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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 13 May 2025 and 17 July 2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-2 and 6 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1: “the layers” in line 7 should be “the plurality of layers” for further clarity and continuity in the claim language.
Claim 2: “the layers” in line 11 should be “the plurality of layers” for further clarity and continuity in the claim language.
Claim 6: “the fixing parts” in line 2 should be “the plurality of fixing parts” for further clarity and continuity in the claim language.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 6-10 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.
Regarding claim 6, “the surface” in line 3 lacks proper antecedent basis and is therefore unclear.
Claims 7-10 are rejected for their dependency on claim 6
Regarding claim 7, “the fixing part” in line 4 is unclear as only a plurality of fixing parts has been mentioned previously. To which fixing part of the plurality of fixing parts is this limitation referring? In light of the specification, the Examiner is interpreting this limitation to be referring to any one of the plurality of fixing parts.
Claims 8-10 are rejected for their dependency on claim 7.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN 116525338 A) (using US 20240347289 A1 as a translation) in view of Kobayashi et al. (JP 2012068724 A) and Sato et al. (WO 2021205977 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches a contactless button (1), comprising: a substrate (2) (see figure 1, button 1 having substrate 2); a frame (3), arranged on the substrate (2), wherein the frame (3) has an opening (31) on one side away from the substrate (2) (see figure 1, frame body 3 having opening 31; and ¶26, The frame body 3 is mounted on the substrate 2 and accommodates the physical key 21 and the light emitting assembly 22, wherein a side of the frame body 3 away from the substrate 2 includes an opening 31); and a sensing module (4), adapted for forming a sensing area, wherein the sensing module (4) has a sensing part (42) covering the opening (31) (see figure 1, optical pressure board assembly 4 (i.e. sensing module) comprising optical imaging component 42 (i.e. sensing part) disposed in opening), and a supporting plate (41) (see figure 1, pressure board 41 (i.e. supporting plate)). However, Chen fails to explicitly teach wherein the sensing part has a plurality of layers, the layers comprise: the supporting plate; a sheet, covering a side surface of the supporting plate away from the substrate; and a conductive layer, located between the sheet and the supporting plate and completely covering the sheet, wherein the conductive layer electrically connects the substrate and is adapted for forming the sensing area.
However, Kobayashi teaches wherein the sensing part (3) has a plurality of layers, the layers comprise: the supporting plate (6B) (see figure 8, base layer 6B (i.e. supporting plate)); a sheet (11), covering a side surface of the supporting plate (6B) away from the substrate (16) (see figure 8, covering layer 11 (i.e. sheet) covering the side of 6B facing away from substrate 16); and a conductive layer (7), located between the sheet (11) and the supporting plate (6B) and completely covering the sheet (11) (see figure 8, electrode 7 (i.e. conductive layer).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chen to incorporate the teachings of Kobayashi to include a layered sensor as it is a well-known and common sensor type in the art, and the mere substitution of equivalents known for the same purpose is an obvious matter of choice (MPEP 2144.06 II). However, the combination fails to explicitly teach wherein the conductive layer electrically connects the substrate and is adapted for forming the sensing area.
However, Sato teaches wherein the conductive layer (20) electrically connects the substrate (42) and is adapted for forming the sensing area (see figure 2, sensor electrode 20 (i.e. conductive layer) connected to substrate 42; and ¶32, The sensor electrode 20 is connected to the detection circuit of the detection substrate 42 via sensor wiring 44).
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 combination of Chen and Kobayashi to incorporate the teachings of Sato to electrically connect the sensor to the substrate as the substrate contains circuitry that requires electrical connection to the sensor in order to function.
Regarding claim 2, Chen teaches a button (1), comprising: a substrate (2) (see figure 1, button 1 having substrate 2); a frame (3), arranged on the substrate (2), wherein the frame (3) has an opening (31) on one side away from the substrate (2) (see figure 1, frame body 3 having opening 31; and ¶26, The frame body 3 is mounted on the substrate 2 and accommodates the physical key 21 and the light emitting assembly 22, wherein a side of the frame body 3 away from the substrate 2 includes an opening 31); a contact switch (21), arranged on the substrate (2) and adapted for generating a first control signal (see figures 1 and 3, physical key 21 (i.e. contact switch); ¶27, The physical key 21 is, for example, but not limited to a tact switch (also known as tactile switch); and ¶26, The optical pressure board assembly 4 is adapted to moving along an operating direction D towards the substrate 2 from the opening 31 to contact the physical key 21, so that the physical key 21 generates a first manipulation signal); and a sensing module (4), adapted for pushing against the contact switch (21) to generate the first control signal and adapted for forming a sensing area for generating a second control signal, wherein the sensing module (4) has a sensing part (42) covering the opening (31) (see figure 1, optical pressure board assembly 4 (i.e. sensing module) comprising optical imaging component 42 (i.e. sensing part) disposed in opening; and ¶26, The optical pressure board assembly 4 is adapted to moving along an operating direction D towards the substrate 2 from the opening 31 to contact the physical key 21, so that the physical key 21 generates a first manipulation signal…The optical pressure board assembly 4 is further adapted to converting a light beam L1 (shown in FIG. 4) provided by the light emitting assembly 22 into a three-dimensional optical image P (shown in FIG. 4) projected from the opening 31. The optical trigger switch 5 is mounted on an outer side of the frame body 3 and is adapted to generating a second manipulation signal while sensing the three-dimensional optical image P), and a supporting plate (41) (see figure 1, pressure board 41 (i.e. supporting plate)). However, Chen fails to explicitly teach wherein the sensing part has a plurality of layers, the layers comprise: the supporting plate; a sheet, completely covering a side surface of the supporting plate away from the substrate; and a conductive layer, located between the sheet and the supporting plate and completely covering the sheet, wherein the conductive layer electrically connects the substrate and is adapted for forming the sensing area.
