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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on December 8th, 2025, has been entered.
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 1-2, 4, 6-10, 12-13, 15-16, 24-27, 29, and 31-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al (WO2021129882A1). Chen is read from its English language equivalent AU2020412168B2.
With regards to claim 1, Chen discloses rotating shaft connection assembly (i.e., a support assembly) comprising a first substrate layer 311 (i.e., support member) depicted as including a first side surface and a side surface opposite to the first side surface, and a first end face connected between the first side surface and the second side surface (Chen, hereinafter with reference to its English language equivalent: abstract; para. [0554]-[0557]; Fig. 53). As best understood, the first side surface includes at least a first bendable area, as the first side surface is a part of a rotating shaft mechanism (i.e., the edge constituted by the first side surface is located in the area at which the assembly bends) (Chen: Fig. 53). Chen further depicts the formation of an avoidance notch 3114 (i.e., a groove) formed on its first end face (Chen: para. [0557]; Fig. 53). Chen additionally discloses the inclusion of additional adhesive layers which are placed on the first and second side surfaces, respectively (i.e., note that Figure 53 of Chen depicts and exploded view of its structure) (Chen: para. [0558]; Fig. 53). Chen further depicts an additional substrate layer 321 (i.e., second support member) which is depicted as comprising a second end face connected between third and fourth side surfaces, the third side surface comprising a second bendable area connected to the second end face (Chen: Fig. 53). Although the embodiment of Chen as depicted in Figure 53 does not appear to depict a protrusion extending into a groove defined by the first end face, Figures 61A-61B of Chen depict an alternative embodiment including a spacing (i.e., groove) with multiple protrusions located within the spacing (Chen: Figs. 61A-61B). The broader disclosure of Chen teaches that the inclusion of grooves, splices, and reduced thickness portions (i.e., such as in the embodiment depicted in Figures 61A-61B of Chen) may be added to provide better bending performance (Chen: para. [0685] and [0690]). Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to have added the protrusion-with-groove structure depicted in Figures 61A-61B of Chen into the structure depicted in Figure 53 of Chen, in order to provide improved bending performance (Chen: para. [0685] and [0690]).
With regards to claim 2, Chen further depicts its first support member as including a third end face opposite to the first end face, the third end face being associated with the adjacent adhesive layers located above and below the support assembly (i.e., the third end face being a fastened end face) and the first end face not being adjacent the same portions of the adhesive layer as the third end face (i.e., an end face free from an adjacent adhesive, or a free end face) (Chen: Fig. 53).
With regards to claim 4, it is noted that the claim is rather broad in that it is directed to a ratio calculated from “a size of the first bendable area in the first direction,” but neither claim 4 nor preceding claim 1 specifies the metes and bounds of the first bendable area (Chen: Fig. 53). Technically, the entire structure of Chen is bendable to at least some extent, and therefore, a “bendable area” may be drawn arbitrarily in any location in the structure of Chen, the bendable area having any particular size. It is submitted that it is possible to specify “a bendable area” such that it has a size in a first direction that corresponds to an area ratio with respect to groove size in the claimed value of 0.5 (Chen: Fig. 53).
With regards to claim 6, the assembly of Chen is depicted as further including a bonding structure comprising a first back adhesive structure disposed on the first side surface and a second back adhesive structure disposed on the second side surface (i.e., note that Chen depicts an exploded view in its Fig. 53) (see above discussion).
With regards to claim 7, the assembly of Chen is depicted as including a bonding structure comprising a first back adhesive structure disposed on the first side surface and a second back adhesive structure disposed on the second side surface (i.e., an adhesive dispensing structure having at least a part disposed on the first side surface and/or the second side surface) (Chen: Fig. 53). The adhesive structures of Chen are considered to constitute adhesive dispensing structures in accordance with the broadest reasonable interpretation of the present specification, as the present specification does not provide a specific definition for the phrase “adhesive dispensing structure.”
With regards to claim 8, Chen further discloses its first and second side surfaces as each including gaskets (i.e., its assembly may further comprise a first gasket, wherein the first gasket is located on the first side surface, and/or a second gasket, wherein the second gasket is located on the second side surface) (Chen: para. [0589]).
With regards to claim 9, the first side surface of Chen further includes an additional area comprising a first reinforcement layer 314 which requires further external force to bend (i.e., requiring more force to bend than the bendable area, and therefore, there exists a force such that the additional area is considered non-bendable but the bendable area is considered bendable) (Chen: para. [0567]; Fig. 53). It is noted that, as depicted, the additional area of Chen has a projection of the first back adhesive structure with respect to a first side surface (i.e., each of the first side surface, additional area, and first back adhesive structure share a thickness direction) (Chen: Fig. 53).
