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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMIVHSSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313-1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`
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`14/395,536
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`10/20/2014
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`Minenori Kaimoto
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`MAT—1063 8US
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`7541
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`RATNERPRESTIA
`PO. BOX 980
`VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-0980
`
`HUSAR, STEPHEN F
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`ART UNIT
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`2875
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`PAPER NUIVIBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`01/12/2016
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or 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):
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`ptocorrespondence @ratnerprestia.c0m
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`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 14/395,536 KAIMOTO, MINENORI
`
`
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Art Unit
`Examiner
`Office Action Summary
`
`
`STEPHEN F. HUSAR [SENS 2875
`-- 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
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`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 10/20/2014.
`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 CIaim(s)1;8is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`is/are allowed.
`6)I:I Claim(s)
`7)|Z| CIaim(s)_1-8is/are rejected.
`8)|:I Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
`
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`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
`:/'/\W¢W.LISI>I‘.0. ovI’ atentS/init events/
`
`
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`iindex.‘s or send an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
`
`Application Papers
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`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)I:l The drawing(s) filed on
`is/are: a)I:I accepted or b)I:I 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).
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`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`12)IXI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a)IZl All
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`b)|:l Some” c)I:l None of the:
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`1.I:I Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`SIXI 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.
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`Attachment(s)
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`
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) D 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 10/20/2014.
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20151220-A
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/395,536
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2875
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`The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to
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`invent provisions.
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of pre-AIA
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`35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made
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`in this Office action:
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`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a
`foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year
`prior to the date of application for patent in the United States.
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`Claims 1-8 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as being
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`anticipated by Shintani et al. (2010/0284626). Regarding claim 1, Shintani
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`et al. shows in Fig.3: a strobe main body (190), a light—emitting unit (191)
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`rotatably connected to the strobe main body, a variable mechanism (192)
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`capable of changing an angle of the light-emitting unit (191), a drive unit
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`(193) for driving the variable mechanism (192), and a control unit (141) for
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`controlling the drive unit (193) , wherein the control unit has a mode of
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`changing an illumination direction angle of the light-emitting unit at each
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`shot in a continuous shooting operation (see paragraph [0113]). Regarding
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`claim 2, see the bounce flash shooting disclosure again in paragraph [0113].
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`Regarding claims 3 and 5, see Figs.9A-9B for the changing angle of the light—
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`Application/Control Number: 14/395,536
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2875
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`emitting unit relative to the strobe body in the vertical direction. Regarding
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`claims 4 and 6-8, note the digital camera (1) or imaging device and strobe
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`device (190) in Fig.1.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications
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`from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN F. HUSAR whose
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`telephone number is (571)272-2371. The examiner can normally be
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`reached on Mon-Fri from 7:30-4:00.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the
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`examiner’s supervisor, Diane Lee can be reached on 571—272-2399. The fax
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`phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is
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`assigned is 571-273-8300.
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