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
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) 1-2 and 11-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kang US 20110013372.
Regarding claim 1, Kang US 20110013372 discloses a foldable computing device comprising:
a first body (130 in Fig. 12) comprising:
a bottom case (132 in Fig. 12) including an interface opening (38 in Fig. 7);
a daughter board (164 in Fig. 12); and
an input/output (IO) port (166 in Fig. 12) on the daughter board (164) and corresponding to the interface opening (38);
a rotating shaft (48 in Fig. 8 shaft of 176 in Fig. 12);
a second body (142 in Fig. 12) pivotally connected to the first body (130) by the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176); and
a telescoping unit (180/170 in Fig. 12) comprising at least one body (170) that is connected to the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176),
wherein the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176) is configured to rotate based on unfolding or folding of the first body (130) and the second body (142) with respect to each other (as depicted in Fig. 12-13), and
wherein the at least one body (170) of the telescoping unit (180/170) is configured to cause the IO port (166) to telescopically engage with or disengage from the interface opening (38) based on the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176) rotating due to the unfolding or the folding (as depicted in Fig. 12-13).
Regarding claim 2, Kang discloses the foldable computing device of claim 1, wherein the at least one body (170) of the telescoping unit (180/170) is further configured to:
cause the IO port (166) on the daughter board (164) to retract inside the interface opening (38) based on the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176) rotating due to the folding of the first body (130) and the second body (142) with respect to each other (as depicted in Fig. 13-12); and
cause the IO port (166) on the daughter board (164) to protrude from the interface opening (38) based on the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176) rotating due to the unfolding of the first body (130) and the second body (142) with respect to each other (as depicted in Fig. 12-13).
Regarding claim 11, Kang discloses the foldable computing device of claim 1, further comprising: a flexible printed circuit (C in Fig. 5 and 6); and a mother board (main board not shown see [0085]) on the bottom case (132), wherein the daughter board (164) is electrically connected to the mother board (main board) by the flexible printed circuit (C see [0085]).
Regarding claim 12, Kang discloses the foldable computing device of claim1, wherein the foldable computing device is a laptop computer (as depicted in Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13, Kang discloses the foldable computing device of claim 1, wherein the foldable computing device is a foldable phone (as depicted in Fig. 14a).
Regarding claim 14, Kang US 20110013372 discloses a foldable computing device comprising,
a first body (130 in Fig. 12) comprising:
a first case (132 in Fig. 12) comprising an interface opening (38 in Fig. 7); and
an input/output (IO) port (166 in Fig. 12) corresponding to the interface opening (38);
a rotating shaft (48 in Fig. 8 shaft of 176 in Fig. 12);
a second body (142 in Fig. 12) pivotally connected to the first body (130) by the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176); and
a telescoping unit (180/170 in Fig. 12) comprising at least one body (170 in Fig. 12) that is connected to the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176),
wherein the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176) is configured to rotate based on unfolding or folding of the first body (130) and the second body (142) with respect to each other, and
wherein the at least one body (170) of the telescoping unit (180/170) is configured to cause the IO port (166) to telescopically engage with or disengage from the interface opening based on the rotating shaft rotating (48/shaft of 176) due to the unfolding or the folding (as depicted in Fig. 12-13).
Regarding claim 15, Kang discloses the foldable computing device of claim 14, wherein the at least one body of the telescoping unit (180/170) is further configured to:
cause the IO port (166) to retract inside the interface opening (38) based on the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176) rotating due to the folding of the first body (130) and the second body (142) with respect to each other (as depicted in Fig. 13-12); and
cause the IO port (166) to protrude from the interface opening (38) based on the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176) rotating due to the unfolding of the first body (130) and the second body (142) with respect to each other (as depicted in Fig. 12-13).
Regarding claim 16, Kang discloses the foldable computing device of claim 14, wherein the at least one body (170) of the telescoping unit (180/170) comprises a first slider (170) and a drive link (176 in Fig. 12),
wherein the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176) is configured to, by rotating, rotate the drive link (176) such that the drive link (176) pushes the first slider (170), and
wherein the first slider (170) is configured to, based on the first slider (170) being pushed by the drive link (176), cause the IO port (166) to telescopically engage with or disengage from the interface opening (38).
Regarding claim 17, Kang US 20110013372 discloses (a structure that would follow steps of) a method comprising:
causing a rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176 in Fig. 12) of a foldable computing device to rotate by unfolding or folding a first body (130 in Fig. 12) and a second body (142 in Fig. 12) of the foldable computing device with respect to each other; and
causing an input/output (IO) port (166 in Fig. 12) of the first body (130) to telescopically engage with or disengage from an interface opening (38 in Fig. 12) of the first body (130) based on rotation of the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176).
Regarding claim 18, Kang discloses (a structure that would follow steps of) the method of claim 17, wherein the causing the IO port (166) comprises
causing the IO port (166) to retract inside the interface opening (38) based on the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176) rotating due to the folding of the first body (130) and the second body (142) with respect to each other (as depicted in Fig. 13-12).
Regarding claim 19, Kang discloses (a structure that would follow steps of) the method of claim 17, wherein the causing the IO port (166) comprises causing the IO port (166) to protrude from the interface opening (38) based on the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176) rotating due to the unfolding of the first body (130) and the second body (142) with respect to each other (as depicted in Fig. 12-13).
Regarding claim 20, Kang discloses (a structure that would follow steps of) the method of claim 17, wherein the first body (130) comprises a daughter board (164 in Fig. 12) that comprises the IO port (166), and wherein the causing the IO port (166) comprises causing the daughter board (164) to move based on the rotation of the rotating shaft (48/shaft of 176 as depicted in Fig. 12-13).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-10 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 3, 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 at least one body of the telescoping unit comprises a first slider and a drive link,
wherein the first slider is movably arranged on the bottom case, and the daughter board is fixed on the first slider,
wherein the drive link comprises
a first end connected to the rotating shaft,
a second end opposite to the first end and connected to the first slider, and
a rotating part between the first end and the second end,
wherein the drive link is rotatably arranged on the bottom case by the rotating part,
wherein the rotating shaft is configured to, by rotating, rotate the first end of the drive link such that the second end of the drive link rotates and pushes the first slider, and
wherein the first slider is configured to, based on the first slider being pushed by the second end of the drive link, cause the IO port on the daughter board to telescopically engage with or disengage from the interface opening”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 4-10 depending from claim 3 would therefore also be allowable.
.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Liang US 9270068 Fig. 3-10; Senatori US 9184536 Fig. 1-7 discloses an electronic devices with a movable socket having different telescoping units.
O’Connell US 9831621 Fig. 7-9; Li US 8835758 Fig. 4-6; Wang US 20210089077 Fig. 18a-20; Yin US 20050157459 Fig. 3-6; disclose electronic devices with movable/extendable ports
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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/CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/JAMES WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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