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 under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “first frame including a cam” and the “second actuator,” both in Claim 20, 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 20-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention. The claim recites “a first frame including a cam” in line 2, which is not described in the specification or shown in the drawings. It is noted that the specification and drawings have the cam associated with the second frame. Claim 20 also recites a “second actuator,” which is not described in the specification or shown in the drawings. Claims 21-30 depend, either directly or indirectly, from claim 20 and are, therefore, rejected for at least the same reasons.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 20-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2018/0242446 to Cho et al. (i.e., Ref. 1 hereinafter).
Referring to claim 20, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses a folding electronic device (201, Figs. 6A-12B) comprising: a first frame (201a) including a cam ([0133], not shown), the first frame (201a) coupled to a first actuator (207); the first actuator comprising a first spring ([0133], not shown), the first spring disposed between spring seats (i.e., within 207a, Fig. 9), the first actuator (207) coupled to the cam; a second frame (201b) having a pivot (withing hinge 205, Fig. 9), the second frame (201b) coupled to a second actuator (i.e., on the opposite side of the device (see Fig. 9); the second actuator comprising a second spring [0133]); and a display (260, Figs. 11B-12B) supported by the first frame (102a) and the second frame (102b); the first actuator (207 left side) and the second actuator (207 right side) being configured to urge the display (260) to move to a folded or unfolded position in response to rotation of the second frame about the pivot.
Referring to claim 21, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses the folding electronic device of claim 20, the first frame (201a) including a first end (near center of left side), the second frame (201b) including a second end (near center of left side), wherein a distance between the first end and the second end implicitly changes in response to the rotation of the second frame about the pivot.
Referring to claim 22, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses the folding electronic device of claim 21, wherein the distance between the first end and the second end in the folded position is smaller than the distance between the first end and the second end in the unfolded position. See Figs. 9 and 11.
Referring to claim 23, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses the folding electronic device of claim 20, further including a stop (not shown) configured to prevent over-rotation of the second frame. See [0133-0134].
Referring to claim 24, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses the folding electronic device of claim 20, wherein the display comprises a first display portion supported by the first frame, a second display portion supported by the second frame, and a third display portion between the first display portion and the second display portion. See [0107] and Figs. 5A-7B.
Referring to claim 25, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses the folding electronic device of claim 24, wherein the third display portion (260d) covers a joint between the first frame and the second frame. See Fig. 7A.
Referring to claim 26, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses the folding electronic device of claim 24, wherein the third display portion (260d) has a substantially arc shape when the folding electronic device is in the folded position. See Fig. 7A.
Referring to claim 27, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses the folding electronic device of claim 24, wherein the display has a substantially flat profile when the folding electronic device is in the unfolded position. See Figs. 6A and 6B.
Referring to claim 28, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses the folding electronic device of claim 20, wherein the first actuator is inherently configured to exert a force on the first frame throughout an entirety of the rotation of the second frame about the pivot.
Referring to claim 29, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses the folding electronic device of claim 20, wherein the display is a flexible display comprising an active-matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display or a flexible display comprising an electronic ink display. See [0048].
Referring to claim 30, as best understood by the Examiner, Ref. 1 discloses the folding electronic device of claim 20, wherein the folding electronic device is a cell phone or a smart phone. See [0033].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY Q EDWARDS whose telephone number is (571)272-2042. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm.
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 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.
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/Anthony Q Edwards/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
February 13, 2026