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
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I, claims 1-16, in the reply filed on 3/6/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the non-elected claims 16-20 are not independent or distinct, since they are related in design and effect to the elected claims, have the same search classes/subclasses, and involve the same technical field, and therefore would not impose a significant search and/or examination burden on the Examiner. This is not found persuasive because the inventions have acquired a separate status in the art as shown above by their different classification, have acquired a separate status in the art because of their recognized divergent subject matter, and the search required for each Group of claims requires a different field of search therefore causing a serious burden on the Examiner.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 3/6/2026.
It is to be noted that the election of species set forth in the Restriction Requirement mailed on 1/7/2026 has been withdrawn after further consideration.
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.
Claims 1, 2 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Han (CN116916713A).
Regarding claim 1, Han discloses a display module (Figs. 3-4), comprising a display panel (110), wherein the display panel comprises a display portion (111, 112 and/or 113), and the display portion is provided with a light-emitting structure (paragraphs [0032-0033]); a cover plate (130), wherein the cover plate is arranged at a side of the display portion in a thickness direction of the display portion; a support module (140), wherein the support module is arranged at a side of the display portion facing away from the cover plate, and in a direction parallel to a plane where the cover plate is located, the support module and the cover plate are arranged beyond the display panel to form a slot-shaped structure (S1); and a sealing glue (adhesive 150; paragraph [0048]), wherein the sealing glue (150) is at least partially located within the slot-shaped structure (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 2, Han discloses wherein the support module comprises a support layer (140) arranged to fit against the display portion, and in the direction parallel to the plane where the cover plate (130) is located, the support layer (140) is arranged beyond the display portion (111, 112 and/or 113) to form the slot-shaped structure (S1).
Regarding claim 16, Han discloses a display device (abstract).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-15 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: The closesest prior art of record, Han (CN116916713A), fails to teach or reasonably suggest the distinct feature of “a first sacrificial layer at a side of the support layer facing away from the display portion, wherein an orthographic projection of the display portion on the cover plate covers an orthographic projection of the support layer on the cover plate, and in the direction parallel to the plane where the cover plate is located, the first sacrificial layer is arranged beyond the display panel to form the slot-shaped structure”, as recited in dependent claim 3.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CATHERINE A SIMONE whose telephone number is (571)272-1501. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-4pm.
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CATHERINE A. SIMONE
Examiner
Art Unit 1781
/Catherine A. Simone/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781