DETAILED ACTION
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 17-20 are 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.
There is a lack of antecedent basis for “the data interface” recited in claim 17.
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) 1-4, 11, 14 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tanaka (U.S. Patent No. 11539094). Tanaka teaches a photographing aid, comprising: an outer casing 132 comprising a cavity 134 and an opening in (opening to which arrow C is pointing in fig. 8) communication with the cavity, the opening being formed in an end of the outer casing to communicate the cavity with outside the outer casing; an inner casing 110/300 being detachably accommodated in the cavity via the opening (col. 4, lines 40-42 “the battery 110 is moved in a mounting direction “C” to be disposed in the battery charging space of the charging part 134,”), the inner casing comprising an interface (128/130/304) configured to be electrically connected to a photographing device; and a locking structure 138 being arranged between the outer casing and the inner casing for releasably locking the inner casing in the outer casing (col. 4, lines 37-62 “multiple projections 138 are disposed on one side of the charging part 134 of the charger 132. When the battery 300 is moved in the charging direction relative to the charging part 134, the notches 308 of the battery 300 described above fit into the projections 138 of the charger 132”).
Regarding claim 2, the inner casing comprises a battery for charging the photographing device.
Regarding claim 3, the locking structure comprises a locking slot 138 formed in an inner surface of a wall of the outer casing delimiting the cavity, and a locking member 308 arranged on the inner casing for being interlocked in the locking slot. See figs. 4 and 9.
Regarding claim 4, the locking member comprises a press potion 138 and a hook portion 308 connected to the press portion, the press portion is elastically connected to the inner casing, and the hook portion is configured to be interlocked in the locking slot “the notches 308 of the battery 300 described above fit into the projections 138 of the charger 132.” The examiner notes that “press portion” and “hook portion” are just identifiers without any defining structure in the claim.
Regarding claim 11, the locking member comprises a connecting component 138 arranged on an inner surface of an end wall of the outer casing (see fig. 8), and the inner casing is detachably connected to the connecting component.
Regarding claim 14, at least one guide strip (see annotated fig. 8 below) is arranged on an inner wall of the outer casing and slidably connected to the inner casing. See fig. 9, indent in 300 next to marker 302.
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Regarding claim 17, The photographic devices 100 is in fig. 1 and the photographing aid is electrically connected to the photographing device.
Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang (TW201217896). Zhang teaches a photographing aid, comprising: an outer casing 12 comprising a cavity and an opening 12a in communication with the cavity, the opening being formed in an end of the outer casing to communicate the cavity with outside the outer casing (fig. 2); an inner casing 25 being detachably accommodated in the cavity via the opening, the inner casing comprising an interface 25c configured to be electrically connected to a photographing device; and a locking structure (threads) being arranged between the outer casing and the inner casing for releasably locking the inner casing in the outer casing.
Regarding claim 2 the inner casing comprising at least one accommodation chamber; at least one electronic device is accommodated in the at least one accommodation chamber; and the at least one electronic device comprises a battery 25b for charging the photographing device.
Alternatively, Claim(s) 1-2 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang (TW201217896). Zhang teaches a photographing aid, comprising: an outer casing 14 comprising a cavity and an opening 14a in communication with the cavity, the opening being formed in an end of the outer casing to communicate the cavity with outside the outer casing (fig. 2); an inner casing 34 being detachably accommodated in the cavity via the opening, the inner casing comprising an interface configured to be electrically connected to a photographing device (inherent since camera lens is connected. See fig. 6); and a locking structure (threads) being arranged between the outer casing and the inner casing for releasably locking the inner casing in the outer casing. See fig. 6
Regarding claim 2, the inner casing comprising at least one accommodation chamber (22c); at least one electronic device is accommodated in the at least one accommodation chamber; and the at least one electronic device comprises a hard disk drive 24b configured for storing data transferred from the photographing device. See fig. 2.
Regarding claim 17, there is inherently a data interface in order for the storage card to transfer data from the camera.
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) 15-16 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka (U.S. Patent No. 11539094) in view of Hoang (U.S. Publication No. 20150071627). Tanaka teaches the salient features of the claimed invention except for a connecting member is arranged on the outer casing and configured to be detachably connected to a handheld extension device on which the photographing device is fixed. Hoang teaches a connecting member 3a is arranged on the outer casing (fig. 9C) and configured to be detachably connected (¶46 “The rails 3a and the screw hole 3c are designed to firmly latch the handle 3 to the main structure 50”) to a handheld extension device 50 on which the photographing device is fixed (fig. 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to utilize the features of Hoang for the purpose of providing a handle for photographing.
Regarding claim 16, the connecting member is strip-shaped and parallelly arranged on an outer surface of the outer casing. See fig. 9C.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka (U.S. Patent No. 11539094) in view of Hoang (U.S. Publication No. 20150071627) and further in view of Zhu (U.S. Publication No. 20200280031). Tanaka as modified teaches the salient features of the claimed invention except for the photographing device comprises a pair of the photographing aids; and the handheld extension device comprises a pair of clamps 113c configured to detachably catch the connecting members arranged on the bodies of the photographing aids. Fig. 13 of Zhu teaches a pair of the photographing aids. Each of the aids comprises a pair of clamps configured to detachably catch the connecting members. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to utilize the features of Zhu for the purpose of additional power.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-10 and 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.
Claim 20 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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. Pavis (U.S. Publication No. 20170102606) teaches a camera accessory including a clamp style connector.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER E MAHONEY whose telephone number is (571)272-2122. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5:30.
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/CHRISTOPHER E MAHONEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
