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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, Species IV, Claims 1-3, 6-9 in the reply filed on 5/11/2026 is acknowledged.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on 7/6/2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the foreign priority application as required by 35 U.S.C. 119(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(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 effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Jeon (US 2022/0192041 A1, hereinafter Jeon)
Claim 1. Jeon teaches a foldable rotation shaft, comprising:
a base (160), a first support mechanism (110), and a second support mechanism (120);
wherein the first support mechanism and the second support mechanism are rotatably connected to the base and are unfoldable and foldable relative to each other (comparing figs 1, 4, 7);
in an unfolded state (fig 1), the base is configured to support a bending portion (part of 133 that is close to 131, fig 2) of a flexible display panel, the first support mechanism is configured to support a first portion (131, fig 2), on one side of the bending portion (left side of figs 1, 2), of the flexible display panel, and the second support mechanism is configured to support a second portion (portion including 135 and part of 133, fig 2), on the other side of the bending portion (fig 2), of the flexible display panel;
the second support mechanism is configured to cause, in a folded state (fig 7), a region, proximal to the base, of the second portion to be bent into a curved shape along a direction going away from the first support mechanism (fig 7); and
the first support mechanism is configured to cause, in the folded state, a curvature of a partial region of the first portion to be different from a curvature of the region, bent into the curved shape, of the second portion (fig 7), wherein the partial region is opposite to the region, bent into the curved shape, of the second portion (fig 7).
Claim 2. Jeon teaches the foldable rotation shaft according to claim 1, wherein in the folded state, the partial region is flat plate-shaped (fig 7).
Claim 3. Jeon teaches the foldable rotation shaft according to claim 2, wherein the first support mechanism comprises a first support plate (right part of 110, fig 7) and a connection arm (left part of 110, fig 7), one end of the connection arm being connected to a side of the first support plate (figs 1, 7) and the other end of the connection arm being rotatably connected to the base (comparing figs 1, 7).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeon in view of Katsura (US 6377324 B1)
Claim 6. Jeon teaches the foldable rotation shaft according to claim 3,
wherein the second support mechanism () comprises a second support plate (bottom plate of 123 that contacts 130, fig 7) and a second rotation assembly (170, fig 7), the second rotation assembly being disposed on a surface (left surface, fig 7), distal from a support surface, of the second support plate (fig 7) and being movably connected to the second support plate (figs 1, 7 show movement between open and closed positions);
wherein the second rotation assembly (170) is movably connected to the base (figs 1, 7) and is configured to drive the second support plate to move relative to the base (figs 1, 7), and in the folded state, an included angle between the support surface (surface of 123 that supports 130, fig 7) of the second support plate and the support surface of the first support plate (41) , an opening of the included angle facing toward the base (fig 7)
Jeon fails to specifically teach that the included angle between the support surface (surface of 123 that supports 130, fig 7) of the second support plate and the support surface of the first support plate (41) is an acute angle
Katsura teaches an included angle between the support surface (surface of 5, fig 3) of the second support plate and the support surface of the first support plate is an acute angle (fig 3), an opening of the included angle facing toward the base (fig 3)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the arrangement as taught by Katsura into the device of Jeon. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Jeon in the above manner for the purpose of saving space, fitting more components into the second support mechanism (since the second support mechanism of Katsura fig 3 has a smaller opening for the display, the space within the body of the second support mechanism can be used to hold more electronic components).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter for claim 7: The closest prior art (which has been made of record) fail to disclose (by themselves or in combination) wherein the second rotation assembly comprises a third swing arm, a fourth swing arm, and a second middle frame connector;
wherein one end of the third swing arm is rotatably connected to the base, the other end of the third swing arm is slidably connected to the second middle frame connector, and the second middle frame connector is movable relative to the third swing arm along the direction approaching or going away from the base;
one end of the fourth swing arm is rotatably connected to the base, and end of the fourth swing arm is rotatably connected to the second middle frame connector; and
the second support plate is rotatably connected to the second middle frame connector and is rotatably connected to the third swing arm in combination with the additionally claimed features, as are claimed by the Applicant. Thus, the Applicant’s claims are determined to be novel and non-obvious.
Kim (US 9179559 B1) fig 2 teaches the included angle of claim 6, however Kim fails to teach the limitations of claim 7. Kim (US 12013727 B2) figs 13, 16, 17 have a similar situation.
Examiner Notes
Examiner cites particular elements, columns and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the applicant fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DOUGLAS R BURTNER whose telephone number is (571)272-0966. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Allen Parker can be reached at 303-297-4722. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DOUGLAS R BURTNER/ Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/ROCKSHANA D CHOWDHURY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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