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 Group 1, claims 1-15 in the reply filed on July 20, 2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the grounds that invention I cannot be considered to have independent utility distinguishable from invention II:
The office disagrees, claim 16 contains clam elements which are not described in claims 1-15, such as a fixing portion on the guide portion and wherein the connector is configured to be fixed to the fixing portion or be released from the fixing portion by rotating on the fixing portion in a first direction. For the purpose of examination, claims 1-15 are examined as follows; however, claims 16-20 are withdrawn from examination as directed to non-elected subject matter. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), and based on application # 10-2024-0016126 filed in Korea on February 1, 2024 which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Oath/Declaration
The Office acknowledges receipt of a properly signed Oath/Declaration submitted December 26, 2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statements filed have been received, entered into the record, and considered.
Drawings
The drawings filed December 26, 2024, are accepted by the examiner.
Abstract
The abstract filed December 26, 2024, is accepted by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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 of this title, 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, 2, 3, 4, 9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamanaka et al (submitted IDS prior art US 20070145212 A1) in view of Kim (US 20070210221 A1).
As to Claim 1:
Yamanaka et al. discloses a display apparatus (Yamanaka, see Abstract, where Yamanaka discloses that to prevent of a useless space from being produced in a package when the television is packed in the package, bolts 40b, 4lb are located at terminals of horizontally extending through-slots 44a, 45a which are connected to vertically extending through-slots 44b, 45b. When the stands 40, 41 are to be stored, shafts of the stands 40, 41 are rotated such that the bolts 40b, 41b are guided at terminals of the horizontally extending through-slots 44a, 45a which are connected to the vertically extending through-slots 44b, 45b. When the stands 40, 41 are pushed upward to thereby cause the bolts 40 to arrive at upper terminals of the vertically extending through-slots 44b, 45b while being guided along the vertically extending through-slots 44b, 45b, the stands
40, 41 are accommodated in a storage space 46) comprising: a display (Yamanaka, see 30 in figure 1); and a stand (Yamanaka, see 40 and 41 in figure 1) configured to support the display (Yamanaka, see 30 in figure 1), wherein the stand (Yamanaka, see 40 and 41 in figure 1) comprises: a mounting part detachably mountable (Yamanaka, see 42 and 43 in figure 3 and paragraph [0046], where Yamanaka discloses that as shown in FIG. 3, a frame member 50 is fixed to the PDP module 30 so as to surround upper, lower, left and right sides of the PDP module 30. Two reinforcement frames, i.e., a right vertically extending reinforcement frame 42 and a left vertically extending reinforcement frame 43 are arranged at a back side of the PDP module 30 so as to be laterally spaced apart from each other, with upper and lower ends thereof being screw-fastened to the frame member 50, whereby the frame member 50 is reinforced) on the display (Yamanaka, see 30 in figure 3); and a supporting part rotatable in a first direction to a locking position or an unlocking position (Yamanaka, see 40b in figure 8 and paragraph [0070] and [0074], where Yamanaka discloses that FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a first modification of the stand storage structure shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. In the illustrate example, the right guide member 44 has a second right horizontally extending through-slot 44c and a third right horizontally extending through-slot 44d which communicate with the right vertically extending through-slot 44b and are formed in portions
of the right guide member 44 which are offset upward relative to the first right horizontally extending through-slot 44a. Similarly, the left guide member 45 has a second left horizontally extending through-slot 45c and a third left horizontally extending through-slot 45d which communicate with the left vertically extending through-slot 45b and are formed in portions of the left guide member 45 which are offset upward relative to the first left horizontally extending
