DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s remark, see pages 8-14, filed 2/4/2026, with respect to claims 1-8 have been considered but are moot, because the new ground of rejection incorporates a new interpretation of the claims that rely on different use of the prior art, Kuramochi, and is considered to teach the newly amended language specifically challenged. Note, newly presented amendment to independent claim 1 is not sufficient in overcoming Kuramochi in its current form. Note, claims 2-3 and 5-8 depend either indirectly or directly from claim 1 and are rejected for at least the same reason. Please see revised rejection of the claims below.
In response to dependent claim 4 remarks, page 14, Applicant's arguments were considered and are persuasive. Therefore, after further consideration, the previous rejection toward claim 4 has been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being
anticipated by Kuramochi 11,644,874.
Regarding claim 1, Kuramochi discloses a hinge device (1, Figs 1-20) comprising: a housing (6, Fig 3) positioned between one-end portions (inner ends of 2, 3, Fig 3) of a first body (portion 2 including one side of 4, 5, Fig 3) and a second body (portion 3 including other side of 4, 5, Fig 3) performing a relative motion with each other (as in Figs 1, 2); a first hinge blade (17, Fig 7) and a second hinge blade (18, Fig 7) respectively fixed to the first body and the second body (Fig 4) and rotationally supported on the housing to rotate through a predetermined angle between an unfolded position (predetermined angle at 180 degrees in unfolded position, Fig 16C) at which the first body and the second body are placed on a same horizontal line (horizontal line running end to end of device in the unfolded/flat portion, see Fig 16C) and a folded position (as in Fig 16A) at which the first body and the second body face and contact each other (see Fig 3, for example); and a first sloping plate (9, Fi g 7) respectively and a second sloping plate (10, Fig 7) installed on the first hinge blade and the second hinge blade (similarly as in Fig 16B), the first and second sloping plates being configured to rotate about respective first and second rotation axes (axes running parallel to 15 and/or 16, Figs 10, 16B) spaced apart by a predetermined length (spaced apart by length/distance from 15 to 16, for example, Fig 16B) from respective hinge axis lines of the first and second blades (hinge axis lines at 17d or 18d, Figs 15B, 16B), and configured to interwork by pressure during rotation movement of the first hinge blade and the second hinge blade (pressure through spring/gear portions within housing Figs 15B or 16B) so as to move between a horizontal position aligned with a horizontal line of the first body and the second body at the unfolded position (as in Fig 16C) and a sloping position inclined from the horizontal line of the first body and the second body (as in Fig 16B) such that a folding space (at 30, Fig 16A) is formed between the first hinge blade and the second hinge blade at the folded position (as depicted in Fig 16A).
Regarding claim 2, Kuramochi discloses the device according to claim 1, wherein the first sloping plate and the second sloping plate interwork by a first pressing means (pressure through spring/gear portions within housing Figs 15A, 15B), wherein the first pressing means includes first elastic members for providing an elastic force (22a, Fig 15B) so that the first sloping plate and the second sloping plate are at the sloping position (as in Fig 15B), and first pressing protrusions (15 or 16, Fig 15B) for maintaining the first hinge blade and the second hinge blade at the horizontal position (see Fig 16B) by pressing the first sloping plate and the second sloping plate when the first hinge blade and the second hinge blade rotate to the unfolded position (Fig 15B).
Regarding claim 3, Kuramochi discloses device according to claim 1,
wherein the respective first and second rotation axes (axes running parallel to 15 and/or 16, Figs 10, 16B) are respectively defined by engagements between respective rotation support grooves (at 17d and 18d, Fig 16B) and respective rotation support protrusions (portions 15 and 16, Figs 10, 16B), and wherein the respective rotation support grooves (as in Fig 16B for example) are respectively disposed on the first hinge blade and the second hinge blade (as depicted in Fig 16B), and the respective rotation support protrusions (portion 15 or 16, Fig 15B) are formed on the first sloping plate and the second sloping plate (see Fig 16B), such that the first and second sloping plates respectively rotates through the predetermined angle between the horizontal position and the sloping position about the respective first and second rotation axes (see Figs 16A-16B, for example).
Regarding claim 5, Kuramochi discloses device according to claim 1, wherein
Regarding claim 8, Kuramochi discloses device according to claim 1, wherein at the folded position (Fig 2), respective display panels attached to the first body and second body are folded in parallel (panels - left and right side of 5, Fig 3), in portions other than a folding unit (portion 4, Fig 4), while forming a predetermined radius of curvature in the folding unit (curvature of 5, Figs 2-3).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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, 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(s) 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuramochi 11,644,874 in view of Shim 2021/0247815.
Regarding claim 6, Kuramochi discloses the device according to claim 1, further comprising a plate (7, Fig 5) installed in the housing to be positioned in
Kuramochi discloses the claimed invention except for expressly teaching that the plate is a lifting plate that so as to move between an ascending position spaced apart from the housing to connect a gap between the first sloping plate and the second sloping plate on the same horizontal line at the unfolded position and a descending position adjacent to the housing to form the folding space between the first hinge blade and the second hinge blade at the folded position.
Shim however teaches a similar device (Fig 6) including a plate that is a lifting plate (350, Figs 7A-7C) that so as to move between an ascending position spaced apart from the housing (as depicted in Fig 14A) to connect a gap ('g' Fig 14A) between a first sloping plates and a second sloping plates on the same horizontal line at a unfolded position (as in Fig 10A, Fig 14A) and a descending position adjacent to the housing to form a folding space between a first hinge blade and a second hinge blade at a folded position (as in Figs 10C, 14B).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the structure of Kuramochi to include the lifting plate as claimed, and, as taught by Shim, in order to facilitate ease/support for the flexible display to prevent crimping of display material in the folded position, thereby improving reliability.
Regarding claim 7, Kuramochi in view Shim disclose the device according to claim 6, Shim teaches wherein the lifting plate interworks by a second pressing means (360, Fig 14A), wherein the second pressing means includes second elastic members (362, Fig 14A) for providing an elastic force so that the lifting plate is at the descending position (361, see Fig 14A), and second and third pressing protrusions (321b, 322b, Fig 14A) for pressing the lifting plate to move to the ascending position and the descending position (Fig 14A).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The dependent claims listed below, in combination with the remaining elements of the independent claim(s) from which they directly/indirectly depend, are not taught, or adequately suggested in the prior art of record.
Claim 4. The device according to claim 3, wherein respective assembly holes of the first hinge blade and the second hinge blade respectively slidably coupled to the first sloping plate and the second sloping plate are formed to be elongated in respective rotation directions of the first sloping plate and the second sloping plate to guide the first sloping plate and the second sloping plate to rotate through the predetermined angle.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: see PTO 892.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RASHEN E MORRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-8852. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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/RASHEN E MORRISON/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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