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 .
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.
Claim(s) 11, 13-14, 16-17, and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (WO 2023/024582A1).
Regarding claim 11, Wang et al. discloses, as shown in Figures 1-11, a display device comprising:
a display panel (22) including a first non-folding region (corresponding to 32 of plate 21, see Figures 1-3), a folding region (corresponding to 31 of plate 21), and a second non-folding region (corresponding to 32) sequentially disposed in a first direction;
a support plate (21) disposed below the display panel, the support plate including a plurality of openings (130a,130b) that overlap the folding region in a plan view; and
an impact resistance enhancement layer (300) disposed below the display panel, wherein
the support plate has a groove (formed in 100) that overlaps the folding region in a plan view,
the impact resistance enhancement layer is disposed in the groove of the support plate (see Figure 9), and
the impact resistance enhancement layer has a thickness in a range of about 30 μm to about 50 μm (less than or equal 0.1 mm, see page 32).
Regarding claim 13, Wang et al. discloses the support plate includes an upper surface adjacent to the display panel, and
the groove is defined on the upper surface of the support plate (Figure 9).
Regarding claim 14, Wang et al. discloses the display device further comprising:
a first adhesive layer (not shown, see page 32) directly disposed on the support plate; and
a panel protection layer (200) directly disposed on the first adhesive layer, wherein
the impact resistance enhancement layer is connected with the panel protection layer through the first adhesive layer.
Regarding claim 16, Wang et al. discloses the display device further comprising:
a first adhesive layer (not shown, see page 32) directly disposed on the support plate;
a panel protection layer (200) directly disposed on the first adhesive layer; and
a second adhesive layer (not shown, see page 32) directly disposed below the impact resistance enhancement layer and that connects the impact resistance enhancement layer and the support plate
Regarding claim 17, Wang et al. discloses, as shown in Figures, a display device comprising:
a display panel including a first non-folding region (corresponding to 32 of plate 21, see Figures 1-3), a folding region (corresponding to 31 of plate 21), and a second non-folding region (corresponding to 32 of plate 21) sequentially disposed in a first direction;
a support plate (21) disposed below the display panel, the support plate including a plurality of openings that overlap the folding region in a plan view; and
an impact resistance enhancement layer (300) disposed below the display panel, wherein the support plate includes an upper surface adjacent to the display panel, the support plate has a groove (formed in 100, see Figure 9) on the upper surface that overlaps the folding region in a plan view, and the impact resistance enhancement layer is disposed in the groove of the support plate.
Regarding claim 19, Wang et al. discloses the impact resistance enhancement layer has a thickness in a range of about 30 μm to about 50 μm (less than or equal 0.1 mm, see page 32).
Regarding claim 20, Wang et al. discloses the display device further comprising:
a first adhesive layer (not shown, see page 32) directly disposed on the support plate; and
a panel protection layer (200) directly disposed on the first adhesive layer.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12, 15, and 18 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.
Claims 1-10 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Applicant' s claims 1-10, 12, 15 and 18 are allowable over the references of record because none of these references disclose or can be combined to yield the claimed display device comprising an impact resistance enhancement layer is disposed in the groove of the support plate, and the impact resistance enhancement layer has a modulus in a range of about 3GPa to about 6GPa, in combination with the remaining claimed limitations of claim 1; none of these references disclose or can be combined to yield the claimed display device comprising an impact resistance enhancement layer has a modulus in a range of about 3GPa to about 6GPa, as recited in claim 12; an adhesive layer 1-1 directly disposed on the support plate, wherein the adhesive layer 1-1 overlaps the first non-folding region and does not overlap the folding region in a plan view, an adhesive layer 1-2 directly disposed on the support plate, wherein the adhesive layer 1-2 overlaps the second non-folding region and does not overlap the folding region in a plan view, a panel protection layer directly disposed on the adhesive layer 1-1 and the adhesive layer 1-2, and a second adhesive layer disposed below the impact resistance enhancement layer and that connects the impact resistance enhancement layer and the support plate, as recited in claim 15; none of these references disclose or can be combined to yield the claimed display device comprising an impact resistance enhancement layer has a modulus in a range of about 3GPa to about 6GPa, as recited in claim 18.
Conclusion
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/HUNG K VU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897