DETAILED ACTION
It would be of great assistance to the Office if all incoming papers pertaining to a filed application carried the following items:
1. Application number (checked for accuracy, including series code and serial no.).
2. Group art unit number (copied from most recent Office communication).
3. Filing date.
4. Name of the examiner who prepared the most recent Office action.
5. Title of invention.
6. Confirmation number (See MPEP § 503).
Status of Claims
Claim 2 has been amended, claims 1 and 6 – 12 have been canceled, new claims 13 – 18 have been added, and claims 2 – 5 and 13 – 18 are now pending.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “the pixels overlap at least one edge of the flexible display screen” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
As to claim 18, the specification as originally filed does not provide support for the recitation of the claim “wherein the pixels overlap at least one edge of the flexible display screen”. The specification as first filed does not reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention “wherein the pixels overlap at least one edge of the flexible display screen”. The only portion of the specification that describes pixels on both side of a display portion is in paragraph [0041], however neither this portion nor any other portion describes the pixels that overlap at least one edge of the flexible display screen.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 2 – 5 rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Branson (US 2003/0071832) in view of Bove (US 4,958,671).
As to claim 2, Branson discloses an electronic device comprising:
a first housing (housing of display portion 102 of fig. 5C) having a first side (side containing the display 102 of fig. 5C) and a second side (side opposite the side containing the display 102 of fig. 5C)
a second housing (housing of display portion 103 of fig. 5C) having a first side (side containing the display 103 of fig. 5C) and a second side (side opposite the side containing the display 103 of fig. 5C), wherein
the first housing is rotatably coupled with the second housing (folding operation along the vertical portion 110 of fig. 5C);
and a flexible display screen (display device 100 may be manufactured with the display is flexible liquid crystal display (LCD) panels [0027]) having a first area (102 of fig. 5C) and a second area (103 of fig. 5C) continuous with the first area (the display 102 and 103 display continuous image 113 of fig. 5C), wherein
the first area of the flexible display screen (102 of fig.5C) is disposed on the first side of the first housing (side containing the display 102 of fig. 5C), and the second area of the flexible display screen (103 of fig. 5C) is disposed on the first side of the second housing (side containing the display 103 of fig. 5C), and wherein,
the first area (102 of fig.5C) of the flexible display screen and the second area (103 of fig.5C) of the flexible display screen are connected at an axis (vertical portion 110 of fig. 5C), wherein the display device maybe folded and unfolded [0022],
wherein the flexible display screen (display device 100 may be manufactured with the display is flexible liquid crystal display (LCD) panels [0027]) occupies corners of the first side (side containing the display 102 of fig. 5C) of the first housing (housing of display portion 102 of fig. 5C) formed by parallel edges of the first housing and the axis (vertical portion 110 of fig. 5C), and corners of the first side (side containing the display 103 of fig. 5C) of the second housing (housing of display portion 103 of fig. 5C) formed by parallel edges of the second housing and the axis (vertical portion 110 of fig. 5C),
but does not explicitly disclose that the first area and the second area of the flexible display screen are configured to move 360 degrees about the axis.
In the same filed of foldable presentation displays, Bove discloses a device comprising a display having a continuous display surface (TITLE) having a first area and a second area (multiple display areas with front surface 24 of sections A – H of fig. 1) connected by an axis (axis correspondent to hinge 60 between portions A and B of fig. 1), wherein the first area and the second area of the display are configured to move 360 degrees about the axis (display portions are rotatable 360 degrees so that front surfaces 24 of adjacent support frames are facing each other or, after rotation, rear surfaces 26 of adjacent support frames are facing each other, col. 10, lines 1 – 41).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to combine the teachings of Branson and the teachings of Bove such that the first area and the second area of the flexible display were configured to move 360 degrees about the axis with motivation to provide a foldable and portable display system which is reconfigurable from a folded portable position to an unfolded display position and which is adapted to display a substantially continuous, unbroken graphic or display surface consisting of a plurality of individual display panels (Bove, col 1, line 15).
As to claim 3, (dependent on 2), Branson discloses the electronic device, wherein, when the electronic device is in an open state (fig. 5C), the first side of the first housing and the first side of the second housing substantially form a single plane (single plane of fig. 5C), and the flexible display screen is disposed about the single plane (single plane of fig. 5C ) .
