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 Objections
Claims 12, 15, and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 12, line 5, recites “the housing”, Appropriate correction is required to address lack of antecedent basis.
Claim 15, lines 2 and 6, recites “the housing”, Appropriate correction is required to address lack of antecedent basis.
Claim 20, line 3, recites “the housing”, Appropriate correction is required to address lack of antecedent basis.
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, 5, 9-10, 12-14, 16, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by He et al (US 20210044683; “He” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 1, He discloses: an electronic device, comprising:
a first housing (1, fig. 7);
a second housing (32, figs. 7, 17-18) configured to slide relative to the first housing (figs. 4-7, ¶[0127]-[0130]);
a rollable display (2, figs. 5-7) configured to be unrolled or rolled based on a slide movement of the second housing (¶[0100],[0127]-[0130]);
a multi-bar structure (30 and 43, support mechanism, ¶[0112], [0136]) supporting the rollable display (¶[0112]), and attached to at least a portion of the rollable display (“and further guide the expansion portion 21 fixed on the support mechanism, so that the support mechanism and the expansion portion 21 move on a defined track”, [0124], [0137]); and
a guide assembly (10, 100, 31) configured to guide the slide movement of the second housing (¶[0117], [0128]-[0129]),
wherein the guide assembly includes:
a rail structure (10, 100, fig. 9) connected to the second housing (fig. 17), and
a rail receiving part (31, figs. 9-10) including a first surface (see annotated fig. 9 below), in which a first slit (312, figs. 9, 12-13) receiving at least a portion of the multi-bar structure is formed (¶[0136], [0138]), and a second surface opposite to the first surface (see annotated fig. 9 below) and receiving at least a portion of the rail structure (fig. 9), and
wherein the rail structure is configured to slide with respect to the rail receiving part (¶[0117]).
PNG
media_image1.png
253
518
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 5, He teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
wherein the rail receiving part includes a first end portion and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion (see annotated fig. 9 below), and wherein the guide assembly includes a first block cover connected to the first end portion (see annotated fig. 9 below) and a second block cover connected to the second end portion (see annotated fig. 9 below) and configured to reduce escape of the rail structure from the rail receiving part (as disclosed upon examination of figure 9).
PNG
media_image2.png
231
518
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 9, He teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
further comprising:
at least one first fastening member (310, fig. 9) connecting the first housing (1) and the rail receiving part (31, through element 100, figs. 9, 11-12, ¶[0129]).
Regarding claim 10, He teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
at least one second fastening member (310, fig. 9) connecting the second housing (32) and the rail structure (through element 31, figs. 7,9, 11-12).
Regarding claim 12, He teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
wherein the rail receiving part includes a second slit formed in the second surface and receiving at least a portion of the rail structure (see annotated fig. 9 below),
wherein the first slit includes a first groove area formed along a sliding direction of the housing (3120, figs. 12-13) and a second groove area extending from the first groove area (second instance of 3120, and 3121, figs. 12-13),
wherein at least a portion of which is bent (3121, figs. 12-13), and
wherein the second slit is formed along the sliding direction (as disclosed upon examination of figures 9, 11-12).
PNG
media_image3.png
253
518
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 13, He teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
wherein the display includes a first display area disposed on the second housing and a second display area extending from the first display area, and
wherein at least a portion of which is configured to be rolled (this limitation disclosed upon examination of figures 5-7, where a portion of 21 (i.e. a first display area ) would be disposed in the second housing when un rolled, and a portion of the second display area (portion of 21 and 20, figs. 5-6) is configured to be rolled).
Regarding claim 14, He teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses:
wherein the multi-bar structure includes a supporting area (30, figs. 8 and 10) supporting the display (¶[0112]) and a protruding area (432, fig. 10) protruding from the supporting area, and
wherein the protruding area is configured to slide along the first slit (¶[0138]).
Regarding claim 16, He discloses: an electronic device comprising:
a first housing (1, fig. 7);
a second housing (32, figs. 7, 17-18) at least partially received in the first housing and configured to relatively move with respect to the first housing (figs. 4-7, ¶[0127]-[0130]);
a display (2, figs. 5-7) configured to be unrolled based on the movement of the second housing (figs. 5-7, ¶[0100],[0127]-[0130]);
a multi-bar structure (30 and 43, support mechanism, ¶[0112], [0136]) supporting the display (¶[0112]); and
a guide assembly including a guide member (31, figs. 9-10) connected to the first housing and a rail structure (10, 100, fig. 9) connected to the second housing (fig. 17),
PNG
media_image1.png
253
518
media_image1.png
Greyscale
wherein the guide member includes a first surface (see annotated fig. 9 below) where a first slit (312, figs. 9, 12-13) for guiding a movement of the multi-bar structure is positioned (¶[0136], [0138]) and a second surface (see annotated fig. 9 below) where a second slit (see annotated fig. 9 below) for guiding movement of the rail structure is positioned and opposite to the first surface (¶[0117]).
