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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 03/20/2026 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)(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.
Claims 1-2, 4, 11, 13, 15, and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Liao et al (US 20250147558; “Liao” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 1, Liao discloses: a foldable electronic device (fig. 1) comprising:
a first housing (2, fig. 2);
a second housing (3, fig. 2);
a hinge module (1, fig. 2) rotatably coupling the first housing and the second housing about a folding axis (figs. 1-2, ¶[0068]); and
a flexible display (“a flexible display (not shown in the figure)”, ¶[0068]),
wherein the hinge module includes:
a rotating bracket (12, fig. 5);
a first rotating member (1111, figs. 5-6) including:
a first rotary element (11112, figs. 5-6) configured to rotate about a first axis (the axis defined by groove 122, and 11112, fig. 5, ¶[0077]),
a second rotary element (11113, figs. 5-6) configured to rotate about a second axis (the axis defined by arc-shaped groove 11131, and 11113, fig. 5, ¶[0080]),
a third rail (11142, ¶[0085]) having an opening shape (fig. 9) configured to linearly reciprocate (as disclosed upon examination of figs. 10-12; “the protrusions 11114 of the first swing arm 1111 may be disposed in corresponding holes 11142 of the first door plate 1114. In this way, assembly and positioning of the first swing arm 1111 and the first door plate 1114 can be implemented through mutual matching between the protrusion 11114 and the hole 11142”, ¶[0085]) at least a portion of a first wing plate (1114, figs. 5 and 9) in a direction perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis (as understood upon examination of figs. 1-2, and 11-12);
a first arm member (1112, fig. 5) configured to rotate about an axis different from the first axis and the second axis in response to rotation about the first axis (“a rotation axis of the first swing arm 1111 is parallel to and does not coincide with a rotation axis of the first support arm 1112”, see at least ¶[0076], ¶[0088]);
a first connecting member (1113, fig. 5) connecting the first rotating member and the first arm member (¶[0076]); and
the first wing plate positioned to cover at least a portion of the first rotating member and the first arm member (fig. 4) and configured to rotate according to a folding operation of the foldable electronic device (see at least ¶[0076]-[0077), and
wherein the first rotating member (1111) is coupled to the rotating bracket on one side (11111 through 122, fig. 5, ¶[0078]) and coupled to the first connecting member (1113) on another side (11113, through 11131, fig. 5, ¶[0080]-[0081]).
Regarding claim 2, Liao discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses: wherein the first rotating member includes:
a first rail configured to rotate about the first axis and shaped to be convex (11111, fig. 6) in a first direction (the first rail is shown convex relative to first direction ‘X’, in annotated fig. 6 below),
a second rail configured to rotate about the second axis (the convex rail disposed in rotation block 11113, fig. 6) and shaped to be convex in a second direction different from the first direction (the second rail is shown convex relative to second direction ‘Y’, in annotated fig. 6 below).
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Regarding claim 4, Liao discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses: wherein the first rotating member includes:
a first rail configured rotate about the first axis and shaped to be convex in a first direction (the convex rail disposed in rotation block 11113, fig. 6),
a first pin hole formed on the second axis (hole where a pin shaft engages with element 1131, fig. 14, ¶[0103]).
Regarding claim 11, Liao discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
the rotating bracket (12, fig. 14) includes a first rotating guide hole (122, figs. 5, 13-14) configured to guide a first rail (11111) of the first rotating member (¶[0077]).
Regarding claim 13, Liao discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
wherein the first arm member (1112) includes:
a first cam portion (114, fig. 4) configured to rotate in response to the rotation about the first axis (¶[0114]), and
a first arm rail (11121, fig. 8) configured to slide (¶[0084) in response to the rotation of the first cam portion (as disclosed upon examination of fig. 18, and ¶[0084, ¶[0114]).
Regarding claim 15, Liao discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
wherein the first connecting member (1113) is coupled onto a first supporting (201, fig. 3, ¶[0071]) member disposed in the first housing (the first housing support 1113 may be fastened to the first housing, ¶[0076]).
Regarding claim 22, Liao discloses the limitations of claim 13, and further discloses:
wherein the first cam portion is configured to rotate about an axis different from the first axis and the second axis in response to the rotation about the first axis (the location of column 1144 in fig. 18 relative to the first and second axis, teaches this limitation, ¶[0114]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-20 allowed.
