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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 5 recites the limitation "the rotation area" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 (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 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) 1-3, 11 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 2021/0120111)(IDS) in view of CHOI (KR 101305284 B1) (IDS)
Regarding claim 1, Choi et al. discloses an electronic device (mobile terminal)(abstract, fig. 3 number 100), comprising: a housing including a second housing (fig. 3 number 102) and a first housing (fig. 3 number 101) configured to be slidable with respect to the second housing (fig. 3 number 101); a display (fig. 3 number 151 and P:0050), wherein at least a portion of the display is configured to be unfolded (fig. 3b. ….doted arrow B) based on a slide movement of the first housing (fig. 3 and P:0066); a printed circuit board (fig. 2 number 180) disposed in the housing (fig. 2 number 180 and P:0085); a ground structure comprising a conductive material (ground terminal 1455 is a grounded electrode) (P:0136), and at least one rail structure (P:0009, fig. 8 number 1017), comprising a rail disposed in the second housing parallel to a direction of the slide movement of the first housing and configured to contact the ground structure (ground terminal) while the first housing is in a state of sliding with respect to the second housing (i.e. a mobile terminal including a first frame, a second frame movable in a first direction or in a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the first frame, a slide rail extending in the first direction on the first frame, a slidably-moving portion coupled to the second frame (i.e. second housing) and moving along the slide rail, a sensing terminal located on the slide rail, a ground terminal located on the slidably-moving portion and facing the sensing terminal, and a controller that calculates a position of the second frame based on the voltage detected by the detecting unit when the ground terminal is in contact with the sensing terminal (P:0009), wherein the at least one rail structure includes a first area ( i.e. the end area on the rail where the sensing terminal located) (fig. 8 number 1451, P:0136 and fig. 10 number 1451) and a second area (i.e. area between sensing terminals) (fig. 8 number 1451, P:0136 and fig. 10 number 1451) protruding toward the ground structure (ground terminal) (fig. 10 number 1455) as compared with the first area (i.e. the ground terminal 1455 is in contact with each sensing terminal 1451 as the frame moves along the slide rail) (fig. 8, fig. 10, P:0136 and P:0141). Choi et al. does not explicit disclose a ground structure comprising a conductive material and including an elastic area configured to provide a force to the first housing and electrically connecting the printed circuit board and the second housing. CHOI teaches a sliding mobile terminal (abstract, fig. 1), a ground structure comprising a conductive material and including an elastic area configured to provide a force to the first housing (i.e. the ground member 410 formed of a conductive member and contacting the first plate 100 (i.e. first main body, abstract) and the ground member 410 disposed on the second plate (i.e. second main body, abstract) are in contact with the ground member 410 and formed of an elastic material (i.e. spring) ( fig. 8 number 430 and page 6 lines 18-22). It may be. In addition, the ground member 410 may be configured to include an elastic member 430 to give an elastic force to elastically contact the conductive member 420 (page 6 lines 10-22). CHOI does not teach a ground structure electrically connecting the printed circuit board and the second housing. However, one of ordinary skill in the art could combine the teaching of Choi et al. ground structure electrically connecting the printed circuit board and the second housing to provide electrical circuity to slide the second housing from the first housing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Choi et al. with a ground structure comprising a conductive material and including an elastic area configured to provide a force to the first housing and electrically connecting the printed circuit board and the second housing in order for the mobile terminal to prevent electrical static to the user when forcefully sliding the second housing away from the first housing when viewing a larger portion of the display is needed, as taught by CHOI.
Regarding claim 2, Choi et al. discloses the rail (fig. 8 number 1017) structure is configured to contact at least a portion of the ground structure (fig. 8 number 1455) based on the first housing being in the stationary state (i.e. the first frame slide into the second frame)(fig. 8 and P:0128) and includes at least one protruding portion (sliding portion) (fig. 10 A to B) protruding toward the first housing (i.e. first frame) (i.e. In order to assist the movement of the driving unit 200, a slide rail 1017 formed on the first frame 101 and a slidably-moving portion moving along the slide rail 1017 and fixed to the second frame 102 may be included. The slidably-moving portion may have a rail shape extending in the first direction as shown in FIG. 8 (P:0128 and fig. 10).
Regarding claim 3, Choi et al. discloses the ground structure (fig. 10 1455) includes a ground area facing the first area (i.e. facing down on the rail 1017) (fig. 10) and configured to slide along the first area (i.e. the ground structure slides on top of the area of rail)(fig. 10 number 1451).
Regarding claim 11, Choi et al. discloses at least a portion of the ground structure (fig. 8 number 1455) and at least a portion of the rail structure (i.e. sensing terminal) (fig. 8 number 1451) comprise a conductive material (i.e. The ground terminal 1455 is a grounded electrode. When the sensing terminal 1451 and the ground terminal 1455 are in contact with each other, a circuit connected to the sensing terminal 1451 is grounded) (P:0136).
