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DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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.
(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.
If the exception under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) is properly invoked, a disqualified U.S. patent document is not prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as of its effectively filed date (for both anticipation and obviousness rejections), but it may still be used as prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as of its publication or issue date. In addition, the examiner may make a subsequent, new double patenting rejection based upon the disqualified reference. See MPEP 717.02 and 2154.02.
4. Claims 1-2 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)(2) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US Publication 2016/0034047).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses an electronic device (Lee, fig. 1, disclosing a flexible device) comprising:
a flexible display having at least one folding area being an area in which the flexible display is folded (Lee, fig. 1, para. 0115, disclosing flexible display 110 that may be folded or unfolded at a particular angle or a particular curvature, the flexible display being a bendable display that may be bent or unbent at a particular curvature, or a rollable display that may be rolled in a cylindrical shape);
at least one hinge configured to fold or unfold the at least one folding area to an unfolded state or a folded state between a first angle and a second angle (Lee, fig. 1, para. 0124, the flexible display 110 may be folded around one folding axis as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The folding axis may be an axis around which the flexible display 110 is folded by means of, for example, a hinge provided in the flexible device; para’s 0122-0123, the “unfolding motion” denotes that the screen of the flexible display 110 is exposed to the outside such that an unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 is between “0°” and “180°.” For example, the unfolding motion may denote a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 changes or increases from “0°” to “45°”, or a motion in which the unfolding angle increases from “90°” to “135°”. In other words, the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the unfolding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180°”. Alternatively, a visible area of the flexible display 110 may extend according to the unfolding motion. In contrast, the “folding motion” denotes a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 gradually decreases. Accordingly, the visible area of the flexible display 110 may be reduced by the folding motion. For example, the folding motion may denote a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 changes or decreases from “45°” to “0°”, or a motion in which the unfolding angle decreases from “180°” to “135°”. Similarly to the unfolding motion, the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the folding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180);
a plurality of sensors configured to collect folding data comprising information of a state of the at least one hinge (Lee, para’s 0154, 0135, 0169-0173, various sensors may be used to recognize a motion of the flexible device 10; sensor 120 may sense a shape change of the foldable display/device from a folding state to an unfolding state. The sensor 120 may sense an unfolding angle or an unfolding curvature of the foldable device/display. In other words, the sensor 120 may sense an unfolding motion of the foldable device/display. Likewise, the sensor 120 may sense a shape change of the foldable device/display from an unfolding state to a folding state. In other words, the sensor 120 may sense a folding motion of the foldable device/display);
memory storing a video comprising a plurality of images to be displayed on the flexible display, the folding data, and instructions executed by one or more processors (Lee, para. 0177 and 0214, memory 350 for storing the information processed by the flexible device 10; displaying objects 1401 to 1410 on a layout 1400 on the flexible display 110 may correspond to various links; para. 0027, content stored on the foldable device); and the one or more processors configured to execute the instructions,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to:
read the folding data stored in the memory and determine a deformation of the at least one hinge; match the plurality of images to a plurality of angles between the first angle and the second angle; determine a current angle of the at least one hinge via the folding data; and display an image, among the plurality of images, matched to the current angle of the at least one hinge on the flexible display (Lee, para’s 0137-0143, controller 130 may perform a function of controlling an overall operation of the foldable device 11. The controller 130 generates a layout to be displayed on the foldable display 111, in which a visual representation dynamically varies according to the degree of deformation sensed by the sensor 120. In other words, the controller 130 may read folding or unfolding data/information and generate a layout in which a visual effect varies along with an unfolding motion or a folding motion sensed by the sensor 120. Accordingly, the controller 130 may control the display of a layout such that a change of a representation of at least one object included in the layout corresponds to a sensed unfolding motion or a sensed folding motion. The controller 130 may perform an overall process of generating a layout such as a display state of an object to be included in a layout or a type of information corresponding to an object. The controller 130 generates a layout of a user interface screen corresponding to each of the deformation states in the deformation range sensed by the sensor 120. Each of the deformation states may denote the unfolding angle. In detail, the controller 130 may previously generate a layout corresponding to each of the unfolding angles of the foldable display 111. In other words, the controller 130 may generate at each unfolding angle a layout corresponding to each unfolding angle of the foldable display 111. For example, the controller 130 may generate a “layout 45” corresponding to the unfolding angle “45°”, a “layout 90” corresponding to the unfolding angle “90°”, or a “layout 135” corresponding to the unfolding angle “135°”. In other words, the controller 130 may previously generate a layout to be displayed until reaching a particular unfolding angle like processing a plurality of frames for reproduction of a moving picture. The foldable display 111 provides a graphical user interface screen in which a visual representation dynamically varies along with the deformation of the foldable display 111. In other words, when an unfolding motion is sensed, the foldable display 111 may display a layout in which a representation of at least one of objects varies. The foldable display 111 may display the layout generated by the controller 130 in each of the deformation states. In other words, similar to the principle of reproduction of a moving picture in which a plurality of frames is sequentially and rapidly displayed, the foldable display 111 sequentially or continuously displays the layout generated by the controller 130 and thus a dynamic graphical user interface screen may be provided according to the deformation of the foldable display; para’s 0120-0122, the opening of the flexible device 10 may be denoted as a motion of unfolding the flexible device 10; the “unfolding motion” denotes that the screen of the flexible display 110 is exposed to the outside such that an unfolding angle of the flexible device/display is between “0°” and “180°”; the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the unfolding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180°”. A visible area of the flexible display 110 may extend according to the unfolding motion);
Regarding claim 2, Lee discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to in a state in which the video is played forward, match a first image through a last image, of the plurality of images, to the first angle through the second angle by an equal angle, the equal angle being an equal interval between each of the first angle through the second angle, and the first angle being less than the second angle, and wherein the equal angle is an angle calculated by dividing a difference between the first angle and the second angle by a number of the plurality of images (Lee, fig’s 31-32, 36, and 38 illustrate displaying images/pictures at different angles in a continuous operation mode; para. 0140, wherein the control unit may generate layouts corresponding to respective unfolding angles of the flexible display for each unfolding angle, and may generate, for example, "layout 45" corresponding to unfolding angle "45 degrees", "layout 90" corresponding to the unfolding angle "90 degrees", "layout 135" corresponding to the unfolding angle "135 degrees", or the like; as such the equal interval is 45 degrees).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1,148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating
obviousness or nonobviousness.
