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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of invention I in the reply filed on 12/29/2025 is acknowledged.
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) 1-3 and 6-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sasaki 6,125,029.
Regarding claim 1, Sasaki discloses a computing device (Figs 1-25) comprising: a display housing assembly (housing exterior of portion 1, Fig 1) that comprises components (as internals show in Fig 3, for example) and component cables (as in 55, Fig 3 for example); a keyboard housing assembly (portion 4, Fig 3) that comprises a processor (13, Fig 3), memory accessible to the processor (15, Fig 3), a keyboard (11, Figs 1-3), a keyboard side (6, Fig 3), a base side (5, Fig 3) opposite the keyboard side (see Fig 3), cable connector interfaces (23 and/or including 58, Fig 4), and one or more covers (95, Fig 12 and/or including 143, Fig 20, 43, Fig 1) disposed on the keyboard side and positionable for access to one or more of the cable connector interfaces (see Figs 9-12 and 20-21 for example); and a hinge assembly (46, Fig 4) that rotatably couples the display housing assembly to the keyboard housing assembly (see Figs 6-7 for example).
Regarding claim 2, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 1, wherein the components comprise a display panel (41, Fig 1), wherein the component cables comprise a display panel cable (55a, Fig 4), and wherein one of the one or more cable connector interfaces accessible via at least one of the one or more covers (Figs 4, 5) comprises a display panel cable connector interface (at 58, Fig 4).
Regarding claim 3, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 1, wherein the components comprise an antenna, wherein the component cables comprise an antenna cable (see col 2 lines 9-16), and wherein one of the one or more cable connector interfaces accessible via at least one of the one or more covers comprises an antenna cable connector interface (see Figs 2-5 for example).
Regarding claim 6, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more covers is positionable for access to one or more fasteners (97, Fig 9, 147a, 150, Fig 20) disposed in the keyboard housing assembly that couple at least a portion of the hinge assembly to the keyboard housing assembly (see Figs 16, 20 for example).
Regarding claim 7, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more covers comprise a single cover (as in 143, Fig 20 for example).
Regarding claim 8, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 7, wherein the single cover is positionable for access to one or more fasteners disposed in the keyboard housing assembly that couple at least a portion of the hinge assembly to the keyboard housing assembly (see Fig 20).
Regarding claim 9, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 8, wherein the at least a portion of the hinge assembly comprises at least one hinge leaf (Fig 4).
Regarding claim 10, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 8, wherein the hinge assembly comprises a pair of hinges wherein each of the pair of hinges comprises a display housing assembly side hinge leaf and a keyboard housing assembly side hinge leaf (see Fig 4, on both sides of device).
Regarding claim 11, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more covers is positionable for access to one or more fasteners disposed in the display housing assembly that couple at least a portion of the hinge assembly to the display housing assembly (see Figs 4, 20).
Regarding claim 12, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least a portion of the hinge assembly comprises at least one hinge leaf (Fig 4).
Regarding claim 13, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 11, wherein the hinge assembly comprises a pair of hinges wherein each of the pair of hinges comprises a display housing assembly side hinge leaf and a keyboard housing assembly side hinge leaf (see Fig 4, on both sides of device).
Regarding claim 14, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more covers are positionable only in an open orientation of the display housing assembly with respect to the keyboard housing assembly (Figs 19, 20).
Regarding claim 15, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more covers are positionable only in an open orientation of the display housing assembly with respect to the keyboard housing assembly (Figs 19-20), and wherein the open orientation forms an open angle that is equal to or greater than a predefined open angle (Fig 19).
Regarding claim 16, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 15, wherein the predefined open angle is approximately 180 degrees (as in Fig 21, 22).
Regarding claim 17, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 1, wherein the keyboard side is formed in part by a keyboard side shell (see Fig 1), wherein the base side is formed in part by a base side shell (see Fig 3), and wherein the display housing assembly is detachable from the keyboard housing assembly without decoupling the keyboard side shell from the base side shell (see col 1 lines 14-16).
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) 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasaki 6,125,029 in view of Gu 2023/0100675.
Regarding claim 4, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 1, wherein the components comprise a device (137, Fig 21), wherein the component cables comprise a device cable (55a, Fig 6 and/or including 138, Fig 21), and wherein one of the one or more cable connector interfaces accessible via at least one of the one or more covers comprises a device cable connector interface (57, Fig 6).
Sasaki discloses the claimed invention except for expressly teaching that the device is a camera.
Gu however teaches wherein the device taught in a similar structure (Title) comprise a camera (Fig 5B, par 0120).
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 device of Sasaki to include a camera, as taught by Gu, in order to capture images within the computing device’s field of imagery thereby improving functionality.
Regarding claim 5, Sasaki discloses the computing device of claim 1, wherein the components comprise a device (137, Fig 21), wherein the component cables comprise a device cable (55a, Fig 6 and/or including 138, Fig 21), and wherein one of the one or more cable connector interfaces accessible via at least one of the one or more covers comprises a device cable connector interface (57, Fig 6).
Sasaki discloses the claimed invention except for expressly teaching that the device is a microphone.
Gu however teaches wherein the device taught in a similar structure (Title) comprise a microphone (Fig 5B, par 0120).
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 device of Sasaki to include a device, as taught by Gu, in order to capture sound with its range of audio bound, thereby improving functionality.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: see PTO 892.
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