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 § 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.
Claims 1, 3 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al (US Patent No. 10747269 B1 and Choi-1 hereinafter) in view of Choi et al (US Pub No. US 2021/0120111 A1 and Choi-2 hereinafter)
Regarding claim 1, Choi-1 discloses an electronic device comprising: a first housing (200) including a frame cover (231) ; a second housing (300) slidably coupled to the first housing; a flexible display (500), disposed on a surface of the second housing, and configured to slide into an inside of the first housing or out to an outside of the first housing based on movement of the second housing (fig.2B); a motor (600) disposed on the frame cover; a pinion gear (603) coupled to the motor and configured to be rotatable by the motor; a rack gear (660), disposed on an inner surface of the second housing opposite to the surface of the second housing, engaged with the pinion gear to be movable according to rotation of the pinion gear (fig.4); and a battery (B, fig.3), disposed on a seating surface of the frame cover spaced apart from the motor (figs.3-4), configured to supply power to the motor. Choi-1 does not explicitly disclose wherein the frame cover includes a plurality of first through holes penetrating the seating surface contacting the battery. However, Choi-2 teaches (figs. 1-11) wherein the frame cover includes a plurality of first through holes (1013a) penetrating the seating surface contacting the battery (190). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the frame cover includes a plurality of first through holes of Choi-2 to device of Choi-1 in order to provide internal power in order to supply appropriate power required for operating elements and components included in the mobile terminal (Choi-2 and [0062])
Regarding claim 3, Choi-1/Choi-2 discloses the electronic device of claim 1. Choi-1 teaches (fig.3) wherein an area of the seating surface corresponds to an area of a surface of the battery facing the seating surface.
Regarding claim 14, Choi-1/Choi-2 discloses the electronic device of claim 1. Choi-1 teaches (figs. 4-5) wherein the frame cover further includes an operation space (321) accommodating the rack gear, wherein the rack gear is movable within the operation space by rotation of the pinion gear.
Regarding claim 15, Choi-1/Choi-2 discloses the electronic device of claim 1. Choi-1 teaches (fig.6) wherein the rack gear is disposed on a periphery of the second housing facing a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the second housing.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi-1 et al in view of Choi-2 et al and further in view of Liu et al (US Pub No. 2022/0129034 A1 and Liu hereinafter)
Regarding claim 4, Choi-1/Choi-2 discloses the electronic device of claim 1, but fails to disclose a first sound absorber comprising a sound absorbing material disposed on the seating surface. However, Liu teaches (figs. 1-16) a first sound absorber comprising a sound absorbing material disposed on the seating surface. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine sound absorber of Liu to device of Choi-1/ Choi-2 in order to provide internal power in order to absorb an abnormal sound and produce a damping effect (Liu and [0054])
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 5-13 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.
Regarding claim 2, the prior art fails to disclose, “wherein the seating surface includes: a first reinforcement portion, extending in a first direction tilted with respect to a moving direction of the second housing, spaced apart from the plurality of first through holes; and a second reinforcement portion, across the first reinforcement portion, extending in a second direction tilted with respect to the moving direction of the second housing and distinct from the first direction, spaced apart from the plurality of first through holes, wherein the plurality of first through holes are disposed between the first reinforcement portion and the second reinforcement portion.”
Regarding claim 5, the prior art fails to disclose, “wherein the flexible display includes a display area visible from an outside of the electronic device, wherein the display area is configured to have: a first size in a first state in which the flexible display is slid into the inside of the first housing; and a second size greater than the first size in a second state in which the flexible display is slid out to the outside of the first housing, wherein the second housing includes: a cover region overlapping at least a portion of the seating surface among the inner surface of the second housing in the first state of the flexible display; and a plurality of second through holes penetrating the cover region.”
Claims 6-7 are objected being depend on claim 5.
Regarding claim 8, the prior art fails to disclose, “ wherein the frame cover further includes: a supporting portion facing the motor; and a seating portion, comprising a material different from the supporting portion, supporting the battery.”
Claims 9-10 are objected being depend on claim 8.
Regarding claim 11, the prior art fails to disclose, “a third sound absorber comprising a sound absorbing material, disposed on the inner surface of the second housing, facing a surface of the rack gear.”
Regarding claim 12, the prior art fails to disclose,“ wherein the frame cover further includes: a motor bracket, covering the pinion gear and a portion of the motor; a first fastener, penetrating a portion of the motor bracket, coupling the motor to the frame cover; and a second fastener, penetrating another portion of the motor bracket, coupling the motor to the frame cover, wherein the first and second fasteners are disposed on a moving path of the rack gear.”
Claim 13 is objected being depend on claim 12.
Claims 16-20 are allowable.
Regarding claim 16, the prior art fails to disclose, “wherein the frame cover includes a plurality of first through holes penetrating the seating surface contacting the battery, and wherein the second housing includes: a cover region overlapping at least a portion of the seating surface in the first state; and a plurality of second through holes penetrating the cover region.”
Claims 17-20 are objected being depend on claim 16.
Conclusion
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/ROCKSHANA D CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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