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 as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: “curved moving unit 340” (as mentioned in the instant specification in paragraph 0062). 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. 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.
In addition to Replacement Sheets containing the corrected drawing figure(s), applicant is required to submit a marked-up copy of each Replacement Sheet including annotations indicating the changes made to the previous version. The marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheets” and must be presented in the amendment or remarks section that explains the change(s) to the drawings. See 37 CFR 1.121(d)(1). Failure to timely submit the proposed drawing and marked-up copy will result in the abandonment of the application.
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, 2, and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Song et al. (hereinafter Song – US Doc. No. 20210022259).
Regarding claim 1, Song discloses a display device (as shown in Figure 1) comprising:
a fixing unit (Figure 4, element 600);
a moving unit movably coupled to the fixing unit and configured to transition from a first state to a second state (Figure 5, element 500);
a driver configured to provide a driving force to move the moving unit (Figure 4, element 700); and
a display unit coupled to the moving unit and moving together with the moving unit (Figure 5, element 300),
wherein the display unit comprises a variable portion that is flat in the first state and changes a curvature to a curved state in the second state (see paragraph 0030 – note that the ‘horizontal state’ is a flat state within the housing 100 and that the second state is a vertical state that includes a curved portion), wherein the moving unit comprises: a linear moving unit coupled to an upper part of the display unit and configured to move vertically relative to the fixing unit (as shown in Figure 6 – note that moving unit 500 moves linearly (horizontally) before also extending down [read: vertically] along the guide portion 230 [as shown in Figures 4 and 5]); and
a curved moving unit coupled to a lower part of the display unit and configured to protrude forward and downward by moving along a curved path during a transition from the first state to the second state (see Figure 5, element 230),
wherein the driver is configured to provide power to the curved moving unit (see paragraph 0125 – note that the actuator 700 reciprocates the moving body 500 into and out of the main body 100 and therefore provides power [read: force] to the curved moving unit), and
wherein the curved moving unit is configured to transfer power to the linear moving unit (see paragraph 0125 – note that the actuator 700 reciprocates the moving body 500 into and out of the main body 100 and therefore transfers power [read: force] from the curved moving unit to the linear moving unit).
Regarding claim 2, Song discloses all of the limitations of claim 1 as discussed in the claim 1 rejection above and further that the curved moving unit comprises a lower arm coupled to the lower part of the display unit and extending upward (as shown in Figure 5, element 130 has two arms [read: sides] one connected to 231 and the other connected to 232), wherein a curved rack gear (Figure 7, elements 710 and 720) that engages with a pinion gear of the driver (751 and 752) is formed on the lower arm, and wherein based on an operation of the pinion gear, an angle of the lower arm changes, and the lower part of the display unit protrudes forward (see paragraphs 0124-0125 – note that the actuator 700 (including 751 and 752) reciprocates the moving body 500 into and out of the main body 100 and therefore changes the angle of the lower portion of the flexible display).
Regarding claim 17, Song discloses all of the limitations of claim 1 as discussed in the claim 1 rejection above and further that in the first state, the display unit is in a flat state (as shown in Figure 1/Figure 12A – note that the display is retracted into the housing 100 and is flat), and wherein in the second state, the display unit is in a curved state in which a height is lowered and the lower part protrudes forward (as shown in Figure 1/Figure 12B – note that the display is fully deployed and has curved portions which are lower than the retracted flat state).
Claims 18-19 have limitations similar to those treated in the above rejections of claims 1 and 2 respectively), and are met by the reference as discussed above.
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 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song et al. (hereinafter Song – US Doc. No. 20210022259) in view of Uhm (US Doc. No. 20170349098).
Regarding claim 13, Song discloses all of the limitations of claim 1 as discussed in the claim 1 rejection above and further that a pair of moving units are provided spaced apart in a horizontal direction (Figure 7, elements 730/753 and 740/751/752/754) wherein the driver comprises: a motor positioned between the pair of moving units (730), and a horizontal shaft extending from both sides of the motor (740), and a pair of pinion gears coupled to the pair of horizontal shafts to receive power from the motor (751 & 752). Although Song discloses a horizontal shaft 740, Song does not specifically disclose a “pair” of horizonal. Song also discloses a motor 730 and a gear 754, but Song does not disclose how the gear 754 is attached to the motor 730. Thus Song does not disclose a “pair of horizontal shafts”.
Uhm discloses a deployable flexible display for a vehicle that includes both straight and curved portions (as shown in Figure 3a) comprising a motor (see Figure 5a, element 231) including a shaft portion (not labeled but as shown attached between elements 231 and 236) and a moving part 236.
It would have been obvious to combine the reciprocating flexible vehicle display as disclosed by Song with the reciprocating flexible vehicle display comprising a motor wherein a shaft connects the motor to a rotating part as disclosed by Uhm, the combination yielding predictable results and no more than one of ordinary skill in the art would expect from such an arrangement and further to create an easy and known transfer of power from the motor to the second horizontal shaft which controls the moving portion.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-12, 14-16, and 20 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lebreton (USPN 7869129) discloses a flexible deployable display for a vehicle.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADAM R GIESY whose telephone number is (571)272-7555. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8-6.
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, Patrick Edouard can be reached at 5712727603. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ADAM R. GIESY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622
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