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 May 29, 2025 has been 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 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.
Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Smith et al. (U.S. Patent 7,088,343—hereinafter “Smith”) in view of Liu (USPGPUB 2008/0231476—hereinafter “Liu”).
As to Claim 1, Smith teaches a keyboard apparatus (See Figs. 1 and 2) comprising:
an enclosure (Figs. 1 and 2 at 100);
a plurality of keys located on a top face of the enclosure (Figs. 1 and 2 at 108 and Col. 5, lines 11-16);
a touch pad provided on at least one side face of the enclosure (Figs. 1 and 2 at 102).
Smith, however, fails to teach a guide for the touch pad, provided to extend along an extending direction of the at least one side face; wherein the guide does not reach both sides of the at least one side face in the extending direction. Examiner cites Liu to teach an apparatus with a touch panel that utilizes a guide for the touch panel (Fig. 1 at 12), provided to extend along an extending direction of at least one side face (Figs. 1 and 2 at 12); wherein the guide does not reach both sides of the at least one side face in the extending direction (Figs. 1 and 2 at 12). At the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate guides, as taught by Liu, in the keyboard apparatus taught by Smith, in order to help guide a user to correct finger positioning by feeling the guides (Liu, Pg. 1, ¶ 5 and Pg. 2, ¶ 18).
As to Claim 2, Smith, as modified by Liu, teaches that the guide is formed to protrude outward from the touch pad in a direction intersecting to the extending direction (Liu, See Figs. 2 and 3 at 12 and 11).
As to Claim 3, Smith, as modified by Liu, teaches that the guide includes a recessed part provided to face the touch pad (Liu, See Figs. 2 and 3 at 12 and 11).
As to Claim 4, the combination of Smith and Liu, teaches that the guide does not face the top face of the enclosure (Smith, See Figs. 1 and 2 with touch pads located at the sides of the enclosure and Liu, See Figs. 2 and 3 at 12 and 11).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Fujieda et al. U.S. Patent 6,011,860
Holehan U.S. Patent 6,043,809
Gardner U.S. Patent 8,276,816
McClurg et al. U.S. Patent 7,308,122
Bolis et al. USPGPUB 2008/0309459
Imana USPGPUB 2015/0355683
Kubota USPGPUB 2024/0419267
Inquiries
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RODNEY AMADIZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7762. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Thurs; 9AM - 5PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Patrick Edouard can be reached at 571-272-7603. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RODNEY AMADIZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622