6. Claims 3-6 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Lee Seungeun at al. (US Publication 2023/0185507, hereinafter LeeSeungeun).
Regarding claim 3, Lee discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors cause the electronic device to match the plurality of images to a plurality of angles between a first threshold angle and a second threshold angle, respectively, and wherein the first angle is less than the second angle, the first threshold angle is less than the second angle, and the second threshold angle is greater than the first threshold angle (Lee, para. 0119, a layout of a graphical user interface (GUI) provided by the flexible display 110 may dynamically vary as an unfolding angle of the flexible device/display changes; para’s 0308-0310, referring to FIG. 38, a lock screen layout 3801 for cases in which the unfolding angles of the flexible device 10 are “0°”, “45°”, “90°”, “135°”, and “160°” are illustrated; when the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 is “0°”, i.e., first unfolding threshold, which signifies a state in which the user is not using the flexible device 10, the lock screen layout 3801 may not be displayed on the flexible display 110 “unfolding threshold”. When the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 gradually increases to “45°”, “90°”, “135°”, and “160°”, the size of the lock screen layout 3801 may be displayed to gradually increase on the flexible display 110; para’s 0310 and 0355, fig. 49, the unfolding angle is "0 degrees" signifies a state in which the user is not using the flexible device, the lock screen layout may not be displayed on the flexible display and an activation area where a layout is to be displayed is dynamically determined according to the deformation degree of the flexible display).
Lee does not explicitly disclose but LeeSeungeun discloses the first threshold angle is greater than the first angle, and the second threshold angle is less than the second angle (LeeSeungeun, para. 0308, the first unfolding threshold angle UFD1 to the third unfolding threshold angle UFD3 as illustrated in FIG. 18 may simply be an example, and may be changed according to settings of a manufacturer or a user. For example, the first unfolding threshold angle UFD1 may be set to an angle between 0 degrees and 30 degrees, the second unfolding threshold angle UFD2 may be set to an angle between 70 degrees and 100 degrees, and the third unfolding threshold angle UFD3 may be set to an angle between 145 degrees and 180 degrees).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate LeeSeungeun’s feature into Lee’s invention for enhancing user’s viewing experience while operating a flexible display device by allowing a flexible setting of the unfolding threshold angles.
Regarding claim 4 , Lee-LeeSeungeun discloses the electronic device of claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: display an image matched to the first threshold angle on a screen of the flexible display while the at least one hinge is being unfolded to the first threshold angle, in a state in which the at least one hinge is unfolded and the current angle determined via the folding data is between the first angle and the first threshold angle; and display the image matched to the first threshold angle on the screen of the flexible display while the at least one hinge is being folded to the first angle, in a state in which the at least one hinge is folded and the current angle determined via the folding data is between the first angle and the first threshold angle (Lee, para. 0225, referring to FIG. 16, a display type of an object 13 to be displayed on the flexible display 110 of the flexible device 10 may be determined by the controller 130 in the operation 1303 of FIG. 13 to be at least one of various types of an application icon 1601, a photo 1602, an image 1603, a moving picture 1604, etc.; LeeSeungeun, para. 0308, the first unfolding threshold angle UFD1 to the third unfolding threshold angle UFD3 as illustrated in FIG. 18 may simply be an example, and may be changed according to settings of a manufacturer or a user. For example, the first unfolding threshold angle UFD1 may be set to an angle between 0 degrees and 30 degrees, the second unfolding threshold angle UFD2 may be set to an angle between 70 degrees and 100 degrees, and the third unfolding threshold angle UFD3 may be set to an angle between 145 degrees and 180 degrees. In the case of unfolding the hinge, the first unfolding threshold angle can be set to 30 degrees, first angle 45 degrees, second angle 135 degrees, and second unfolding threshold angle between 145-180 degrees; similarly, para. 0309-0319, the first folding threshold angle FD1 to the third folding threshold angle FD3 as illustrated in FIG. 19 may be an example, and may be changed according to settings of a manufacturer or a user. In case folding starts, the electronic device 200 may calculate a range to which the angle between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 corresponds, based on the first folding threshold angle FD1, the second folding threshold angle FD2, and/or the third folding threshold angle FD3, and may control a drive state of the display 320 according to the range corresponding to the angle between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220).
The obviousness arguments and the motivation to combine the references are the same as claim 3.