through-slot 45a. The second horizontally extending through-slots 44c, 45c and the third horizontally extending through-slots 44d, 45d are to be used for positioning the right and left stands 40, 41 when the heights of the right and left stands 40, 41 are to be changed. The respective shafts are screw-fastened to the corresponding reinforcement frames. When the display screen of the plasma television 10 is still at an upper location, the right bolt 40b is moved to a right terminal of the third right horizontally extending through-slot 44d in the same manner as discussed above and, thereafter, the right shaft 40a is screw-fastened to the right reinforcement frame 42. Similarly, the left bolt 41b is moved to a left terminal of the third left horizontally extending through-slot 45d and,
thereafter, the left shaft 41a is screw-fastened to the left reinforcement frame 43), wherein a movement of the supporting part (Yamanaka, 40b in figure 8) with respect to the mounting part is restricted in a state (Yamanaka, 44a in figure 8) in which the supporting part (Yamanaka, see 40b in figure 8) is in the locking position (Yamanaka, see paragraph [0073], where Yamanaka discloses that the right shaft 40a is pushed upward in such a manner to allow the right bolt 40b to be guided along the right vertically extending through-slot 44b, and is then rotated in the left direction as viewed from the upper side in such a manner to allow the right bolt 40b to be moved to a right terminal of the second right horizontally extending through-slot 44c along the second right horizontally extending through-slot 44c. Similarly, the left shaft 41a is pushed upward in such a manner to allow the left bolt 41b to be guided along the left vertically extending through-slot 45b, and is then rotated in the right direction as viewed from the upper side in such a manner to allow the left bolt 41b to be
moved to a left terminal of the second left horizontally extending through-slot 45c along the second left horizontally extending through-slot 45c), wherein the movement of the supporting part with respect to the mounting part is allowed in a state in which the supporting part is in the unlocking position (Yamanaka, see 44 and 45 in figure 8 and paragraph [0070], where Yamanaka discloses that the right guide member 44 has a second right horizontally extending through-slot 44c and a third right horizontally extending through-slot 44d which communicate with the right vertically extending through-slot 44b and are formed in portions of the right guide member 44 which are offset upward
relative to the first right horizontally extending through-slot 44a. Similarly, the left guide member 45 has a second left horizontally extending through-slot 45c and a third left horizontally extending through-slot 45d which communicate with the left vertically extending through-slot 45b and are
formed in portions of the left guide member 45 which are offset upward relative to the first left horizontally extending through-slot 45a. The second horizontally extending through-slots 44c, 45c and the third horizontally extending through-slots 44d, 45d are to be used for positioning the
right and left stands 40, 41 when the heights of the right and left stands 40, 41 are to be changed), and wherein in a state in which the supporting part is in the locking position (Yamanaka, see 40b and 41b in figure 8).
Yamanaka differs from the claimed subject matter in that Yamanaka does not explicitly disclose that the mounting part is rotatable in a second direction different from the first direction.
However in an analogous art, Kim discloses that the mounting part is rotatable in a second direction different from the first direction (Kim in figure 150 in figure 5 and 130 and 250 in figure 6 and paragraph [0082], where Kim discloses that as shown in FIG. 6, the first link member 130 tilts
about the first and second link hinge shafts 251 and 267 of the link hinge unit 250. When the first link member 130 tilts about the first and second link hinge shafts 251 and 267, the sub link member 220 rotates together with the first link member 130, and the upper shaft 171 of the main body hinge
unit 160 rotates by means of the rotation of the sub link member 220. The main body hinge shaft 161 coupled with the upper shaft 171 rotates, and the main body bracket 150 rotates by means of the main body hinge shaft 161 being forcedly inserted into the main body bracket 150. Thus, the
rotation of the first link member 130 can be interlocked with the rotation of the display main body 111. Accordingly, the display main body 111 can uniformly maintain a viewing angle, and the height thereof can be adjusted. The sub elastic member 230 allows the weight of the display main body 111 to be easily overcome. Accordingly, the rotation thereof can be smoothly accomplished).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the invention of Yamanaka with Kim. One would be motivated to modify Yamanaka by disclosing that the mounting part is rotatable in a second direction different from the first direction as taught by Kim and thereby providing a display apparatus which has an enhanced link configuration (Kim, see paragraph [0003]).
