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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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 11-15 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102anticipated as being anticipated by Kajiyama et al (US PGPub 2011/0198119 A1).
With regard to claim 11: Kajiyama disclose an image capture device which comprises a housing 120, and a door 200 which is coupled to the housing and which defines a longitudinal axis (when closed the door longitudinal axis corresponds to the “X axis direction” of Kajiyama), wherein the door includes a door body (the outer portion of the door); a locking component which is movable in relation to the door body (first lock lever 201, see ¶0041 describing movement); and a spring plate (leaf spring 205) which is positioned between the door body and the locking component (see Figure 3 and ¶0048), wherein the spring plate includes a fixed end 205b and a movable end (the end at which portions 205c and 205a are positioned), see ¶0048 describing the leaf spring ends.
With regard to claim 12: Kajiyama discloses that the spring plate and the locking component are movable along axes extending in generally orthogonal directions, with the locking component being movable along the longitudinal axis of the door (the X-axis in Figure 3) and the spring plate movable end being movable in a direction perpendicular to that axis (the Z-axis in Figure 3), see ¶0041 and ¶0046.
With regard to claim 13: In Kajiyama the locking component is axially slidable (along the longitudinal axis of the door, which corresponds to the X-axis when closed) in relation to the door body along a first axis such that the locking component is repositionable between a locked position (where the locking component extends from the door to engage with the camera body, shown in Figure 4A) and an unlocked position (shown in Figure 4C), and the spring plate is inwardly deflectable in relation to the door body along a second axis such that the spring plate is repositionable between a normal position (where the movable end is at position P21, shown in Figure 4A) and a deflected position (where the movable end is at position P2, shown in Figures 4B-C). See ¶0072-0079 describing in detail the movements of the elements within the door system.
With regard to claim 14: Kajiyama discloses that the first axis (the X-axis when closed) extends generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the door and that the second axis extends in generally orthogonal relation to the longitudinal axis (see Figures 4A-4c showing the movements, the locking component moves along the longitudinal axis of the door body and the movable end of the leaf spring moves perpendicular to that axis).
With regard to claim 15: The spring plate of Kajiyama is configured such that in the normal position the spring plate inhibits movement of the locking component from the locked position to the unlocked position (see ¶0074); and in the deflected position the spring plate allows movement of the locking component from the locked position into the unlocked position (see ¶0077-0078).
With regard to claim 18: Kajiyama discloses an image capture device which comprises a body 120, and a door 200 which is coupled to the housing and which defines a longitudinal axis (when closed the door longitudinal axis corresponds to the “X axis direction” of Kajiyama), wherein the door includes a door body (the outer portion of the door); a locking component which is movable in relation to the door body (first lock lever 201, see ¶0041 describing movement) between a locked position (shown in Figure 4A) and an unlocked position (shown in Figure 4C); and a spring plate (leaf spring 205) which is positioned between the door body and the locking component (see Figure 3 and ¶0048), wherein the spring plate is deflectable between a normal position (shown in Figure 4A, characterized by end 205c being at position P21) in which the spring plate inhibits movement of the locking component (see ¶0074-0076) and a deflected position (shown in Figure 4B-4C, characterized by end 205c being at position P22) in which the spring plate allows movement of the locking component (see ¶0077-0078).
With regard to claims 19-20: In Kajiyama the locking component is slidable along a fist axis which is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis (the X-axis direction in Figure 3) and the spring plate is deflectable along a second axis extending in generally orthogonal direction to the first axis (the Z-axis in Figure 3). See ¶0041-0042, ¶0046, and ¶0048.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-10 are allowed.
Claims 16-17 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:
With regard to claim 1 and claims dependent thereupon: The system of Kajiyama does not include a battery pad configured to engage with a battery when the door is in a closed position. Kajiyama does disclose a seal, but there is not any battery pad member, and a related publication (US PGPub 2011/0199720 A1) which contains more detail about the sealing structure appears to indicate that the structure of Kajiyama is not intended to make contact with the contained removable elements, see ¶0036, so there does not appear to be an indication to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include such a pad in the configuration of Kajiyama as the door of Kajiyama is not intended to apply any sort of biasing force to a battery as would be supplied by a battery pad.
With regard to claim 16: Kajiyama does not disclose the inclusion of wing members in the biasing spring, and there is not a reason indicated int eh prior art to include them as the end portion of the spring is the part which impedes movement of the latching member and there is not any indication that wing members to increase the area which is available to impede latch movement would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Leon W Rhodes Jr whose telephone number is (571)270-5774. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00AM - 6:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Walter Lindsay can be reached at (571) 272-1674. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LEON W RHODES, JR/Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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