Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-5, and 9-13 in the reply filed on 5/19/26 is acknowledged.
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) 1, 9, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Allin (US 20160299346) in view of Nakabayashi (US 20100327028).
Regarding claim 1 Allin teaches a head mounted display device (fig.4), comprising:
a host (fig.4, 410);
a strap module ([0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible strap system 100), comprising:
a first strap (fig.4, the side section 420), having a first end, a second end, a first pivot portion (fig.4 see below red circle), and a second pivot portion (fig.4 see below blue circle), wherein the first end and the second end are connected to opposite sides of the host respectively, the first pivot portion and the second pivot portion are located between the first end and the second end, and a length of a part of the first strap between the first pivot portion and the second end is elastically variable (fig.4, [0049] [0050])
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a second strap (fig. 4, 440), having a third end (fig. 4, 422) and a fourth end (fig. 4, 432), wherein the second strap is [[rigid]] and has an adjustable length ([0049]), the third end is pivotally connected to the first pivot portion (fig.4 see below red circle), and the fourth (fig.4 see below blue circle) end is pivotally connected to the second pivot portion (fig.4).
Allin does not expressly teach the second strap is rigid.
However, Nakabayashi teaches second strap is rigid ([0027] The arrangement of the holding member 23 will be described below with reference to FIG. 3. The holding member 23 is rotatably attached to the rigid frame 21 .i.e.strap, and smoothly rotates in synchronism with the movement of the wire 31. In addition to the holding member 23, a member that allows smooth movement of the wire 31 and restricts the position of the wire may be provided to another position. One end of the wire 31 is attached to an adjustment unit 4 (at a connecting point A),).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled to combine Allin in light of Nakabayashi teaching so that it may include the second strap is rigid.
The motivation is to provide a head-mountable apparatus which allows an easy adjustment operation since the apparatus can be held using fewer adjustment units by efficiently actuating different pressing members using a single adjustment unit.
Regarding claim 9 the limitations are significantly similar to the limitations of claim 1 so rejected same way.
Claim(s) 2, 3, 10, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Allin (US 20160299346) in view of Nakabayashi (US 20100327028) as claim 1 above and further in view of Hudman (US 20210080996).
Regarding claim 2 Allin in view of Nakabayashi teaches wherein the first strap comprises a first sub-strap (fig. 4, 451 that is outer side), a second sub-strap (fig. 4, 450 that is outer side), and a third sub-strap (fig. 4 inner side of 451 see green circle),
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the first sub-strap (fig. 4, 451 that is outer side) has the first end and the first pivot portion (fig.4, red circle), the second sub-strap (fig. 4, 450 that is outer side) has the second end and the second pivot portion (fig.4, blue circle), the third sub-strap (fig. 4 inner side of 451 see green circle) is connected to the first pivot portion (fig.4, red circle) and the second pivot portion (fig.4, blue circle), and a length of the third sub-strap is elastically variable ([0052] In some embodiments, the flexible strap system 400 includes one or more stretchable straps, such as a stretchable strap 450 and a stretchable strap 451).
Allin is silent on the first sub-strap and the second sub-strap are rigid.
However, Hudman teaches the first sub-strap (fig. 3, 306) and the second sub-strap (fig.3, 310) are rigid ([0093] first section 306 may comprise a rigid section for providing structural support, [0094] the first section 310 may comprise a rigid section for providing structural support).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled to combine Allin in light of Hudman teaching so that it may include the first sub-strap and the second sub-strap are rigid.
The motivation is to provide a head-mounted displays to facilitate adequate mechanisms to accommodate for different users, permit quick and convenient adjustment, and/or properly and comfortably wear head-mounted displays.
Regarding claim 3 Allin in view of Nakabayashi teaches wherein the third sub-strap comprises a first straight bar and a second straight bar, the first straight bar is connected to the first pivot portion and the second pivot portion and is configured to contact a back of a head of a user, and the second straight bar is connected to the first pivot portion and the second pivot portion and is configured to contact a top of the head of the user (fig. 4).
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Regarding claim 10 the limitations are significantly similar to the limitations of claim 2 so rejected same way.
Regarding claim 11 the limitations are significantly similar to the limitations of claim 3 so rejected same way.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 12, 13 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
-Zimmerman US 20240385452 is a related prior art as this teaches some limitations of the independent claims.
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/TOWFIQ ELAHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625
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