DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 3 objected to because of the following informalities: the language: “circuit board i through the slot” is grammatically incorrect. The Office believes the Applicant intended “i” to instead be “is”. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-6, 10 and 13-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim (WO2019/194520). Kim (2021/0135492) is cited as the translation of (WO2019/194520).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses an electronic device comprising:
an inner housing (120, fig. 2);
an outer housing (110, fig. 2) coupled to the inner housing and configured to enable the inner housing to move in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction (see arrows of device expanding and contracting in fig. 1-2), the outer housing including an opening (see opening occupied by antenna 5102 in fig. 5A) connected to a space (inside of 510 in fig. 5A) formed by the inner housing and the outer housing (see fig. 3-4; wherein inner space of the device is enclosed by 320 and 310), and formed at a portion of a surface facing the second direction (see location of 5102 in fig. 5A);
a side surface member (5102, fig. 5A) comprising a conductive material (para. 39) and including at least one conductive portion forming at least a portion of a side surface of the outer housing facing the second direction (para. 39); and
a wireless communication circuit (see wireless communication circuit in para. 84) operably coupled to the at least one conductive portion (para. 84);
wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured to communicate with an external electronic device in a specified frequency band through the at least one conductive portion (para. 89; wherein each antenna is operated at a separate frequency).
Regarding claim 2, Kim discloses further comprising:
a first printed circuit (524, fig. 5A) on which the wireless communication circuit is disposed (para. 84), the first printed circuit disposed in the inner housing (see fig. 5A in the closed position);
a second printed circuit (see flexible printed circuit board in para. 137, 136 and 74-75) electrically connected to the first printed circuit and disposed on a periphery of the outer housing facing the second direction (para. 137, 75; wherein conductive paths include additional printed circuit boards from the main printed circuit board 524); and
a flexible printed circuit board (532, fig. 5A and 5C) extending from the second printed circuit board to the opening (see fig. 5A);
wherein the flexible printed circuit board is electrically connected to the at least one conductive portion (see fig. 5A).
Regarding claim 3, Kim discloses wherein the outer housing includes a slot (see slot area formed between 510 and 525b in fig. 5A) formed at the periphery of the outer housing, and
wherein the flexible printed circuit board i through the slot (see location of bent 532 in slot area formed between 510 and 525b in fig. 5A).
Regarding claim 4, Kim discloses further comprising a display (130, fig. 1) disposed on the inner housing (see fig. 1) and configured to expand based on the inner housing moving in the first direction, and to contract based on the inner housing moving in the second direction (see fig. 1-2) ;
wherein the display comprises a planar portion (130, fig. 1) disposed on the inner housing and a deformable portion (134, fig. 2) extending from the planar portion (para. 47).
Regarding claim 5, Kim discloses further comprising a flexible printed circuit board (532, fig. 5A) electrically connected to the conductive portion (5102, fig. 5A) and disposed between the deformable portion (525, fig. 5A) and the at least one conductive portion (see fig. 5A).
Regarding claim 6, Kim discloses wherein the flexible printed circuit board is electrically connected to a feeding point (534, fig. 5A) of the at least one conductive portion.
Regarding claim 10, Kim discloses wherein the side surface member includes a conductive plate forming the side surface (see 5102 in fig. 5A and para. 39).
Regarding claim 13, Kim discloses wherein the at least one conductive portion includes a first conductive portion (9331, fig. 9A as attached to 5102 in fig. 5A) and a second conductive portion (9332, fig. 9A) spaced apart from the first conductive portion (see fig. 9A and para .113), and
wherein the side surface member further includes a non-conductive portion (9333, fig. 9A) disposed between the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion (see fig. 9A) and formed perpendicular to a periphery of the outer housing on which the opening is disposed (see fig. 9A and para. 112).
Regarding claim 14, Kim discloses wherein the first conductive portion includes a first feeding point (9331, fig. 9A), and wherein the second conductive portion includes a second feeding point (9332, fig. 9A) and a grounding point (9333, fig. 9A).
Regarding claim 15, Kim discloses wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured to:
communicate with an external electronic device in a first frequency band through the first conductive portion (para. 113, 89), and
communicate with an external electronic device in a second frequency band through the second conductive portion (para .113, 89).
Regarding claim 16, Kim discloses further comprising an elastic member including a conductive material, in contact with the conductive portion, and electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit (see flexible conductive path in para. 74-75, wherein e.g. 532 in fig. 5A includes a flexible/elastic conductive path).
Claim 17 is rejected for the same reasons stated for claims 1-2 and 4. See above rejections.
Regarding claim 18, Kim discloses wherein the flexible printed circuit board includes an elastic member comprising an elastic material extending a space between the opening and the deformable portion, and connected to the at least one conductive portion (see flexible conductive path in para. 74-75, wherein e.g. 532 in fig. 5A includes a flexible/elastic conductive path).
Claim 19 is rejected for the same reasons stated for claim 3. See above rejection.
Claim 20 is rejected for the same reasons stated for claim 6. See above rejection.
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) 7-9 and 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Roh (US 2016/0352015).
Regarding claim 7, Kim fails to disclose a slit.
Roh discloses wherein the at least one conductive portion (including 160 and 170 in fig. fig. 1A) includes a slit (including 150 and 140 in fig. 1A) extending from a portion of a periphery of the at least one conductive portion in a direction perpendicular to the periphery (see fig. 1A).
When the invention was made (pre-AIA ) or before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include the teachings of Roh in the device of Kim. The motivation for doing so would have been to isolate separate antenna radiators that receive separate signals (Roh; para. 51-52, to increase accuracy by reducing noise when sending/receiving signals).
Regarding claim 8, Roh discloses wherein the at least one conductive portion has a first resonance frequency and a second resonance frequency different from the first resonance frequency (para. 51-52; wherein each antenna operates on a separate frequency).
The rationale to combine is the same as stated in claim 7.
Regarding claim 9, Roh discloses wherein the side surface member includes a non-conductive (140 and 150 in fig. 1A) portion filling the slit and surrounding the at least one conductive portion (see fig. 1A).
The rationale to combine is the same as stated in claim 7.
Regarding claim 11, Kim fails to disclose wherein the side surface member includes a non-conductive portion.
Roh discloses wherein the side surface member includes a non-conductive portion (140 and 150 in fig. 1A) surrounding the at least on conductive portion (160 in fig. 1A).
When the invention was made (pre-AIA ) or before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include the teachings of Roh in the device of Kim. The motivation for doing so would have been to isolate separate antenna radiators that receive separate signals (Roh; para. 51-52, to increase accuracy by reducing noise when sending/receiving signals).
Regarding claim 12, Roh discloses wherein a surface of the at least one conductive portion faces (see backside of 160 in fig. 2A) the opening (see opening between 160 and 210 in fig. 2A), and wherein another surface of the at least one conductive portion is in contact with the non-conductive portion (see fig. 1A; wherein the front surface of 160 in contact with 140).
The rationale to combine is the same as stated in claim 7.
Conclusion
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/ROBIN J MISHLER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628