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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. 202310090462.6, filed on 01/19/2023 in China.
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS filed on 02/11/2025 has been considered and made of record.
Oath/Declaration
The oath/declaration filed on 12/31/2024 is acceptable.
Claim Objections
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities: Applicant should define a unit of surface roughness measurement. 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)(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 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by XU et al. [CN215268379].
Regarding claim 1, XU et al., disclose a foldable-screen terminal (figures 1-4), comprising a first housing (a front shell, figure 1), a second housing (a back shell 5, figure 2-4), and a rotating shaft apparatus (2 & 3, figure 1-4) connected between the first housing and the second housing, the rotating shaft apparatus comprising a sliding mechanism (4 & 6, figure 3), the sliding mechanism comprising:
a sliding rail (6, figure 3), wherein an extension direction of the sliding rail is a first direction (a first direction of insertion of a sliding member 4, figure 3);
a sliding member (4, figure 3), wherein the sliding member is in sliding fit with the sliding rail (figure 3);
a damping assembly (8 , 9 and 10, figure 3), wherein the damping assembly comprises a first elastic structure (a right spring 9, figure 3), a second elastic structure (a left spring 9, figure 3), a first concave-convex surface region (a right concave-convex surface region which is contacted the first elastic structure, figure 3), and a second concave-convex surface region (a left concave-convex surface region which is contacted the second elastic structure, figure 3), wherein
one of the first elastic structure and the first concave-convex surface region is disposed on the sliding rail and the other thereof is disposed on the sliding member, and the first elastic structure fits with the first concave-convex surface region (figure 3); and
one of the second elastic structure and the second concave-convex surface region is disposed on the sliding rail and the other thereof is disposed on the sliding member, and the second elastic structure fits with the second concave-convex surface region (figure 3);
the first concave-convex surface region and the second concave-convex surface region each comprise a plurality of concave surface portions (a plurality of concave surface portions protrude outward of the first and second concave-convex regions, figure 3) spaced apart in the first direction, and a convex surface portion (two adjacent concave portions create a convex surface portion, figure 3) is formed between two adjacent concave surface portions; and
in a process in which the sliding member slides relative to the sliding rail, when the first elastic structure fits with the concave surface portion of the first concave-convex surface region, the second elastic structure fits with a convex surface portion of the second concave-convex surface region (figure 3); and
when the first elastic structure fits with a convex surface portion of the first concave-convex surface region, the second elastic structure fits with the concave surface portion of the second concave-convex surface region (figure 3).
Regarding claim 18, XU et al. further disclose wherein the concave surface portion is a concave spherical surface, a concave arc surface (figure 3), an inverted cone-shaped surface, or an inverted cone frustum surface whose side surface is an inclined surface and whose bottom surface is a flat surface.
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 19, as best understood, is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over XU et al.
Regarding claim 19, XU et al., disclose the claimed invention except for wherein surface roughness of the concave surface portion is greater than or equal to 0.2 and less than or equal to 0.6; and surface roughness of the convex surface portion is greater than or equal to 0.1 and less than or equal to 0.3.
The specific measurement of surface roughness of the concave surface portion is greater than or equal to 0.2 and less than or equal to 0.6; and surface roughness of the convex surface portion is greater than or equal to 0.1 and less than or equal to 0.3 would have been an obvious design consideration based on the particular material to build a foldable electronic device by a manufacture.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The claim 2 discloses the combination features of “wherein a distance between two adjacent concave surface portions of the first concave-convex surface region is equal to a distance between two adjacent concave surface portions of the second concave-convex surface region; and the distance between two adjacent concave surface portions of the first concave-convex surface region and the second concave-convex surface region is a first distance D₁, and a distance between the first elastic structure and the second elastic structure in the first direction is a second distance D₂; and the first concave-convex surface region and the second concave-convex surface region are arranged in alignment with each other in the first direction, and the second distance D₂ meets a condition: D₂=(K+1/2)xD₁, wherein K is 0 or a positive integer greater than 0.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the claim 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records.
The claim 3 discloses the combination features of “wherein the sliding rail is provided with a sliding groove, the sliding groove comprises a first inner surface, and the first inner surface is parallel to the first direction; at least a part of the sliding member is in sliding fit with the sliding groove, the at least a part comprises a first side surface, and the first side surface and the first inner surface face each other; the sliding rail comprises a first limiting portion, the first limiting portion is located on a side that is of the first inner surface and that is away from the first side surface, and the first inner surface is formed on the first limiting portion; and the first elastic structure and the second elastic structure are disposed on the first limiting portion, and the first concave-convex surface region and the second concave-convex surface region are disposed on the first side surface; or the first elastic structure and the second elastic structure are disposed on the at least a part, and the first concave-convex surface region and the second concave-convex surface region are disposed on the first inner surface.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the claim 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records. Claims 4-17 depend on the allowed claim 3.
The claim 20 discloses the combination features of “wherein a distance between two adjacent concave surface portions of the first concave-convex surface region is equal to a distance between two adjacent concave surface portions of the second concave-convex surface region; and the distance between two adjacent concave surface portions of the first concave-convex surface region and the second concave-convex surface region is a first distance D₁, and a distance between the first elastic structure and the second elastic structure in the first direction is a second distance D₂; and the second distance D₂ meets a condition: D₂= M x D₁, the first concave-convex surface region and the second concave-convex surface region are arranged in a staggered manner in the first direction, and a staggering amount Dd between the first concave-convex surface region and the second concave-convex surface region meets a condition: Dd= (N+1/2) x D₁, wherein M and N are 0 or positive integers greater than 0.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the claim 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hung S. Bui whose telephone number is (571)272-2102. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8am-5pm.
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/HUNG S. BUI/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2841
/HUNG S. BUI/Primary Patent Examiner, 2841/2800
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