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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicants’ election without traverse of Species B claims 1, 7, 9, 12-15 and 20 in the reply filed on 7/29/2026 are acknowledged. Accordingly, claims 2-6, 8,10-11 and 16-19 are withdrawn from consideration.
Claim Objections
Claims 7, 9 and 12 are objected to because of the following informalities: Note, claims 7, 9 and 12 depend on claims that were withdrawn from consideration. This appears to be an error. In the interest of compact prosecution Examiner will interpret these claims as dependent on claim 1. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 9 recites the limitation: "the coupling portion" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because these elements were not previously introduced. To avoid insufficient antecedence, Examiner suggests replacing [the] with “a”. Please review the rest of the claims for similar occurrences. Appropriate action required.
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(s) 1, 7, 9 and 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over in Yang 11,016,532 in view of He 11,343,361.
Regarding claim 1, Yang discloses a display device (Title) comprising: a display module (100, Fig 1); a plate (220, Fig 2) including a base portion (flat/planar part of 220, Fig 2), and a first sidewall (sidewall portion of 240 on left side, Fig 5) and a second sidewall (sidewall portion of 240 on right side, Fig 5) protruding downward from the base portion to face each other (see Fig 5), and disposed under the display module (Fig 2); chain units (underside of 240, Fig 5) disposed between the first sidewall and the second sidewall (Fig 5) to be spaced apart from each other along a first direction (direction parallel to 255, Fig 5), and each of the chain units extending along a second direction crossing the first direction to be coupled to the first sidewall and the second sidewall (second direction – direction along 240 extends, Fig 5); and a roller (255, Fig 5) including bumps (250, Fig 5) disposed between the chain units to be adjacent to each other (see Fig 5), and overlapping the base portion (see Fig 5), wherein the display module overlapping the base portion (see Fig 2).
Yang discloses the claimed invention except for expressly teaching the base portion, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall are bent with respect to the roller.
He, however, teaches a similar device (Abstract) where a base portion (10, Fig 29), the first sidewall (31 on one side, Figs 29, 21), and the second sidewall (31 on other side, Figs 29, 21) are bent with respect to a roller (41, see Fig 21 with respect to Fig 29).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the structure of Yang where the base portion, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall are bent with respect to the roller, as taught by He, in order to facilitate sliding against the sidewall to slide linearly with respect to the base even when not completely horizontal, forming a type of curved display, thereby improving functionality and reliability.
Regarding claim 7, Yang in view of He disclose the display device of claim [[6]] 1, Yang teaches wherein the bumps are respectively inserted between the adjacent central portions along a circumference of the roller (see Fig 5 where each bump sits between portions on 240).
Regarding claim 9, Yang in view of He disclose the display device of claim [[2]] 1, He teaches wherein ‘the’ coupling portion (30, Fig 18) comprises guide portions (slabs of 30 constitutes guide portions, Fig 18) spaced apart from each other in the second direction (Figs 17, 18), and central portions (430, Fig 16) disposed between adjacent guide portions in the second direction (Fig 17), wherein the bumps are arranged apart from each other along the second direction (Fig 19) and along a circumference of the roller (Fig 20), and the bumps are respectively inserted between adjacent central portions along the circumference of the roller (see Fig 19).
Regarding claim 12, Yang in view of He disclose the display device of claim [[11]] 1, Yang teaches wherein a width of each of the bumps in the second direction is equal to or smaller than a width of the central portion in the second direction (see Fig 5).
Regarding claim 13, Yang in view of He disclose the display device of claim 1, He teaches wherein when the roller rotates (Fig 20), a portion bent by the roller among the base portion (Fig 29), the display module overlapping the base portion (Fig 19), the first sidewall and the second sidewall is changeable (col 3 lines 4-8).
Regarding claim 14, Yang in view of He disclose the display device of claim 1, Yang teaches wherein the bumps have one of a triangular shape or a trapezoidal shape on a cross-section (see Fig 5).
Regarding claim 15, Yang in view of He disclose the display device of claim 1, Yang teaches wherein the base portion, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall are integral with each other (see Fig 5).
Claim(s) 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over in Yang 11,016,532 in view of He 11,343,361 and further in view of Lee 2017/0364119.
Regarding claim 20, Yang in view of He disclose the display device of claim 1, except wherein the plate comprises stainless steel.
Lee however teaches a similar device wherein a plate comprises stainless steel (see par 0075).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the plate of Yang in view of He to include stainless steel, as taught by Lee, in order to provide high strength, sleek looks, and strong rust resistance, while protecting moving parts well and feels premium to the touch, thereby improving aesthetics.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: see PTO 892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RASHEN E MORRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-8852. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani Hayman can be reached at 571-270-5528. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RASHEN E MORRISON/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/ANTHONY M HAUGHTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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