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
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) 1-6 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shin (US20070064380: “Shin” hereinafter).
Regarding claim 1, Shin discloses a display apparatus comprising: a display panel (11); a support bracket (30 and 40) comprising: a fixed bracket (31); and a rotating bracket (41) rotatably coupled to the fixed bracket (“…enabling pivoting of the pivoting bracket 41 with respect to the tilting bracket 31”, par. [0059]), the rotating bracket configured to support the display panel to be rotatable (“The pivoting bracket 41 can comprise a plurality of coupling holes 43 which are coupled with a rear part of the display main body 10 by screws”, par. [0060]), with respect to the fixed bracket (par. [0059], [0060]), between a first orientation in which a long side of the display panel is laterally disposed and a second orientation in which the long side of the display panel is longitudinally disposed (tilting unit 30 allows or supports rotation of the pivoting unit 40 clockwise and anticlockwise about an axis 48, Par. [0050], [0058]; figs. 1, 5-6, 11); a support arm (33, 34, 35, 56) coupled to the fixed bracket (31); and a support stand (lifting unit 50) supporting the support arm (33, 34, 35, 56) and including a limiting groove (groove formed in the guide frame 51 and guide rails 53 along which the lifting member 56 slides (figs 2, 7-11, and Par. [0061]) configured to limit a downward movement of the support arm (Par. [0071]- [0072]), the support stand being configured to allow the support arm to move along a vertical direction (arm or lifting member 56 is allowed to move along the guide frame 51 of the stand 50, Par. [0061]; fig. 10-11), wherein the support arm comprises a limiting link (71) configured to be in a first position in which the limiting link is not caught in the limiting groove (groove containing the locking projection 75) when the display panel is in the first orientation and a second position in which the limiting link is caught in the limiting groove when the display panel is in the second orientation (par. [0071]- [0072]).
Regarding claim 2, Shin discloses wherein the support arm further comprises a fixing link (33, 34, 56) coupled to the support stand to be movable upward and downward (par. [0061]), and wherein the limiting link (71) is provided to be movable forward and backward with respect to the fixing link (figs 7-8).
Regarding claim 3, Shin discloses wherein the limiting link (71) is withdrawn from movable downwardly with respect to the limiting groove by moving away from the support stand along a horizontal direction (figs 8-9; Par. [0071]- [0072]), and is restricted from moving downwardly with respect to the limiting groove by moving toward the support stand along the horizontal direction (figs 8-9; Par. [0071]- [0072]).
Regarding claim 4, Shin discloses wherein the support arm (30) further comprises an elastic member (85) configured to bias the limiting link (71) to the first position (par. [0064]).
Regarding claim 5, Shin discloses wherein one end of the elastic member (85) is connected to the fixing link (one end of the elastic member 85 is connected to the fixing link via bracket 31, fig. 4), and another end of the elastic member is connected to the limiting link (71) (fig. 4; par. [0064]).
Regarding claim 6, Shin discloses wherein the support bracket further comprises a link guide (83) portion including a sloped surface for guiding the limiting link (71) to move between the first position and the second position as the display panel rotates (Par. [0075]).
Regarding claim 12, Shin discloses wherein the support stand comprises a reinforcing plate (53) adjacent to the rear surface of the support stand inside the support stand (at least a portion of the guide rails 53 lies adjacent to the rear surface of the support stand inside the support stand 50, fig. 7), and configured to reinforce a strength, and wherein the limiting groove is defined by the reinforcing plate (figs. 2, 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-11 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 7, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claims 1, 2 and 6, and a combination of limitations that wherein the limiting link comprises: a guide protrusion in contact with the link guide portion and configured to slide along the link guide portion; a link body extending from the guide protrusion and slidably coupled to the fixing link; and a limiting protrusion extending from the link body, and configured to be positioned capable of contacting the limiting groove or be spaced from the limiting groove based on a sliding movement of the link body. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 8-11 are objected as being dependent on claim 7.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure are listed in form 892.
Huang et al. (US 10638620) teaches a display apparatus (100) similar to the claimed invention comprising: a display panel; a support bracket (120) comprising: a fixed bracket (124); and a rotating bracket (121) rotatably coupled to the fixed bracket, the rotating bracket configured to support the display panel to be rotatable (col. 4: lines 33-64).
Jang (US 7712711 ) teaches a display apparatus comprising: a display panel (11); a support bracket comprising: a fixed bracket (30); and a rotating bracket (40) rotatably coupled to the fixed bracket, the rotating bracket configured to support the display panel to be rotatable (fig. 10), with respect to the fixed bracket, between a first orientation in which a long side of the display panel is laterally disposed and a second orientation in which the long side of the display panel is longitudinally disposed (fig. 10); a support arm (66) coupled to the fixed bracket; and a support stand (61) supporting the support arm and including a limiting groove configured to limit a downward movement of the support arm (figs. 3, 6).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAGAR SHRESTHA whose telephone number is (571)270-1236. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30 am-6:00 pm, Monday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jinhee Lee can be reached on (571)272-1977. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SAGAR SHRESTHA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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