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 .
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 07/09/2026 has been entered.
Claims 1-17, 19-21 are presented for Examination.
DETAILED ACTION
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 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 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 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.
Claims 1-17, 19, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et.al. (U.S Patent Application Publication 2023/0221785; hereinafter “Lee”; Reference cited as prior art in previous office action) in view of Kim et.al. (U.S Patent Application Publication 2023/0122508; hereinafter “Kim”; Reference cited as prior art in previous office action)
1
Regarding claims 1, 12, Lee discloses, a mobile device, comprising:
a rollable display screen configurable in one of multiple display states corresponding to respective device form factors[ “ According to various embodiments, the flexible display 210 may visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 200 (e.g., a user). According to various embodiments, the flexible display 210 may include at least one of a foldable display, a slidable display, and a rollable display. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may further include a sub-display. According to an embodiment, the flexible display 210 may have various form factors. For example, the form factors may refer to various forms of the flexible display 210. For example, a folded or unfolded form of a foldable display, an expanded or non-expanded form of a slidable display, or an expanded or contracted from of a rollable display may each be a form factor of a flexible display.”, 0059; Referring to FIG. 3D, the electronic device 340 may include a slidable display or a rollable display. For example, the slidable display (or rollable display) of the electronic device 340 may have a form factor in which the foldable display is expanded as indicated by reference numeral 341 and a form factor in which the foldable display is contracted as indicated by reference numeral 343”, 0079;( i.e multiple display states corresponding to expanded, contracted , folded.. etc corresponding to the respective form factors an expanded or contracted from of a rollable display or an expanded or non-expanded form of a slidable display , a folded or unfolded form of a foldable display) ];
a slidable display mount operable to one of extend or retract the rollable display screen into one of the multiple display states corresponding to a device form factor [0072; 0079;0172; Fig.3D; ( i.e . expanding or contracting display . Hence it is apparent that a slidable display mount is operable to perform the expand or contract operation corresponding to a device form factor) ]; and
a configuration manager implemented at least partially in computer hardware [ “the processor 250 may identify a current form factor of the flexible display 210 when the remaining battery level of the battery 220 is equal to or less than a specified value. For example, the processor 250 may determine whether the flexible display 210 is currently in an unfolded state, a folded state, an expanded state, or a contracted state…” 0063-0065 ; 0071; (i.e., processor corresponds to the configuration manager)]
determine, based at least in part on a battery level of the mobile device being less than a threshold, that maintaining the respective device form factor of the mobile device corresponding to a display state utilizes less battery power than extending or retracting the rollable display screen into a different device form factor via the slidable display mount [ “ .. the processor to identify a current form factor of the flexible display when a remaining battery level of the battery is less than or equal to a specified value, determine at least one form factor of the flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery, and provide information related to the at least one form factor of the flexible display.”, 0152; 0159; “ For example, the electronic device may determine whether the flexible display 210 is currently in an unfolded state, a folded state, an expanded state, or a contracted state. .. For example, when a user tries to change the form factor of the flexible display in a case where the remaining battery level is less than the specified value, the electronic device may determine that the user's intention is to save battery power consumption, and in this case, in operation 2110, recognize the current form factor and then perform operations 2120 and 2130.”, 0163; Fig.21;”..the electronic device may determine a form factor of the flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery while maintaining an operation or function of the electronic device.”, 0164; ( i.e determining a form factor that enables to reduce power consumption when the battery level is less than a threshold value); Fig.2; a window 430 may include a guide 431 recommending a change of a form factor, the information 433 or 435 on at least one form factor enabling reduction in battery power consumption, and a button area 439. For example, the information 433 and 435 on the form factor may include a description for the form factor, an expected use time, and a graph showing an expected change in battery usage. “, 0084; 0087; “ the electronic device may display a window 610 or 620 indicating information related to a form factor when the remaining battery level of a battery is less than or equal to a specified value (e.g., the remaining battery level is 15%). .. FIGS. 6A and 6B show a case in which the electronic device provides information 613 or 623 on a form factor in which the inner and outer displays are both used, information 615 or 625 on a form factor in which the inner display is used alone, and information 617 or 627 on a form factor in which the outer display is used alone. ..”, 0092; Fig.6A, 6B ( i.e. when the battery is below a specified / threshold level determining the current form factor and providing an indication indicating information on a recommended form factor to enable reduction in power consumption and increase the usage time. Further Kim teaches different form factors including expandable, contracted state and providing respective power saving recommendations [ Fig.4A-4C; 5A-5C;6A-6C) . Hence it is apparent to maintain respective device form factor that utilizes less battery power than extending or retracting the rollable display screen into a different device form factor)].