As to Claim 2:
Yamanaka in view of Kim discloses that the display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting part comprises a guide portion extending in an upper-lower direction in a state in which the mounting part is mounted on the display (Yamanaka, see 44d, 44c, 44b in figure 8), and wherein the supporting part comprises a connector (Yamanaka, see 40b in figure 8) configured to be movably coupled to the guide portion (Yamanaka, see 44d, 44c, 44b in figure 8) in a state in which the supporting part is in the unlocking position (Yamanaka, see 44 and 45 in figure 8 and paragraph [0070], where Yamanaka discloses that the right guide member 44 has a second right horizontally extending through-slot 44c and a third right horizontally extending through-slot 44d which communicate with the right vertically extending through-slot 44b and are formed in portions of the right guide member 44 which are offset upward relative to the first right horizontally extending through-slot 44a. Similarly, the left guide member 45 has a second left horizontally extending through-slot 45c and a third left horizontally extending through-slot 45d which communicate with the left vertically extending through-slot 45b and are formed in portions of the left guide member 45 which are offset upward relative to the first left horizontally extending through-slot 45a. The second horizontally extending through-slots 44c, 45c and the third horizontally extending through-slots 44d, 45d are to be used for positioning the right and left stands 40, 41 when the heights of the right and left stands 40, 41 are to be changed).
As to Claim 3:
Yamanaka in view of Kim discloses that the display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the mounting part comprises a fixing portion configured to fix the connector to a fixed position (Yamanaka, see 44d, 44c, 44b in figure 8) in a state in which the supporting part is in the locking position (Yamanaka, see 44 and 45 in figure 8 and paragraph [0070], where Yamanaka discloses that the right guide member 44 has a second right horizontally extending through-slot 44c and a third right horizontally extending through-slot 44d which communicate with the right vertically extending through-slot 44b and are formed in portions of the right guide member 44 which are offset upward relative to the first right horizontally extending through-slot 44a. Similarly, the left guide member 45 has a second left horizontally extending through-slot 45c and a third left horizontally extending through-slot 45d which communicate with the left vertically extending through-slot 45b and are formed in portions of the left guide member 45 which are offset upward relative to the first left horizontally extending through-slot 45a. The second horizontally extending through-slots 44c, 45c and the third horizontally extending through-slots 44d, 45d are to be used for positioning the right and left stands 40, 41 when the heights of the right and left stands 40, 41 are to be changed).
As to Claim 4:
Yamanaka in view of Kim discloses that the display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the supporting part further comprises: a base (Yamanaka, see 40 in figure 8); and a leg (Yamanaka, see 40a in figure 8) extending from the base (Yamanaka, see 40 in figure 8), and wherein the connector further comprises: a connector body (Yamanaka, see 44 in figure 8) on the guide portion (Yamanaka, see 44b, 44d, 44c in figure 8); and a connecting protrusion extending from the connector body (Yamanaka, see cavity in 44 receiving 40a in figure 8) toward the leg (Yamanaka, see 40a in figure 8) and configured to connect the connector body (Yamanaka, see 40 in figure 8) to the leg (Yamanaka, see 40a in figure 8).
As to Claim 9:
Yamanaka in view of Kim discloses that the display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stand comprises: a first stand disposed at one end of the display (Yamanaka, see 43 in figure 8); and a second stand disposed at another end of the display (Yamanaka, see 42 in figure 8).
As to Claim 11:
Yamanaka in view of Kim discloses that the display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a display panel and a rear cover configured to cover a rear of the display panel (Yamanaka, see paragraph [0046], where Yamanaka discloses that a frame member 50 is fixed to the PDP module 30 so as to surround upper, lower, left and right sides of the PDP module 30, and wherein the rear cover comprises a mounting groove configured to mount the mounting part therein (Yamanaka, see paragraph [0046], where Yamanaka discloses that two reinforcement frames, i.e., a right vertically extending reinforcement frame 42 and a left vertically extending reinforcement frame 43 are arranged at a back side of the PDP module 30 so as to be laterally spaced apart from each other, with upper and lower ends thereof being screw-fastened to the frame member 50, whereby the frame member 50 is reinforced. Thus, a peripheral step portion (not shown) of the frame member 50 which projects toward a front surface of the PDP module 30 supports the PDP module 30 from a front side, and the right reinforcement frame 42 and the left reinforcement frame 43 support the PDP module 30 from a rear side, whereby the PDP module 30 is held by the frame member 50 and the right and left reinforcement frames 42, 43).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12-15 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.
