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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 12/26/2024 and 1/13/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over US 2023/01665030 to Shimizu et al. “Shimizu” as modified by US Pub. 2012/0050448 to Sakaino.
With regard to Claim 1, Shimizu teaches a printing device (1) comprising:
a case (100) having a roll paper housing unit in which a roll paper (R) is housed [0047];
a cover (101) coupled to the case (100) via a first rotary movable part and opening and closing the roll paper housing unit [0046];
a battery housing unit (70) formed in the case (100) [0067];
a battery (13) housed in the battery housing unit (70) [0067];
and a power receiving module (11) configured to receive a power transmission signal from outside by contactless power feeding and feed power to the battery [0026],
the case (100) having a case first surface (101) where the cover is formed and a case second surface (102) different from the case first surface (101), and
the power receiving module (11) being arranged between the cover (101) and the battery (13).
Shimizu does not teach a belt clip attached to the case; the belt clip being provided at the case second surface.
However, Sakaino teaches teach a belt clip (12) attached to the case (1); the belt clip (12) being provided at the case second surface (2) (Fig. 3). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to modify Shimizu with the belt clip as taught by Sakaino to fit the portable printer onto a belt worn around the waist [0037].
Examiner Note
The examiner cites particular columns and lines numbers (or paragraphs or figures) in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. The specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim. Other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, applicant fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The primary reason for the allowance of Claim 2 is the inclusion of the limitations wherein the power receiving module is installed in the cover. It is these features found in the claim(s) which have not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of Claim 3 is the inclusion of the limitations wherein, a first wiring coupling the power receiving module and the battery passes through the cover and the first rotary movable part of the case. It is these features found in the claim(s) which have not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of Claims 4-5 is the inclusion of the limitations wherein a first wiring coupling the power receiving module and the battery passes through the cover and the first rotary movable part of the case. It is these features found in the claim(s) which have not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of Claim 6 is the inclusion of the limitations wherein, the battery housing unit is formed at the case second surface, the cover has a cover first surface where a power-receivable region is arranged. It is these features found in the claim(s) which have not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of Claim 7 is the inclusion of the limitations wherein a shortest distance between the power receiving coil and the mechanical unit is longer than a shortest distance between the power receiving coil of the power receiving module and the control unit in a state where the cover is closed. It is these features found in the claim(s) which have not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of Claim 8 is the inclusion of the limitations wherein the cover is provided with a positioning member that can be coupled to a first magnet of a power transmission coil that generates a magnetic field based on the power transmission signal. It is these features found in the claim(s) which have not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2025/0219449 discloses a printing device includes: a case having a roll paper housing unit in which a roll paper is housed; a cover coupled to the case and opening and closing the roll paper housing unit; a battery housing unit formed in the case; a battery housed in the battery housing unit; and a belt clip attached to the case, the belt clip including a power receiving module that receives a power transmission signal from outside by contactless power feeding and feeds power to the battery.
US 2019/0235803 discloses a verifier and printer assembly are provided. The verifier and printer assembly include a verifier module and a printer. The verifier has a magnetic docking element and the printer includes a docking portion operable to dock the verifier module. The magnetic docking element and the docking portion interact with each other to removably couple the verifier module to the printer. A magnetic attachment system for the verifier module and methods for removably coupling the verifier module and the printer for verification of a printed machine-readable symbol are also provided.
US 2012/0274274 discloses A holster for a handheld electronic device. The holster has integrated therein one or more piezoelectric elements that provide an output voltage to the handheld electronic device upon insertion of device in the holster. The output voltage can be used to charge the battery of the device, to power, at least in part, the device, or both. The output voltage is generated by harvesting vibration energy at the piezoelectric elements upon the holster being subjected to acceleration caused by a user carrying the holster when walking, running, or during any other suitable activity.
Communications with the PTO
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHARON A POLK whose telephone number is (571)270-7910. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 7-3.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas Rodriguez can be reached at 571-431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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SHARON A. POLK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/Sharon Polk/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
Prosecution Insights