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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because there are no solid black lines. All drawings must be made by a process which will give them satisfactory reproduction characteristics. Every line, number, and letter must be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. The weight of all lines and letters must be heavy enough to permit adequate reproduction. This requirement applies to all lines however fine, to shading, and to lines representing cut surfaces in sectional views. Lines and strokes of different thicknesses may be used in the same drawing where different thicknesses have a different meaning.
Additionally Figure 4a includes two different views. When a portion of a view is enlarged for magnification purposes, the view and the enlarged view must each be labeled as separate views.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the state” lacks antecedent basis because it does not depend from claim 2. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 5, 6, 9-13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeker, US 2020/0397100 in view of Bonadei, US 7,441,946.
Regarding claim 1, Jeker discloses an electronic device comprising: a housing (case 2) comprising: a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface and spaced apart from the first surface in a first direction (Fig 1 surface on bezel side and surface opposite bezel side), and a side surface (middle 4) connecting the first surface and the second surface, and comprising a first coupling portion (14A); a first frame (6B) comprising a first through hole (through hole in horn 24B adapted to receive a pin [0023]) and a first fastening portion (16B) having a shape corresponding to the first coupling portion (Fig 1), wherein the first frame is detachably coupled to the side surface (abstract); a strap comprising a first pin [0023], wherein the first coupling portion is coupled to the first fastening portion such that a first coupling between the first frame and the housing is maintained (Fig 2).
Jeker does not explicitly disclose a strap comprising a first receiving groove and, and the strap is detachably coupled to the first frame and wherein the first receiving groove surrounds an end of the first frame such that a second coupling between the first frame and the strap is maintained.
Bonadei discloses a watch strap having a first receiving groove (near 11, 12 in Fig. 1), and the strap is detachably coupled to the first frame and wherein the first receiving groove surrounds an end of the first frame such that a second coupling between the first frame and the strap is maintained. (Fig 1 and 2).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a watch strap having a first receiving groove that surrounds an end of the first frame such that a second coupling between the first frame and the strap is maintained because Jeker does not go into detail about the specific structure of the watch strap and pin configuration and the structure claimed is a conventional way of securing the strap to the case.
Regarding claim 5, Jeker and Bonadei disclose the first coupling portion (14A) comprises at least one groove on the side surface (Jeker Fig 1), and wherein the first fastening portion (16B) comprises at least one protrusion that protrudes from an inner surface of the first frame facing the side surface (Fig 1), and wherein the first fastening portion is accommodated within the at least one groove in the state in which the housing and the first frame are coupled (Fig 2).
Regarding claim 6, Jeker and Bonadei disclose the strap further comprises: a first pin hole connected to a first end of the first receiving groove (Bonadei Fig 1); and a second pin hole connected to a second end of the first receiving groove (Fig 1), and wherein an end of the first pin is disposed within the first pin hole by passing through the first through hole (Jeker hole near 24B) as the first pin moves in a third direction opposite to the second direction; and wherein the end of the first pin is disposed within the second pin hole as the first pin moves in the second direction (the pin passes through the pin hole and through in either direction).
Regarding claim 9, Jeker and Bonadei disclose the housing further comprises a fastening groove formed by recessing a portion of the side surface inwardly (Jeker Fig 1, groove 14A), and wherein a shape of the fastening groove corresponds to a portion of the first frame (Fig 1, 6B).
Regarding claim 10, Jeker and Bonadei disclose a portion of the side surface is spaced apart from the strap in a state in which the first frame and the strap are coupled (Jeker Fig 1).
Regarding claim 11, Jeker and Bonadei disclose the strap is configured to be rotatable with respect to the first frame based on the first pin in a state in which the strap is coupled to the first frame (the strap rotates around the axis of pin).
Regarding claim 12, the Examiner takes Official Notice that it is well known and conventional for timepieces to have a display. The timepiece of Jeker has a first surface at the bezel where the conventional display is and a second surface opposite the first surface that faces a portion of a body of the user (Fig 2).
Regarding claim 13, Jeker and Bonadei disclose a second frame (Jeker, 6A) comprising a second through hole (near horn 24D), wherein the second frame is spaced apart from the first frame, and is detachably coupled to the side surface (Fig 1), and wherein the housing further comprises a second coupling portion (14B, [0036]) on the side surface and spaced apart from the first coupling portion, wherein the strap comprises: a second receiving groove (Bonadei figure 1), and a second pin that is movable in a third direction opposite to the second direction with respect to the second receiving groove [0040] and, wherein the second pin is accommodated within the second through hole [0040], wherein the second frame comprises a second fastening portion (16D) that has a shape corresponding to the second coupling portion, and the second fastening portion is configured to limit a movement of the second frame in the first direction in a state in which the second frame is coupled to the housing (Jeker Fig 2), and wherein the second receiving groove surrounds an end of the second frame to limit the movement of the second frame in the second direction in a state in which the second frame is coupled to the strap (Bonadei Fig 1).
Regarding claim 15, Jeker and Bonadei disclose the strap further comprises: a third pin hole facing a first end of the second receiving groove (Bonadei Fig 1); and a fourth pin hole facing a second end of the second receiving groove (Fig 1), and wherein an end of the second pin is disposed within the third pin hole by passing through the second through hole (Jeker hole near 24D) as the second pin moves in the third direction, and wherein the end of the second pin is disposed within the fourth pin hole as the second pin moves in the second direction (the pin passes through the pin hole and through in either direction).
Claims 7, 8 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeker and Bonadei as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Dornhege, US 2015/0282573.
Regarding claim 7, Jeker and Bonadei do not explicitly disclose the strap further comprises a first elastic member that presses the first pin in the third direction opposite to the second direction.
Dornhege discloses a pin (spring bar 60) including an elastic member (65) that presses the first pin in the third direction opposite the second direction (Fig 5).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a pin with an elastic member for the purpose of more securely fastening the watch strap to the watch case. The spring prevents the pin from falling out.
Regarding claim 8, Jeker, Bonadei and Dornhege disclose the strap further comprises: an opening that is open toward an outside of the strap; and a contact protrusion (Dornhege 110) that extends from the first pin and is at least partially disposed inside the opening (Fig 5).
Regarding claim 14, Jeker, Bonadei and Dornhege disclose the strap further comprises a second elastic member that presses the second pin in the second direction (second elastic member on the other side of the watch body, see Dornhege Figure 2, elastic members on A side and B side).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 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.
Claims 16-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest the claimed device further including at least one first magnet disposed on the side surface; and at least one second magnet disposed on an inner surface of the first frame, wherein the at least one second magnet faces the at least one first magnet in a state in which the housing and the first frame are coupled.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON COLLINS whose telephone number is (571)270-3994. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Renee Luebke can be reached at 571-272-2009. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON M COLLINS/ Examiner, Art Unit 2831
/EDWIN A. LEON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
