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 .
This Office Action is in response to the claims filed on 03/13/2026.
Claims 1 and 3-5 are currently pending and have been examined below.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 03/13/2026 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1 and 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schael et al. (WO 2008135300) (hereinafter “Schael”).
Claim 1
(Schael discloses) A motor-driven multi-hinge (figures 1-10) comprising:
a housing (2) provided at a main body of a device (1; figure 1) equipped with a door (door not shown but Schael discloses the pivoting part 4 has a plate 3 for connection to a flap; Excerpt 1 from page 4 below);
an arm (5) provided at the door (Excerpt 1 below);
a motor (Annotated figure 3 below) provided at a lower portion of the housing (figure 2; Annotated figure 3 below);
a first link unit (7, 30, and 33) provided inside the housing (‘inside’ was interpreted as -- An inner side or surface -- such that the first link unit is provided in an inner side of the housing 2), and comprising a motor link (33) having a first end rotatably and directly connected to the motor via a rivet or pivot pin (pin 44; page 5 discusses the pin 44 presses against contact arm 45 of the switch 41; this teaches the ‘directly connected’ of the first end of the motor link to the motor shown in Annotated figure 3 below), a hold link (30) having a first end rotatably connected to a second end of the motor link (Annotated figure 2 below), and a main link (7) having a first end rotatably connected to a second end of the hold link (Annotated figure 2 below) and a second end of the main link rotatably connected to a hinge shaft (shaft that goes through the axis 6 to mount main link 7 with 5; Excerpt 1 and Annotated figure 2 below) of the arm; and
a second link unit (9, 11, and 12) provided inside the housing, and comprising a joint link (11) having a first end rotatably connected to the lower portion of the housing (Annotated figure 2 below), the joint link being rotatably connected to the main link between the first end and a second end of the joint link (Annotated figure 2 below; the joint link is rotatably connected to the main link at axis 15 that is located between the first and second ends of the joint link), and an upper link (9) having a first end rotatably connected to the second end of the joint link (see rotatable end connection of the upper link 9 and joint link 11 at axis 10; the first end of the upper link is the end of 9 at axis 10) and a second end of the upper link rotatably connected to a link shaft (shaft that goes through the axis 8 to mount upper link 9 with 5; Excerpt 1 and Annotated figure 2 below) of the arm,
wherein, when the motor is driven, the motor link is rotated and the hold link and the main link are rotated, and the joint link and the upper link are rotated by rotation of the main link, so that the arm is rotated while being pushed away from the housing (figures 1-3; Excerpt 2 from page 5 below),
wherein the second link unit further comprises a sub link (12) provided inside the housing and between the motor and the joint link (figure 2), the sub link having a first end (end of 12 at axis 14; figure 2) rotatably connected to the lower portion of the housing and a second end (Annotated figure 2 (II) below) of the sub link rotatably connected to the main link at a location between the first end of the main link and a connection point of the main link to the joint link (see the ‘location’ positioned between the first end of the main link and the connection point in Annotated figure 2 (II) below), the connection point located between the first and second ends of the main link (Annotated figure 2 (II) below; Excerpt 3 from page 4 below discussing the rotating connection of the sub link with the main link).
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Annotated figure 2
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Annotated figure 2 (II)
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Annotated figure 3
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Excerpt 1
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Excerpt 2
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Excerpt 3
Claim 3
(Schael discloses) The motor-driven multi-hinge of claim 2, wherein the main link has a shape bent upward at a predetermined angle (Annotated figure 2 (II) above), and the connection point of the main link to the joint link is located at a bent portion of the main link (Annotated figure 2 (II) above).
Claim 4
(Schael discloses) The motor-driven multi-hinge of claim 1, wherein the motor link is connected to the hold link directly, the hold link is connected to the main link directly, and the main link is connected to the arm directly (figure 4 showing the connection of the links; note that applicant’s own invention discloses its respective links to be connected via rivets, as such examiner is also interpreting the ‘directly’ in a similar manner).
Claim 5
(Schael discloses) The motor-driven multi-hinge of claim 1, wherein a distal portion (Annotated figure 2 (III) below) of the main link between the connection point and the second end of the main link is configured to be generally parallel to the upper link throughout an opening and closing operation of the motor-driven multi-hinge (Annotated figure 2 (III) below).
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Annotated figure 2 (III)
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments to the specification has been considered.
Applicant's arguments filed on 03/13/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The response below are directed to applicant’s Remarks section.
Regarding “However, Schael fails to disclose or teach, inter alia, at least the above identified features of the amended claims requiring "a second end of the sub link rotatably connected to the main link at a location between the first end of the main link and a connection point of the main link to the joint link, the connection point located between the first and second ends of the main link"” and “As shown in Applicant's annotated Fig. 2 above, a second end (lower end) of sub link (12) of the Schael reference is rotatably connected to the first end (left end) of the main link (7)”, applicant’s argument is based on the fact that the second end of the sub link 12 of Schael is connected to the first end of the main link and argues that it does not meet the limitation “at a location between the first end of the main link and a connection point of the main link to the joint link, the connection point located between the first and second ends of the main link”, this was found unpersuasive as the claims do not recite that the second end of the sub link cannot be connected to the first end of the main link. The claim merely recites that the location where the second end is connected to the main link is between the first end of the main link and the connection point and this is shown in the rejection above.
Furthermore, the claims are also broader than what applicant is arguing as the claims recite ‘at a location between the first end of the main link and a connection point’ - i.e., the limitation ‘between the first end of the main link and a connection point’ applies to the ‘location’ and not the second end of the sub link.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICK B PONCIANO whose telephone number is (571)272-9910. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30-4:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Daniel Cahn can be reached at (571) 270-5616. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PATRICK B. PONCIANO/Examiner, Art Unit 3634
/DANIEL P CAHN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3634
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