As to claim 4, (dependent on 2), Branson discloses the electronic device, wherein
the first area of the flexible display screen occupies substantially an entirety of the first side of the first housing (area of 102 of fig. 5C), and the second area of the flexible display screen occupies substantially an entirety of the first side of the second housing (area of 103 of fig. 5C).
As to claim 5, (dependent on 2), Branson discloses the electronic device, further comprising at least one processor (CPU 610 of fig. 6), and wherein
the flexible display screen is configured to provide electronic signals to the at least one processor in response to touching the flexible display screen (a portion of the display area D may be used as a touch screen [0023 – 0024], inherently data is output to the processor).
Claims 13 – 15 rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Branson in view of Bove and Aoki et al. (US 2005/0110702).
As to claim 13 (dependent on 1), claim 14 (dependent on 13) and claim 15 (dependent on 14) Branson in view of Bove discloses the electronic device, but does not explicitly disclose that the flexible display screen comprises organic light-emitting diodes, wherein the organic light-emitting diodes are disposed on a flexible substrate that extends across the axis, and wherein the flexible substrate comprises plastic.
In the same field of endeavor, Aoki discloses an electronic display comprising a flexible display screen (flexible display [0034]), wherein
the flexible display screen comprises organic light-emitting diodes (OLED [0038]), wherein the organic light-emitting diodes are disposed on a flexible substrate that extends across the axis (display elements are disposed across bent axis as shown in fig. 4), and wherein the flexible substrate comprises plastic (plastic substrate [0035])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Branson in view of Bove and the teachings of Aoki, such that the display was implemented using OLED technology as disclosed by Aoki, with motivation to improve the ease of use of the foldable display and provide added flexibility (Aoki, [0010 – 0012]).
Claims 16 rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Branson in view of Bove and Kimmel et al. (US 2006/0146488).
As to claim 16 (dependent on 1), Branson in view of Bove discloses the electronic device, but does not explicitly disclose that the first area of the flexible display screen is integral with the second area of the flexible display screen.
In the same filed of endeavor, Kimmel discloses an electronic device [0019], wherein the first area of the flexible display screen is integral with the second area of the flexible display screen (display 2 covers two or more parts of the device 1 [0021], wherein display 2 is referred to by using the display area 2a, which moves along the part 3 or is attached to it; the display area 2b, which moves along the part 4 or is attached to it; and display area 2c, which is located at the fold of parts 3 and 4, i.e. at the hinge 5 [0022]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Branson in view of Bove and the teachings of Kimmel, such the display was provided with the first area of the flexible display screen to be integral with the second area of the flexible display screen as disclosed by Kimmel, with motivation to provide a flexible display device that enables easy applicability in foldable electronic devices (Kimmel [0005]).
Claims 17 rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Branson in view of Bove and Jang et al. (US 2006/0125784).
As to claim 17 (dependent on 1), Branson in view of Bove discloses the electronic device, but does not explicitly disclose that device further comprising pixels on the second side of the first housing.
In the same filed of endeavor, Jang disclose an electronic device (fig. 2) further comprising pixels (display 64 of fig. 2) on the second side of the first housing (body unit 60 of fig. 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Branson in view of Bove and the teachings of Jang, such the second display was provided on the second side of the first housing as disclosed by Jang, with motivation to be able to display images without unfolding the display (Jang [0037]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
As to Applicant’s argument that: “Bronson fails to disclose a flexible display screen having a first area and a second area continuous with the first area”, the Examiner respectfully disagrees. Bronson discloses display device 100 comprising multiple segments 101-108 which could be folded or unfolded [0022], Bronson further discloses a user may fold the adjustable display device 100 along any of the vertical portions 109, 110, and 111, or along the horizontal portion 112 (e.g., the adjustable display device 100 may be manufactured with flexible liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and include flexible printed circuits which allow the adjustable display device 100 to be folded along portions 109-112) [0027]. Bronson further explicitly shows image object 113 of fig. 5 disposed across multiple segments without image discontinuity. Therefore, Bronson does disclose the flexible display screen having a first area and a second area continuous with the first area when displaying image 113 of figs. 5A – 5D.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DMITRIY BOLOTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-5873. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9AM - 5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chanh Nguyen can be reached at (571)272-7772. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DMITRIY BOLOTIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2623
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