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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 17 of claim 1, “elastic member” should be - - elastic members - - to preclude ambiguity. Appropriate correction is required.
Double Patenting
Claims 1-2 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-2 of copending Application No. 19/027,578 (reference application). Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claims of the instant application include the majority of limitation and aspects of the claims in the copending application, as seen by the chart below.
This is a provisional nonstatutory double patenting rejection because the patentably indistinct claims have not in fact been patented.
Instant Application
US Patent Application 19/021,578
1. A full-area touch panel device comprising: a surrounding frame including two first frame parts that are spaced apart from each other in a first direction, and that are elongated in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and two second frame parts that are spaced apart from each other in the second direction, and that are elongated in the first direction, each of said second frame parts having opposite ends in the first direction that are connected respectively to said first frame parts;
two elastic members spaced apart from each other in the first direction and disposed between said first frame parts, each of said elastic members having opposite ends in the second direction that are connected respectively to said second frame parts,
a plurality of threaded holes, and a plurality of positioning rings that protrude downwardly from a bottom surface of said elastic member and that respectively surround said plurality of threaded holes; and
a fixing member including a main body part that is disposed on bottom surfaces of said elastic members, two first extension parts that are spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and that extend from said main body part in the second direction, each of said first extension parts having a distal end portion disposed atop one of said second frame parts, and two second extension parts that are spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and that extend from said main body part opposite to said first extension parts in the second direction, each of said second extension parts having a distal end portion disposed atop another one of said second frame parts; wherein a thickness of said main body part perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction is greater than a thickness of each of said first extension parts and said second extension parts perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction; and
wherein said main body part has a plurality of through holes that are respectively aligned with said plurality of threaded holes of said elastic members and that are respectively engaged with said plurality of positioning rings of said elastic members.
2. The full-area touch panel device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said frame parts has an elongated portion that is elongated in the second direction, and two limiting portions that are spaced apart from each other in the second direction, and that extend from said framed portion in the first direction, each of said limiting segments having a distal end portion that is disposed under an adjacent one of said elastic members.
1. A full-area touch panel device comprising: a surrounding frame including two first frame parts that are spaced apart from each other in a first direction, and that are elongated in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and two second frame parts that are spaced apart from each other in the second direction, and that are elongated in the first direction, each of said second frame parts having opposite ends in the first direction that are connected respectively to said first frame parts;
two elastic members that are spaced apart from each other in the first direction and that are disposed between said first frame parts, each of said elastic members having opposite ends in the second direction that are connected respectively to said second frame parts; and
a fixing member including a main body part that is disposed on bottom surfaces of said elastic members, two first extension parts that are spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and that extend from said main body part in the second direction, each of said first extension parts having a distal end portion disposed atop one of said second frame parts, and two second extension parts that are spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and that extend from said main body part opposite to said first extension parts in the second direction, each of said second extension parts having a distal end portion disposed atop another one of said second frame parts; wherein a thickness of said main body part perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction is greater than a thickness of each of said first extension parts and said second extension parts perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.
2. The full-area touch panel device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said first frame parts has an elongated portion that extends in the second direction, and two limiting portions that are spaced apart from each other in the second direction, and that extend from said elongated portion in the first direction, each of said limiting portions having a distal end portion that is disposed under an adjacent one of said elastic members.
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.
Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schreurs et al (US 2019/0187796)
As per claim 1 Schreurs et al discloses: A full-area touch panel device comprising:
a surrounding frame 11 including two first frame parts that are spaced apart from each other in a first direction, and that are elongated in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and
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two second frame parts that are spaced apart from each other in the second direction, and that are elongated in the first direction {figure 1 & 2A}, each of said second frame parts having opposite ends in the first direction that are connected respectively to said first frame parts {figure 1};
two elastic members 14 spaced apart from each other in the first direction and disposed between said first frame parts, each of said elastic members 14 having opposite ends in the second direction that are connected respectively to said second frame parts {figures 1 & 2A},
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a plurality of threaded holes, and a plurality of positioning rings that protrude downwardly from a bottom surface of said elastic member 14 and that respectively surround said plurality of threaded holes {figure 2A & [0037] The second portion 142 is connected to the moving element 19. In the present embodiment, the second portion 142 may be connected to the counter mass 12 of the moving element 19 by a fixing element 16. In one embodiment, the fixing element 16 may exemplarily include a plurality of screws for joining the second portion 142 to the counter mass 12, so that the counter mass 12 is allowed to move relative to the housing 11 with one degree of freedom (i.e., in directions D1 and D2 parallel to z-axis) via the second elastic member 145, In addition, the housing 11 may have a space 112 for receiving the second portion 142 and the second elastic member 145 in a condition that the second portion 142 moves in direction D2.}; and
a fixing member 19 including a main body part that is disposed on bottom surfaces of said elastic members 14, two first extension parts that are spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and that extend from said main body part in the second direction, each of said first extension parts having a distal end portion disposed atop one of said second frame parts, and
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two second extension parts that are spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and that extend from said main body part opposite to said first extension parts in the second direction, each of said second extension parts having a distal end portion disposed atop another one of said second frame parts {figures 1 & 2A};
wherein a thickness of said main body part perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction is greater than a thickness of each of said first extension parts and said second extension parts perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction {figures 1 & 2A & Note: “a thickness” of the main body part is seen to be greater than “a thickness” of the extensions parts since “a” as set forth in the claims lacks specificity to distinguish over the applied prior art.}; and
wherein said main body part has a plurality of through holes that are respectively aligned with said plurality of threaded holes of said elastic members 14 and that are respectively engaged with said plurality of positioning rings of said elastic members 14 {figure 2A & [0037]}.
As per claim 2 Schreurs et al discloses: The full-area touch panel device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said frame parts has an elongated portion that is elongated in the second direction, and two limiting portions that are spaced apart from each other in the second direction, and that extend from said framed portion in the first direction, each of said limiting segments having a distal end portion that is disposed under an adjacent one of said elastic members 14 {figures 1 & 2A & Note: “portion” and “portions” is not set forth in the claims with any specificity to distinguish over the applied prior art}.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID D DAVIS whose telephone number is (571)272-7572. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m..
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/DAVID D DAVIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627
DDD
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