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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 6 cites “a path length of the second duct between the separation space and the inner space is relatively shorter than a path length of the second duct in other areas of the first side wall”. It is not understood and confusing what is meant by this limitation, as it can be interpreted that “a path length” as a distinct element can be at two places at the same time, “a path length” could be comprised of several path, among other interpretations. Furthermore, the relative term “relatively shorter” further adds to the confusion, since it hinders clarity of how much shorter this “path length” is to itself.
For the purpose of examination, the office will interpret this limitation as “a path length of the second duct between the separation space and the inner space is shorter than a path length of the first duct in other areas of the first side wall”.
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.
Claims 1-11, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by An et al (US 20170023981; “An” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 1, An teaches an electronic device comprising:
a display (110, fig. 5);
a rear surface cover (110, fig. 5) facing the display (fig. 5); and
a housing (130 and 150, fig. 5) surrounding an inner space formed between the display and the rear surface cover (fig. 5),
wherein the housing comprises:
a first housing (150, fig. 5) comprising a first plate portion (horizontal portion of 150, fig. 5) at least partially facing the display, and a first side wall (153, fig. 5) surrounding a perimeter of the first plate portion (figs. 5, 7-8, 12); and
a second housing (130, fig. 5) comprising a second plate portion (bottom part of 130, fig. 5) to which the rear surface cover is coupled (figs. 5, 7-8, 12), and a second side wall (133, fig. 5) surrounding a perimeter of the second plate portion (fig. 5) and spaced outwardly apart from at least a portion of the first side wall (fig. 5),
wherein, between the first housing and the second housing, a gap (141, figs. 5 and 7) extends from a separation space (space where the gap is disposed, fig. 5) between the first side wall and the second side wall (fig. 5), and
wherein the first side wall comprises at least one duct (143, 145, 155, fig. 7) connected to the gap (¶[0063]) and concavely extending along a peripheral direction of the electronic device (see at least figs. 7-8, 12, ¶[0061], [0066]).
Regarding claim 2, An teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further teaches:
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wherein the duct is concave in a portion of a surface of the first side wall facing the second side wall (see ‘CP’ in annotated fig. 7 below).
Regarding claim 3, An teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further teaches:
wherein an air resistance in the gap is greater in an area closer to the inner space than in an area where the duct is positioned (this limitation is met upon examination of figures 5 and 7 and ¶[0061], [0063]-[0064]), so that a path of least resistance is established where the duct is positioned compared to other pathways, and therefore promote drainage).
Regarding claim 4, An teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further teaches:
wherein the duct is bent (143 is bent relative to 155, fig. 7) to avoid at least one through-area (inner portion of distal end of 153, fig. 7) formed in a portion of the first side wall.
Regarding claim 5, An teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further teaches:
wherein the duct comprises multiple ducts including a first duct (143) and a second duct (145, fig. 7) positioned closer to the inner space than the first duct (fig. 7).
Regarding claim 6 (as best understood), An teaches the limitations of claim 5, and further teaches: wherein a path length of the second duct between the separation space and the inner space is shorter than a path length of the first duct in other areas of the first side wall (fig. 7 discloses this limitation).
Regarding claim 7, An teaches the limitations of claim 5, and further teaches:
wherein the second duct extends at least partially parallel to the first duct (fig. 7 discloses this limitation).
Regarding claim 8, An teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further teaches:
wherein at least one of the first side wall or the second side wall comprises at least one rib protruding into the gap (upper end of 135, fig. 7, “Accordingly, the inner wall 135 of the optical guide portion 130 and the border 151 of the frame portion 150 can prevent the liquid that flows into the drainage path 143 through the gap 141 from flowing into the area in which the printed circuit board 170 that is vulnerable to water is arranged”, ¶0061]) and extending along a peripheral direction of the electronic device (see at least fig. 8).
Regarding claim 9, An teaches the limitations of claim 8, and further teaches:
wherein the rib is positioned closer to the inner space than the duct (fig. 7 teaches this limitation).
Regarding claim 10, An teaches the limitations of claim 8, and further teaches:
wherein the duct and the rib extend parallel to each other in at least a partial area of a periphery of the electronic device (figs. 7-8, 9A teaches this limitation).
Regarding claim 11, An teaches the limitations of claim 8, and further teaches:
wherein the first side wall comprises multiple ducts including a first duct (155, fig. 7) and a second duct (143, fig. 7) positioned closer to the inner space than the first duct (fig. 7), and
wherein the second duct is disposed between the first duct and the rib (fig. 7).
Regarding claim 15, An teaches the limitations of claim 1, and further teaches:
further comprising a printed circuit board (170) disposed in the inner space (fig. 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-14 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 12, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest,
in combination with other limitations recited in claims 1 and 8, a combination of limitations that teaches: wherein the at least one duct is formed on one surface of the first side wall, and the at least one rib is formed on a surface of the second side wall facing the one surface of the first side wall. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 13, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest,
in combination with other limitations recited in claims 1 and 8, a combination of limitations that teaches: wherein the first side wall comprises a first rib spaced apart from the duct, and the second side wall comprises multiple second ribs. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 14 is objected to by virtue of dependency to claim 13.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is:
US 20240407109 A1 Terminal. This invention relates generally to a a battery cover, a middle frame, an adhesive component, and a waterproof component. The adhesive component is provided with an opening groove. There is an avoidance distance between the waterproof component and the opening groove, and a liquid inlet path is formed.
US 9226076 B2 Evacuation of Liquid from Acoustic Space. This invention generally relates to a liquid removal mechanism removes liquid from the acoustic cavity. Such a liquid removal mechanism may include the acoustic membrane, heating elements, hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic surfaces, and so on.
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/ALLEN L PARKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/P.K./Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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