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.
Claims 1-3 and 13-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kang, US 2024/0010069 A1.
As per Claim 1, Kang teaches a flexible display assembly for a vehicle (¶ 70; display assembly 100 of Figures 1 and 2), comprising:
a frame (¶ 79; including lower arm 341 and upper arm 342 of Figure 3);
a flexible display including at least a portion that is installed on a frame to be movable along a curved surface (¶¶ 78-79; curved-moving unit 340 of Figure 3);
a driver installed on the frame, connected to a rear surface of the flexible display, and configured to provide a driving force (¶¶ 77-78; driving unit 330 of Figure 3); and
a tension provider installed on the frame, connected to a rear surface of the frame, and configured to provide tension in a direction in which the flexible display is unfolded while the flexible display is in motion (¶ 139; as “the upper arm 342 may effectively transmit a force for pulling the moving plate 321 downward” as in Figures 3, 4).
As per Claim 2, Kang teaches that the flexible display includes:
a first display part configured to engage with the driver (¶ 132; lower portion F2 of Figures 2, 14 and 15);
a second display part which is connected to an upper end of the first display part and configured to move along the curved surface (¶ 132; variable portion B of Figures 2, 14 and 15); and
a third display part connected to an upper end of the second display part (¶ 132; upper portion F1 of Figures 2, 14 and 15).
As per Claim 3, Kang teaches: rack gears installed at both sides of the rear surface of the flexible display; and rack-pinions engaged with the rack gears that are provided on both ends of a driven shaft of the driver (¶¶ 27-28; “a curved rack gear engaged with a pinion gear of the driving unit”).
As per Claim 13, Kang teaches: a supporter for supporting the rear surface of the flexible display in response to the flexible display arriving at a preset position is installed on the frame (¶¶ 84-85; vertical base 311 of Figures 5, 6, 7, 9 and 13).
As per Claim 14, Kang teaches: a hook member, on which the supporter is hooked, protrudes from the rear surface of the flexible display (¶ 79; guide protrusions 343 and 344 of Figure 5).
As per Claim 15, Kang teaches that the flexible display moves from a lowermost end to arrive at one of a first position, a second position, or a third position (¶ 69; “switch between a first state in FIG. 1 and a second state in FIG.2”), and that the supporter includes:
a first supporter on which the hook member is hooked when the flexible display arrives at the second position (¶ 79; “first guide block 324” of Figure 5); and
a second supporter on which the hook member is hooked when the flexible display arrives at the third position (¶ 79; “second guide block 325” of Figure 5).
As per Claim 16, Kang teaches that the first supporter includes a first supporting member with which the hook member is engaged and on which the hook member is hooked (¶ 79; “a first front bracket 322” of Figure 5), wherein the second supporter includes a second supporting member with which the hook member is engaged and on which the hook member is hooked (¶ 79; “a second front bracket 345” of Figure 7), and wherein the first supporting member is elastically supported on the frame to provide an elastic force in a direction in which the hook member is hooked (¶ 128; “so that the variable portion B can be reliably supported not to be bent any further”).
As per Claim 17, Kang teaches that the hook member includes:
a first hook member hooked on the first supporting member (¶ 101; “moving units 320 and 340” of Figure 3); and
a second hook member hooked on the second supporting member (¶ 101; “a side rail 313” of Figure 3).
As per Claim 18, Kang teaches that the first hook member is disposed on a central portion in a left-right direction (¶ 101; moving unit 340 of Figure 3), and that the second hook member is disposed on each of two sides of the first hook member (¶ 101; “side rail 313” of Figure 3).
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.
Claims 4-12 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of Rook, et al., EP 3,526,070 B1.
As per Claim 4, Kang teaches that the driver includes: a driving source for providing the driving force (¶ 157; driving unit 330 of Figures 3 and 6).
Kang does not expressly teach: a driving shaft rotatably installed on the driving source and provided with a worm gear; a driven shaft provided with a worm wheel engaged with the worm gear; and rack-pinions provided on both ends of the driven shaft. Rook teaches:
a driving shaft rotatably installed on the driving source and provided with a worm gear (¶ 52; gearbox worm 55 of Figure 11);
a driven shaft provided with a worm wheel engaged with the worm gear (¶ 53; axle 59 of Figure 11); and
rack-pinions provided on both ends of the driven shaft (¶ 56; bearings 69 of Figure 10).