Referring to claim 5, the following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fail to suggest limitations “wherein the first direction is a direction in which the connector rotates about a central axis of the connecting protrusion”.
Referring to claim 6, the following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fail to suggest limitations “wherein the supporting part further comprises a hinge shaft extending in a direction intersecting with a direction in which the connecting protrusion extends, and wherein the second direction is a direction in which the mounting part rotates about a central axis of the hinge shaft together with the connector in a state in which the supporting part is in the locking position”.
Referring to claim 7, the following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fail to suggest limitations “wherein the guide portion comprises: a seating portion; and a guide hole on an inner side of the seating portion, wherein at least a portion of the connector body is seated on the seating portion, and wherein the connecting protrusion passes through the guide hole”.
Referring to claim 8, the following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fail to suggest limitations “wherein the connector body comprises: a convex portion on an edge of the connector body; and a concave portion configured to seat the convex portion thereon, and wherein in a state in which the convex portion is seated on the concave portion, the connector is fixed to the fixed position by the fixing portion”.
Referring to claim 10, the following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fail to suggest limitations “wherein the fixing portion comprises: a first fixing portion configured to fix the mounting part at a first height in a state in which the supporting part is in the locking position; and a second fixing portion configured to fix the mounting part at a second height different from the first height in a state in which the supporting part is in the locking position”.
Referring to claim 12, the following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fail to suggest limitations “wherein the mounting part comprises a first magnetic body, and wherein the rear cover comprises: a seating surface configured to seat the mounting part thereon in a state in which the mounting part is mounted in the mounting groove; and a second magnetic body disposed on a side opposite to the mounting part with respect to the seating surface in a state in which the mounting part is mounted in the mounting groove”.
Referring to claim 13, the following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fail to suggest limitations “wherein the mounting part further comprises a hook at one end of the mounting part, wherein the rear cover further comprises a hook insertion groove at one end of the mounting groove, and wherein at least a portion of the hook is configured to be inserted into the hook insertion groove in a state in which the mounting part is mounted in the mounting groove”.
Referring to claim 14, the following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fail to suggest limitations “wherein the mounting part comprises an elastic body at an upper end of the hook and configured to press the hook downward in a state in which the mounting part is mounted in the mounting groove, and wherein the hook comprises an inclined portion at a lower end of the hook and configured to guide the hook upward in a state in which the mounting part is mounted in the mounting groove”.
Referring to claim 15, the following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fail to suggest limitations “wherein the mounting part further comprises: a case configured to accommodate at least a portion of the hook; and a sliding part connected to the hook and provided on an outer surface of the case, and wherein the sliding part is configured to move upward and downward with respect to the case together with the hook in a state in which the mounting part is mounted in the mounting groove”.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
applicant's disclosure. Maruta (US 20070103605 A1) discloses that spacers are arranged between the back face of a plasma display panel (PDP) module (30) and two bridge frames (60) each having upper and lower fixing sections with threaded holes (71) through which the upper and lower ends of the bridge frames are fixed to the upper and lower ends of a frame (50). Projections on the upper and lower left screw fixation sections and the upper and lower right screw fixation sections of each bridge frame position the bridge frames and retain the spacers. All of the upper and lower left and right screw fixation sections have threaded round or oblong holes.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NELSON ROSARIO whose telephone number is (571)270-1866. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday, 7:30am- 5:00pm EST. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Eason can be reached on (571) 270-7230. 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.
/NELSON M ROSARIO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2624