With regards to claim 10, the second side surface of Chen further includes an additional area comprising a first reinforcement layer which requires further external force to bend (i.e., requiring more force to bend than the bendable area, and therefore, there exists a force such that the additional area is considered non-bendable but the bendable area is considered bendable, or with respect to the present claim language, foldable) (Chen: para. [0567]; Fig. 53). It is noted that, as depicted, the additional area of Chen has a projection of the second back adhesive structure with respect to a second side surface (i.e., each of the second side surface, additional area, and second back adhesive structure share a thickness direction) (Chen: Fig. 53).
With regards to claim 12, Chen further discloses its first gasket as including portions 3230 which, as best understood, are in contact with bonding sections (i.e., portions of the adhesive layers) 3161, though the first gasket and bonding sections are further depicted as having corners in which they are not in contact (i.e., includes a gap between a side edge of the first back adhesive structure and a side edge of the first gasket) (Chen: Fig. 58A).
With regards to claim 13, the adhesive layers of Chen are further depicted as including apertures (i.e., grooves) (Chen: Fig. 53). It is submitted that the grooves are dispensing grooves in that a material is capable of being dispensed through them (i.e., as any groove, or aperture, is capable of having material flow through it).
With regards to claim 15, Chen further depicts an additional dispensing groove (i.e., second dispensing groove) disposed in edge-to-edge contact with the first gasket (Chen: Fig. 58). The additional dispensing groove is considered to meet the claimed intended use of “for accommodating the adhesive dispensing structure,” in that the adhesive dispensing structure is capable of being at least partially inserted through the additional dispensing groove (i.e., as any material is capable of being placed within a groove).
With regards to claim 16, the second dispensing groove is depicted as including an edge of the first gasket (i.e., is disposed on an edge of the first gasket) which is parallel to that of the first back adhesive structure (i.e., faces that of the first back adhesive structure, which is noted as constituting the bonding area depicted in Fig. 58A) (Chen: Fig. 58A).
With regards to claim 24, Chen further discloses its rotating shaft connection assembly as formed as a part of an open mobile terminal platform (i.e., terminal device) (Chen: para. [0226]). The device of Chen is expressly depicted as comprising two support assemblies (i.e., first and second support members) disposed in parallel, such that the assemblies are disposed opposite to each other across a gap (Chen: Fig. 53). As best understood, such a device comprises a flexible display. Furthermore, it is noted that the claimed ratio is rather broad as it is calculated from “a size of the first bendable area in the first direction,” but the size of the bendable area is broadly specified. The entire structure of Chen is bendable to some extent, and therefore, the claimed “bendable area” may be arbitrarily drawn in any location relative to the structure of Chen, such that the claimed ratio is met.
With regards to claim 25, Chen discloses its device as including two support assemblies, each comprising end faces disclosed on opposite sides relative to a gap therebetween (i.e., first end faces disposed opposite to each other) (Chen: Fig. 53). Such a gap staggers the first and second support members relative to the first groove.
With regards to claim 26, Chen discloses its support assembly as located between an additional assembly (i.e., which is a part of a foldable device, and therefore is considered to be a folding assembly) (see above discussion). It is noted that the present claim does not include the locations or sizes of the claimed bendable areas and non-bendable areas (other than that such areas are opposite to each other and include projections relative to one another), and further, the device of Chen includes multiple of its support assemblies (i.e., which may be construed as overall support assemblies), each of which include bendable and non-bendable areas. Therefore, depending on the designated locations of its bendable areas, the device of Chen may be construed as including third and fourth non-bendable areas and third and fourth-bendable areas, and further, depending on how their subdivision, such areas could be construed as including third and fourth non-bendable areas opposite to each other, the third bendable area located between the third non-bendable area and the fourth non-bendable area, a projection of the fist bendable area being in the third bendable area, and a projection of the first non-bendable area being in the third non-bendable area or the fourth non-bendable area (Chen: Fig. 53).
With regards to claim 27, Chen further depicts the formation of an avoidance notches formed on both ends of its first end face (Chen: para. [0557]; Fig. 53).
With regards to claim 29, Chen further depicts the formation of an avoidance notches formed on both ends of its first end face for its support assemblies (Chen: para. [0557]; Fig. 53).
With regards to claim 31, as best understood, such a device comprises a flexible display (i.e., in the form of a terminal device) (see above discussion).
With regards to claim 32, it is noted that the present claim does not define the region in which the first bendable area is determined. Therefore, the first bendable area may be arbitrarily specified in order to meet the claimed ratio.
With regards to claim 33, it is noted that the present claim does not define the region in which the first bendable area is determined. Therefore, the first bendable area may be arbitrarily specified in order to meet the claimed ratio.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments have been fully considered and they are found persuasive. The support assembly for flexible display as depicted in Figure 53 of Chen does not anticipate the present claims as amended. Therefore, the grounds of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 over Chen have been withdrawn. However, new grounds of rejection are made under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Chen (i.e., as Chen depicts an additional embodiment having the claimed features, which is considered obvious to combine with the originally-applied embodiment of Chen).
Conclusion
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/E.W./
Examiner, Art Unit 1783
/MARIA V EWALD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1783