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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8, filed 6/22/2026, with respect to
claims 1-20 have been fully considered and are persuasive; whereas independent claim 1 now include or adequately recite the more pertinent portion of the previously indicated allowable subject matter from parts of dependent claims 6-7 and upon further consideration. These limitations in combination with other recited language of the base claim are not in fact taught or suggested by Lee in the manner specifically claimed after amendment. Note, claim 7 was canceled. The previous rejection, therefore, has been withdrawn.
In response to newly filed claims 21-27. Examiner believes each and every element as claimed are in fact taught by Lee. A visual illustration where the Lee discloses the plurality of through holes at intervals as structurally claimed has been included below to improve clarity. As it stands, the current recitation of the features Applicant argues as not being taught in independent claim 21, has not gone far enough to overcome Lee under its broadest reasonable interpretation. Examiner suggests including a more positive recitation that further limit the structure of the plurality of holes, similar to independent claim 1, in such a way that is firmly distinct from Lee – if so intended.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 21 and 23-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee 2022/0374045.
Regarding claim 21, Lee discloses a display module (1000, Fig 1A), comprising: a flexible screen (FS, Fig 1B or 100, Fig 2) and a support member (300, Fig 2) stacked sequentially (Fig 2), and the support member is located on a backlight side of the flexible screen (backlight side of 100 emitting light, par 0074-0076; Fig 2), wherein the support member comprises a fixing portion (310, Fig 4A), a first bending portion (CA1, Fig 4A) and a second bending portion (CA3, Fig 4A) arranged in a first direction (DR2, Fig 2), the first bending portion is located between the fixing portion and the second bending portion (see Fig 4A), the second bending portion comprises a central portion (CA2, Fig 4A) and a plurality of main bending portions (NCA1, NCA2, Figs 2, 5B) located on two opposite sides of the central portion in the first direction (see Fig 4A); a plurality of through holes are provided in the support member at intervals (see annotated Figs above), the through holes penetrate through the support member in a thickness direction of the support member (through hole in thickness direction DR3, Fig 5A); and areas of the plurality of through holes of the main bending portion (at GB or OP, Fig 5B) increase in a direction from the central portion to the main bending portion (in folded direction, see par 0185, 0210).
PNG
media_image1.png
564
750
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 23, Lee discloses the display module according to claim 21, wherein a through hole group comprises a plurality of through holes arranged at intervals in the second direction (see annotated Fig above), a quantity of the through hole groups is greater than one (Fig 5B), a plurality of the through hole groups are arranged at intervals in the first direction (see annotated Fig above), and through holes of two adjacent through hole groups are arranged in a staggered manner in the second direction (as in Fig 4A, for example).
Regarding claim 24, Lee discloses the display module according to claim 21, wherein distances between centers of adjacent through holes of the central portion are the same (see Fig 5B).
Regarding claim 25, Lee discloses the display module according to claim 21, wherein in a direction from the central portion to the main bending portion (unfolded direction, Fig 5B), distances between adjacent through holes of the main bending portion in the first direction decrease (Fig 5B).
Regarding claim 26, Lee discloses the display module according to claim 21, wherein in a direction from the central portion to the main bending portion (from a center region outward, Fig 5B), distances taken in the first direction between adjacent through holes of a part of the plurality of through holes of the main bending portion decrease (in unfolded direction, Fig 5B), and distances taken in the first direction between adjacent through holes of the other part of the plurality of through holes of the main bending portion increase (in folded direction, see par 0185, 0210).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 22 and 27 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The dependent claims listed below, in combination with the remaining elements of the independent claim(s) from which they directly/indirectly depend, are not taught, or adequately suggested in the prior art of record.
Claim 22. Lee discloses the display module according to claim 21, wherein a cross section of the through hole is in a strip shape, the through hole extends in a second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; and in the second direction, each through hole comprises a first end, a second end, and a middle section located between the first end and the second end, and an extension length of the first end, an extension length of the second end, and an extension length of the middle section in the first direction are all greater than an extension length of a remaining part of the through hole in the first direction.
Claim 27. The display module according to claim 21, wherein average stiffnesses of two adjacent unit areas of the second bending portion are a first stiffness and a second stiffness, respectively; an absolute value of a difference between the first stiffness and the second stiffness divided by the first stiffness ranges from 0.05 to 0.2.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: see PTO 892.
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 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.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/RASHEN E MORRISON/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
Prosecution Insights