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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address; COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`16/984,614
`
`08/04/2020
`
`Yutaka TANAKA
`
`AOYA33PUSO1
`
`7827
`
`MARKD. SARALINO (PAN)
`RENNER, OTTO, BOISSELLE & SKLAR, LLP
`1621 EUCLID AVENUE
`ISTH FLOOR
`
`CLEVELAND, OH 44115
`
`MAHONEY, CHRISTOPHER E
`
`2852
`
`04/14/2022
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`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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`ipdocket @rennerotto.com
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`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

`

`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`16/984,614
`TANAKA, Yutaka
`
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`
`CHRISTOPHER E MAHONEY|2852 Yes
`
`-- The MAILING DATEofthis communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
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`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom 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) MONTHSfrom 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, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
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`Status
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`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on March 24, 2022.
`C) A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
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`2a)L) This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)This action is non-final.
`3)02 An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4\0) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-9 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) 8-9 is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`1) Claim(s)__ is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-3 and 5-7 is/are rejected.
`)
`Claim(s) 4 is/are objectedto.
`O Claim(s
`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`“ If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http:/Awww.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`Application Papers
`10)CL) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)0) The drawing(s) filedon__ is/are: a)C] accepted or b)C) 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) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)LJ None of the:
`b)L) Some**
`a) All
`1.4) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.0.) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`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)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date Aug 4, 2020.
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) (J Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`4)
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20220409
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/984,614
`Art Unit: 2852
`
`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Priority
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`Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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`Election/Restrictions
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`Applicant’s election without traverse of Group |, claims 1-7 in the reply filed on March 24, 2022
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`is acknowledged.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis
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`for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
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`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale,
`or otherwise available to the public before the effectivefiling date of the claimed invention.
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`Claim(s) 1-3 and 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kurosawa
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`(U.S. Patent No. 6989758). Kurosawa teachesa grip structure (13, fig. 2) of an imaging apparatus 10
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`connected to a main body 16 of the imaging apparatus, comprising: a battery storage part 20 configured
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`to store a battery, wherein an inner side wall surface of the battery storage part includesa first corner, a
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`second corner, and a third corner each having a curved shape when viewedin an insertion direction of
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`the battery, and wherein each of the first, second, and third corners has a radius of curvature equal to
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`or greater than a radius of curvature of a cylindrical cell built into the battery. The applicant is directed
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`to review annotated figure 3 below. Regarding claim 2, a review of location of 15 in figures 2 and 3 will
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`show the first corner and the second corner are arranged on a side opposite to a connecting side to the
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`main body, and wherein the third corner is arranged on the connecting side to the main body.
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`Regarding claim 3, the side wall surface of the battery storage part further includes a fourth corner
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/984,614
`Art Unit: 2852
`
`Page 3
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`arranged on the connecting side to the main body. Regarding claim 5, the third corner is located ona
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`front side in an imaging direction of the imaging apparatus, and wherein the fourth corner is located on
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`a rear side in the imaging direction of the imaging apparatus. Regarding claim 6, a bottom wall surface
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`15 of the battery storage part is provided thereon with a first camera terminal 28/29 to face a terminal
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`of the battery. Regarding claim 7, fig. 2 depicts the main body connected to the grip structure.
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`GA, Patent
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`fox GAH
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`Sheed Sah M1
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`US GROFSA BS
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`Fig. 3
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`Claim 4 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if
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`rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and anyintervening
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`claims.
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/984,614
`Art Unit: 2852
`
`Page 4
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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. Nakamura (U.S. Patent No. 5079584) and Yamanaka (U.S. Patent No. 5036343) both teach
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`different arrangements for batteries in a cameragrip.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
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`should be directed to CHRISTOPHER E MAHONEYwhose telephone number is (571)272-2122. The
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`examiner can normally be reached 9-5:30.
`
`Examiner interviewsare available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a
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`USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use
`
`the USPTO Automated Interview Request(AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor,
`
`Clayton E LaBalle can be reached on 571-272-1594. The fax phone number for the organization where
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`this application or proceedingis assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
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`
`571-272-1000.
`
`/CHRISTOPHER E MAHONEY/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
`
`