maintain the respective device form factor of the mobile device corresponding to the display state of the multiple display states [ 0152; 0159; 0163; 0092; Fig.6A, 6B; “.. For example, it is assumed that the electronic device includes a flexible display capable of being folded into three areas. When a user tries to unfold the flexible display 710 while using a portion of the flexible display in a state in which the flexible display is folded, the electronic device may provide information on a current mode of the electronic device (e.g., a power saving mode) and output a window 720 notifying that there is a need to release the power saving mode”, 0095; Fig.7; ( i.e when the device is in power saving mode or low battery power, displaying a portion of the flexible display corresponding to a foldable form factor is maintained until the user releases the power saving mode as illustrated in Fig.7. Hence maintaining the display state corresponding to the respective form factor to conserve battery power. )].
However, Lee does not expressly disclose that limiting powered operation of the slidable display mount based on determination. Specifically, Lee discloses a slidable display mount and limiting or deactivating operations of components [ 0072; 0079; Fig.3D] and controlling th expansion or contraction of the display form factor via the slidable mount when the batter power drops below a specified level.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g. an electronic device including a flexible display and controlling the sliding movement of the display by adjusting the speed of the motor according to the battery state), Kim teaches ,
limiting powered operation of the slidable display mount based at least in part on detection of low battery power of the mobile device.[ “..The electronic device may include a driving structure (e.g., a motor) capable of providing a thrust (force) for slide-in or slide-out (e.g., sliding movement) of the flexible display, for the sliding movement-based extension structure”, 0005; The motor of the electronic device may operate by receiving power from a battery, and along with the operation of the motor, the flexible display may extend or retract while sliding in or out (e.g., making a sliding movement)”, 0006; “ The processor 620 according to an embodiment may identify a battery current, .. and/or an electronic device temperature sensed through at least one sensor, based on the occurrence of the slide operation start event of the display 660..”, 0105; “ The processor 620 according to an embodiment may control the speed of the motor 665 or restrict an operation of the motor 665 based on at least one or more or all of the battery current, the battery voltage,… .the processor 620 may control the speed of the motor 665 to one of a plurality of different speeds or may lock the motor 665 not to be driven..”, 0106; “The processor 620 according to an embodiment may identify (or determine or set or control) the speed of the motor 665 based on a speed control table stored in the memory 630 or identify discontinuation of the driving of the motor 665, and control the magnitude of power supplied to the motor 665 .., 0107; ( i.e limiting the powered operation of the slidable display mount by controlling the speed of the motor based on the remaining battery capacity)].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Lee with Kim. Kim’s teaching of controlling the sliding movement of the display by adjusting the speed of the motor according to the state of the battery will substantially improve Lee’s system to prevent an overcurrent protection (OCP) and a sudden momentary power loss (SMPL) that occurs due to the large power consumption of the slide -in and slide-out operation of the display[0008].
Regarding claim 2, Lee discloses, wherein the respective device form factors include a compact form factor, an expanded form factor, and a partial form factor[ 0059; 0079] .
Regarding claims 3, 13, Lee discloses the respective device form factor of the mobile device maintained by the configuration manager comprises a current device form factor of the mobile device [ 0152; 0159; 0163;0079;0092; 0095]; .
