DETAILED ACTION
This is a final Office action in response to the amendment filed 01/02/2026.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-5, 8, 10-15, 18, and 20 are pending;
Claims 1, 5, 8, 11, and 18 are currently amended; claims 2-4, 10, 12-15, and 20 are original; claims 6, 7, 9, 16, 17, and 19 have been cancelled;
Claims 1-5, 8, 10-15, 18, and 20 are rejected herein.
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 arguments with respect to Jang (US 7,458,546 B2) have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Firstly, Applicant argues that "the second elastic member 49 of Jang is a torsion spring, and a skilled person in the art would not interpret the second elastic member 49 as the connecting rod of claim 7 of the application" (remarks, page 9). The Examiner respectfully disagrees. As shown in Figure 3, the second elastic member (49) is in the form of a spring rod that connects the pinion (45) back with the rack (42) when an outer force that is exerted to separate the pinion from the rack is removed (col 4, lines 54-60), and therefore is broadly and reasonably considered as a connecting rod.
Secondly, Applicant argues that "it is clear that the second elastic member 49 of Jang is connected between the shaft 46 and the stand top 10, instead of being connected to the rack 42" (remarks, page 9). The Examiner respectfully disagrees. As shown in Figure 3, the rack (42) is connected to the pinion (45), the pinion (45) is connected to the second spring member (49) via the shaft (46), the second spring member (49) is connected to the pinion housing (48) via the shaft (46), the pinion housing (48) is connected to the top (10), and the top (10) is connected to the top slide (20). As such, the second elastic member (49) is indirectly connected between the rack (42) and the top slide (20).
Thirdly, Applicant argues that "the rack 42 is fixed and not driven to move by the second elastic member 49" (remarks, page 9). The Examiner respectfully disagrees. As explained in the specification, "[t]he second elastic member 49 engages the pinion 45 back with the rack 42 when an outer force that is exerted to separate the pinion 45 from the rack 42 is removed" (col 4, lines 58-60). In other words, the second elastic member (49) is indeed capable of driving the rack (42) by acting on the pinion (45).
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claims 1-3, 5, 8, 10-13, 15, 18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jang (US 7,458,546 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Jang discloses a stand (102, 103, 104, 105, 106, fig 2), comprising: a base (10, 102, 103, figs 2 & 3); a support component (20, fig 3), slidably disposed on the base and adapted to support an electronic device (101, fig 2) and slide to a predetermined position relative to the base (see Figures 2-6); an elastic component (30, fig 3), connected between the base and the support component (see Figures 2-6); and a damping gear (45, fig 3), rotatably disposed on the base and adapted to be coupled to the support component (see Figures 2-6), wherein the support component is adapted to resist a weight from the electronic device at least by an elastic force of the elastic component and a damping force of the damping gear to be positioned at the predetermined position (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30), wherein the damping gear has an adjusting portion (50, fig 3) and is adapted to adjust the damping force through the adjusting portion (see Figures 2-6, see col 4, lines 38-67), wherein the damping gear is adapted to be switched to a coupling state and coupled to the support component (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30), and the damping gear is adapted to be switched to a release state without being coupled to the support component (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30), wherein the stand further comprises a rack (42, fig 3) and a connecting rod (49, fig 3), the connecting rod is connected between the rack and the support component (see Figure 3), the connecting rod is adapted to drive the rack to engage with the damping gear so that the damping gear is switched to the coupling state (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30), and the connecting rod is adapted to drive the rack to be separated from the damping gear so that the damping gear is switched to the release state (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30).
Regarding claims 2 and 12, wherein the support component is adapted to rise relative to the base along a first direction and is adapted to descend relative to the base along a second direction opposite to the first direction (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30), and the elastic component provides the elastic force along the first direction (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30).
Regarding claims 3 and 13, wherein the damping gear is a one-way damping gear and is adapted to provide the damping force along the first direction (see col 4, lines 38-67).
Regarding claims 5 and 15, wherein the stand further comprises a friction component (106, fig 2), the friction component is disposed on the support component and contacts the base (see Figure 2), and the support component further resists the weight from the electronic device by a friction force between the friction component and the base to be positioned at the predetermined position (see Figure 2).
Regarding claims 8 and 18, wherein the stand further comprises a pressing component (48, fig 3), the pressing component is connected to the connecting rod and protrudes outside the support component (see Figure 3), and the pressing component is adapted to receive force to drive the connecting rod to swing (see Figure 3).
Regarding claims 10 and 20, wherein the base has an opening (16a, fig 3), a position of the opening corresponds to a position of the adjusting portion (see Figure 3), and the adjusting portion is adapted to be adjusted through the opening (see Figure 3).
Regarding claim 11, Jang discloses an electronic equipment (101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, fig 2), comprising: an electronic device (101, fig 2); and a stand (102, 103, 104, 105, 106, fig 2), comprising: a base (10, 102, 103, figs 2 & 3); a support component (20, fig 3), slidably disposed on the base and adapted to support the electronic device and slide to a predetermined position relative to the base (see Figures 2-6); an elastic component (30, fig 3), connected between the base and the support component (see Figures 2-6); and a damping gear (45, fig 3), rotatably disposed on the base and adapted to be coupled to the support component (see Figures 2-6), wherein the support component resists a weight from the electronic device at least by an elastic force of the elastic component and a damping force of the damping gear to be positioned at the predetermined position (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30), wherein the damping gear has an adjusting portion (50, fig 3) and is adapted to adjust the damping force through the adjusting portion (see Figures 2-6, see col 4, lines 38-67), wherein the damping gear is adapted to be switched to a coupling state and coupled to the support component (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30), and the damping gear is adapted to be switched to a release state without being coupled to the support component (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30), wherein the stand further comprises a rack (42, fig 3) and a connecting rod (49, fig 3), the connecting rod is connected between the rack and the support component (see Figure 3), the connecting rod is adapted to drive the rack to engage with the damping gear so that the damping gear is switched to the coupling state (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30), and the connecting rod is adapted to drive the rack to be separated from the damping gear so that the damping gear is switched to the release state (see Figures 2-6, see col 5, lines 1-30).
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.
Claims 4 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang (US 7,458,546 B2) in view of Doornbos et al. (US 7,152,718 B2), hereinafter Doornbos.
Regarding claims 4 and 14, Jang does not disclose the stand or the electronic equipment, wherein the damping gear is a bidirectional damping gear and is adapted to provide the damping force along the first direction and the second direction.
Doornbos teaches a bidirectional damping gear adapted to provide a damping force along two directions (col 2, lines 19-26).
Jang and Doornbos are analogous art because they are at least from a similar problem solving area, i.e., dampers. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to form the damping gear (Jang: 45, fig 3) as a bidirectional damping gear adapted to provide the damping force along the first direction and the second direction (Doornbos: col 2, lines 19-26), as taught by Doornbos, with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation would have been to provide the damping forces in two directions to better support the electronic device. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Jang and Doornbos to obtain the inventions as specified in claims 4 and 14.
Conclusion
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 Guang H Guan whose telephone number is (571) 272-7828. The examiner can normally be reached weekdays (10:00 AM - 6:00 PM).
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, Jonathan Liu can be reached at (571) 272-8227. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/G. H. G./Examiner, Art Unit 3631
/JONATHAN LIU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3631
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