines 1-2; the “detection marks include patterns of different shapes or contents that are randomly distributed along the fishing line” as set forth in Claim 13, lines 1-2; the “plurality of detection marks are arranged at the fishing line with non-equal intervals; and the first detector is configured to obtain the line release speed of the fishing line by detecting reflection light or reflection waves of the detection marks” as set forth in Claim 15, lines 1-5 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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, 12, and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al (U.S. Patent No. 5,833,156), hereinafter “Park”.
With respect to Claim 1, ?, Figures 1-7, teaches a fishing device comprising:
a fishing rod 20;
a reel 10 arranged at the fishing rod and including a spool;
a fishing line 30 wound around the spool and including a plurality of detection marks (See Column 4, lines 45-59) arranged along an axial direction of the fishing line at intervals;
a first detector 81 configured to detect the detection marks to obtain a line release speed of the fishing line;
a second detector 403 configured to detect a rotation speed of the spool; and
a control assembly 43 configured to control a brake assembly 40 to brake the spool according to the line release speed to cause the rotation speed of the spool to match the line release speed.
With respect to Claim 12, Park further teaches wherein:
the plurality of detection marks (See Column 4, lines 45-59) are arranged along the fishing line with an equal interval; and
the first detector is configured to obtain the line release speed of the fishing line by detecting the interval between two neighboring detection marks.
With respect to Claim 19, Park further teaches wherein: the first detector is one of at least two first detectors arranged at the real at intervals along a line release direction of the fishing line; and each of the detection marks includes a special identifier recognizable by the first detector.
With respect to Claim 20, Park further teaches wherein: the first detector is one of at least two first detectors arranged at the fishing rod at intervals along a line release direction of the fishing line; and each of the detection marks includes a special identifier recognizable by the first detector.
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.
Claim(s) 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park as applied to Claims 1, 12, and 19-20 above.
With respect to Claims 13-14, Park is advanced above.
Park teaches all the elements of the fishing device except for
wherein the detection marks include patterns of different shapes or contents that are randomly distributed along the fishing line; and.
wherein the detection marks include coatings of different colors that are randomly distributed along the fishing line.
However, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice, as determined through routine experimentation and optimization, to design the detection marks of Park to be of different shapes and colors as specified in Claims 13-14 because one of ordinary skill would have been expected to have routinely experimented to determine the optimum dimensions for a particular use.
Claim(s) 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park as applied to Claims 1, 12, and 19-20 above, and further in view of Beckham (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0017739).
With respect to Claim 16, Park is advanced above.
Park teaches all the elements of the fishing device except for wherein:
the detection mark includes a magnetic material, and the first detector includes a Hall sensor configured to detect a magnetic field strength of the detection marks and determine that a detection mark is detected in response to the magnetic field strength exceeding a preset magnetic field strength threshold; and
the Hall sensor is configured to obtain the line release speed of the fishing line by consecutively detecting two detection marks.
However, Beckham, Figures 1-2, teaches a detection mark includes a magnetic material (See Paragraph [0029]), and the first detector includes a Hall sensor 6 configured to detect a magnetic field strength of the detection marks and determine that a detection mark is detected in response to the magnetic field strength exceeding a preset magnetic field strength threshold; and
the Hall sensor 6 is configured to obtain the line release speed of the fishing line by consecutively detecting two detection marks.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide magnetic material and a Hall sensor, as taught by Beckham, for the purpose of directly measuring line travel past two or more points along the line.
With respect to Claim 17, Beckham further teaches wherein the magnetic material is coated on a surface of the fishing line.
With respect to Claim 18, Beckham further teaches wherein the magnetic material is filled within the fishing line.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-11 and 15 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 2-11 are allowable over the prior art of record because the prior art of record does not teach or suggest the entire combination of elements of the fishing device set forth including the reel further includes: a frame fixed at the fishing rod, the spool being rotatably arranged at the frame; and a guide member arranged at the frame and including a guide hole, the fishing line passing through the guide hole; and the first detector is one of a plurality of first detectors of the fishing device that are arranged at intervals at an inner wall of the guide hole and along a circumferential direction of the guide hole.
None of the references of the prior art teach or suggest the first detector is one of a plurality of first detectors of the fishing device that are arranged at intervals at an inner wall of the guide hole and along a circumferential direction of the guide hole as advanced above and such do not provide the necessary motivation, absent applicant's specification, for modifying the fishing device in the manner required by the claims.
Claim 15 is allowable over the prior art of record because the prior art of record does not teach or suggest the entire combination of elements of the fishing device set forth including the plurality of detection marks are arranged at the fishing line with non-equal intervals; and the first detector is configured to obtain the line release speed of the fishing line by detecting reflection light or reflection waves of the detection marks.
None of the references of the prior art teach or suggest the wherein: the plurality of detection marks are arranged at the fishing line with non-equal intervals; and the first detector is configured to obtain the line release speed of the fishing line by detecting reflection light or reflection waves of the detection marks as advanced above and such do not provide the necessary motivation, absent applicant's specification, for modifying the fishing device in the manner required by the claims.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM ARAUZ RIVERA whose telephone number is (571)272-6953. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM MDT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Victoria P. Augustine can be reached at 313-446-4858. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM A. RIVERA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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