Regarding claims 4, 14, Lee discloses based on a determination of low battery power, the configuration manager is configured to:
initiate to configure the rollable display screen in a predefined low power display state[0083; 0087;0122; 0130; 0167] and
limit the operation after the rollable display screen is configured in the predefined low power display state[0072;0079; 0172; 0122-0123; ( i.e., configure the rollable display screen in a predefined low power display state by providing options to initially select a form factor and then implementing the configuration to enter a power saving mode )].
Kim teaches limit the powered operation of the slidable display mount [0105-0107].
Regarding claim 5, Lee discloses, wherein the predefined low power display state is a user preferred display state of the rollable display screen[0122-0123; 0130-0131].
Regarding claims 6, 15, Lee discloses, wherein the configuration manager is configured to: determine that a current display state of the rollable display screen utilizes less battery power than moving the slidable display mount[0079; Fig.3D; i.e slidable display mount); 0063, 0065; 0071-0072] to reconfigure the rollable display screen in a different display state[“..when the form factor of the flexible display is changed, the electronic device may output information indicating that an available use time of the battery may be reduced when the form factor is changed”, 0095] Wherein the display state maintained by the configuration manager comprises the current display state maintain the rollable display screen in a current display state[0152; 0159; 0163; Fig.6A, 6B, Fig.7;(i.e determining whether changing the form factor / display state from the current display state/ form factor will provide less or more power based on the remaining battery level)].
Regarding claims 7, 16, Lee discloses, wherein the configuration manager is configured to: determine that a current display state of the rollable display screen utilizes more battery power than reconfiguring the rollable display screen in a different display state; and initiate to reconfigure the rollable display screen corresponding to a compact form factor of the mobile device[0083-0084; Fig.4A, Fig.4B].
Regarding claims 8, 17, Lee discloses, wherein the configuration manager is configured to: receive a configuration input of the display state of the rollable display screen; initiate to configure the rollable display screen according to the configuration input[0122; 0130]
Regarding claims 9, Lee discloses, wherein the configuration input is a user-selected display state of the rollable display screen corresponding to one of a compact form factor, an expanded form factor, or a partial form factor[ 0115; 0122].
Regarding claim 10, Lee discloses, wherein the configuration manager is configured to: initiate to configure the rollable display screen in a user-selected display state[0040;0071] and limit the powered operation of the slidable display mount after the rollable display screen is configured in the user-selected display state[0072;0079; 0172; 0122-0123;0151 ( i.e. configure the rollable display screen in a predefined low power display state by providing options to initially select a form factor and implementing the configuration to enter a power saving mode )].
Regarding claim 11, Lee discloses , a user interface displayable on the rollable display screen to display indications of battery power remaining in one or more battery modes corresponding to the respective device form factors, the one or more battery modes including a conserve mode, a balanced mode, and a performance mode[0092-0093; Fig.6B. Fig.8; (i.e . providing recommendations of form factors that would increase the usage time. Respective use time associated to the form factors, based on the remaining battery power corresponds to the different battery conservation modes)].
