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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by
Song et al. (US 20200267246; “Song” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 1, Song discloses an electronic device, comprising: a housing (first frame 101, second frame 102; figs. 2-4), comprising a first housing (first frame 101; figs. 2-4) and a second housing (second frame 102; figs. 2-4), wherein the first housing and the second housing encircle to define an accommodating structure comprising an opening (frames 101 and 102 defines an accommodating structure comprising an opening on the upper side that is covered by a flexible display 151, figs. 2, 4); a sliding rail mechanism (103), disposed in the accommodating structure and connected to the second housing (fig. 4; par. [0103]), wherein the sliding rail mechanism is slidably connected to the first housing along a first direction (par. [0103]); a rotating shaft component (roller 1028), disposed at an end of the second housing away from the first housing (fig. 4), wherein the rotating shaft component comprises a track portion (the semi-circle portion of the roller 1028 along which the flexible display 151 rolls is a track portion, figs. 4, 6); a thickness of the track portion along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction gradually decreases from an end close to the first housing to an end away from the first housing along the first direction (the thickness of the semicircle of the roller 1028 along which the flexible display 151 rolls gradually decreases from an end close to the first housing to an end away from the first housing along the first direction, figs. 4, 6); and a flexible display screen (flexible display unit 151), disposed around the track portion (flexible display 151 rolls around the outer semicircle portion of the roller 1028, figs 4, 6), wherein a first end of the flexible display screen (151) is connected to the sliding rail mechanism (103) (par. [0103], [0104]), and a second end of the flexible display screen is connected to the first housing (101) and covers the opening (par. [0104]).
Regarding claim 2, Song discloses wherein the track portion comprises a track surface (1028a), the flexible display screen (151) is disposed around the track surface, and an end surface of the track surface away from the first housing is an arcuate surface (figs. 6(b)-6(c)).
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.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Song.
Regarding claim 4, Song discloses wherein the track surface is an elliptical surface (circumference of the semi-circle portion of the roller 1028 along which the flexible display 151 rolls is a track portion, fig. 6(b) is an elliptical surface).
If Song is considered fail to teach the track surface is an elliptical surface.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention to modify the shape of the track surface of Song to have an elliptical surface, since changing the shape of the track surface appears to be an obvious matter of engineering design choice and thus, while being a difference, does not serve in any way to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the applied prior art. In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 5-17 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:
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1 and claim 2, and a combination of limitations that wherein the track portion comprises a track body and a rotating wheel, the track body is provided with an accommodating cavity, and the rotating wheel is movably disposed in the accommodating cavity; and the flexible display screen is disposed around the track body and a part of the rotating wheel, and an outer contour surface of the track body and a part of an outer contour surface of the rotating wheel form the track surface. 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 combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, and a combination of limitations that wherein the flexible display screen is provided with a first magnetic component; the supporting component is supported below the flexible display screen, the supporting component comprises a first supporting plate and a second supporting plate, wherein the second supporting plate is connected to the flexible display screen, and is slidably connected to the first supporting plate; at least one of the first supporting plate or the second supporting plate is provided with a second magnetic component engaged with the first magnetic component; and the stretchable screen structure comprises a stretched state and a retracted state, when the stretchable screen structure switches between the stretched state and the retracted state, the second supporting plate slides relative to the first supporting plate along a direction away from or close to the first supporting plate, the flexible display screen and the second supporting plate move synchronously, and the second supporting plate is configured to support a part of the flexible display screen stretched relative to the first supporting plate. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 6-17 are objected being their dependency on claim 5.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Song et al. (US 18834109) teaches an electronic device, comprising: a housing, comprising a first housing (101) and a second housing (102), wherein the first housing and the second housing encircle to define an accommodating structure comprising an opening (figs 2, 4); a sliding rail mechanism (103, 104), disposed in the accommodating structure and connected to the second housing, wherein the sliding rail mechanism is slidably connected to the first housing along a first direction (fig. 12); a rotating shaft component (210), disposed at an end of the second housing away from the first housing, wherein the rotating shaft component comprises a track portion (fig. 8); and a flexible display screen (151), disposed around the track portion (fig. 8).
Kwak et al. (US 20220113764) teaches an electronic device, comprising: a housing (210), comprising a first housing and a second housing (fig. 4), a flexible display (230); wherein the first housing and the second housing encircle to define an accommodating structure comprising an opening; a sliding rail mechanism, disposed in the accommodating structure and connected to the second housing, wherein the sliding rail mechanism is slidably connected to the first housing along a first direction; a rotating shaft component, disposed at an end of the second housing away from the first housing
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/SAGAR SHRESTHA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841