PNG
media_image3.png
253
518
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 20, He teaches the limitations of claim 16, and further discloses:
wherein the first slit includes a first groove area formed along a sliding direction of the housing (3120, figs. 12-13) and a second groove area extending from the first groove area (second instance of 3120, and 3121, figs. 12-13), and having at least a bent portion (3121, figs. 12-13), and
wherein the second slit is formed along the sliding direction (as disclosed upon examination of figures 9, 11-12).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 2-3, 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He in view of Song et al (US 20200264660; “Song” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 2, He teaches the limitations of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the guide assembly includes a friction reducing structure for reducing friction generated by a relative movement of the rail receiving part with respect to the rail structure, and
wherein the friction reducing structure includes at least one ball located between the rail receiving part and the rail structure.
However, Song discloses:
a rollable display device (100, fig. 1), comprising a first housing (101, fig. 3) and a second housing (102, fig. 3), sliding relative to each other (fig. 3), and a guide assembly (231, 232, fig. 17), the guide assembly comprising a rail receiving part (232, fig. 17) and a rail structure (231, fig. 17), wherein the guide assembly includes a friction reducing structure (2324) for reducing friction generated by a relative movement of the rail receiving part with respect to the rail structure (¶[0171]), and
wherein the friction reducing structure includes at least one ball (“a member having a small friction force or a ball bearing”, ¶[0171], fig. 17) located between the rail receiving part and the rail structure (fig. 17).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to include Song’s friction reducing structure in He’s electronic device, in order to reduce friction between the first housing and the second housing, through a simple slide structure, so that conversion between a rolled state and an unrolled state is easily performed (¶[0024]).
Regarding claim 3, He in view of Song discloses the limitations of claim 2, and Song further discloses:
wherein the friction reducing structure includes a cage structure (2311, fig. 17) receiving the at least one ball (¶[0171]).
Regarding claim 17, He teaches the limitations of claim 16, but does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the guide assembly includes a friction reducing structure for reducing friction generated by a relative movement of the rail receiving part with respect to the rail structure, and
wherein the friction reducing structure includes at least one ball and a cage structure receiving the at least one ball and disposed between the guide member and the rail structure.
However, Song discloses:
a rollable display device (100, fig. 1), comprising a first housing (101, fig. 3) and a second housing (102, fig. 3), sliding relative to each other (fig. 3), and a guide assembly (231, 232, fig. 17), the guide assembly comprising a rail receiving part (232, fig. 17) and a rail structure (231, fig. 17), wherein the guide assembly includes a friction reducing structure (2324) for reducing friction generated by a relative movement of the rail receiving part with respect to the rail structure (¶[0171]), and
wherein the friction reducing structure includes at least one ball (“a member having a small friction force or a ball bearing”, ¶[0171], fig. 17) and a cage (2311, fig. 17) structure receiving the at least one ball (¶[0171]) disposed between the guide member and the rail structure (fig. 17).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to include Song’s friction reducing structure in He’s electronic device, in order to reduce friction between the first housing and the second housing, through a simple slide structure, so that conversion between a rolled state and an unrolled state is easily performed (¶[0024]).
Claims 11 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He in view of Kim et al (US 20240267444; “Kim” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 11, He teaches the limitations of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose:
further comprising:
a circuit board disposed on the first housing and connected to an antenna,
wherein the second housing is electrically connected to the first housing and the circuit board through the guide assembly.
However, Kim teaches:
a circuit board (181 and 184, figs. 8B, ¶[0400]) disposed on a first housing (101, ¶[0349]) and connected to an antenna (¶[0310], [0349]),
wherein a second housing (102) is electrically connected to the first housing and the circuit board (“a spring contact part 1060 may be formed on the front portion of the front metal part 102 to electrically connect the slide metal part 101 and the front metal part 102 in a spring contact manner”, ¶[0382], [0400]) through a guide assembly (1013b, 1014, 1015, figs. [0355]-[0356]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to apply Kim’s teaching into He’s electronic device, such that a circuit board disposed on the first housing and connected to an antenna, wherein the second housing is electrically connected to the first housing and the circuit board through the guide assembly in order to reduce a difference in lengths of ground paths according to the relative movement so as to decrease a change in antenna performance of the plurality of antennas according to the relative movement, thereby overcoming an antenna design space limitation and securing antenna performance of a predetermined level or higher (¶[0017], [0034]).
