Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/909,920

ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 08, 2024
Priority
Mar 06, 2024 — TW 113108031
Examiner
CRUM, JACOB R
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Acer Incorporated
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
487 granted / 653 resolved
+14.6% vs TC avg
Strong +28% interview lift
Without
With
+27.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
37 currently pending
Career history
677
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
56.1%
+16.1% vs TC avg
§102
23.7%
-16.3% vs TC avg
§112
13.8%
-26.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 653 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . 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) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shih (US 20100165567 A1). As to claim 10, Shih discloses: An electronic device (Fig. 1-5), comprising: a first body 10, having a first pivot side (11 in Fig. 3C) and a heat dissipation opening 12 located on the first pivot side; a second body 20, having a second pivot side pivoted to the first pivot side, wherein an airflow channel (underneath 30 when open) is disposed on the second pivot side, the airflow channel corresponding to the heat dissipation opening (see airflow in Fig. 4-5); and a movable door 30, rotatably disposed in the airflow channel (disposed in airflow channel when 30 is lowered, rotates to raise 30 and open the airflow channel; see Fig. 1-5), when the second body is folded on the first body, the movable door closes the airflow channel (see Fig. 3A), and when the second body is unfolded relative to the first body, the movable door rotates relative to the second body to open the airflow channel (see Fig. 3C-5). Drawings The Drawings filed on 10/08/2024 are accepted. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-9 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: As to claims 1-9, the allowability resides in the overall structure and functionality of the apparatus as recited in independent claims 1 and 9, and at least in part, because they recite the following limitations: 1. An electronic device, comprising: a first body, having a first pivot side and a heat dissipation opening located on the first pivot side; a second body, having a second pivot side pivoted to the first pivot side, wherein an airflow channel is disposed on the second pivot side, the airflow channel corresponding to the heat dissipation opening; a first magnetic member, corresponding to the first pivot side and disposed in the first body; and a movable door, rotatably disposed in the airflow channel, wherein a second magnetic member is disposed corresponding to the first magnetic member, when the second body is folded on the first body, a magnetic attraction force generated between the second magnetic member and the first magnetic member fixes the movable door, enabling the movable door to close the airflow channel, and when the second body is unfolded relative to the first body, the magnetic attraction force generated between the second magnetic member and the first magnetic member weakens, enabling the movable door to rotate relative to the second body by gravity to open the airflow channel. 9. An electronic device, comprising: a first body, having a first pivot side and a heat dissipation opening located on the first pivot side; a second body, having a second pivot side pivoted to the first pivot side, wherein an airflow channel is disposed on the second pivot side, the airflow channel corresponding to the heat dissipation opening; a first magnetic member, corresponding to the first pivot side and disposed in the first body; a movable door, rotatably disposed in the airflow channel, wherein a second magnetic member is disposed corresponding to the first magnetic member; and a torsion spring, connected between the movable door and the second body, when the second body is folded on the first body, a magnetic attraction force generated between the second magnetic member and the first magnetic member is greater than an elastic restoring force of the compressed torsion spring, thereby fixing the movable door and enabling the movable door to close the airflow channel, and when the second body is unfolded relative to the first body, the magnetic attraction force generated between the second magnetic member and the first magnetic member is smaller than the elastic restoring force of the torsion spring, enabling the movable door to be driven by the torsion spring and rotate relative to the second body to open the airflow channel. Tye (US 20110075352 A1), Wu (US 20210149462 A1), Huang (US 20210165473 A1), Chaudhari (US 20250212357 A1), Tracy (US 20060094347 A1), Cheng (US 20190171255 A1), and Hung (US 12416951 B2) each disclose openable/closable airflow channels in folding electronics housings. However, none of the references suggest the movable door in combination with the first and second magnetic members and claimed functionality. None of the prior art, either alone or in combination, can be reasonably construed as adequately teaching the above limitations in combination with the remaining claim elements. Further, Examiner has not identified any double patenting issues. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACOB R CRUM whose telephone number is (571)270-7665. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. 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, Jayprakash Gandhi can be reached on (571) 272-3740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JACOB R CRUM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 08, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 18, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Patent 12727115
LIQUID COOLING HEAT DISSIPATION SYSTEM
2y 0m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
75%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+27.9%)
2y 5m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 653 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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