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
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6-15 and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Battlogg (US 2018/0298959).
Regarding claim 1, Battlogg discloses a haptic knob system, which adopts a fluid containing magnetic particles, the haptic knob system comprising:
a body part (paragraph 155);
a knob 80 (. 155, p. 246, p. 281);
an encoder (p. 280); and
a controller 27 (p. 42, p. 289, p. 324),
wherein the knob is installed on at least a part of the body part (figure 1) and comprises:
a housing 202;
a shaft 212 rotatably installed in the housing;
at least one rotary ring 245, 209, connected to the shaft and configured to rotate in conjunction with a rotation of the shaft;
a coil part 26 disposed in the housing; and
a fluid 20 configured to fill at least a part in the housing and including magnetic
particles 19,
wherein the encoder detects at least any one of a rotational velocity and a rotation angle of the shaft (p. 280), and
wherein the controller controls a magnetic field applied to the fluid in accordance
with a mode (p. 127, p. 281, p. 300).
Regarding claim 2, Battlogg discloses wherein the controller controls at least any one of the rotation angle and rotational torque of the shaft in accordance with the mode (p. 127, p. 281, p. 300).
Regarding claim 3, Battlogg discloses wherein the controller performs control to increase rotational torque each time the shaft rotates at a predetermined angle or a particular angle (p. 148, p. 173, p. 323).
Regarding claim 6, Battlogg discloses wherein the haptic knob system further comprises a sound part (speakers, audio devices) configured to generate a sound, and wherein the controller controls a magnitude of a sound generated by the sound part in accordance with at least any one of the rotational velocity and the rotation angle of the shaft (p. 167, p. 295, claim 4).
Regarding claim 7, Battlogg discloses wherein the controller performs control so that the body part differently operates in accordance with the predetermined angle or the particular angle of the shaft (p. 280)
Regarding claim 8, Battlogg discloses a sensor part 204, 206, 207, configured to detect surroundings, wherein the controller controls the rotational torque of the shaft or controls an operation of the body part when the sensor part detects a particular situation (p. 39, p. 40, p. 256, p. 293, p. 298, p. 316).
Regarding claim 9, Battlogg discloses wherein the controller performs control to
increase rotational torque as the rotation angle of the shaft increases (p. 148, p. 173, p. 323).
Regarding claim 10, Battlogg discloses a sound part configured to generate a sound (speakers, audio devices), wherein the controller controls a magnitude of the sound generated by the sound part in accordance with the rotation angle of the shaft (p. 167, p. 295, claim 4).
Regarding claim 11, Battlogg discloses a haptic hinge system, which adopts a fluid containing magnetic particles, the haptic hinge system comprising:
a first body part 203;
a second body part 236;
a hinge (p. 276);
an encoder (p. 280); and
a controller 27 (p. 42, p. 289, p. 324),
wherein the hinge is interposed between the first body part and the second body
part so that the second body part is rotatable from the first body part (figure 6),
wherein the hinge comprises:
housing 202;
a shaft 212 rotatably installed in the housing;
at least one rotary ring 245, 209, connected to the shaft and configured to rotate in conjunction with a rotation of the shaft;
a coil part 26 disposed in the housing; and
a fluid 20 configured to fill at least a part in the housing and including magnetic
particles 19,
wherein the encoder detects at least any one of a rotational velocity and a rotation angle of the shaft (p. 280), and
wherein the controller controls a magnetic field applied to the fluid in accordance
with a mode (p. 127, p. 281, p. 300).
Regarding claim 12, Battlogg discloses wherein the controller controls at least any
one of the rotation angle and rotational torque of the shaft in accordance with the mode (p. 127, p. 281, p. 300).
Regarding claim 13, Battlogg discloses wherein the controller performs control to
increase rotational torque each time the shaft rotates at a predetermined angle or a
particular angle (p. 148, p. 173, p. 323).
Regarding claim 14, Battlogg discloses wherein the controller performs control to
increase rotational torque as the rotation angle of the shaft increases (p. 148, p. 173, p. 323).
Regarding claim 15, Battlogg discloses a sensor part 206, 207, 204, configured to detect surroundings, wherein the controller controls rotational torque of the shaft or controls an operation of the first body part or the second body part when the sensor part detects a particular situation (p. 39, p. 40, p. 256, p. 293, p. 298, p. 316).
Regarding claim 17, Battlogg discloses wherein the controller performs control to
stop a rotation of the shaft when the rotation angle of the shaft exceeds a preset angle (p. 200).
Regarding claim 18, Battlogg discloses wherein the first body part or the second
body part comprises an electronic device (figure 6), and the controller performs control to operate the electronic device when the rotation angle of the shaft exceeds a preset angle (p. 200, p. 276).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, and 16 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Takahashi, Krupp, Im, Periquet, and Bendel disclose manipulation devices.
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/ANH V LA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685
ANH V. LA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2685
Al
September 5, 2026
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