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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Species III in the reply filed on July 9, 2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that Species III should be related to Figs. 12 and 13, i.e., foldable device having no plate structures, and should correspond to Claims 1-16. However, all of claims 1-36 do, in fact, recite “plate structures.” The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
It should be noted that the Examiner has amended the listing of species in the drawings from three (3) species to four (4) species as follows:
Species I, Figs. 1-11, 14 and 15, directed to hinged foldable devices having plate structures;
Species II, Figs. 12 and 13, directed to hinged foldable devices having no plate structures;
Species III, Figs. 16A-20, directed to foldable middle plate structures in a foldable device; and
Species IV, Figs. 21-25, directed to foldable devices having at least two hinge portions.
Considering Applicant’s decision to elect claims 1-16, Examiner will examine the claims relating to Species I, i.e., hinged foldable devices having plate structures.
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 combination of “a hinge structure comprising a first body, a second body, and a first hinge connecting the first body to the second body…. wherein the hinge structure further comprises a third body and a second hinge disposed between the second and third bodies” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim 1. No new matter should be entered.
Likewise the combination of “a third rigid plate region neighboring the second lateral side of the first rigid plate region; a first hinge structure comprising a first hinge disposed to correspond to a position between the first rigid plate region and the second rigid plate region, the first hinge having one selected from the group of a single shaft structure, a double shaft structure and a multi-joint structure; and a second hinge structure comprising a second hinge disposed to correspond to a position between the first rigid plate region and the third rigid plate region, the second hinge having one selected from the group of the single shaft structure, the double shaft structure and the multi-joint structure” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim 3. 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 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential structural cooperative relationships of elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the necessary structural connections. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted structural cooperative relationships are: the combination of two different hinge structures used together, i.e., the “hinge structure comprising a first body, a second body, and a first hinge connecting the first body to the second body…. wherein the hinge structure further comprises a third body and a second hinge disposed between the second and third bodies” in independent claim 1, and the “third rigid plate region neighboring the second lateral side of the first rigid plate region; a first hinge structure comprising a first hinge disposed to correspond to a position between the first rigid plate region and the second rigid plate region, the first hinge having one selected from the group of a single shaft structure, a double shaft structure and a multi-joint structure; and a second hinge structure comprising a second hinge disposed to correspond to a position between the first rigid plate region and the third rigid plate region, the second hinge having one selected from the group of the single shaft structure, the double shaft structure and the multi-joint structure” in independent claim 3. Claims 2 and 16 depend from claim 1 and are, therefore, rejected for at least the same reasons. Likewise, claims 4-15 depend, either directly or indirectly, from claim 3 are therefore rejected for at least the same reasons.
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
August 28, 2026
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