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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “first perforation” and “second perforation” recited in claim 3 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Furthermore, claim 14 recites “wherein in a case that the electronic device is in the folded state, both the first device body and the second device body are located between the first display screen and the second display screen.” These features must be shown or canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: the end of line 18 reads “the at least rotating shaft drives, through...” This seems to be a typographical error and should read “the at least one rotating shaft drives, through...” Appropriate correction is required.
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)(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 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2023/0337379 to Dong et al. (i.e., Ref. 1 hereafter.
Referring to claim 1, Ref. 1 discloses an electronic device (Fig. 1), comprising a first device body (01 - Left side), a second device body (01 - Right side), a rotating mechanism (04), and a flexible display screen (02), wherein the flexible display screen inherently comprises a first display screen, a second display screen, and a third display screen; the first device body is rotatably connected to the second device body by the rotating mechanism (04); the first display screen is connected to the second display screen through the third display screen; the first device body (01 -L) is inherently connected to the first display screen, and the second device body (01 – R) is inherently connected to the second display screen; the rotating mechanism (04) comprises at least one rotating shaft (23, [0029]) and a transmission apparatus (41, [0024]) and the at least one rotating shaft (23) is connected to at least one of the first device body or the second device body through the transmission apparatus; and the first device body and the second device body are rotatable relative to each other to switch the electronic device between a folded state and an unfolded state ([0024-0025]), wherein the at least one rotating shaft (23) drives, through the transmission apparatus (41), at least one of the first device body or the second device body away from the at least one rotating shaft to switch the electronic device from the folded state to the unfolded state, and the at least rotating shaft drives, through the transmission apparatus, at least one of the first device body or the second device body toward the at least one rotating shaft to switch the electronic device from the unfolded state to the folded state ([0024-0026]).
Referring to claim 2, Ref. 1 discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism (04) further comprises a support plate (Fig. 9), the at least one rotating shaft (23) comprise a first shaft and a second shaft (Fig. 10), the support plate comprises a first gear part (4111, Fig. 6 ) and a second gear part (4131), the first shaft (23, Fig. 5) is connected to the first gear part (4111), the second shaft (4141, Fig. 5) is connected to the second gear part (4131), the first gear part is sleeved on the first shaft, the second gear part is sleeved on the second shaft, and the first gear part meshes with the second gear part (Figs. 5 and 6).
Referring to claim 3, Ref. 1 discloses the electronic device of claim 2, wherein the rotating mechanism further comprises a rotating shaft bracket (11/12, Fig. 10), the rotating shaft bracket is provided with a first perforation (111) and a second perforation (122), one end of the first shaft passes through the first perforation, one end of the second shaft passes through the second perforation, and the rotating shaft bracket is provided with an arc-shaped support surface, wherein the arc-shaped support surface faces the third display screen in a case that the electronic device is in the folded state. See Fig. 10 and the corresponding specification.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-13 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 4 includes the specific limitations “the rotating mechanism further comprises a first moving member and a second moving member, the at least one rotating shaft is connected to the first moving member through the transmission apparatus, the at least one rotating shaft is connected to the second moving member through the transmission apparatus, the first moving member is connected to the first device body, and the second moving member is connected to the second device body; and in a case that the electronic device is switched from the folded state to the unfolded state, the at least one rotating shaft drives, through the transmission apparatus, the first moving member and the second moving member away from the at least one rotating shaft; and in a case that the electronic device is switched from the unfolded state to the folded state, the at least one rotating shaft drives, through the transmission apparatus, the first moving member and the second moving member toward the at least one rotating shaft.” The limitations are not taught or adequately suggested in the prior art of record. Claims 5-13 depend, either directly or indirectly, from claim 4 and are, therefore, allowable for at least the same reasons.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY Q EDWARDS whose telephone number is (571)272-2042. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani Hayman can be reached at 571-270-5528. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Anthony Q Edwards/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
February 7, 2026