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
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)(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, and
(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 1, 2, 6 and 10-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Pat. No. Appl. Publ. No. 2015/0295615 to Smith et al. (i.e., Ref. 1 hereafter).
Referring to claim 1, Ref. 1 discloses a protective cover (100, Figs. 1A-3) for an electronic device, wherein the protective cover (100) comprises a first plate (200), a flexible bent sheet (206), and a second plate (300), the flexible bent sheet (206) is connected between the first plate (200) and the second plate (300), so that the first plate (200) and the second plate (300) are selectively overlaid or unfolded relative to each other (Figs. 1A & 2A); wherein
the first plate (200) comprises a first outer layer (104), a first inner layer (102), and a plurality of movable blocks (202), a first outer adhesive layer (122) is on a surface of the first outer layer (104), a first inner adhesive layer (120) is on a surface of the first inner layer (102), the movable blocks (202) are adhered between the first outer adhesive layer (122) and the first inner adhesive layer (102), and the movable blocks (202) are spaced apart from each other, so that the movable blocks (202) are selectively swingable relative to each other (Fig. 3 and para. 0073-0075);
the flexible bent sheet (206, Figs. 2B & 2C) comprises a flexible outer layer, a flexible inner layer, and a solidified thermoplastic adhesive layer, and the solidified thermoplastic adhesive layer is adhered between the flexible outer layer and the flexible inner layer, so that the flexible bent sheet is maintained in a bent state (Fig. 3 and para. 0071-0075).
Referring to claim 2, Ref. 1 discloses the protective cover of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the solidified thermoplastic adhesive layer is implicitly greater than a summation of a thickness of the first outer adhesive layer and a thickness of the first inner adhesive layer.
Referring to claim 6, Ref. 1 discloses the protective cover of claim 1, wherein the movable blocks (202) comprise a first movable block and a second movable block, the first movable block is nearer to the flexible bent sheet (206) as compared with the second movable block, and a region the solidified thermoplastic adhesive layer (120, 122) is adhered to the first movable block (i.e., close to the center of 206).
Referring to claim 10, Ref. 1 discloses the protective cover of claim 1, wherein the movable blocks (202) comprise a first movable block (near hinge 206), a second movable block (center portion), and a third movable block (closest to the edge), the second movable block is between the first movable block and the third movable block, and the first movable block is nearer to the flexible bent sheet (206) as compared with the second movable block and the third movable block (see Fig. 3).
Referring to claim 11, Ref. 1 discloses the protective cover of claim 1, wherein the second plate (300, Fig. 1A) comprises a connection sheet (304d) and a base plate (308), and the connection sheet (304d) is integrally connected to the flexible bent sheet (206) and fixed on the base plate (3089.
Referring to claim 12, Ref. 1 discloses the protective cover of claim 1, wherein a keyboard (not shown) is on the second plate. See para. 0102.
Referring to claims 13-18, the method steps are taught or at least adequately suggested in Figs. 13C, 13D and 20.
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 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ref. 1. Referring to claims 3 and 4, Ref. 1 discloses the device of claim 1 as substantially claimed, except for the claimed thicknesses of the adhesive layers. It has been recognized, however, that changing the size of an element would have been an obvious matter of design choice, since said change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art of electronic devices, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device as taught by Ref. 1 and recited in the above claims, in order to provide suitable thickness for the components.
Referring to claim 5, Ref. 1 discloses the protective cover of claim 4 as modified, wherein the outer side adhesive layer is integrally connected to the first outer adhesive layer, and the inner side adhesive layer is integrally connected to the first inner adhesive layer. See para. 0075.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 7, the specific limitations of “the movable blocks comprise a first movable block adjacent to the flexible bent sheet, the first movable block comprises a plurality of sheets stacked with each other, and a region of the solidified thermoplastic adhesive layer is sandwiched and adhered between the sheets,” in combination with the remaining elements, is not taught or adequately suggested in the prior art of record.
Regarding claim 8, the specific limitations of “the movable blocks comprise a first movable block adjacent to the flexible bent sheet, and the first movable block comprises a plurality of sheets stacked with each other; the solidified thermoplastic adhesive layer comprises an outer thickening adhesive layer, an inner thickening adhesive layer, and a middle thickening adhesive layer, the middle thickening adhesive layer is adhered between the outer thickening adhesive layer and the inner thickening adhesive layer, one side of the middle thickening adhesive layer is sandwiched and adhered between the sheets, and one side of the outer thickening adhesive layer and one side of the inner thickening adhesive layer are adhered to two opposite surfaces of the first movable block,” in combination with the remaining elements, is not taught or adequately suggested in the prior art of record.
Regarding claim 9, the specific limitations of “the flexible bent sheet is adapted to generate a torsion, and a direction of the torsion is a direction for overlaying the first plate on the second plate,” in combination with the remaining elements, is not taught or adequately suggested in the prior art of record.
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.
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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
July 29, 2026
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