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 .
Response to Amendment
This office action is in response to communications filed 5/27/2026 Claims 1, 9, 10 are amended. Claims 2-8, 11-15 are original.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
1. Claim(s) 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application 2022/0094889 Lee et al. (hereinafter Lee) in view of U.S. 6628338 Elberbaum et al. (hereinafter Elberbaum).
2. Regarding Claim 1, Lee discloses A video output device (Title: “Electronic Apparatus Including Projector”) comprising:
[1a] a projector module configured to output a content image along a radiation direction (Fig. 2A; [0050], “The projector module 210 may be a device including a projector 211 capable of projecting an image”);
[1b] a first rotating device configured to rotate at least a portion of the projector module about a first axis that is parallel to the radiation direction (Figs. 2B, 4A; [0071], “projector module 210 to rotate in the direction of the second axis (Y axis)”. Examiner note: Claimed first axis is the second axis of Lee);
[1c] a second rotating device configured to rotate the projector module about a second axis
intersecting the first axis (Fig. 2B, 3, [0069], “rotate in the direction of the first axis (X axis) along with the first rotation member 312.” Abstract, “a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.” Examiner note: Claimed second axis is first axis of Lee);
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[1d] a substrate electrically connected to the second rotating device (internal circuit boards (substrates) provided in rotating projector module, circuit boards electrically connected to rotating components, [0043]-[0046]); and
[1e] a connector including a fixed body and a rotating body rotatably coupled to the fixed body, the connector electrically connected to the substrate through a first wire, and electrically
connected to the second rotating device through a second wire (Fig. 1310a-1310d; [0061], “the projector module 210 may be electrically connected to various system elements disposed within the second housing 240 through electric wiring within the pillar 25”),
[1f] wherein, based on a rotation the projector module about the second axis, the connector is configured to prevent the first wire and the second wire from being twisted (Figure 13 shows configuration that prevents wires from tangling when the body of the device rotates about the x axis, with respect to the claimed first axis, as illustrated in Fig 2B, that the claimed ‘portion of the projector’ (projector 211) is indeed rotated about the y axis such that it is parallel to the radiation direction of light emitted from the projector 211.).
However, Lee depicts a plurality of separate connectors (1310a, 1310b, 1310c, 1310d), each associated with a single wire, and does not disclose a single connector comprising a fixed body and a rotating body ratably coupled to the fixed body,
Elberbaum remedies this deficiency. Elberbaum discloses a connector comprising a fixed body and a rotating body rotatably coupled to the fixed body see (Claim 1, “a stator body assembly (i.e., fixed body) for mounting an electric motor to one of a fixed member and a rotatable body of a rotatable joint, an inner rotor assembly including a central shaft, at least a portion of which is hollow, said shaft being adapted to be mounted to another one of said fixed member and said rotatable body of said rotatable joint.”
Elberbaum further discloses this fixed/rotating body connector electrically connected via a first and a second wire see (Claim 1, “rotating electric coupling means mounted inside said hollow portion of said central shaft, first and second electrical wire means connected to said rotating electric coupling means, electric connector means coupled to said rotating electric coupling means and positioned at opposite ends of said central shaft for propagating at least one of electric power and electric signals carried by said first electrical wire means associated with one of said fixed member and said rotatable body to said second electrical wire means associated with another one of said rotatable body and said fixed member” Col. 4 lines 32-43, “The stator portion of the motor assembly 55 includes a stator coil assembly 62, magnetic metal laminates 63, first cover 61 and a second cover 64… A rotor assembly includes a hollow rotor shaft 82 surrounded by a magnetic ring 81 and a slip ring assembly embedded inside the rotor shaft.” )
Elberbaum further discloses wherein, based on a rotation the projector module about the second axis, the connector is configured to prevent the first wire and the second wire from being twisted (Claim 1, “without twisting or flexing electrical wires of said first and second electrical wire means while said rotatable body is being directly driven by said motor and is rotating.” Col. 3 lines 19-23, “It is obvious from FIG. 1 that in this arrangement the camera can rotate endlessly about its panning H axis or its tilting V axis without causing the wires to flex or twist.”)
A POSITA seeking to prevent wire twist in Lee’s rotating projector module would have substituted Lee’s discrete connectors with Elberbaums fixed-body/rotating-body connector to achieve the predictable, expressly-taught result of twist-free rotation. Hence, a combination of known elements by known methods yielding predictable results. KSR V. Teleflex, 550 U.S. 398 (2007).
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-15 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claim 2, Lee discloses The video output device of claim 1,
However, Lee in view of Elberbaum does not explicitly disclose further comprising a third rotating device configured to rotate the projector module about a third axis intersecting the first axis and the second axis.
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
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OMER KHALID whose telephone number is (571)270-5997. The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Friday 9am-7pm.
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, John Miller can be reached at (571) 272-7353. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/OMER KHALID/Examiner, Art Unit 2422
/JOHN W MILLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2422
Prosecution Insights