Regarding claim 19, He teaches the limitations of claim 16, but does not explicitly disclose: further comprising:
wherein the electronic device further comprises a circuit board disposed on the first housing and connected to an antenna, and
wherein the second housing is configured to be electrically connected to the first housing and the circuit board through the guide assembly.
However, Kim teaches:
wherein an electronic device (100, fig. 1) further comprises a circuit board (181 and 184, figs. 8B, ¶[0400]) disposed on a first housing (101, ¶[0349]) and connected to an antenna (¶[0310], [0349]),
wherein a second housing (102) is electrically connected to the first housing and the circuit board (“a spring contact part 1060 may be formed on the front portion of the front metal part 102 to electrically connect the slide metal part 101 and the front metal part 102 in a spring contact manner”, ¶[0382], [0400]) through a guide assembly (1013b, 1014, 1015, figs. [0355]-[0356]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to apply Kim’s teaching into He’s electronic device, such that a circuit board disposed on the first housing and connected to an antenna, wherein the second housing is electrically connected to the first housing and the circuit board through the guide assembly in order to reduce a difference in lengths of ground paths according to the relative movement so as to decrease a change in antenna performance of the plurality of antennas according to the relative movement, thereby overcoming an antenna design space limitation and securing antenna performance of a predetermined level or higher (¶[0017], [0034]).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He in view of Song et al (US 20210405703; “Song2” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 15, He discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further teaches:
a motor and transmission configured as a driving portion to drive the support structure to move (¶[0031], [0134])
He does not explicitly teach:
a driving structure disposed in the housing and configured to move the second housing with respect to the first housing,
wherein the driving structure includes:
a motor configured to generate a driving force for a slide movement of the housing,
a gear connected to the motor, and
a rack configured to be engaged with the gear.
However, Song2 teaches:
a driving structure (500, fig. 4) disposed in a first housing (200a, fig. 4) and configured to move the second housing (200b, fig. 4) with respect to the first housing (¶[0346]),
wherein the driving structure includes:
a motor (510, fig. 4) configured to generate a driving force for a slide movement of the second housing (200b, fig. 4) with respect to the first housing (¶[0357]),
a gear (520, fig. 4) connected to the motor (¶[0347]), and
a rack (550, fig. 4) configured to be engaged with the gear (¶[0355]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to replace He’s driving portion, with Song2’s driving structure into He’s first housing of the electronic device, in order to transmit power to the second housing, such that the second housing moves relative to the first housing (¶[0346]). The claim would have been obvious because the particular known technique was recognized as part of the ordinary capabilities of one skilled in the art, as evidenced by Song2. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have conceived the idea of creating such configuration. Therefore, the claimed subject matter would have been no more than a predictable combination of known techniques according to their respective purposes within routine skill and creativity (MPEP 2143).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6-8, 18 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 4, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest,
in combination with other limitations recited in claims 1-3, a combination of limitations that:
wherein the rail receiving part includes a second slit formed in the second surface and receiving at least a portion of the rail structure, wherein the rail structure includes a third end portion and a fourth end portion opposite to the third end portion, wherein the guide assembly includes a first rail cover connected to the third end portion and a second rail cover connected to the fourth end portion, and wherein the second rail cover is configured to reduce escape of the friction reducing structure from the second slit. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 6, 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 5, a combination of limitations that:
wherein the first housing includes a frame connected to the rail receiving part and a first cover member connected to the first block cover and surrounding at least a portion of the frame and the rail receiving part. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 7-8 are objected to by virtue of dependency to claim 6.
Regarding claim 18, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest,
in combination with other limitations recited in claim 16, a combination of limitations that:
wherein the rail receiving part includes a first end portion and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion, wherein the guide assembly includes a first block cover connected to the first end portion and a second block cover connected to the second end portion and configured to reduce escape of the rail structure from the rail receiving part, and wherein the first housing includes a frame connected to the guide member and a first cover member connected to the first block cover and surrounding the frame and at least a portion of the guide member. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is:
US 11917777 A1 Electronic Device. This invention relates generally to a flexible display screen; a support plate, fixedly arranged corresponding to at least part of the flexible display screen; and an adjusting mechanism, for driving the support plate to support the flexible display screen in a first state and driving the support plate to support the flexible display screen in a second state.
US 11315447 B2 Display Device. This invention generally relates to a display device which includes a housing unit, a first supporting structure, a second supporting structure, and a display device. The second supporting structure is slidably arranged opposite to the first supporting unit.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER KRIM whose telephone number is (703)756-1246. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am -4:30pm.
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, Allen L Parker can be reached at (303) 297-4722. 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.
/ALLEN L PARKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/P.K./Examiner, Art Unit 2841