Regarding claim 14, Choi et al. discloses the ground structure (fig. 10 number 1455) is configured to move with respect to the rail structure (fig. 10 number 1017) (fig. 10 bottom right numbers 1455 and 1017) while contacting at least a portion of the rail structure (fig. 10 and P:0141).
5. Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (IDS) in view of CHOI (KR 101305284 B1) (IDS) as applied to claim 1 above and in further view of Kim-Tae (KR 100762623 B1).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Choi et al. and CHOI differs from claim 8 of the present invention in that they do not explicit disclose the first housing includes a first portion facing outward of the electronic device and a second portion opposite to the first portion and facing the second housing, and wherein the ground structure is connected to the second portion. Kim-Tae teaches a first portion (i.e. portion top of first housing) (fig. 1 number 101) facing outward of the electronic device (fig. 1 number 100) and a second portion (i.e. back or fig. 1 number 101) opposite to the first portion (fig. 1) and facing the second housing (fig. 1 number 102) , and wherein the ground structure is connected to the second portion (i.e. FIGS. 1 and 2, the sliding module 200 is mounted on the sliding guide 201 and the second housing 102, the sliding guide 201 mounted on the first housing 101. And a sliding member 203 slidably coupled to the sliding member, and the grounding member 231 for grounding the sliding member 203 to the sliding guide 201 is connected to the sliding member 203. Is mounted. In addition, while limiting the sliding movement range of the sliding member 203, the stopper member 204 in contact with the ground member 231 is mounted to the sliding guide 201 (page 4, last paragraph to page 5, first paragraph). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Choi et al. and CHOI with the first housing includes a first portion facing outward of the electronic device and a second portion opposite to the first portion and facing the second housing, and wherein the ground structure is connected to the second portion in order for the mobile terminal to shield the ground structure between the first housing and the second housing to prevent the user from static shock when extending the second housing with the antenna from the first housing when making a call, as taught by Kim-Tae.
6. Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (IDS) in view of CHOI (KR 101305284 B1) (IDS) as applied to claim 1 above and in further view of Kanasaki et al. (US 2009/0033563).
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Choi et al. and CHOI differs from claim 10 of the present invention in that they do not explicit disclose an antenna module comprising an antenna connected to the second housing, wherein the antenna module is electrically connected to a ground layer of the printed circuit board using the ground structure and the rail structure. Kanasaki et al. teaches a slidable portable wireless device (abstract and fig. 1a-d), the second housing includes a power feeding unit including therein a circuit board having a ground pattern and a power feeding unit for feeding power between the rail and the circuit board, wherein the rail is arranged a predetermined spacing apart from the ground pattern on the circuit board, and wherein the rail and the ground pattern operate as a dipole antenna (P:0010). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Choi et al. and CHOI with an antenna module comprising an antenna connected to the second housing, wherein the antenna module is electrically connected to a ground layer of the printed circuit board using the ground structure and the rail structure in order to for the mobile terminal to not shock the user when the second housing containing the antenna is slide from the first housing for making a call to a distant party, as taught by Kanasaki et al..
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 4,6,7,9,12,13 and 15 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.
8. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 4, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination
the ground structure includes a rotation area facing the second area and configured to move along the second area.
Regarding claim 6, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination the first housing includes a receiving space configured to receive at least a portion of the ground structure and a protrusion forming at least a portion of the receiving space and configured to inhibit the ground structure from escaping.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination wherein a size of an area in which the ground structure contacts the first area is greater than a size of an area in which the ground structure contacts the second area.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination wherein the rail structure includes a conductive shock absorbing member comprising a conductive material configured to be deformable corresponding to a shape of the ground structure.
Regarding claim 12, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination wherein the first housing includes a first sidewall facing outward of the electronic device, a second first sidewall extending from the first sidewall, and a third first sidewall extending from the first sidewall and disposed parallel to the second first sidewall, and wherein the second housing includes a first second sidewall facing outward of the electronic device, a second sidewall extending from the first second sidewall and facing at least a portion of the second first sidewall, and a third second sidewall extending from the first second sidewall and facing at least a portion of the third first sidewall.
Regarding claim 15, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination a multi-bar structure comprising a plurality of bars configured to support the display, wherein the second housing includes a guide rail configured to guide a movement of the multi-bar structure.
Conclusion
9. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Jung et al. (KR 100958894 B1) discloses a sliding assembly for handy terminal (abstract).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEITH FERGUSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7865. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 am -3 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Wesley L Kim can be reached at (571) 272-7867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEITH FERGUSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648
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