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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. 10-2024-0014941, filed on 01/31/2024; and 10-2023-0054066, filed on 04/25/2023 in Korea.
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS filed on 02/27/2025; 02/25/2026; and 08/06/2026 have been considered and made of record.
Oath/Declaration
The oath/declaration filed on 02/27/2025 is acceptable.
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.
Claims 1-2, 12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wiemer et al. [US 5,872,557].
Regarding claim 1, Wiemer et al., disclose a display device (figures 7-9) comprising:
a display (126, figures 7-8);
a base (104, figures 7-9) to which the display is movably coupled; and
a cover (102, figures 7-8) which is hinged to the base, and opens or closes the base (a hinge is connected between the base 104 and the cover 106, figures 7-8),
wherein the cover comprises:
an outer cover (106, figures 7-8);
a middle frame (a peripheral frame is connected to the outer cover 106, figures 7-8) coupled to the outer cover;
an inner cover (144, figure 7) opposite to the outer cover with respect to the middle frame; and
coupling sets which are disposed along an edge of the inner cover and couple the inner cover to the middle frame (figure 7).
Regarding claim 2, Wiemer et al., disclose wherein the display (126, figures 7-8) is stored between the base and the cover and the inner cover of the cover faces the display.
Regarding claim 12, Wiemer et al., disclose wherein the middle frame comprises: a base part (a cavity of the cover 102, figure 7); and a side part (a periphery of the middle frame, figure 7) which is formed around the base part, and forms a step raised from the base part, wherein the inner cover (144, figure 7) is coupled to the base part, and forms a step lowered from the side part.
Regarding claim 14, Wiemer et al., disclose wherein the middle frame comprises: a base part (a cavity of the cover 102, figure 7) on which the inner cover is seated (144, figure 7); and a pressed portion (when the cover 102 is coupled to the base 104) formed by being pressed from the base part toward the outer cover.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiemer et al., in view of Mereier [US 2011/0092294].
Regarding claim 15, Wiemer et al., further disclose a speaker assembly (134, figure 7) mounted on the base (104, figure 7).
Wiemer et al., disclose the claimed invention except for a speaker assembly mounted on the outer cover at between the middle frame and the outer cover, wherein each of the middle frame and the inner cover includes holes.
Mereier discloses a portable display work station (10, figure 1) comprising a cover (22, figure 1) coupled to a base (14, figure 1), and at least one speaker assembly (18, figure 1) is mounted in the cover (figure 1).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to mount a speaker assembly on an outer cover at between a middle frame and the outer cover, and wherein each of the middle frame and the inner cover includes holes, in a display device of Wiemer et al., as suggested by Mereier, in order to improve speaker sound and internal volume, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-11 and 13 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:
The claim 3 discloses the combination features of “wherein the coupling set comprises an insertion protrusion formed in the middle frame while being adjacent to one side of the middle frame; and a ring which is formed on one surface of the inner cover facing the middle frame, and has a hole into which the insertion protrusion is inserted.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the claim 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records. Claims 4-11 depend on the allowed claim 3.
The claim 13 discloses the combination features of “wherein the outer cover comprises fixing portions protruding from the inside of the outer cover, wherein the middle frame comprises a base part facing the outer cover; and coupling portions which protrude from the base part toward the outer cover, and are coupled to the fixing portions, wherein the base part is spaced apart from the inside of the outer cover.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the claim 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Bradbury [US 5,212,628] discloses modular portable work station.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hung S. Bui whose telephone number is (571)272-2102. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8am-5pm.
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/HUNG S. BUI/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2841
/HUNG S. BUI/Primary Patent Examiner, 2841/2800
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