Regarding claim 5, Lee-LeeSeungeun discloses the electronic device of claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: display an image matched to the plurality of angles between the first threshold angle and the second threshold angle on a screen of the flexible display while the at least one hinge is being unfolded to the second threshold angle, in a state in which the at least one hinge is unfolded and the current angle determined via the folding data is between the first threshold angle and the second threshold angle; and display an image matched to the plurality of angles between the first threshold angle and the second threshold angle on the screen of the flexible display while the at least one hinge is being folded to the first threshold angle, in a state in which the at least one hinge is folded and the current angle determined via the folding data is between the first threshold angle and the second threshold angle (Lee, para. 0225, referring to FIG. 16, a display type of an object 13 to be displayed on the flexible display 110 of the flexible device 10 may be determined by the controller 130 in the operation 1303 of FIG. 13 to be at least one of various types of an application icon 1601, a photo 1602, an image 1603, a moving picture 1604, etc.; LeeSeungeun, para. 0308, the first unfolding threshold angle UFD1 to the third unfolding threshold angle UFD3 as illustrated in FIG. 18 may simply be an example, and may be changed according to settings of a manufacturer or a user. For example, the first unfolding threshold angle UFD1 may be set to an angle between 0 degrees and 30 degrees, the second unfolding threshold angle UFD2 may be set to an angle between 70 degrees and 100 degrees, and the third unfolding threshold angle UFD3 may be set to an angle between 145 degrees and 180 degrees. In the case of unfolding the hinge, the second unfolding threshold angle can be set to 100 degrees, the first angle 45 degrees, the second angle 90 degrees, and first unfolding threshold angle 30 degrees; similarly, para. 0309-0319, the first folding threshold angle FD1 to the third folding threshold angle FD3 as illustrated in FIG. 19 may be an example, and may be changed according to settings of a manufacturer or a user. In case folding starts, the electronic device 200 may calculate a range to which the angle between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 corresponds, based on the first folding threshold angle FD1, the second folding threshold angle FD2, and/or the third folding threshold angle FD3, and may control a drive state of the display 320 according to the range corresponding to the angle between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220).
The obviousness arguments and the motivation to combine the references are the same as claim 3.
Regarding claim 6, Lee-LeeSeungeun discloses the electronic device of claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: display an image matched to the second threshold angle on a screen of the flexible display while the at least one hinge is being unfolded to the second angle, in a state in which the at least one hinge is unfolded and the current angle determined via the folding data is between the second threshold angle and the second angle; and display the image matched to the second threshold angle on the screen of the flexible display while the at least one hinge is being folded to the second threshold angle, in a state in which the at least one hinge is folded and the current angle determined via the folding data is between the second threshold angle and the second angle (Lee, para. 0225, referring to FIG. 16, a display type of an object 13 to be displayed on the flexible display 110 of the flexible device 10 may be determined by the controller 130 in the operation 1303 of FIG. 13 to be at least one of various types of an application icon 1601, a photo 1602, an image 1603, a moving picture 1604, etc.; LeeSeungeun, para. 0308, the first unfolding threshold angle UFD1 to the third unfolding threshold angle UFD3 as illustrated in FIG. 18 may simply be an example, and may be changed according to settings of a manufacturer or a user. For example, the first unfolding threshold angle UFD1 may be set to an angle between 0 degrees and 30 degrees, the second unfolding threshold angle UFD2 may be set to an angle between 70 degrees and 100 degrees, and the third unfolding threshold angle UFD3 may be set to an angle between 145 degrees and 180 degrees. In the case of unfolding the hinge, the second unfolding threshold angle can be set to 100 degrees, the first angle 45 degrees, the second angle 90 degrees, and first unfolding threshold angle 30 degrees; similarly, para. 0309-0319, the first folding threshold angle FD1 to the third folding threshold angle FD3 as illustrated in FIG. 19 may be an example, and may be changed according to settings of a manufacturer or a user. In case folding starts, the electronic device 200 may calculate a range to which the angle between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 corresponds, based on the first folding threshold angle FD1, the second folding threshold angle FD2, and/or the third folding threshold angle FD3, and may control a drive state of the display 320 according to the range corresponding to the angle between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220).
The obviousness arguments and the motivation to combine the references are the same as claim 3.
7. Claim 7 is rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Kannegundla et al. (US Publication 5,489,945).
Regarding claim 7, Lee discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: read the folding data from the memory; cause the flexible display to display an image, among the plurality of images (Lee, para’s 0137-0143, the controller 130 may read folding or unfolding data/information and generate a layout in which a visual effect varies along with an unfolding motion or a folding motion sensed by the sensor 120; para. 0225, referring to FIG. 16, a display type of an object 13 to be displayed on the flexible display 110 of the flexible device 10 may be determined by the controller 130 in the operation 1303 of FIG. 13 to be at least one of various types of an application icon 1601, a photo 1602, an image 1603, a moving picture 1604, etc.).
Lee discloses read the folding data from the memory but does not explicitly disclose read data at a plurality of intervals of time comprising a first interval and a seconding interval; read the data from the memory at every first interval; cause the flexible display to display an image, among the plurality of images, at every first interval of the plurality of intervals of time; read the folding data from the memory at every second interval; and display the plurality of images on the flexible display in synchronization with the first interval in a state in which the first interval is less than the second interval.
