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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMIVHSSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313-1450
`wwwusptogov
`
`
`
`
`
`15/463,577
`
`03/20/2017
`
`HARUKA KANEKO
`
`20296.0095USW1
`
`2294
`
`09’2“)” —HAMRE, SCHUMANN,MUELLER&LARSON p.c. m
`7590
`53148
`45 South Seventh Street
`WU, JERRY
`Suite 2700
`MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402- 1683
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`ART UNIT
`2835
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
`
`DELIVERY MODE
`
`09/22/2017
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/0r attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
`PTOMail @hsml.com
`
`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 15/463,577 KAN EKO ET AL.
`
`
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Art Unit
`Examiner
`Office Action Summary
`
`
`JERRY WU $2213 2835
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING DATE OF
`THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1. 136( a).
`after SIX () MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1 .704(b).
`
`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
`
`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 8/2/17.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|ZI This action is non-final.
`2a)|:l This action is FINAL.
`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:| Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)IZI Claim(s) fl is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`
`is/are allowed.
`6)I:I Claim(s)
`7)|Z| CIaim(s)_1-3is/are rejected.
`8)|:I Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
`
`
`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)I:I Claim((s)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`hit
`:/'I’vaIW.usnI‘.0. ovI’ atentS/init events/
`
`
`
`iindex.‘s or send an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
`
`Application Papers
`
`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)|Xl The drawing(s) filed on 3/20/17is/are: a)I:I accepted or b)lZ| objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`
`12)IXI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
`
`a)IZl All
`
`b)|:l Some” c)I:l None of the:
`
`1.IXI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.|:| Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`
`
`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`4) I:I Other'
`2) E InformatIon DIsclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20170917
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/463,577
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2835
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined
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`under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first
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`inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`2.
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`In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and
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`103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for
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`the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale
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`supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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`Priority
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`1.
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`Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. ll9(a)—(d), which papers
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`have been placed of record in the file.
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`Claims 1—3 are objected to because of the following informalities:
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`Claim Objections
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`1.
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`In claims 1—3, “second recess parts , a peripheral edge part ,
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`second through hole” are
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`unclear. There is no label for these limitations. Further clarification is required.
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`2.
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`The Examiner respectfully requests that the Applicant(s) review all claims for any such
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`similar issues.
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`Appropriate correction is required.
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/463,577
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2835
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`Drawings
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`1.
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`The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every
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`feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the limitations, discussed in the
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`claim objections must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter
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`should be entered.
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`Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to
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`the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing
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`sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet,
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`even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing
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`should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure
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`must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must
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`be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the
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`drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the
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`renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an
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`application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet”
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`pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will
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`be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The
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`objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/463,577
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2835
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C.
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`102 and 103 (or as subject to pre—AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the
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`statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art
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`relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness
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`rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`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 of this
`title, 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
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`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.
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`2.
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`Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(3) as being unpatentable over
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`DEGNER (US:20100079404 ).
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`3.
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`With regard claim 1, DEGNER teaches: An electronic device (abstract; fig 20, fig 7; and
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`other figures) comprising a touchpad (304; or the touchpad shown in fig 20A—20F, see also fig
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`7), an operation button (at least 310, 312, or 314, 316, 322, see also fig 7), and a housing
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`(housing to receive the above discussed touchpad, button, etc., see also fig 7), the touchpad and
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`the operation button being disposed in proximity to each other at an upper surface part of the
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`housing (see fig 20, see also fig 7), wherein the upper surface part of the housing is formed with
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`a first recessed part in which the touchpad is disposed (fig 20, recessed part in which the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/463,577
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2835
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`touchpad is disposed) and a second recessed part in which the operation button is disposed
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`(fig20, recessed part in which the operation button is disposed).
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`The structure discussed above did not disclose (in detail as a whole): the second recessed
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`part is provided with a through hole, a support part is connected to the operation button for
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`supporting the operation button on the housing, and the support part extends out of the second
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`recessed part through the through hole and is fixed on the housing.
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`However, DEGNER further disclose a touchpad assembly comprising: the second recessed part
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`is provided with a through hole (fig 34B, the recessed part receiving the 169, Examiner consider
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`as recessed part; the space receiving the extension of 173; Examiner consider as the through
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`hole), a support part (the extension of 173 and associated parts as discuss in the rejections which
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`is connected to the operation button for supporting the operation button on the housing) is
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`connected to the operation button for supporting the operation button on the housing, and the
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`support part extends out of the second recessed part through the through hole and is fixed on the
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`housing (see fig 34B).
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`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention
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`was made to include this feature (recessed part, through hole, support part, etc. as discussed) and
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`modify to previous discussed structure so as to further support/adapt the structure.
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`4.
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`With regard claim 2, modified primary further teaches: the support part extends below the first
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`recessed part (see fig 34B; the space received 165; Examiner consider as the first recessed part;
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`see also fig 20) and is fixed to a bottom face part of the first recessed part (Examiner consider the
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`locations that 173 fixed to is the bottom face part of the first recessed part). It would have been
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/463,577
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2835
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`obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to include this
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`feature and modify to previous discussed structure so as to further support/secured the modified
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`structure.
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`5.
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`With regard claim 3, the above discussed art further disclosed the bottom face part of the
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`first recessed part is provided with a second through hole (fig 34B, at least, Examiner consider
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`the through hole un top of 175, and/or the hole for the 175 to fasten to the track pad structure is
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`the second through hole; see also paragraph [143]—[147]), and the support part is provided with,
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`at a leading end of the support part (fig 34B, at least, Examiner consider the end portion closer to
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`structure 175 is a leading end of the support part), an engagement part for engagement with a
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`peripheral edge part of the second through hole (fig 34B, at least, Examiner consider the 155
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`fasten to the structure of touch pad from the bottom side, which is a peripheral edge part of the
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`second through hole; see also paragraph [143]—[147]). It would have been obvious to one of
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`ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to include this feature and modify
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`to previous discussed structure so as to further support/secured the modified structure.
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`Conclusion
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`The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's
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`disclosure.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to JERRY WU whose telephone number is (571)270—5420. The
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`examiner can normally be reached on Mon. — Thur. 8:30 AM — 7 PM.
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`