Regarding claim 19, Lee discloses , a mobile device, comprising:
a rollable display screen configurable in one of multiple display states corresponding to respective device form factors [ “ According to various embodiments, the flexible display 210 may visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 200 (e.g., a user). According to various embodiments, the flexible display 210 may include at least one of a foldable display, a slidable display, and a rollable display. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may further include a sub-display. According to an embodiment, the flexible display 210 may have various form factors. For example, the form factors may refer to various forms of the flexible display 210. For example, a folded or unfolded form of a foldable display, an expanded or non-expanded form of a slidable display, or an expanded or contracted from of a rollable display may each be a form factor of a flexible display.”, 0059; Referring to FIG. 3D, the electronic device 340 may include a slidable display or a rollable display. For example, the slidable display (or rollable display) of the electronic device 340 may have a form factor in which the foldable display is expanded as indicated by reference numeral 341 and a form factor in which the foldable display is contracted as indicated by reference numeral 343”, 0079];
a slidable display mount operable to one of extend or retract the rollable display screen into one of the multiple display states corresponding to a device form factor[0079; Fig.3D; ( i.e . expanding or contracting display . Hence it is apparent that a slidable display mount is operable to perform the expand or contract operation) ]; and
a user interface displayable on the rollable display screen to display indications of battery power remaining in one or more battery modes corresponding to the respective device form factors, the one or more battery modes including a conserve mode, a balanced mode, and a performance mode [“…the window 410 may display a guide 411 indicating that it is possible to change a form factor or switch to a power saving mode to reduce battery consumption and increase a usable time, ..”, 0082-0084; 0092-0093; Fig.6B. Fig.19b, Fig.20; (i.e . providing recommendations of form factors that would increase the usage time. Respective use time associated to the form factors, based on the remaining battery power corresponds to the different battery conservation modes)];
a configuration manager [ “the processor 250 may identify a current form factor of the flexible display 210 when the remaining battery level of the battery 220 is equal to or less than a specified value. For example, the processor 250 may determine whether the flexible display 210 is currently in an unfolded state, a folded state, an expanded state, or a contracted state…” 0063-0065 ; 0071; (i.e., processor corresponds to the configuration manager)] configured to maintain the respective device form factor of the mobile device corresponding to a display state of the multiple display states based at least in part on user input indicating the conserve mode[ [ 0152; 0159; 0163; Fig.2; “ the electronic device may display a window 610 or 620 indicating information related to a form factor when the remaining battery level of a battery is less than or equal to a specified value (e.g., the remaining battery level is 15%). For example, the window 610 or 620 may display a guide 611 or 621 indicating that it is possible to change a form factor (e.g., use a portion of a display) or switch to a power saving mode to reduce battery consumption and increase a usable time, along with information on a remaining battery level or the usable time. ..”, 0092; Fig.6A, 6B; ( i.e when the device is in power saving mode or low battery power, displaying a portion of the flexible display corresponding to a foldable form factor is maintained until the user releases the power saving mode as illustrated in Fig.7. Hence maintaining the display state corresponding to the respective form factor to conserve battery power. )].
However, Lee does not expressly disclose limiting powered operation of the slidable display mount. Specifically, Lee discloses a slidable display mount and limiting or deactivating operations of components based on low battery power[ 0072; 0079; Fig.3D].
In the same field of endeavor (e.g. an electronic device including a flexible display and controlling the sliding movement of the display by adjusting the speed of the motor according to the battery state), Kim teaches ,
limiting powered operation of the slidable display mount.[ “..The electronic device may include a driving structure (e.g., a motor) capable of providing a thrust (force) for slide-in or slide-out (e.g., sliding movement) of the flexible display, for the sliding movement-based extension structure”, 0005; The motor of the electronic device may operate by receiving power from a battery, and along with the operation of the motor, the flexible display may extend or retract while sliding in or out (e.g., making a sliding movement)”, 0006; “ The processor 620 according to an embodiment may identify a battery current, .. and/or an electronic device temperature sensed through at least one sensor, based on the occurrence of the slide operation start event of the display 660..”, 0105; “ The processor 620 according to an embodiment may control the speed of the motor 665 or restrict an operation of the motor 665 based on at least one or more or all of the battery current, the battery voltage,… .the processor 620 may control the speed of the motor 665 to one of a plurality of different speeds or may lock the motor 665 not to be driven..”, 0106; “The processor 620 according to an embodiment may identify (or determine or set or control) the speed of the motor 665 based on a speed control table stored in the memory 630 or identify discontinuation of the driving of the motor 665, and control the magnitude of power supplied to the motor 665 .., 0107; ( i.e limiting the powered operation of the slidable display mount by controlling the speed of the motor according to the remaining battery capacity)].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Lee with Kim. Kim’s teaching of controlling the sliding movement of the display by adjusting the speed of the motor according to the state of the battery will substantially improve Lee’s system to prevent an overcurrent protection (OCP) and a sudden momentary power loss (SMPL) that occurs due to the large power consumption of the slide -in and slide-out operation of the display[0008].