Kannegundla discloses read data at a plurality of intervals of time comprising a first interval and a seconding interval; read the data from the memory at every first interval; cause the flexible display to display an image, among the plurality of images, at every first interval of the plurality of intervals of time; read the folding data from the memory at every second interval; and display the plurality of images on the flexible display in synchronization with the first interval in a state in which the first interval is less than the second interval (Kannegundla, col. 20 line 27 to col. 21 line 49, disclosing a timing logic system for generating synchronizing (sync) and control signals in accordance with a television standard and for selectively generating horizontal, vertical, and display field control signals; the controlled timing and logic system, which is driven by pixel clock and standard sync and control signals, generates horizontal, vertical, and display field control signals for the CCD image sensor having the two line pixel registers as needed for a high resolution mode of utilizing of all of the horizontal lines of pixel image signals of a vertical frame as single lines from the CCD image sensor and alternatively as needed for a television resolution mode of utilizing alternate pairs of consecutive lines of pixel image signals from each one of two consecutive image frames to form interlaced first and second display fields of vertical display frames of a standard television display in which the first and second display fields are selected by a switch means controlled by the display field control signals. In FIG. 7A, each of the control signals V1, V2, H1A, H2, and H1B are shown as interrupted between the cycles corresponding to horizontal line numbers "1" and "2," "3" and "4," and "1023" and "1024," respectively, as well as prior to and subsequent to these shifting and readout cycles. Such interruptions are used in the schematic presentation of FIG. 7A for the purpose of clarity of presentation. By way of example, if the high resolution CCD image sensor 12 has 1024 lines of image sensing pixels 50, and each line has 1024 active (i.e., light-sensing) pixels, the total time allocated to the vertical line shifting (V1, V2, and pulses 296 of H1A) and to the horizontal readout (pulses 292 of H1A, H2, and H1B) of all pixel image signals of all lines is 1/30 of a second (for one full image frame) if a frame rate of 30 image frames per second is desired to be outputted to the high resolution picture unit 24 of FIG. 1. Accordingly, the vertical shifting of two consecutive lines (for example, lines "1" and "2") and the simultaneous readout of the two lines must occur within a time interval of about 65 microseconds. Since each of the time intervals "T" of the pulses 294 (V1 and V2) and of the pulses 296 (H1A) has a typical value of about two microseconds (for a total time of the horizontal blank period 280 of about eight microseconds in the high-resolution mode of operation shown in FIG. 7A), it is evident that approximately 57 microseconds (65 minus 8) are allocated to the horizontal readout of pixel image signals from the line pixel registers. Thus, the sketched interruptions were used to "shorten" the duration of the horizontal clocking (pulses 292) cycles so as to show several vertical shifting and horizontal readout cycles in one figure. Note: it is also well known in the art that the two scan periods (fields) in an interlaced display are technically different in time and position. A single frame is split into two distinct fields including the odd field (lines 1, 3, 5...) and the even field (lines 2, 4, 6...) which are scanned consecutively, usually 1/60th of a second apart, to create one complete image; see also English Translation of Korean Publication 20170065053).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Kannegundla’s features and well-known technique in the art into Lee’s invention for enhancing user’s viewing experience by generating layouts on screens of a flexible device with fields of each image read in consecutive time intervals.
8. Claim 9 is rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Fu at al. (English Translation of WO2020/061780 04-2020).
Regarding claim 9, Lee discloses the electronic device of claim 1.
Lee does not explicitly disclose but Fu discloses wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: play the video comprising the plurality of images forward in a state in which the at least one folding area is deformed to the unfolded state; play the video comprising the plurality of images backward in a state in which the at least one folding area is deformed to the folded state; and pause a playback of the video comprising the plurality of images in a state in which the at least one folding area is in a stationary state (Fu, para’s 0044-0045, when the application displayed on the foldable display is a video player and is currently in a playback state, the processor 3 determines that the target state is a paused state when it determines that the folding angle detected by the angle sensor 2 has changed and the change value exceeds a preset threshold. Then, it controls the application interface of the video player in the playback state to the application interface in the paused state; para. 0050, Therefore, when users are watching videos with a video player or playing music with a music player, they sometimes need to briefly leave to handle other things and need to pause the current program. They can control pause and resume playback by folding the angle, without having to click on a specific pause/play button, which improves the convenience of operation and enhances the user experience; para’s 0047-0048, When the application is a video player, other states may include fast forward, rewind, etc. By folding the foldable display screen 1 with the folding angle changing in a second trend, a state can be randomly entered).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Fu’s features into Lee’s invention for enhancing user’s operation and playback experience while using a flexible display device by allowing the flexible device to operate forward, reversing, or pausing mode based on the changing angle at the flexible area with respect to particular threshold angles.
