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 Objections
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities:
There is a whitespace before the terminating period (“.”) of the claim. The whitespace should be removed.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 6-7, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ma et al. (US 20190049060 A1, hereinafter Ma).
Regarding claim 1, Ma discloses a camera grip (grip 10+20, fig. 1), comprising:
a handle (10, fig. 1, ¶0029);
a connector (104, figs. 2, 4, ¶0038) comprising a first end and a second end disposed opposite each other (Evident from figs. 1-4. In some embodiments, the first connector assembly 104 stays disposed on a side of the handheld body 101. The first connector assembly 104 may be configured for electrically and mechanically coupling the gimbal body 20 to the handheld structure 10. – ¶0038),
wherein the first end of the connector (104, figs. 2,4) is connected to the handle (10, ¶0038, figs. 2, 4), and the second end comprises a first rotating connection part (1041 in figs. 2, 4; In some embodiments, a functioning member 1046 is disposed on an outer side of the first connector assembly 104, which rotates when pressed by an external force, causing the surrounding wall 1041 to rotate. – ¶0038) that is situated away from the handle (10, figs. 2, 4); and
a detachable member (20, figs. 1, 5-6), a first end of the detachable member being provided with a second rotating connection part (2102, figs, 5-6) that is rotatably connected to the first rotating connection part (1041, figs. 2, 4. When mounting the pitch-axis frame assembly 21 to the first connector assembly 104, a user may apply a force on the functioning member 1046 to cause the surrounding wall 1041 to rotate around an axis of rotation of the surrounding wall 1041. When the surrounding wall 1041 rotates to a predetermined position, the first motor 210 of the pitch-axis frame assembly 21 is placed into the hollow cylindrical shape defined by the surrounding wall 1041, thereby inserting the positioning rods 2100 into the assembling holes 1040. At this position, the one or more second fastening members 2102 may be aligned with one or more openings 1045 located between the first fastening members 1044. The user can then release the force applied to the functioning member 1046, which causes the surrounding wall 1041 to return to its initial position. The second fastening members 2102 of the of the pitch-axis frame assembly 21 may tightly couple with the corresponding first fastening members 1044 of the first connector assembly 104, thereby lockingly fix or mount the pitch-axis frame assembly 21 to the first connector assembly 104. – ¶0046),
wherein the second rotating connection part (2102, figs, 5-6) is configured to selectively lock with the first rotating connection part (When mounting the pitch-axis frame assembly 21 to the first connector assembly 104, a user may apply a force on the functioning member 1046 to cause the surrounding wall 1041 to rotate around an axis of rotation of the surrounding wall 1041. When the surrounding wall 1041 rotates to a predetermined position, the first motor 210 of the pitch-axis frame assembly 21 is placed into the hollow cylindrical shape defined by the surrounding wall 1041, thereby inserting the positioning rods 2100 into the assembling holes 1040. At this position, the one or more second fastening members 2102 may be aligned with one or more openings 1045 located between the first fastening members 1044. The user can then release the force applied to the functioning member 1046, which causes the surrounding wall 1041 to return to its initial position. The second fastening members 2102 of the of the pitch-axis frame assembly 21 may tightly couple with the corresponding first fastening members 1044 of the first connector assembly 104, thereby lockingly fix or mount the pitch-axis frame assembly 21 to the first connector assembly 104. – ¶0046), and
wherein a second end (50, fig. 5) of the detachable member (20, fig. 5) is configured to connect a shooting device (electronic device, ¶0029-30, ¶0051-0054, figs. 1, 7-12).
Regarding claim 6, Ma discloses the camera grip according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting rod (2100, figs. 5-6, ¶0046);
wherein an axial direction of the connecting rod (2100, figs. 5-6) is aligned with a common center of the first rotating connection part (1041, figs. 5-6) and the second rotating connection part (2102, figs, 5-6); and
wherein the connector is rotatably connected to the detachable member via the connecting rod (¶0046).
Regarding claim 7, Ma discloses the camera grip according to claim 1,
wherein the connector (104, figs. 2, 4) comprises a first connecting end (1044/1045, figs. 2,4) adjacent to the detachable member (20, figs. 1, 5-6) and a second connecting end (base 1040, figs. 2, 4) adjacent to the handle (10, fig. 10; In some embodiments, the first connector assembly 104 stays disposed on a side of the handheld body 101. The first connector assembly 104 may be configured for electrically and mechanically coupling the gimbal body 20 to the handheld structure 10. – ¶0038); and
wherein the first connecting end (1044/1045, figs. 2,4) comprises a larger caliber than the second connecting end (base 1040, figs. 2, 4; the caliber of 1040 is smaller than 1044/1045, as is evident from figs. 2, 4), connected by an arcuate transition (evident from figs. 2, 4).
Regarding claim 10, Ma discloses a shooting auxiliary kit (gimbal 1, fig. 1), comprising:
the camera grip according to claim 1, detachably connected to a shell (housing 30, fig. 1) for mounting a shooting device (electronic device; ¶0029).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 8-9 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:
Prior arts of record taken alone or in combination fails to reasonably disclose or suggest,
Regarding claim 2, a limiting button and a limiting assembly connected to the limiting button;
wherein the limiting assembly is provided between the first rotating connection part and the second rotating connection part; and
wherein the limiting button is configured to transition between
an unlock state, enabling relative rotation between the connector and the detachable member, and
a lock state, securing the connector to the detachable member.
Claims 3-5 are allowable for being dependent on allowable claim 2.
Regarding claim 8, wherein the detachable member comprises:
a mounting base;
a clamping assembly mounted on the mounting base, comprising a first elastic member, a second elastic member, a first clamping arm, and a second clamping arm,
wherein the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm are configured to transition between a securing state for mounting the shooting device and a releasing state for detaching the shooting device,
wherein the first elastic member is configured to facilitate the resetting of the first clamping arm and the second elastic member is configured to facilitate the resetting of the second clamping arm; and
a triggering assembly mounted on the mounting base, comprising a third elastic member and a trigger,
wherein the trigger is configured to actuate the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm to move between a clamping state and a release state, and the third elastic member is configured to reset the trigger.
Claim 9 are allowable for being dependent on allowable claim 8.
Conclusion
The prior and/or pertinent art(s) made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, are – Thomas (US 20260104629 A1), Dai (US 20260056450 A1), Wu (US 20250314951 A1), Wu (US 20250306439 A1), Li (US 20250035258 A1), Li (US 11675255 B2), Jiang (US 20220116543 A1), Zhao (US 20220082908 A1), Ma et al. (US 20210240059 A1), Zhao et al. (US 20210123564 A1), Shim et al. (US 20180259123 A1), Cheng et al. (US 20160381271 A1) – who disclose different gimbal structures of interest.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHAHBAZ NAZRUL whose telephone number is (571)270-1467. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 9.30 am-3 pm, 6.30 pm-9 pm, F: 9.30 am-1.30 pm, 4 pm-8 pm.
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/SHAHBAZ NAZRUL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638
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