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 without traverse of claims 1, 3, 6-10 in the reply filed on 5/22/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 1, 3 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon et al. U.S. Patent 11,058,018 (hereinafter D1) in view of Shin et al. U.S. Patent 10,868,264 (hereinafter D2).
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Regarding claim 1, D1 teaches an electronic device including a flexible display, the electronic device comprising:
a first housing (figure 3A; 210; figure 4; 211 to 214);
a second housing (figure 4; 220) slidably coupled to the first housing; and
a flexible display (230; figure 4) in which a size of a display area, which is an externally visible part of the electronic device, is reduced or increased based on slide-in or slide-out of the second housing ( column 41; recites claim 1: a flexible display comprising a first area disposed on one surface of the plate, and a second area extending from the first area and at least partially drawn out from an inner space of the housing when the plate is slid out") with respect to the first housing, wherein the flexible display comprises:
a panel layer (41; figure 4) including a display panel (figure 4: D---D, 41, column 19, lines 62-64: "display panel 41");
a protective layer (440; figure 4) configured to protect the panel layer (41);
a lattice layer (45; figure 4) disposed at a location such that the panel layer (41) is disposed between the protective layer (440) and the lattice layer (45);
a plurality of intermediate layers (42 and 43; figure 4) disposed between the protective layer (440; figure 4) and the panel layer (41) and at least one of the plurality of intermediate layers configured to absorb impact (implicitly taught); and
a plurality of adhesive layers (see column 19, lines 55-61), each adhesive layer respectively disposed to intervene two adjacent layers (see column 19, lines 55-61) included in the flexible display, and wherein the protective layer (440; figure 4) comprises:
a first area (main portion of 440; see figure 4) having one surface on which an adhesive layer (see column 19, lines 60-61; “various polymer adhesive members may be disposed”) of the plurality of adhesive layers is stacked, the first area having a first thickness (by default).
However, D1 does not specifically teach a second area extended from one end of the first area in a direction parallel to a planar direction of the protective layer, wherein the second area includes at least a portion having a second thickness smaller than the first thickness.
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D2, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a similar structure, having a protective layer (760; figure 7C) comprising a first area (see above annotated figure 7C) and a second area (see above annotated figure 7C) extended (see above figure 7C) from one end of the first area in a direction parallel (see above figure 7C) to a planar direction of the protective layer, wherein the second area includes at least a portion having a second thickness smaller (see above annotated figure 7C) than the first thickness.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the protective layer of D1, such that it would further include a second area extended from one end of the first area in a direction parallel to a planar direction of the protective layer, wherein the second area includes at least a portion having a second thickness smaller than the first thickness, as suggested by D2, to derive a protective layer having a shape as desired.
Regarding claim 3, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second area is formed having the second thickness throughout (see above figure 7C) the entire second area.
Regarding claim 8, D1/D2 teaches the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a bendable member (43; figure 4) configured to support the flexible display in a bendable manner.
Regarding claim 9, D1/D2 teaches the electronic device of claim 8, further comprising a guide rail (see columns 25-26 of D1) configured to guide a movement of the bendable member according to sliding of the second housing.
Regarding claim 10, D1/D2 teaches the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a slide cover (215; figure 8 of D1) disposed to be spaced apart from the flexible display.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7 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 6, the prior art of record fails to teach, disclose or fairly suggest the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second area is formed so that a length of a length direction thereof is longer than the sum of sliding lengths of the plurality of adhesive layers.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record fails to teach, disclose or fairly suggest the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of adhesive layers comprises a first adhesive layer, a second adhesive layer, a third adhesive layer, a fourth adhesive layer, a fifth adhesive layer, and a sixth adhesive layer, wherein the plurality of intermediate layers comprises a first intermediate layer, a second intermediate layer, a third intermediate layer, and a fourth intermediate layer, and wherein, in the flexible display, the protective layer, the first adhesive layer, the first intermediate layer, the second adhesive layer, the second intermediate layer, the third adhesive layer, the panel layer, the fourth adhesive layer, the third intermediate layer, the fifth adhesive layer, the fourth intermediate layer, the sixth adhesive layer, and the lattice layer are disposed in a height direction of the flexible display.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG Q DANG whose telephone number is (571)272-3069. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6PM..
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HUNG Q. DANG
Examiner
Art Unit 2835
/ANTHONY M HAUGHTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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