9. Claim 10 is rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Min et al. (US Publication 2022/0148476).
Regarding claim 10, Lee discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first angle is smaller than the second angle, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: in a state in which the at least one hinge is folded and reaches the first angle, when the video is played forward, apply a visual effect to an image matched to the first angle and a portion of an image displayed after the image matched to the first angle; and in a state in which the at least one hinge is unfolded and reaches the second angle, when the video is played forward, apply the visual effect to an image matched to the second angle and a portion of an image displayed before the image matched to the second angle (Lee, para. 0119-0123, changing layout and displaying content in unfolded state, unfolding from first angle of 35 degrees to second angle of 135 degrees or in “folded state” folding from second angle of 135 degrees to first angle of 35 degrees; a layout of a graphical user interface (GUI) provided by the flexible display 110 may dynamically vary as an unfolding angle of the flexible device/display changes; when a user does not use the flexible device 10, the user may carry or keep the flexible device 10 in a state of being completely folded. That is, the unfolding angle is “0°”. In this state, since the flexible device 10 is completely folded, that is, the unfolding angle is “0°”, the flexible display 110 is not exposed to the outside, and thus, the flexible display 110 does not need to display a graphical user interface screen. In other words, when the flexible device 10 is completely folded, the flexible device 10 may be in a standby mode or a power saving mode in which the graphical user interface screen is not displayed, even if power of the flexible device 10 is on. However, when the user desires to use the flexible device 10, the user opens the flexible device 10 and thus a screen of the flexible display 110 is gradually exposed to the outside. The opening of the flexible device 10 may be denoted as a motion of unfolding the flexible device 10. In other words, in one or more exemplary embodiments, the “unfolding motion” denotes that the screen of the flexible display 110 is exposed to the outside such that an unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 is between “0°” and “180°.” For example, the unfolding motion may denote a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 changes or increases from “0°” to “45°”, or a motion in which the unfolding angle increases from “90°” to “135°”. In other words, the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the unfolding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180°”. Alternatively, a visible area of the flexible display 110 may extend according to the unfolding motion. In contrast, the “folding motion” denotes a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 gradually decreases. Accordingly, the visible area of the flexible display 110 may be reduced by the folding motion. For example, the folding motion may denote a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 changes or decreases from “45°” to “0°”, or a motion in which the unfolding angle decreases from “180°” to “135°”. Similarly to the unfolding motion, the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the folding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180°”; para’s 0308-0310, referring to FIG. 38, a lock screen layout 3801 for cases in which the unfolding angles of the flexible device 10 are “0°”, “45°”, “90°”, “135°”, and “160°” are illustrated; when the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 is “0°”, i.e., first unfolding threshold, which signifies a state in which the user is not using the flexible device 10, the lock screen layout 3801 may not be displayed on the flexible display 110 “unfolding threshold”. When the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 gradually increases to “45°”, “90°”, “135°”, and “160°”, the size of the lock screen layout 3801 may be displayed to gradually increase on the flexible display 110; para’s 0138-0142, applying visual effect to displayed images based on a folded state, an unfolded state, or an intermediate state of the electronic device 101),
Lee does not explicitly disclose but Min discloses wherein the visual effect is a fade-in effect (Min, para. 0076, while the flexible display 103 is extended or reduced by a sliding movement, the electronic device 100 displays a second screen corresponding to the first screen. For example, the second screen is obtained by changing at least one of the size, the position, the filter processing, or the brightness of the first screen as the flexible display 103 is extended or reduced. The electronic device 100 may gradually increase the size of the second screen as the flexible display is extended. The electronic device 100 may gradually move the position of the second screen along the direction of the sliding movement as the flexible display is extended. In addition, the electronic device 100 may gradually increase the brightness of the second screen as the flexible display is extended. For example, the electronic device 100 may apply a fade-in effect to the second screen as the flexible display is extended; applying the fade effect to area adjacent to the fade-in area is well known in the art).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Min’s features and well-known technique in the art into Lee’s invention for enhancing user’s playback experience while using a flexible display device by applying fading effect to images or content displayed on screens or surfaces of the flexible device.
10. Claims 11-12 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US Publication 2016/0034047) in view of Kim et al. (WO 2022119214 06-2022).
Regarding claim 11, Lee discloses an electronic device comprising:
a flexible display having at least one rollable area being an area in which the flexible display is folded (Lee, fig. 1, para. 0115, disclosing flexible display 110 that may be folded or unfolded at a particular angle or a particular curvature, the flexible display being a bendable display that may be bent or unbent at a particular curvature, or a rollable display that may be rolled in a cylindrical shape);
at least one hinge configured to open “unfold” or close “fold” the at least one rollable area to an open state “unfolded state” or a closed state “folded state” and operate in a range of a first rotation angle to a second rotation angle (Lee, fig. 1, para. 0124, the flexible display 110 may be folded around one folding axis as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The folding axis may be an axis around which the flexible display 110 is folded by means of, for example, a hinge provided in the flexible device; para’s 0122-0123, the “unfolding motion” denotes that the screen of the flexible display 110 is exposed to the outside such that an unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 is between “0°” and “180°.” For example, the unfolding motion may denote a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 changes or increases from “0°” to “45°”, or a motion in which the unfolding angle increases from “90°” to “135°”. In other words, the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the unfolding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180°”. Alternatively, a visible area of the flexible display 110 may extend according to the unfolding motion. In contrast, the “folding motion” denotes a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 gradually decreases. Accordingly, the visible area of the flexible display 110 may be reduced by the folding motion. For example, the folding motion may denote a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 changes or decreases from “45°” to “0°”, or a motion in which the unfolding angle decreases from “180°” to “135°”. Similarly to the unfolding motion, the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the folding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180. Since the flexible device can function as a bendable and rollable device as disclosed in para. 0115, the folding motion and unfolding motion are considered as close motion and open motion respectively, the first angle and the second angle among the plurality of angles of the flexible device are considered as first rotation angle and second rotation angle respectively);