Regarding claim 20, Lee discloses , wherein the respective device form factors include a compact form factor corresponding to the conserve mode, and an expanded form factor corresponding to the performance mode[ “For example, FIGS. 19A and 19B show a case in which a camera application is being executed in an electronic device including a slidable display (or a rollable display) capable of divided into areas “A”, area “B”, area “C”, and area “D” through expansion and contraction…”, 0142-0145].
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Kim as applied to claim 1 further in view of Min et.al. (U.S Patent Application Publication 2022/0148476; hereinafter “Min”)
Regarding Claim 21, Lee discloses, maintain the respective device form factor of the mobile device corresponding to the display state by limiting the slidable display mount based at least in part on the determination that the battery level is below the threshold[0072; 0079; 0152; 0159; 0163; 0092; Fig.6A, 6B; Fig.7].
Kim teaches , limiting the powered operation of the slidable display mount based at least in part on the determination that the battery level is below the threshold[ 0006; 0105-0106].
However, Lee, Kim does not expressly disclose determine, after maintaining the respective device form factor of the mobile device corresponding to the display state of the multiple display states for a duration, whether the battery level satisfies the threshold;
In the same field of endeavor (e.g. an electronic device including a flexible display that is rollable or slidable and controls the rolling or sliding movement based on the power level of the battery), Min teaches,
determine, maintaining the respective device form factor of the mobile device corresponding to the display state of the multiple display states, whether the battery level satisfies the threshold power [0005-0008; “ If the power level of the battery is not higher than the second level, the electronic device 100 maintains, at 711, a display of the first screen without performing screen redrawing according to the rolling movement or the sliding movement. For example, the electronic device 100 does not change the size and the position of the first screen even though the rolling movement or the sliding movement is identified.”, 0098;0185; 0189; Fig.7].
However , Min does not expressly disclose determine maintaining the form factor for a duration .
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings Min to implement maintaining the form factor for a duration as Min discloses monitoring the power with respect to multiple levels when a rolling or sliding movement is identified [“If the power level of the battery is higher than the first level, while the rolling movement or the sliding movement occurs, the electronic device 100 displays,..”, 0094; “If the power level of the battery is not higher than the first level, the electronic device 100 identifies, at 707, whether the power level of the battery is higher than a second level..”, 0096; Fig.7] to control the screen drawing according to a power state of the battery[0006-0007]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Lee in view of Kim with Min. Min’s teaching of determining whether to perform screen redrawing according to a power state of a battery when a screen of a flexible display is extended or reduced will substantially improve Lee in view of Kim’s system to conserve power and increase the usage time of the battery by controlling the rolling or sliding movement corresponding tor respective battery thresholds.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the newly amended limitations for claim(s) 1, 12, 19 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to Lee in view of Kim references as being used in the current rejection.
The new claim 21 is rejected as set forth in this rejection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Woo et al., U.S Patent Application Publication 2023/0126232, The electronic device may include: a battery, a first sensor configured to detect a folding angle of the electronic device, a flexible display, a sub-display, and a processor configured to determine whether the electronic device is in a folding mode or an unfolding mode based on a detection result from the first sensor, wherein the processor is configured to: based on a battery information provision request in the folding mode of the electronic device, calculate a first available time of the battery in the folding mode based on a power consumption in the folding mode and an available capacity of the battery and control the sub-display to display the available capacity and the first available time on the sub-display, and based on the battery information provision request in the unfolding mode of the electronic device, calculate a second available time of the battery in the unfolding mode based on a power consumption in the unfolding mode and the available capacity and control the flexible display to display the available capacity and the second available time on the flexible display.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GAYATHRI SAMPATH whose telephone number is (571)272-5489. The examiner can normally be reached on Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a 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, Jaweed Abbaszadeh can be reached on 5712701640. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GAYATHRI SAMPATH/ Examiner, Art Unit 2176
/JAWEED A ABBASZADEH/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2176
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