However, Kobayashi teaches wherein the sensing part (3) has a plurality of layers, the layers comprise: the supporting plate (6B) (see figure 8, base layer 6B (i.e. supporting plate)); a sheet (11), completely covering a side surface of the supporting plate (6B) away from the substrate (16) (see figure 8, covering layer 11 (i.e. sheet) covering the side of 6B facing away from substrate 16); and a conductive layer (7), located between the sheet (11) and the supporting plate (6B) and completely covering the sheet (11) (see figure 8, electrode 7 (i.e. conductive layer).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chen to incorporate the teachings of Kobayashi to include a layered sensor as it is a well-known and common sensor type in the art, and the mere substitution of equivalents known for the same purpose is an obvious matter of choice (MPEP 2144.06 II). However, the combination fails to explicitly teach wherein the conductive layer electrically connects the substrate and is adapted for forming the sensing area.
However, Sato teaches wherein the conductive layer (20) electrically connects the substrate (42) and is adapted for forming the sensing area (see figure 2, sensor electrode 20 (i.e. conductive layer) connected to substrate 42; and ¶32, The sensor electrode 20 is connected to the detection circuit of the detection substrate 42 via sensor wiring 44).
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 combination of Chen and Kobayashi to incorporate the teachings of Sato to electrically connect the sensor to the substrate as the substrate contains circuitry that requires electrical connection to the sensor in order to function.
Regarding claim 3¸ Chen as modified by Kobayashi and Sato teaches the button according to claim 2, wherein the supporting plate (Chen 41 | Kobayashi 6B), the sheet (Kobayashi 11), and the conductive layer (Kobayashi 7) are light transmissive (Kobayashi, ¶21, The material of the first electrode 7 is a conductive material that has light-transmitting properties; ¶25, the coating layer 11 may be made of a light-transmitting material; and ¶20, The base layer 6 is a flexible, thin plate-like, film-like, or membrane-like insulating member…the material for the base layer 6, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyimide, or other plastic films can be used as appropriate).
Regarding claim 4, Chen as modified by Kobayashi and Sato teaches the button according to claim 3, wherein the sensing module (Chen 4) further comprises an optical imaging assembly (Chen 421) (Chen, see figures 1 and 4, optical imaging components 42 having imaging unit 421), the optical imaging assembly (Chen 421) is located on one side of the supporting plate (Chen 41 | Kobayashi 6B) close to the substrate (Chen 2 | Kobayashi 16) (Chen, see figure 3, optical imaging component 42 located between pressure board 41 (i.e. supporting plate) and substrate 2), and the sensing module (Chen 4) is adapted for converting a light beam provided by a light-emitting unit (Chen 22) on the substrate (Chen 2 | Kobayashi 16) into a suspending optical image through the optical imaging assembly (Chen 421) and is adapted for pushing the contact switch (Chen 21) through the optical imaging assembly (Chen 421) (Chen, ¶26, The optical pressure board assembly 4 is adapted to moving along an operating direction D towards the substrate 2 from the opening 31 to contact the physical key 21, so that the physical key 21 generates a first manipulation signal. The optical pressure board assembly 4 is further adapted to converting a light beam L1 (shown in FIG. 4) provided by the light emitting assembly 22 into a three-dimensional optical image P (shown in FIG. 4) projected from the opening 31).
Regarding claim 6, Chen as modified by Kobayashi and Sato teaches the button according to claim 4, wherein the sensing module (Chen 4) has a plurality of fixing parts (Chen 44), and the fixing parts (Chen 44) extend from the supporting plate (Chen 42 | Kobayashi 6B) along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate (Chen 2 | Kobayashi 16) toward the substrate (Chen 2 | Kobayashi 16), and are adapted for fixing the optical imaging assembly (Chen 41) (Chen, see figure 2, combined pieces 44 (i.e. fixing parts); ¶36, the combined piece 44 is adapted to connecting the optical imaging component 42 to the pressure board 41; and see remainder of ¶36 for further details).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is 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.
Regarding claim 5, the prior art of record individually or combined fails to teach the button according to claims 4, 3, and 2 as claimed, wherein the optical imaging assembly comprises a lens array, and more specifically in combination with the lens array is integrally formed with the supporting plate.
Claims 7-10 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record individually or combined fails to teach the button according to claims 6, 4, 3, and 2 as claimed, wherein the sensing module further has an outer flange and a stepped part, the outer flange is formed by extending the supporting plate, the outer flange surrounds the sensing part and is parallel to the substrate, the fixing part is located at a peripheral edge of the outer flange, a thickness of the outer flange is less than a thickness of the sensing part in a direction of the sensing module facing the substrate, and more specifically in combination with the stepped part is formed by extending the supporting plate and is located between the sensing part and the outer flange.
Claims 8-10 would be allowable for their dependency on claim 7.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chen (CN 118588475 A) (using US 20250336623 A1 as a translation): Chen teaches a button having many of the same components as claimed in the instant application (see figures 1 and 2).
You et al. (USPGPub 20240103292 A1): You teaches a touch panel with a floating touch function to prevent direct user contact with the button (see figure 3).
Holmgren et al. (USPGPub 20230037571 A1): Holmgren teaches a support element (364) integrally formed with a lens array (410) (see figure 13); however, Holmgren fails to teach the claimed arrangement of elements.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIN R GARBER whose telephone number is (571)272-4663. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 0730-1730.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Georgia Y Epps can be reached at (571) 272-2328. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIN R GARBER/Examiner, Art Unit 2878
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