memory storing a video comprising a plurality of images to be displayed on the flexible display, the data, and instructions executed by one or more processors (Lee, para. 0177 and 0214, memory 350 for storing the information processed by the flexible device 10; displaying objects 1401 to 1410 on a layout 1400 on the flexible display 110 may correspond to various links; para. 0027, content stored on the foldable device); and
the one or more processors configured to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to:
read the data stored in the memory to determine a deformation of the at least one rollable area; match the plurality of images to a plurality of angles between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle, respectively; determine a current rotation angle via the data; and display an image, among the plurality of images, matched to the current rotation angle on the flexible display (Lee, para’s 0120-0122, the opening of the flexible device 10 may be denoted as a motion of unfolding the flexible device 10; the “unfolding motion” denotes that the screen of the flexible display 110 is exposed to the outside such that an unfolding angle of the flexible device/display is between “0°” and “180°”; the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the unfolding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180°”. A visible area of the flexible display 110 may extend according to the unfolding motion; para’s 0137-0143, controller 130 may perform a function of controlling an overall operation of the foldable device 11. The controller 130 generates a layout to be displayed on the foldable display 111, in which a visual representation dynamically varies according to the degree of deformation sensed by the sensor 120. In other words, the controller 130 may read folding or unfolding data/information and generate a layout in which a visual effect varies along with an unfolding motion or a folding motion sensed by the sensor 120. Accordingly, the controller 130 may control the display of a layout such that a change of a representation of at least one object included in the layout corresponds to a sensed unfolding motion or a sensed folding motion. The controller 130 may perform an overall process of generating a layout such as a display state of an object to be included in a layout or a type of information corresponding to an object. The controller 130 generates a layout of a user interface screen corresponding to each of the deformation states in the deformation range sensed by the sensor 120. Each of the deformation states may denote the unfolding angle. In detail, the controller 130 may previously generate a layout corresponding to each of the unfolding angles of the foldable display 111. In other words, the controller 130 may generate at each unfolding angle a layout corresponding to each unfolding angle of the foldable display 111. For example, the controller 130 may generate a “layout 45” corresponding to the unfolding angle “45°”, a “layout 90” corresponding to the unfolding angle “90°”, or a “layout 135” corresponding to the unfolding angle “135°”. In other words, the controller 130 may previously generate a layout to be displayed until reaching a particular unfolding angle like processing a plurality of frames for reproduction of a moving picture. The foldable display 111 provides a graphical user interface screen in which a visual representation dynamically varies along with the deformation of the foldable display 111. In other words, when an unfolding motion is sensed, the foldable display 111 may display a layout in which a representation of at least one of objects varies. The foldable display 111 may display the layout generated by the controller 130 in each of the deformation states. In other words, similar to the principle of reproduction of a moving picture in which a plurality of frames is sequentially and rapidly displayed, the foldable display 111 sequentially or continuously displays the layout generated by the controller 130 and thus a dynamic graphical user interface screen may be provided according to the deformation of the foldable display).
Lee discloses read the data determine a deformation of the at least one rollable area; determine a current rotation angle via the data; and display an image, among the plurality of images, matched to the current rotation angle on the flexible display as described above, but does not explicitly disclose:
the at least one rollable area being an area in which the flexible display is rolled by a motor;
at least one motor configured to open or close the at least one rollable area;
the data comprising information on a state of the at least one motor.
Kim discloses:
the at least one rollable area being an area in which the flexible display is rolled by a motor (Kim, fig. 1, page 7, the motor 210 may move a partial area of the display 220 to the outside of the housing of the electronic device 200 or to the inside of the housing. For example, the motor 210 may change the size of an area (e.g., a screen display area) that is displayed outside of the rollable display 220);
at least one motor configured to open or close the at least one rollable area; the data comprising information on a state of the at least one motor (Kim, page 13, fig. 12, the motor sensor 421 is a motor 210 used to extend a part of the display to the outside of the housing, or to reduce it by inserting it into the inside of the housing. The operation of the motor 330 of FIG. 3 may be detected. For example, the motor sensor 421 may detect an activation state of a motor and/or a driving speed of the motor; the motor manager 423 may control the operation of the motor. For example, the motor manager 423 may activate or deactivate the motor 417 or adjust the driving speed of the motor under the control of the main controller 436).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Kim’s features of providing motor(s) into Lee’s invention for enhancing user’s operation and playback experience using a flexible display/device by effectively controlling viewing angles of the flexible display/device.
Regarding claim 12, Lee-Kim discloses the electronic device of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: in a state in which the video is played forward, match a first image through a last image, of the plurality of images, to the first rotation angle through the second rotation angle by an equal angle, the equal angle being an equal interval between each of the first rotation angle through the second rotation angle, and the first rotation angle being less than the second rotation angle, and wherein the equal angle is an angle calculated by dividing a difference between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle by a number of the plurality of images (Lee, fig’s 31-32, 36, and 38 illustrate displaying images/pictures at different angles in a continuous operation mode; para. 0140, wherein the control unit may generate layouts corresponding to respective unfolding angles of the flexible display for each unfolding angle, and may generate, for example, "layout 45" corresponding to unfolding angle "45 degrees", "layout 90" corresponding to the unfolding angle "90 degrees", "layout 135" corresponding to the unfolding angle "135 degrees", or the like; as such the equal interval is 90 degrees. It is obvious that the configurations can be modified as design choice to meet the claim feature “the equal angle is an angle calculated by dividing a difference between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle by a number of the plurality of images”).
11. Claim 13 is rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee-Kim, as applied to claim 11 above, in view of Kannegundla et al. (US Publication 5,489,945).
Regarding claim 13, Lee-Kim discloses the electronic device of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: read the folding data from the memory; match images with the plurality of angles between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle display an image, among the plurality of images (Lee, para’s 0137-0143, the controller 130 may read folding or unfolding data/information and generate a layout in which a visual effect varies along with an unfolding motion or a folding motion sensed by the sensor 120; para. 0225, referring to FIG. 16, a display type of an object 13 to be displayed on the flexible display 110 of the flexible device 10 may be determined by the controller 130 in the operation 1303 of FIG. 13 to be at least one of various types of an application icon 1601, a photo 1602, an image 1603, a moving picture 1604, etc.).