Regarding claim 16, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest a combination of limitation that:
a hinge module comprising: a first rotating member including: a first rail configured to rotate about a first axis and shaped to be convex in a first direction, one of a second rail configured to rotate about a second axis and shaped to be convex in a second direction different from the first direction, or a first pin hole formed on the second axis, and a third rail having an opening shape; a rotating bracket including a first rotating guide hole configured to guide the first rail; a first arm member including: a first cam portion configured to rotate about an axis different from the first axis and the second axis in response to rotation about the first axis, and a first arm rail configured to slide in response to the rotation of the first cam portion; a first connecting member including: a first guide rail configured to guide the second rail or a second pin hole aligned with the first pin hole, a second guide rail configured to guide the first arm rail, and a fourth rail; and a first wing plate positioned to cover at least a portion of the first rotating member and the first arm member and including: a first protrusion configured to slide on the third rail, and a second protrusion configured to slide on the fourth rail. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 17-18 are allowed by virtue of examination and dependency to claim 16.
Regarding claim 19, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest a combination of limitation that: A foldable electronic device comprising: a first housing; a second housing; a hinge module rotatably coupling the first housing and the second housing about a folding axis; and a flexible display, wherein the hinge module includes: a first rotating member including: a first rail configured to rotate about a first axis and shaped to be convex in a first direction, one of a second rail configured to rotate about a second axis and shaped to be convex in a second direction different from the first direction, or a first pin hole formed on the second axis, and a third rail having an opening shape and configured to linearly reciprocate at least a portion of a first wing plate in a direction perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis; a second rotating member including: a sixth rail configured to rotate about a third axis and shaped to be convex in a third direction, one of a seventh rail rotating about a fourth axis and shaped to be convex in a fourth direction different from the third direction, or a third pin hole formed on the fourth axis, and an eighth rail having an opening shape and configured to linearly reciprocate at least a portion of a first second wing plate in a direction perpendicular to the third axis and the fourth axis; a first arm member configured to rotate about an axis different from the first axis and the second axis in response to rotation about the first axis; a second arm member configured to rotate about an axis different from the third axis and the fourth axis in response to rotation about the third axis; a first connecting member connecting the first rotating member and the first arm member; a second connecting member connecting the second rotating member and the second arm member; a first wing plate positioned to cover at least a portion of the first rotating member and the first arm member and configured to rotate according to a folding operation of the foldable electronic device; and a second wing plate positioned to cover at least a portion of the second rotating member and the second arm member and configured to rotate according to the folding operation of the foldable electronic device, and wherein the first wing plate includes a first protrusion configured to slide according to the folding operation of the foldable electronic device corresponding to the third rail.
Claim 20 is allowed by virtue of examination and dependency to claim 19.
Claims 3, 5-10, 12, 14, 21 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.
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest,
in combination with other limitations recited in claims 1-2, a combination of limitations that: wherein the first connecting member includes a first guide rail configured to guide the second rail of the first rotating member. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 5, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest,
in combination with other limitations recited in claims 1-2, a combination of limitations that: wherein the first wing plate includes a first protrusion configured to slide according to the folding operation of the foldable electronic device to correspond to the third rail. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 6-10 are objected to by virtue of dependency to claim 5.
Regarding claim 12, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest,
in combination with other limitations recited in claims 1 and 11, a combination of limitations that: wherein the first rotating guide hole is defined by a space between a 1-1th opening formed in the one side of the rotating bracket and a 1-2th opening formed in the other side of the rotating bracket. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 14, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest,
in combination with other limitations recited in claims 1 and 13, a combination of limitations that: wherein the first connecting member includes a second guide rail configured to guide the first arm rail of the first arm member. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 21, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest,
in combination with other limitations recited in claims 1 and 4: a combination of limitations that: wherein the first connecting member includes a first guide rail configured to guide a second pin hole aligned with the first pin hole of the first rotating member. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s Argument:
“Applicants submit that Liao fails to disclose the presently claimed combination of features recited in independent claim 1. For example, Applicants submit that Liao fails to disclose wherein the first rotating member is coupled to the rotating bracket on one side and coupled to the first connecting member on another side, as recited in claim 1”.
Examiners’ response:
The amended claims required new grounds of rejection as presented in this office action, where the first rotating member (1111) is coupled to the rotating bracket on one side (11111 through 122, fig. 5, ¶[0078]) and coupled to the first connecting member (1113) on another side (11113, through 11131, fig. 5, ¶[0080]-[0081]). Therefore, Liao discloses the limitations of amended claim 1.
Conclusion
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/ALLEN L PARKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/P.K./Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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