At the time of the invention, a person of skill in the art would have thought it obvious to combine the display assembly of Kang with the shaft and worm gear of Rook, in order to deploy a display unit to a proper position, while avoiding glare from surrounding lights.
As per Claim 5, Kang does not expressly teach: rollers that are in contact with guide rails provided at both sides of the frame, and are rotatably installed on the rear surface of the flexible display. Rook teaches rollers that are in contact with guide rails provided at both sides of the frame, and are rotatably installed on the rear surface of the flexible display (¶¶ 36, 40; rotatable support 26 helps display surface 1 move in Figure 4). See Claim 1 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 6, Kang does not expressly teach that the rollers are segmented and disposed in a moving direction of the flexible display. Rook teaches that the rollers are segmented and disposed in a moving direction of the flexible display (¶ 40; as rotatable support 26 in Figure 4). See Claim 1 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 7, Kang teaches that each of the rollers includes:
a roller plate formed on the rear surface of the flexible display to extend in a left-right direction (¶ 108; hinge wing portion 368 of Figure 9);
a first roller part disposed between the rear surface of the flexible display and the guide rail (¶ 109; wing fixing portion 3681 of Figure 9); and
a second roller part disposed in contact with an outer surface of the guide rail (¶ 110; third guide protrusion 3683 of Figure 9).
As per Claim 8, Kang teaches:
a guide protrusion protruding from the first roller part or the guide rail (¶ 85; guide block 324 of Figure 5); and
a guide groove, into which the guide protrusion is inserted and along which the guide protrusion is guided, formed in the first roller part or an opposing side of the guide rail (¶¶ 84-85; first straight rail 314 of Figure 5).
As per Claim 9, Kang teaches: an auxiliary guide rail installed behind and parallel to an upper portion of the guide rail (¶ 90; curved rails 312 and 326 of Figures 3, 6 and 13).
As per Claim 10, Kang teaches that a lower end of the auxiliary guide rail is inclined downward toward a rear side (¶ 90; curved rails 312 and 326 of Figures 3, 6 and 13).
As per Claim 11, Kang does not expressly teach that the tension provider includes:
a tensioner including a lower end that is supportably installed on the frame (¶ 104; extensions 361a and 362a of Figures 7, 8 and 9); and
a cable including an end portion connected to an upper end of the tensioner (¶ 139; from upper arm 342 of Figure 3), and another end portion connected to the rear surface of the flexible display (¶ 139; second guide protrusion 344 of Figure 3), and that the tensioner provides tension to the rear surface of the flexible display through the cable (¶¶ 139, 156; through a “pulling/pushing force”).
As per Claim 12, Kang does not expressly teach: a first supporter on which a pulley, around which the cable is wound and which changes a direction of the cable, is rotatably installed on the frame. Rook teaches: a first supporter on which a pulley, around which the cable is wound and which changes a direction of the cable, is rotatably installed on the frame (¶¶ 51-52; belt-driven pulley 51 of Figure 8). See Claim 5 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 19, Kang teaches a flexible display assembly for a vehicle (¶ 70; display assembly 100 of Figures 1 and 2), comprising:
a frame (¶ 79; including lower arm 341 and upper arm 342 of Figure 3);
a flexible display including at least a portion that is installed on the frame and configured to be movable along a curved surface (¶¶ 78-79; curved-moving unit 340 of Figure 3); and
a driver installed on the frame, connected to a rear surface of the flexible display, and configured to provide a driving force (¶¶ 77-78; driving unit 330 of Figure 3).
Kang does not expressly teach rollers rotatably installed on the rear surface of the flexible display and in contact with guide rails provided on both sides of the frame. Rook teaches rollers rotatably installed on the rear surface of the flexible display and in contact with guide rails provided on both sides of the frame (¶¶ 36, 40; on rotatable support 26 that helps display surface 1 move in Figure 4). See Claim 4 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 20, Kang further teaches: a supporter for supporting the rear surface of the flexible display in response to the flexible display arriving at a preset position is formed on the frame (¶¶ 84-85; vertical base 311 of Figures 5, 6, 7, 9 and 13).
Conclusion
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ATUL TRIVEDI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3661
/ATUL TRIVEDI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3661
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