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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Seo et al. (US 2018/0049329).
Regarding claim 1 Seo discloses:
An electronic device comprising:
a foldable housing including a first housing (e.g. 101a fig.3) and a second housing (E.G. 101B fig.3);
a flexible display (e.g. 102 FIG.3) accommodated in the first housing and the second housing; and
a hinge structure (e.g. 101c FIG.3) connected with the first housing and the second housing, the hinge structure including:
a first shaft (e.g. 1012 FIG.60), a second shaft (e.g. 1014 FIG.60), a first arm part (e.g. 1011 FIG.60) rotatably coupled with the first shaft, and including a first cam structure and a second cam structure spaced apart from each other in a length direction of the first shaft(e.g. shown extending to the right of 1019 FIG.60) (e.g. shown FIG.20), a second arm part (e.g. 1015 FIG.60) rotatably coupled with the second shaft (e.g. shown FIG.61), and including a third cam structure and a fourth cam structure (e.g. shown extending to the left FIG.60) spaced apart from each other in a length direction of the second shaft, a first elastic body (e.g. 1004 FIG.60) coupled with the first shaft between the first cam structure and the second cam structure (e.g. shown FIG.61), a second elastic body coupled with the second shaft between the third cam structure and the fourth cam structure (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61), a first cam member including a first cam and a second cam engaged with the first cam structure and the third cam structure (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61), respectively, and a second cam member including a third cam and a fourth cam engaged with the second cam structure and the fourth cam structure (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61), respectively.
Regarding claim 2 Seo discloses:
the first cam member and the second cam member are disposed such that the first cam receives a first elastic force directly from the first elastic body, and the second cam receives a second elastic force directly from the second elastic body (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61).
Regarding claim 3 Seo discloses:
the first cam member and the second cam member are disposed such that the second cam structure receives the first elastic force directly from the first elastic body, and the fourth cam structure receives the second elastic force directly from the second elastic body (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61).
Regarding claim 4 Seo discloses:
the first cam structure, the first cam, the first elastic body and the third cam are aligned in an order with respect to the first shaft (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61), and wherein the third cam structure, the second cam, the second elastic body and the fourth cam are aligned in an order with respect to the second shaft (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61).
Regarding claim 5 Seo discloses:
the first cam member and the second cam member are disposed such that the first cam and the third cam receive a first elastic force directly from the first elastic body (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61), and the second cam and the fourth cam receive a second elastic force directly from the second elastic body (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61).
Regarding claim 6 Seo discloses:
the first cam structure, the first cam, the first elastic body, the second cam structure and the third cam are aligned in an order with respect to the first shaft (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61), and wherein the third cam structure, the second cam, the second elastic body, the fourth cam structure and the fourth cam are aligned in an order with respect to the second shaft (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.61).
Regarding claim 7 Seo discloses:
the hinge structure further comprises: a first rotating part (e.g. 1019 FIG.62) slidably coupled with the first arm part; and
a second rotating part (e.g. other 1019 FIG.62) slidably coupled with the second arm part.
Regarding claim 8 Seo discloses:
the first shaft and the second shaft are configured to rotate about a first axis for folding and unfolding of the first housing and a second axis for folding and unfolding of the second housing, respectively (e.g. shown FIG.63-FIG.77).
Regarding claim 9 Seo discloses:
the first rotating part is configured to rotate about a third axis (e.g. shown FIG.63-FIG.77), and wherein the second rotating part is configured to rotate about a fourth axis (e.g. shown FIG.63-FIG.77).
Regarding claim 10 Seo discloses:
a distance between the third axis and the fourth axis is smaller than a distance between the first axis and the second axis (e.g. shown/indicated FIG.63-FIG.77).
Regarding claim 11 Seo discloses:
central portions of peaks of the first cam structure and the second cam structure are inclined such that second sides thereof that face a first direction are higher than first sides thereof that face a second direction being opposite with respect to the first direction (e.g. via curvature shown FIG.63-FIG.77), and wherein central portions of peaks of the third cam structure and the fourth cam structure are inclined such that second sides thereof that face the first direction are lower than first sides thereof that face the second direction (e.g. via curvature shown FIG.63-FIG.77).
Regarding claim 12 Seo discloses:
central portions of peaks of the first cam and the third cam are inclined such that second sides thereof that face the first direction are lower than first sides thereof that face the second direction (e.g. via curvature shown FIG.63-FIG.77), and wherein central portions of peaks of the second cam and the fourth cam are inclined such that second sides thereof that face the first direction are higher than first sides thereof that face the second direction (e.g. via curvature shown FIG.63-FIG.77).
Regarding claim 13 Seo discloses:
the central portions of peaks of the first cam and the third cam come into contact with the central portions of peaks of the first cam structure and the second cam structure each other at the inclination (e.g. indicated FIG.61, shown via curvature FIG.63-FIG.77).
Regarding claim 14 Seo discloses:
the central portions of peaks of the second cam and the fourth cam come into contact with the central portions of peaks of the third cam structure and the fourth cam structure (e.g. indicated FIG.61, shown via curvature FIG.63-FIG.77).
Regarding claim 15 Seo discloses:
the first cam member further includes: a first cam body connecting the first cam and the second cam (e.g. spanning between shown FIG.60).
Regarding claim 16 Seo discloses:
the second cam member further includes: a second cam body connecting the third cam and the fourth cam (e.g. spanning between shown FIG.60).
Regarding claim 17 Seo discloses:
a fifth cam structure (e.g. at least four per shaft shown FIG.60) coupled with the first shaft; and
a sixth cam structure (e.g. at least four per shaft shown FIG.60) coupled with the second shaft.
Regarding claim 18 Seo discloses:
a fifth cam engaged with the fifth cam structure (e.g. at least four per shaft shown FIG.60, shown engaged FIG.61);
a sixth cam engaged with the sixth cam structure (e.g. at least four per shaft shown FIG.60, shown engaged FIG.61); and
a cam body connected between the fifth cam and the sixth cam (e.g. section between them shown FIG.60).
Regarding claim 19 Seo discloses:
central portions of peaks of the fifth cam structure and the sixth cam structure are inclined such that second sides thereof that face the second direction is higher than first sides thereof that faces the first direction (e.g. via curvature shown FIG.63-FIG.77), and wherein central portions of peaks of the fifth cam and the sixth cam are inclined such that second sides thereof that face the second direction is lower than first sides thereof that faces the first direction (e.g. via curvature shown FIG.63-FIG.77).
Regarding claim 20 Seo discloses:
further comprises: a hinge housing (e.g. 105 FIG.6) in which at least a portion of the hinge structure is accommodated.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The additional references cited on the PTO-892 disclose/teach similar hinged housing structures for circuit boards as those disclosed in the present application.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THERON S MILLISER whose telephone number is (571)270-1800. The examiner can normally be reached 9-6.
Limited examiner interviews are available.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani N. 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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/THERON S MILLISER/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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