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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because:
Fig. 8 shows step S823, which recites “inference model according to the window name”; however, one branch of the algorithm shown in Fig. 8 corresponds to “No” (i.e., inference model does not exist) and does not involve obtaining a window name. It is unclear what step S823 could possibly mean under the circumstance when no inference model exists and no window name has been obtained.
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.
Specification
The use of at least one term (see “Windows” in [0042], for example; see also “HID” [0019]), which is a trade name or a mark used in commerce, has been noted in this application. The term should be accompanied by the generic terminology; furthermore the term should be capitalized wherever it appears or, where appropriate, include a proper symbol indicating use in commerce such as ™, SM , or ® following the term.
Although the use of trade names and marks used in commerce (i.e., trademarks, service marks, certification marks, and collective marks) are permissible in patent applications, the proprietary nature of the marks should be respected and every effort made to prevent their use in any manner which might adversely affect their validity as commercial marks.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Independent claim 1 recites “light-emitting color data respectively corresponding to a plurality of light-emitting elements … the light-emitting color data of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements” (emphasis added). It is unclear whether each light-emitting color datum corresponds to one light-emitting element or whether each light-emitting color datum corresponds to plural light-emitting elements.
A similar recitation in independent claim 10 is similarly indefinite.
Independent claim 1 recites “controlling each … to emit light according to the light-emitting color data of each” (emphasis added). This is misdescriptive. It is noted by the Examiner that each light-emitting element is limited to emitting light of a single color. Each element can only be controlled to emit light of its own single color or to refrain from emitting light of its own single color. No single element can be controlled to emit light whose color could possibly be construed as “according to … color data”.
A similar recitation in independent claim 10 is similarly indefinite.
Claim 9 recites “supporting human interface device (HID) specifications.” It is noted by the Examiner that specifications may change over time. Thus, a person of ordinary skill in the art cannot clearly and definitely determine the metes and bounds of the claim.
A similar recitation in claim 18 is similarly indefinite.
Other pending claims are indefinite by virtue of dependency from at least one indefinite claim.
Regarding claims 1-18: In the absence of a reasonably definite interpretation of a claim, it is improper to rely on speculative assumptions regarding the meaning of a claim and then base a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 on these assumptions. In re Steele, 305 F.2d 859,134 USPQ 292 (CCPA 1962). See MPEP 2143.03.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Cheng (US 20070025097 A1) discloses “Referring to FIG. 7, it illustrates the third preferred embodiment of the present invention as an LED keyboard of a notebook computer. The key caps 131 of the notebook computer 13 can receive a predetermined signal from the computer and automatically type letters on the computer screen 132, such as "LOVE" in FIG. 7. The corresponding key caps 131 producing those letters will also illuminate continuously, whereby the keyboard 133 carries those key caps 131 will act as a commercial advertisement board, adding extra value to the keyboard 133” [0017].
Cheng et al (US 20180203523 A1) disclose “FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of setting a keyboard region for displaying system information according to an embodiment of the disclosure. … the input module 230 provides an interface to set, by a user, a keyboard region for displaying system information. In the present embodiment, the interface (for example, an image 60) displays a first design of a first display pattern, in which selected system information is a battery power level and a keyboard image 51 corresponding to a keyboard 102. Next, a user may drag the first design 502 into any region on the keyboard image 51 by an indicator control device 103. After receiving this inputting/dragging operation, the input module 230 generates a third input signal to an information management module, so that the information management module 210 drags, according to the third input signal in a dragging manner (for example, shown by arrow A1), the first design 502 into the keyboard image 51 that has a plurality of keys and corresponds to the keyboard 102. However, in another embodiment, the input module 230 directly drags, according to the third input signal in a dragging manner, the first design 502 into the keyboard image 51 that has a plurality of keys and corresponds to the keyboard 102. Next, the information management module 210 identifies a plurality of first keys overlapping with the dragged first design in the plurality of keys of the keyboard image 51, and sets a region formed by arrangement of the plurality of first keys as the first keyboard region” [0051]-[0052].
Chen et al (US 20250203735 A1) disclose “Referring to FIG. 3, another schematic diagram of an electronic device 1000 with dynamic lighting effect according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In another embodiment, the electronic device displays the dynamic lighting effect according to predetermined conditions and frames. For instance, when the user is playing a shooting game, the keyboard can automatically light up the backlight of all press keys with by red light spots to remind the player that the ammunition will soon run out of stock” [0021]
Pance (US 20110164047 A1) discloses “display screen 50 may illuminate a region 73 to serve as a backlight for the keyboard 72 or other icons of the display screen 48” [0068].
Heintz (US 8321810 B2) shows an image displayed on a drawing tablet 18 and on monitors 16a-b, wherein “While a drawing tablet is shown as an exemplary peripheral input device, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is compatible with virtually any type of peripheral input device (e.g., keyboard, … etc.)” (see col. 2, lines 44-48).
Skillman et al (US 20090033522 A1) disclose “The backlit LCD displays dynamic images that enable the user to interactively use the application views on the smartphone 100. The bistable display, on the other hand, provides sufficient indication to identify the buttons or keys while consuming less amount of power. ... Using the bistable display for the keypad display is especially advantageous because the keypad display does not change its images often. Because the bistable display consumes a minimal amount of power when the images remain unchanged, the bistable display is especially adapted for the keypad display” [0038].
Yamazaki et al (US 20020034930 A1) disclose “although the operation keys 306 for performing black color display or white color display are explained with FIGS. 30A and 30B, the present invention is not limited to this. The operation keys 306 may also perform the display of a color except white. For example, they may perform yellow color display on a black background, green color display on a white background, or black color display on a blue background” [0223].
Cabanier et al (US 20180061128 A1) show a light-emitting apparatus 120 and a display apparatus 206.
Moosavi (US 20090153491 A1) discloses “display 14B within the keyboard region is a cholesteric LCD. A cholesteric LCD is bi-stable and can be programmed to have its display to be set and then the power may be disengaged from display 14B. As such, no power or very little power is required to maintain an image of the key for display 14B. Also, LCD 14B is a cholesteric reflective display. A feature of a cholesteric display is that it is a reflective bi-stable technology, as such allowing a passive matrix to produce a relatively high-resolution image. A cholesteric keypad does not necessarily require a coloured filter to display a colour image. Further, a cholesteric substrate is pliable and may be deflected, thereby allowing a key are shown on display 14B to be depressed when key cap 302 is pressed by a user” [0050].
Chao (US 10037857 B2) disclose a light emitting keyboard 100 emitting light ripple style (see Fig. 4).
Misaras (US 6652128 B2) discloses “perforating the cover layer or soft skin of an automotive trim panel such as an instrument panel with a laser to allow light to bleed through the perforations” [ABST] (see especially Figs. 6-7G).
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Julie Anne Watko whose telephone number is (571)272-7597. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Tuesday 9AM-5PM, Wednesday 10:30AM-5PM, Thursday-Friday 9AM-5PM, and occasional Saturdays.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ke Xiao can be reached at 571-272-7776. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
JULIE ANNE WATKO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2627
/Julie Anne Watko/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627
12/27/2025