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 .
DETAILED ACTION
In the response to this office action, the Examiner respectfully requests that support be shown for language added to any original claims on amendment and any new claims. That is, indicate support for newly added claim language by specifically pointing to page(s) and line numbers in the specification and/or drawing figure(s). This will assist the Examiner in prosecuting this application.
ALLOWABLE SUBJECT MATTER
Claims 6-7 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. Claim 6 and 7 are objected to because the cited references do not disclose “wherein the partition closest to the central portion is a first partition, and each electrode is disposed in the first partition of each field.”
INFORMATION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
The information disclosure statement filed 03/18/2025, has been acknowledged and considered by the examiner. An initialed copy of the PTO-1449 is included in this correspondence.
CLAIM INTERPRETATION - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “connecting mechanism” in claims 1-6 and 8-10. A review of the specification shows that the following appears to be the corresponding structure described in the specification for the 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph limitation: “connecting mechanism” (fig. 2B 120 conductive structure arranged on the encoding plate [0020-0021]) .
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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. Claims 1-5 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park US 20150123681 in view of Ely US 20260219020.
Consider claim 1. Park An input device electronic pen fig. 10 200, comprising:
an encoding plate, there is an electrode on at least one of the partitions of each of the fields fig. 3 fig. 10 rotary encoder 10, the electrodes on each of the corresponding partitions in the fields are electrically coupled to each of a plurality of contacts fig. 3 fig. 10 rotary encoder 10 includes at least one ports [0042], wherein the contacts comprise a first contact and M−1 second contacts [0042] at least one ports [0042], wherein N=2.sup.M-1, and M is an integer greater than 1;
a connecting mechanism configured to determine whether to connect at least one of the first contact and the second contacts [0042] the rotary encoder electrically connects two of the three ports to each other according to a rotation state. Also see fig. 3 switch 150 and button 220 connected to switch in fig. 10;
a resonance circuit electrically coupled to the first contact and configured to provide an encoded signal having an encoding frequency see fig. 3 and fig. 10 resonance unit 120 connected rotary encoder 110 [0044-0047] 120 generates electromagnetic induction by using a resonant frequency of the LC circuit ; and
M−1 first capacitors electrically coupled between the second contacts and the resonance circuit respectively see fig. 3 and fig. 10 capacitors 130 and 140.
Park however does not explicitly disclose an encoding plate having N fields, wherein each of the fields has M partitions, there is an electrode on at least one of the partitions of each of the fields, the electrodes on each of the corresponding partitions in the fields are electrically coupled to each of a plurality of contacts, wherein the contacts comprise a first contact and M−1 second contacts, wherein N=2.sup.M-1, and M is an integer greater than 1;
Ely however discloses having N fields, wherein each of the fields has M partitions, there is an electrode on at least one of the partitions of each of the fields see fig. 13a-13d shows the different conductor fields with 4 different layers which are the partitions, the electrodes on each of the corresponding partitions in the fields are electrically coupled to each of a plurality of contacts see fig. 13a-13d the conductors traces (electrodes) are connected to contacts at the edge of respective PCBs 1-4 wherein the contacts comprise a first contact and M−1 second contacts, wherein N=2.sup.M-1, and M is an integer greater than 1 see fig. 13a-13d.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the input device of Park to include having N fields, wherein each of the fields has M partitions, there is an electrode on at least one of the partitions of each of the fields, the electrodes on each of the corresponding partitions in the fields are electrically coupled to each of a plurality of contacts, wherein the contacts comprise a first contact and M−1 second contacts, wherein N=2.sup.M-1, and M is an integer greater than 1, as taught by Ely, to improve sensor accuracy and resolve ambiguity in fine sensor measurements [0002-0003].
Consider claim 2. Park as modified by Ely disclose the input device of claim 1, wherein the resonance circuit comprises: an inductor; a second capacitor coupled in parallel with the inductor see Park fig. 3 and fig. 10 see inductor 122 and capacitor 121, wherein the inductor is used to sense an electromagnetic wave signal, and the resonance circuit generates the encoded signal based on the electromagnetic wave signal see Park fig. 3 and fig. 10 resonance unit 120 connected rotary encoder 110 [0044-0047] 120 generates electromagnetic induction by using a resonant frequency of the LC circuit ; and
Consider claim 3. Park as modified by Ely disclose the input device of claim 2, wherein the connecting mechanism disconnects the first contact from any of the second contacts Park [0042]
. also see figs. 14a-14e which show the conductors of the sensor.
Consider claim 4. Park as modified by Ely disclose the input device of claim 2, wherein the connecting mechanism selects at least one of the second contacts as at least one selected contact, and electrically couples the second capacitor in parallel with each first capacitor corresponding to the at least one selected contact Park [0042] fig. 3 and fig. 10.
Consider claim 5. Park as modified by Ely disclose the input device of claim 1, wherein the encoding plate has a central portion, the fields surround the central portion, and the partitions of each field radiating outward from the central portion Ely fig. 13a-13d the conductor fields surround a central portion, and partitions are in the z direction from the central portion.
Motivation to combine is similar to motivation in claim 1.
Consider claim 8. Park as modified by Ely disclose the input device of claim 1, wherein the presence or absence of each electrode on each partition in each field corresponds to a binary value, and a plurality of digital values respectively corresponding to the fields are distinct from one another see Ely fig. 13a-d and sensor conductors 14a-e. the presence or absence of conductors i.e. the physical layout, will alter the digital signal produced.
Consider claim 9. Park as modified by Ely disclose the input device of claim 1, wherein the encoding frequency of the encoded signal undergoes N changes based on a connection state between the second contacts and the first contact fig. 3 fig. 10 rotary encoder 10 with several ports [0042].
Consider claim 10. Park as modified by Ely disclose the input device of claim 1, further comprising: a controller electrically coupled to the resonance circuit and configured to obtain an input command based on the encoding frequency of the encoded signal see Park fig. 7 [0063] he controller 330 controls various operations of the electronic device 300 based on the detection result. As a result, when the electronic pen is used, the electronic device 300 may detect an operation state of the rotary encoder 110.
CONCLUSION
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IBRAHIM A KHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7998. The examiner can normally be reached on 10am-6pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nitin Patel can be reached on 571-272-7677. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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IBRAHIM A. KHAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2628
/IBRAHIM A KHAN/ 09/10/2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628
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