Lee-Kim does not explicitly disclose but Kannegundla discloses read data at a plurality of intervals of time comprising a first interval and a seconding interval; read the data from the memory at every first interval; cause the flexible display to display an image, among the plurality of images, at every first interval of the plurality of intervals of time; read the folding data from the memory at every second interval; and display the plurality of images on the flexible display in synchronization with the first interval in a state in which the first interval is less than the second interval (Kannegundla, col. 20 line 27 to col. 21 line 49, disclosing a timing logic system for generating synchronizing (sync) and control signals in accordance with a television standard and for selectively generating horizontal, vertical, and display field control signals; the controlled timing and logic system, which is driven by pixel clock and standard sync and control signals, generates horizontal, vertical, and display field control signals for the CCD image sensor having the two line pixel registers as needed for a high resolution mode of utilizing of all of the horizontal lines of pixel image signals of a vertical frame as single lines from the CCD image sensor and alternatively as needed for a television resolution mode of utilizing alternate pairs of consecutive lines of pixel image signals from each one of two consecutive image frames to form interlaced first and second display fields of vertical display frames of a standard television display in which the first and second display fields are selected by a switch means controlled by the display field control signals. In FIG. 7A, each of the control signals V1, V2, H1A, H2, and H1B are shown as interrupted between the cycles corresponding to horizontal line numbers "1" and "2," "3" and "4," and "1023" and "1024," respectively, as well as prior to and subsequent to these shifting and readout cycles. Such interruptions are used in the schematic presentation of FIG. 7A for the purpose of clarity of presentation. By way of example, if the high resolution CCD image sensor 12 has 1024 lines of image sensing pixels 50, and each line has 1024 active (i.e., light-sensing) pixels, the total time allocated to the vertical line shifting (V1, V2, and pulses 296 of H1A) and to the horizontal readout (pulses 292 of H1A, H2, and H1B) of all pixel image signals of all lines is 1/30 of a second (for one full image frame) if a frame rate of 30 image frames per second is desired to be outputted to the high resolution picture unit 24 of FIG. 1. Accordingly, the vertical shifting of two consecutive lines (for example, lines "1" and "2") and the simultaneous readout of the two lines must occur within a time interval of about 65 microseconds. Since each of the time intervals "T" of the pulses 294 (V1 and V2) and of the pulses 296 (H1A) has a typical value of about two microseconds (for a total time of the horizontal blank period 280 of about eight microseconds in the high-resolution mode of operation shown in FIG. 7A), it is evident that approximately 57 microseconds (65 minus 8) are allocated to the horizontal readout of pixel image signals from the line pixel registers. Thus, the sketched interruptions were used to "shorten" the duration of the horizontal clocking (pulses 292) cycles so as to show several vertical shifting and horizontal readout cycles in one figure. Note: it is also well known in the art that the two scan periods (fields) in an interlaced display are technically different in time and position. A single frame is split into two distinct fields including the odd field (lines 1, 3, 5...) and the even field (lines 2, 4, 6...) which are scanned consecutively, usually 1/60th of a second apart, to create one complete image; see also English Translation of Korean Publication 20170065053).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Kannegundla’s features into Lee-Kim’s invention for enhancing user’s viewing experience by effectively reading each of the images in two different time intervals.
12. Claim 14 is rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee-Kim, as applied to claim 11 above, in view of Fu at al. (English Translation of WO2020/061780 04-2020).
Regarding claim 14, Lee-Kim discloses the electronic device of claim 11.
Lee-Kim does not explicitly disclose but Fu discloses wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: play the video comprising the plurality of images forward in a state in which the at least one rollable area is deformed to the open state; play the video comprising the plurality of images backward in a state in which the at least one rollable area is deformed to the closed state; and pause a playback of the video comprising the plurality of images in a state in which the at least one rollable area is in a stationary state (Fu, para’s 0044-0045, when the application displayed on the foldable display is a video player and is currently in a playback state, the processor 3 determines that the target state is a paused state when it determines that the folding angle detected by the angle sensor 2 has changed and the change value exceeds a preset threshold. Then, it controls the application interface of the video player in the playback state to the application interface in the paused state; para. 0050, Therefore, when users are watching videos with a video player or playing music with a music player, they sometimes need to briefly leave to handle other things and need to pause the current program. They can control pause and resume playback by folding the angle, without having to click on a specific pause/play button, which improves the convenience of operation and enhances the user experience; para’s 0047-0048, When the application is a video player, other states may include fast forward, rewind, etc. By folding the foldable display screen 1 with the folding angle changing in a second trend, a state can be randomly entered).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Fu’s features into Lee-Kim’s invention for enhancing user’s operation and playback experience while using a flexible display device by allowing the flexible device to operate forward, reversing, or pausing mode based on the changing angle at the flexible area with respect to particular threshold angles.
13. Claim 15 is rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US Publication 2016/0034047) in view of Moon et al. (US Publication 2021/0116963).
