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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “first arm”, “second arm”, “first gear”, “second gear” and “interlocking gear engaging with first and second gear” of claim 14 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7, 13, 15-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Minaguchi US 20110102982.
Regarding claim 1, Minaguchi US 20110102982 discloses an electronic device (1) comprising:
a first housing (2);
a second housing (3); and
a hinge apparatus (6 in Fig. 2-3) configured to foldably connect the first housing (2) and the second housing (3) to each other (as depicted in Fig. 3),
wherein the hinge apparatus (6) comprises:
a bracket (10/12 at 6 in Fig. 2, 4 and 6) comprising a first coupling portion (left portion of 2/12 at 6 in Fig. 1 and 4) and a second coupling portion (right portion of 2/12 at 6 in Fig. 1 and 6) spaced apart from the first coupling portion (left portion of 2/12 at 6 as depicted in Fig. 1);
a first rotator (31 in Fig. 4) comprising a first rotating portion (32 in Fig. 4) fastened to the first coupling portion (left portion of 2/12 at 6) of the bracket (10/12) to rotate relative to the bracket (10/12);
a second rotator (41 in Fig. 6) comprising a second rotating portion (42) fastened to the second coupling portion (right portion of 2/12 at 6) of the bracket (10/12) to rotate relative to the bracket (10/12); and
a damper (52) disposed on the second coupling portion (52 is disposed on protrusion 59 which is part of 12) to come into contact with the second rotating portion (42) depending on a degree of rotation of the first rotator and the second rotator relative to the bracket (see Fig. 7-15; torque is zero when no contact is present and non-zero with contacted).
Regarding claim 2, Minaguchi discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second rotating portion (42) is configured to come into contact with the damper (52) in a predetermined section depending on the degree of rotation of the first rotator and the second rotator (41) relative to the bracket (10/12).
Regarding claim 3, Minaguchi discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the damper (52) is seated in a second seating groove (groove of 59 receiving 52 in Fig. 7) provided in the second coupling portion (right portion of 2/12 at 6).
Regarding claim 4, Minaguchi discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the damper (52) comprises a buffer member (52) seated on the second coupling portion (right portion of 2/12 at 6) of the bracket (10/12), and a pressing plate (51) disposed on the buffer member (52) to press the second rotating portion (42).
Regarding claim 5, Minaguchi discloses the electronic device of claim 4, wherein the buffer member (52) is made of at least one of rubber (see [0072]), urethane, and silicone.
Regarding claim 7, Minaguchi discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the damper (52) is disposed on the bracket (10/12) to form a predetermined angle (as depicted in Fig. 7) relative to one surface of the bracket (10/12) and comes into contact with the second rotating portion (42).
Regarding claim 13, Minaguchi discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first rotator (31) comprises a first plate (plate of 32 in Fig. 4) comprising the first rotating portion (32) and coupled to the first housing (2), and the second rotator (41) comprises a second plate (plate of 42 in Fig. 6) comprising the second rotating portion (42) and coupled to the second housing (3).
Regarding claim 15, Minaguchi US 20110102982 discloses a hinge apparatus comprising:
a bracket (10/12 at 6 in Fig. 2, 4 and 6) comprising a first coupling portion (left portion of 2/12 at 6 in Fig. 1 and 4) and a second coupling portion (right portion of 2/12 at 6 in Fig. 1 and 6) spaced apart from the first coupling portion (left portion of 2/12 at 6 as depicted in Fig. 1);
a first rotator (31 in Fig. 4) comprising a first rotating portion (32 in Fig. 4) fastened to the first coupling portion (left portion of 2/12 at 6) of the bracket (10/12) to rotate relative to the bracket (10/12);
a second rotator (41 in Fig. 6) comprising a second rotating portion (42) fastened to the second coupling portion (right portion of 2/12 at 6) of the bracket (10/12) to rotate relative to the bracket (10/12); and
a damper (52) disposed on the second coupling portion (52 is disposed on protrusion 59 which is part of 12) to come into contact with the second rotating portion (42) depending on a degree of rotation of the first rotator and the second rotator relative to the bracket (see Fig. 7-15; torque is zero when no contact is present and non-zero with contacted).
Regarding claim 16, Minaguchi discloses the hinge apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second rotating portion (42) is configured to come into contact with the damper (52) in a predetermined section depending on the degree of rotation of the first rotator and the second rotator (41) relative to the bracket (10/12).
Regarding claim 17, Minaguchi discloses the hinge apparatus of claim 15, wherein the damper (52) is seated in a second seating groove (groove of 59 receiving 52 in Fig. 7) provided in the second coupling portion (right portion of 2/12 at 6).
Regarding claim 18, Minaguchi discloses the hinge apparatus of claim 15, wherein the damper (52) comprises a buffer member (52) seated on the second coupling portion (right portion of 2/12 at 6) of the bracket (10/12), and a pressing plate (51) disposed on the buffer member (52) to press the second rotating portion (42).
Regarding claim 19, Minaguchi discloses the hinge apparatus of claim 15, wherein the damper (52) is disposed on the bracket (10/12) to form a predetermined angle (as depicted in Fig. 7) relative to one surface of the bracket (10/12) and comes into contact with the second rotating portion (42).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 8-12, 14 and 20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 6, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that “wherein the first rotating portion of the first rotator comprises a first contact portion configured to come into contact with the damper in a predetermined section depending on the degree of rotation of the first rotator relative to the bracket, and
a first groove extending on the first contact portion in one direction not to come into contact with the damper in a remaining section other than the predetermined section, and
the second rotating portion of the second rotator comprises a second contact portion configured to come into contact with the damper depending on the degree of rotation of the second rotator relative to the bracket, and a second groove extending on the second contact portion in one direction not to come into contact with the damper in the remaining section other than the predetermined section”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 8, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that “wherein the first rotator comprises a first cam structure provided on the first rotating portion,
wherein the second rotator comprises a second cam structure provided on the second rotating portion, and
wherein the hinge apparatus further comprises:
a first cam slide comprising a first cam portion configured to be engaged with the first cam structure of the first rotator; and
a second cam slide comprising a second cam portion configured to be engaged with the second cam structure of the second rotator”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 9-12 depending from claim 8 would therefore also be allowable.
Regarding claim 14, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that “further comprising:
a first arm comprising a first gear,
wherein the first arm is connected to the first rotator to be rotatable relative to the bracket and connected to the first housing;
a second arm comprising a second gear,
wherein the second arm is connected to the second rotator to be rotatable relative to the bracket and connected to the second housing; and
an interlocking gear engaged with the first gear and the second gear to rotate”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 20, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 15, a combination of limitations that “wherein the first rotating portion of the first rotator comprises a first contact portion configured to come into contact with the damper in a predetermined section depending on the degree of rotation of the first rotator relative to the bracket, and a first groove extending on the first contact portion in one direction not to come into contact with the damper in the remaining section other than the predetermined section, and the second rotating portion of the second rotator comprises a second contact portion configured to come into contact with the damper in the predetermined section depending on the degree of rotation of the second rotator relative to the bracket, and a second groove extending on the second contact portion in one direction not to come into contact with the damper in the remaining section other than the predetermined section”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Feng US 20240302868 Fig. 12 shows a rotation mechanism with gears;
Liang US 20140055920 Fig. 5-9a discloses a rotation mechanism with a damper.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7659. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 3 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Allen L Parker can be reached at 303-297-4722. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/JAMES WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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