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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 04/28/2026 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1-8 and 11-18 are 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.
Regarding claim 1 states, “wherein the filling structure comprises an adhesive material, wherein the gap and the accommodating space are filled with adhesive material, and wherein the gap is configured to be filled with the adhesive material from the accommodating space when the accommodating space is filled with the adhesive material.” It is unclear to the examiner if “adhesive material” in line 12 is same as “an adhesive material” in line 11. Examiner interpreted the same. Applicant is requested to confirm the interpretation.
Claims 2-8 and 11-18 are rejected being depend on claim 1.
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 1-8, 11-12, 15-16 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TANG et al (WO 2021000445 A1 and TANG hereinafter, IDS cited) in view of Burke et al (US Patent No. 11800649 B2 and Burke hereinafter)
Regarding Claim 1, TANG discloses (1-9) an electronic device, comprising: a cover plate (20), wherein a surface of a side of the cover plate (CS) is a first plate surface;
a display screen (10), wherein the display screen is located on a side at which the first plate surface of the cover plate is located, the display screen has a bent section (301), and the bent section bends toward a side away from the cover plate; and a bracket (200), wherein accommodating space (AS) is provided between the bracket and the cover plate, a gap (G) that is communicated with the accommodating space is defined between an end of the bracket and the cover plate, and a filling structure (41) is provided in the accommodating space and is configured to fix the bent section of the display screen in the accommodating space to the bracket.
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TANG does not explicitly disclose wherein the filling structure comprises an adhesive material, wherein the gap and the accommodating space are filled with adhesive material, and wherein the gap is filled with the adhesive material from the accommodating space when the accommodating space is filled with the adhesive material. However, Burke teaches (fig.8A) wherein the filling structure comprises an adhesive material (823), wherein the gap (G) is configured to be filled with the adhesive material (823) from the accommodating space (AS) when the accommodating space is filled with the adhesive material.
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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 adhesive material filled from the accommodating space to the gaps of Burke to device of TANG in order to enhance coupling between the display component and housing (Burke and col 4, lines 1-10)
Regarding Claim 2, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 1. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4) wherein the bracket comprises a bracket body (BB) and a raised part (BR) , the raised part is located at an end of the bracket body, and the raised part protrudes from the bracket body toward the cover plate.
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Regarding Claim 3, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 2. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4) wherein the cover plate comprises a cover plate body and an extended plate section, the cover plate body and the extended plate section are two regions of the cover plate, and the raised part protrudes from the bracket body toward the extended plate section.
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Regarding Claim 4, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 3. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4) wherein the raised part has a surface corresponding to the extended plate section, and the gap that is communicated with the accommodating space is defined between the extended plate section and the surface that is of the raised part and that corresponds to the extended plate section.
Regarding Claim 5, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 2. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4) wherein the raised part is spaced apart from the bent section.
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Regarding Claim 6, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 1. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4)wherein the display screen further comprises a main screen section (10), the bent section is bent from an edge of the main screen section to the side away from the cover plate, the bent section extends from the
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main screen section into the accommodating space, and the main screen section is a part of the display screen for displaying.
Regarding Claim 7, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 6. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4) wherein a thickness of the bent section is smaller than a thickness of the main screen section.
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Regarding Claim 8, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 6. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4) wherein the display screen further comprises a wire connecting screen section (11), the wire connecting screen section is connected to the bent section, the main screen section is attached to an inner side surface of the cover plate body, and the wire connecting screen section is located on an inner side surface of the main screen section and is stacked on the main screen section.
Regarding Claim 11, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 1. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4) wherein a recessed cavity is formed on a side of the bent section, the recessed cavity defines filling space, and the accommodating space comprises the filling space.
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Regarding Claim 12, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 11. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4) wherein there is an adhesive material (42) in the filling space.
Regarding Claim 15, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 2. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4) wherein the raised part extends to an end surface of the cover plate, and the raised part is opposite to the end surface of the cover plate.
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Regarding Claim 16, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 15. TANG further discloses (See annotated fig. 4) wherein the raised part has a surface opposite to the end surface of the cover plate, the surface that is of the raised part and that is opposite to the end surface of the cover plate is spaced apart from the end surface of the cover plate to define a gap, and the gap is communicated with the accommodating space.
Regarding Claim 18, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 1. TANG further discloses (figs. 1-4) wherein the electronic device further comprises a cover body (20) that is integrally formed with the bracket (12, fig.3). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine a cover body that is integrally formed with the bracket of Burke to device of TANG in order to provide a rigid outer material that transfer mechanical stresses on the cover layer to the housing (Burke and col 8, lines 55-60)
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TANG et al in view of Burke et al and further in view of LU (CN 111599279 A and LU hereinafter)
Regarding Claim 17, TANG/Burke discloses the electronic device according to claim 1, but fails to disclose wherein the gap is configured to discharge air when the adhesive material is poured into the accommodating space. However, LU teaches (fig.1) wherein the gap (20) is configured to discharge air (discharge the air in the through hole 20) when the adhesive material (4) is poured into the accommodating space. 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 gap is configured to discharge air of LU to device of TANG/Burke in order to provide maximum filling thickness of the adhesive layer (Lu, and claim 2)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-14 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.
Regarding claim 13, the prior art fails to disclose “wherein supporting pads are convexly disposed on the surface that is of the raised part and that corresponds to the extended plate section, the supporting pads support the extended plate section, so that the extended plate section is spaced apart from the surface that is of the raised part and that corresponds to the extended plate section to define the gap that is communicated with the accommodating space.”
Claim 14 is rejected being depend on claim 13. However, the prior art (Cited in PTO 892), when taken alone, or, in combination, cannot be construed as reasonably teaching or suggesting all of the elements of the claimed invention as arranged, disposed, or provided in the manner as claimed by the Applicant.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-8, 11-12 and 15-18 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the combination of the references applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROCKSHANA D CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)272-1602. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8 AM - 4:30 PM ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Allen L Parker can be reached at 303-297-4722. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ROCKSHANA D CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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