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 claims 1-13 in the reply filed on 2/25/2026 is acknowledged.
Drawings
PNG
media_image1.png
734
614
media_image1.png
Greyscale
The drawings are objected to because: it is unclear where reference numerals 311 and 312 point to (see above annotated figure 4C). 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.
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 “current sensor” ( in claim 12) must be shown or the feature(s) 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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: “first circular portion”, “second circular portion”, “first stop portion”, “second stop portion”, “first end portion”, “second end portion” and “current sensor” lack of referencing numeral(s).
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. U.S. Pub. 2021/0267077 (hereinafter D1) in view of Lee et al. U.S. Pub. 2023/0118440 (hereinafter D2).
PNG
media_image2.png
489
571
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 1, D1 teaches an electronic device comprising:
a first housing (see above annotated figure 23);
a second housing (see above annotated figure 23); and
a hinge device (200; figure 23) foldably connecting (see figure 23) the first housing and the second housing, wherein the hinge device comprises:
a bracket (2; figure 4) comprising a first rail (left 21; figure 4) and a second rail (right 21; not shown in figure 4, but equivalent of “20411” and “20421” shown in figure 17) spaced apart from the first rail;
a first rotating member (12; figure 4) comprising a first rotating portion (121; figure 4) fastened (see figures 4 and 7) to the first rail and configured to rotate (see figures 4 and 7) with respect to the bracket;
a second rotating member (11; figure 4) comprising a second rotating portion (111; figure 4) fastened (see figures 4 and 7) to the second rail and configured to rotate with respect to the bracket;
a first arm (32; figure 10) comprising a first gear (321; figure 10), wherein the first gear is connected (implicitly taught in figures 10 and 23) to the first housing and the first rotating member, and is configured to rotate (implicitly taught in figures 4, 7, 10 and 11) with respect to the bracket;
a second arm (33; figure 10) comprising a second gear (331; figure 10), wherein the second gear is connected (implicitly taught in figures 10 and 23) to the second housing and the second rotating member, and is configured to rotate (implicitly taught in figures 4, 7, 10 and 11) with respect to the bracket;
an interworking gear (31; figure 10) meshing with the first gear and the second gear and configured to rotate (see figures 10-11) accordingly.
However, D1 does not specifically teach:
a first limiting member on the bracket, the first limiting member comprising a first contact portion and a first pressurizing member comprising an elastic material, wherein the first limiting member is configured to pressurize the first contact portion against the first rotating portion; and
a second limiting member on the bracket, the second limiting member comprising a second contact portion and a second pressurizing member comprising an elastic material, wherein the second limiting member is configured to pressurize the second contact portion against the second rotating portion.
PNG
media_image3.png
624
511
media_image3.png
Greyscale
D2, teaches a similar structure, which suggests limiting member (340; figure 3) comprising a contact portion (the gear component on unit 332; figure 3) and a first pressurizing member (342 + 334; figure 3) comprising an elastic material (see par[0040]), wherein the limiting member is configured to pressurize (see figure 3) the contact portion against a rotating portion (320 or 328; figure 3).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify/implement the electronic device of D1 to further include a first limiting member on the bracket, the first limiting member comprising a first contact portion and a first pressurizing member comprising an elastic material, wherein the first limiting member is configured to pressurize the first contact portion against the first rotating portion; and a second limiting member on the bracket, the second limiting member comprising a second contact portion and a second pressurizing member comprising an elastic material, wherein the second limiting member is configured to pressurize the second contact portion against the second rotating portion, as suggested by D2, to optimally control the rotation(s) of said first/second housing of said electronic device.
Regarding claim 2, D1/D2 teaches the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a drive device (34; figure 15 of D1; and par[0051], “rotating shaft 34”) configured to rotate at least one of the first gear, the second gear and the interworking gear.
Regarding claim 5, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the electronic device of claim 1, wherein rotation of the first rotating member with respect to the bracket is limited (see above rejection of claim 1 and figure 3 of D2) through contact with the first contact portion, and wherein the second rotating member is configured to rotate with respect to the bracket through contact with the second contact portion.
Regarding claim 6, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the bracket comprises a first seating portion (equivalent to seating portion 332 shown in figure 3 of D2) and a second seating portion (equivalent to seating portion 332 shown in figure 3 of D2), and wherein the first pressurizing member is on the first seating portion and the second pressurizing member is on the second seating portion.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. U.S. Pub. 2021/0267077 (hereinafter D1) in view of Lee et al. U.S. Pub. 2023/0118440 (hereinafter D2) and in further view of CN112732020 (hereinafter D3).
Regarding claim 10, as mentioned above, D1/D2 teaches the electronic device of claim 2.
However, D1/D2 does not specifically teach a friction plate connected to a drive shaft of the drive device and configured to rotate with respect to the bracket, wherein the friction plate pressurizes at least one of the first gear, the second gear and the interworking gear.