Regarding claim 15, Lee discloses an electronic device (Lee, fig. 1, disclosing a flexible device) comprising:
a display panel; one folding area being an area in which the flexible display is folded (Lee, fig. 1, para. 0115, disclosing flexible display 110 that may be folded or unfolded at a particular angle or a particular curvature, the flexible display being a bendable display that may be bent or unbent at a particular curvature, or a rollable display that may be rolled in a cylindrical shape);
one or more processors configured to execute instructions, memory, and a plurality of sensors (Lee, fig. 1 to fig. 3, flexible device comprising controller, memory, and sensors);
at least one hinge configured to fold or unfold the at least one folding area to an unfolded state or a folded state between a first angle and a second angle (Lee, fig. 1, para. 0124, the flexible display 110 may be folded around one folding axis as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The folding axis may be an axis around which the flexible display 110 is folded by means of, for example, a hinge provided in the flexible device; para’s 0122-0123, the “unfolding motion” denotes that the screen of the flexible display 110 is exposed to the outside such that an unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 is between “0°” and “180°.” For example, the unfolding motion may denote a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 changes or increases from “0°” to “45°”, or a motion in which the unfolding angle increases from “90°” to “135°”. In other words, the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the unfolding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180°”. Alternatively, a visible area of the flexible display 110 may extend according to the unfolding motion. In contrast, the “folding motion” denotes a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 gradually decreases. Accordingly, the visible area of the flexible display 110 may be reduced by the folding motion. For example, the folding motion may denote a motion in which the unfolding angle of the flexible device 10 or the flexible display 110 changes or decreases from “45°” to “0°”, or a motion in which the unfolding angle decreases from “180°” to “135°”. Similarly to the unfolding motion, the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the folding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180);
wherein the plurality of sensors are configured to collect data comprising information about a state of the at least one hinge (Lee, para’s 0154, 0135, 0169-0173, various sensors may be used to recognize a motion of the flexible device 10; sensor 120 may sense a shape change of the foldable display/device from a folding state to an unfolding state. The sensor 120 may sense an unfolding angle or an unfolding curvature of the foldable device/display. In other words, the sensor 120 may sense an unfolding motion of the foldable device/display. Likewise, the sensor 120 may sense a shape change of the foldable device/display from an unfolding state to a folding state. In other words, the sensor 120 may sense a folding motion of the foldable device/display),
wherein the memory is configured to store a video comprising a plurality of images to be displayed on the display panel, the data, and the instructions executed by one or more processors (Lee, para. 0177 and 0214, memory 350 for storing the information processed by the flexible device 10; displaying objects 1401 to 1410 on a layout 1400 on the flexible display 110 may correspond to various links; para. 0027, content stored on the foldable device),
wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to:
read the data stored in the memory to determine a deformation of the at least one hinge; match the plurality of images to a plurality of angles between the first angle and the second angle, respectively; determine a current angle of the at least one hinge via the data; and display an image, among the plurality of images, matched to the current angle of the at least one hinge on the display panel (Lee, para’s 0137-0143, controller 130 may perform a function of controlling an overall operation of the foldable device 11. The controller 130 generates a layout to be displayed on the foldable display 111, in which a visual representation dynamically varies according to the degree of deformation sensed by the sensor 120. In other words, the controller 130 may read folding or unfolding data/information and generate a layout in which a visual effect varies along with an unfolding motion or a folding motion sensed by the sensor 120. Accordingly, the controller 130 may control the display of a layout such that a change of a representation of at least one object included in the layout corresponds to a sensed unfolding motion or a sensed folding motion. The controller 130 may perform an overall process of generating a layout such as a display state of an object to be included in a layout or a type of information corresponding to an object. The controller 130 generates a layout of a user interface screen corresponding to each of the deformation states in the deformation range sensed by the sensor 120. Each of the deformation states may denote the unfolding angle. In detail, the controller 130 may previously generate a layout corresponding to each of the unfolding angles of the foldable display 111. In other words, the controller 130 may generate at each unfolding angle a layout corresponding to each unfolding angle of the foldable display 111. For example, the controller 130 may generate a “layout 45” corresponding to the unfolding angle “45°”, a “layout 90” corresponding to the unfolding angle “90°”, or a “layout 135” corresponding to the unfolding angle “135°”. In other words, the controller 130 may previously generate a layout to be displayed until reaching a particular unfolding angle like processing a plurality of frames for reproduction of a moving picture. The foldable display 111 provides a graphical user interface screen in which a visual representation dynamically varies along with the deformation of the foldable display 111. In other words, when an unfolding motion is sensed, the foldable display 111 may display a layout in which a representation of at least one of objects varies. The foldable display 111 may display the layout generated by the controller 130 in each of the deformation states. In other words, similar to the principle of reproduction of a moving picture in which a plurality of frames is sequentially and rapidly displayed, the foldable display 111 sequentially or continuously displays the layout generated by the controller 130 and thus a dynamic graphical user interface screen may be provided according to the deformation of the foldable display; para’s 0120-0122, the opening of the flexible device 10 may be denoted as a motion of unfolding the flexible device 10; the “unfolding motion” denotes that the screen of the flexible display 110 is exposed to the outside such that an unfolding angle of the flexible device/display is between “0°” and “180°”; the start and end of the unfolding angle according to the unfolding motion may correspond to any angles between “0°” and “180°”. A visible area of the flexible display 110 may extend according to the unfolding motion;).
Lee does not explicitly disclose but Moon discloses:
a housing portion comprising a display panel (Moon, fig. 1, para. 0026 and 0029, the foldable electronic device 100 may include a second housing, the second housing 120 may have the display 150 mounted on first surfaces thereof);
a main body portion comprising one or more processors configured to execute instructions, memory, and a plurality of sensors (Moon, fig. 1 to fig. 3, para. 0030, the first housing 110 may include a protrusion 111 on a second surface 110b thereof. The protrusion 111 may be continually exposed to the outside even when the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 are folded. The protrusion 111 may have a lens unit of a camera module or a sensing window of a sensor module disposed therein; fig. 13, processor and memory); and
at least one hinge connecting the housing portion to the main body portion, and configured to fold or unfold the housing portion and the main body portion to a folded state or an unfolded state (Moon, para. 0109, the hinge housing 1125 may be disposed between the first housing 1110 and the second housing 1120. The first housing 110 and the second housing 1120 may be folded or unfolded depending on a change in the form of the hinge module 1125).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Moon’s feature into Lee’s invention for enhancing user’s playback experience by designing flexible device having specific structural components integrated at different surfaces of the flexible device.
Allowable Subject Matter
14. Claim 8 is object to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/LOI H TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2484