Application No. 14/364,911
`Reply to Office Action dated June 30, 2017
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`REMARKS
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`The examiner is thanked for the clearly stated action and for conducting a
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`telephone interview on August 16, 2017. The present amendment is filed in response to the final
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`Office Action mailed June 30, 2017, in view of the discussion during the interview, under a
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`Request for Continued Examination (RCE) concurrently filed herewith. Claims 1-11 are
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`pending, of which claims 1, 9 and 11 are independent.
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`1.
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`Rejections under 35 U.S.C. §112 are Overcome
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`Claims 1-11 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. §112(a) for reciting "processing
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`circuitry." In response, applicant has replaced the "processing circuitry" with "detecting section"
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`and "processor," which is more explicitly supported in FIG. 4 (R881 "detecting section" 150, and
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`control section 210 including distance information determining section 211, output selecting
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`section 212, locator operation selecting section 213 and locator selecting section 214, which may
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`comprise a central "processing unit" (CPU), see fl[0053]) of the application. Claims 1, 9 and 11
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`were rejected for reciting use of the same "wireless communications protocol" in the call mode
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`and in the locator mode. In response, applicant has amended these claims to recite use of the
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`same "synchronization method" in the call mode and in the locator mode, which is more
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`explicitly supported in 11[0030] and Fig. 3 of the application. Claims 4 and 5 were rejected for
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`reciting "sound level." In response, applicant has deleted this claim term.
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`Claims 1, 6, 9 and 10 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. §112(b) for reciting "radio
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`transceiver." In response, applicant has replaced the "radio transceiver" with "radio section,"
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`which is more explicitly supported in FIG. 4 ("radio section" 130) of the application. Claims 5-6
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`and 8 were rejected for reciting "user interface." In response, applicant has replaced the "user
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`interface" with "operating section," which is more explicitly supported in FIG. 4 ("operating
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`section" 190) and 11[0051] of the application.
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`2.
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`Rejection under 35 U.S.C. §102 is Overcome
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`Claims 1-3, 8-9 and 11 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. §102(b) as being
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`anticipated by Hironari (JP 2012/099016). In response, applicant has amended independent
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`Application No. 14/364,911
`Reply to Office Action dated June 30, 2017
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`claims 1, 9 and 11 to more explicitly recite that the same synchronization method ("a defined
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`synchronization method") is used in both the call mode and in the locator mode. This is
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`technically advantageous in allowing the mobile terminal, "after outputting the determined
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`distance information, transitions from the locator mode to the call mode," without having to
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`perform another synchronization method when transitioning from one mode to another, as
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`further explicitly recited in claims 1, 9 and 11. Hironari does not teach or suggest the subject
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`matter now recited in claims 1, 9 and 11 and, therefore, these claims are now believed to be
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`clearly allowable.
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`Dependent claims 4-7 and 10 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being
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`obvious over Hironari in combination with various other prior art references. Applicant
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`respectfully submits that none of these additional references cures the deficiencies of Hironari
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`and, therefore, independent claims 1, 9 and 11, as amended, are allowable over Hironari even in
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`combination with any of these additional references. Further, claims 2-8 and 10 depend from
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`claim 1 or claim 9 and, therefore, these dependent claims are further submitted to be allowable
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`due at least to their dependency from allowable claims 1 and 9.
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`Closing
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`The present application including claims 1-11, as amended, is now believed to be
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`clearly in condition for allowance. Favorable consideration and a Notice of Allowance are
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`earnestly solicited.
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`Respectfully submitted,
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`SEED Intellectual Property Law Group LLP
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`/Shoko Leek/
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`Shoko I. Leek
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`Registration No. 43,746
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`SILzmck
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`701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, Washington 98104-7092
`Phone:
`(206) 622-4900
`Fax: (206) 682-6031
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`565761571
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