PNG
media_image4.png
314
414
media_image4.png
Greyscale
D3, teaches a similar structure (see above figure 9), comprising a friction plate (240; figure 9) connected to a drive shaft (210; figure 9) of the drive device and configured to rotate (see figure 9) with respect to a bracket (implicitly taught), wherein the friction plate pressurizes (implicitly taught) at least one of the first gear (one of gears 440; figure 9), the second gear (one of gears 440; figure 9) and the interworking gear (one of gears 440; figure 9) to slowdown the rotation of said brackets.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to provide a friction plate connected to a drive shaft of the drive device of D1/D2 and configured to rotate with respect to the bracket, wherein the friction plate would pressurize at least one of the first gear, the second gear and the interworking gear, as suggested by D3, to slowdown the rotation of said brackets.
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. U.S. Pub. 2021/0267077 (hereinafter D1) in view of Lee et al. U.S. Pub. 2023/0118440 (hereinafter D2) and in further view of Zhou U.S. Patent 12,326,755 (hereinafter D4).
Regarding claim 12, as mentioned above, D1/D2 teaches the electronic device of claim 2.
However, D1/D2 does not specifically teach an input device; at least one memory storing one or more instructions; and at least one processor connected to the input device, the at least one memory, and the drive device, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the one or more instructions, and wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: control the drive device to rotate a drive shaft of the drive device in a first direction based on a first input signal generated in the input device; control the drive device to rotate the drive shaft of the drive device in a second direction opposite to the first direction based on a second input signal generated in the input device; control the drive device to stop rotation of the drive shaft based on a third input signal generated in the input device; based on detecting, through a current sensor connected to the at least one processor and the drive device, a current greater than a threshold value, control the drive device to stop rotation of the drive shaft; and based on a state of the electronic device being in an unfolded state or a closed state, control the drive device to stop rotation of the drive shaft.
D4, teaches a similar structure, which suggests in response to the user’s input, the control module controls the drive motor to start or stop running according to a preset control mode, to control the unfolding or folding of the folding screen (see paragraph bridging columns 5-6 and 7-8; which is the equivalent of the folding/unfolding limitations as claimed in claim 12).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art apply the same principles to equip the electronic device of D2/D2 with an input device; at least one memory (implicitly taught) storing one or more instructions (implicitly taught); and at least one processor (implicitly taught) connected to the input device, the at least one memory, and the drive device, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the one or more instructions, and wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: control the drive device to rotate a drive shaft of the drive device in a first direction based on a first input signal generated in the input device; control the drive device to rotate the drive shaft of the drive device in a second direction opposite (folding vs. unfolding directions) to the first direction based on a second input signal generated in the input device; control the drive device to stop rotation of the drive shaft based on a third input signal generated in the input device; based on detecting, through a current sensor (implicitly taught) connected to the at least one processor and the drive device, a current greater (implicitly taught) than a threshold value (implicitly taught), control the drive device to stop rotation of the drive shaft; and based on a state of the electronic device being in an unfolded state or a closed state, control the drive device to stop rotation of the drive shaft, as suggested by D4, to control the folding/unfolding/stopping operations of said electronic device through user’s input.
Regarding claim 13, D1/D2/D4 teaches the electronic device of claim 13 for the same reasons stated in the above rejection of claim 12.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 7-9 and 11 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 fails to teach, disclose or fairly suggest an electronic device, in combination of all the positively recited elements of claim 1, wherein the first limiting member comprises a first body portion, wherein the first contact portion is at one end of the first body portion, and the one end of the first body portion is pressurized through the first pressurizing member, and wherein the second limiting member comprises a second body portion, wherein the second contact portion is at one end of the second body portion, and the one end of the second body portion is pressurized through the second pressurizing member.
Regarding claims 4 and 7, claims 4 and 7 are dependent from claim 3, and therefore are objected-but-allowable for the same reason.
Regarding claim 8, the prior art of record fails to teach, disclose or fairly suggest an electronic device, in combination of all the positively recited elements of claim 1, wherein the first rotating portion comprises a first circular portion having a circular cross-section, a first stop portion formed concave to the first circular portion, and a first end portion that is one end of the first circular portion, wherein the second rotating portion comprises a second circular portion having a circular cross-section, a second stop portion formed concave to the second circular portion, and a second end portion that is one end of the second circular portion, wherein the first contact portion contacts at least one of the first circular portion, the first stop portion and the first end portion to a rotation of the first rotating member, and wherein the second contact portion contacts at least one of the second circular portion, the second stop portion and the second end portion according to a rotation of the second rotating member.
Regarding claim 9, claim 9 is dependent from claim 8, and therefore is objected-but-allowable for the same reason.
Regarding claim 11, the prior art of record fails to teach, disclose or fairly suggest an electronic device, in combination of all the positively recited elements of claim 1, wherein the first arm is configured to rotate with respect to the bracket about a rotation shaft different from the first rotating member, and is connected to the first rotating member through a first pin inserted into a first compensation rail formed in a longitudinal direction of the first rotating member, and wherein the second arm is configured to rotate with respect to the bracket about a rotation shaft different from the second rotating member, and is connected to the second rotating member through a second pin inserted into a second compensation rail formed in a longitudinal direction of the second rotating member.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG Q DANG whose telephone number is (571)272-3069. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6PM..
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani N 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.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/HUNG Q DANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
Prosecution Insights