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
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 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) 1, 3, 6, 8, 12-14, 17-19, 21, 23 and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Han US 20170013726.
Regarding claim 1, Han US 20170013726 discloses a flexible display device (device of Fig. 19), comprising:
a flexible display panel (10 in Fig. 1); and
a back cover (15 in Fig. 19) at a rear surface of the flexible display panel (10) and supporting the flexible display panel (10),
the back cover (15) including:
a plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15 in Fig. 19) extending in a first direction (horizontal direction of Fig. 19); and
a plurality of second members (217 in Fig. 19) extending in a second direction (vertical direction) and intersecting the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15 as depicted in Fig. 19),
the plurality of second members (217) including a different material (horizontal members of 15 are made of a light material having great strength see [0047] and 217 is made of an elastic material see [0126]) from the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15).
Regarding claim 3, Han discloses the flexible display device of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of second members (217) have a lower rigidity than the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15); and
the flexible display panel (10) and the back cover (15) are configured to be bendable, foldable, slidable, or rollable together in the second direction (vertical direction, as depicted in Fig. 21).
Regarding claim 6, Han discloses the flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the back cover further includes a protection layer (238 in Fig. 21) enclosing the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15) and the plurality of second members (217).
Regarding claim 8, Han discloses the flexible display device of claim 6, wherein: a length of the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15) in the first direction (horizontal direction) is smaller than a width of the flexible display panel (10) in the first direction (horizontal direction) and is smaller than a width of the protection layer (238) in the first direction (horizontal direction); and
the protection layer (238) covers ends of the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15).
Regarding claim 12, Han discloses the flexible display device of claim 1, wherein:
the flexible display device (device of Fig. 19) has a malleable area (area of 10 in Fig. 29) and at least one rigid area (143 in Fig. 29) adjacent to the malleable area (area of 10) in the second direction (vertical direction); and
the flexible display panel (10) and the back cover (15) are disposed in the malleable area (area of 10) and are configured to be bent, folded, slid, or rolled in the malleable area.
Regarding claim 13, Han discloses the flexible display device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15) and the plurality of second members (217) are disposed entirely in the malleable area (area of 10).
Regarding claim 14, Han discloses the flexible display device of claim 12, wherein the flexible display panel (10) is disposed entirely in the malleable area (area of 10).
Regarding claim 17, Han discloses the flexible display device of claim 1, further comprising a housing (30 in Fig. 19) configured to accommodate the flexible display panel (10) and the back cover (15).
Regarding claim 18, Han US 20170013726 discloses a display device (device of Fig. 19) having a malleable area and at least one rigid area (143 in Fig. 29) adjacent to the malleable area (area of 10 in Fig. 29),
the display device comprising:
a flexible display panel (10 in Fig. 29) in the malleable area (area of 10); and
a back cover (15 in Fig. 19) at a rear surface of the flexible display panel (10) and supporting the flexible display panel (10),
the back cover (15) including:
a plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15 in Fig. 19) the malleable area and extending in a first direction (horizontal direction of Fig. 19); and
a plurality of second members (217 in Fig. 19) the malleable area and intersecting the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15 as depicted in Fig. 19) in a mesh pattern (as depicted in Fig. 19),
the plurality of second members (217) including a different material (horizontal members of 15 are made of a light material having great strength see [0047] and 217 is made of an elastic material see [0126]) from the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15).
Regarding claim 19, Han discloses the display device of claim 18, wherein: the plurality of second members (217) have a lower rigidity than the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15);
the plurality of second members (217) extend in a second direction (vertical direction of Fig. 19) intersecting the first direction (horizontal direction of Fig. 19); and
the flexible display panel (10) and the back cover (15) are configured to be bendable, foldable, slidable, or rollable together in the second direction (vertical direction, as depicted in Fig. 21).
Regarding claim 21, Han discloses the display device of claim 18, wherein the back cover (15) further includes a protection layer (238 in Fig. 21) enclosing the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15) and the plurality of second members (217).
Regarding claim 23, Han discloses the display device of claim 21, wherein:
a length of the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15) in the first direction (horizontal direction) is smaller than a width of the flexible display panel (10) in the first direction (horizontal direction); and
the protection layer (238) covers both ends of the plurality of first members (horizontal members of 15).
Regarding claim 28, Han discloses the display device of claim 18, further comprising a housing (30 in Fig. 19) configured to accommodate the flexible display panel (10) and the back cover (15).
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(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han as applied to claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 5, Han discloses the flexible display device of claim 1.
Han does not explicitly disclose wherein:
the plurality of first members are made of one or more of metal, plastic, carbon fiber, glass fiber, and polyvinyl chloride; and
the plurality of second members are made of one or more of nylon, polyurethane, silicone, and rubber.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to select the desired material and have the plurality of first members made of one or more of metal, plastic, carbon fiber, glass fiber, and polyvinyl chloride; and
the plurality of second members made of one or more of nylon, polyurethane, silicone, and rubber, in order to provide desire support and flexibility, since it has been held by the courts that selection of a prior art material on the basis of its suitability for its intended purpose is within the level of ordinary skill. In re Leshing, 125 USPQ 416 (CCPA 1960) and Sinclair & Carroll Co. v. Interchemical Corp., 65 USPQ 297 (1945).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, 7, 9-11, 15-16, 20, 22 and 24-27 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:
Regarding claim 2, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that “wherein: the plurality of first members and the plurality of second members have a wire shape and intersect one another in a mesh pattern”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 4, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that “wherein: at least one of the plurality of second members includes a first sub-member and a second sub-member intertwined with each other; and the first sub-member intersects the second sub-member with the plurality of first members interposed therebetween”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1 and 6, a combination of limitations that “wherein the protection layer fills a space between the plurality of first members and the plurality of second members”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that “wherein: the back cover further includes at least one plate disposed adjacent to a respective end of the plurality of second members in the second direction; and
the at least one plate has a higher rigidity than the plurality of first members and the plurality of second members”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 10-11 depending from claim 9 would therefore also be allowable.
Regarding claim 15, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claims 1 and 12, a combination of limitations that “wherein:
the back cover further includes at least one plate disposed respectively in the at least one rigid area and having a higher rigidity than the plurality of second members; and
the at least one plate is connected to the plurality of second members disposed in the malleable area”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claim 16 depending from claim 15 would therefore also be allowable.
Regarding claim 20, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 18, a combination of limitations that “wherein: the plurality of first members and the plurality of second members have a wire shape; at least one of the plurality of second members includes a first sub-member and a second sub-member intertwined with each other; and the first sub-member intersects the second sub-member with the plurality of first members interposed therebetween”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 22, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 18 and 21, a combination of limitations that “wherein the protection layer fills a space between the plurality of first members and the plurality of second members”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 24, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 18, a combination of limitations that “wherein: the back cover further includes at least one plate respectively in the at least one rigid area and connected to the plurality of second members; and the at least one plate has a higher rigidity than the plurality of second members”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 25-27 depending from claim 24 would therefore also be allowable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Seo US 20240137433 Fig. 5 to 7b; Kim US 20220287189 Fig. 38; Ryu US 20220231239 Fig. 8-11; Kang US 20170192303 Fig. 1-3b; Han US 20220068170 Fig. 2-8 disclose a display device with a flexible display panel; and
a back cover at a rear surface of the flexible display panel and supporting the flexible display panel,
the back cover including:
a plurality of first members extending in a first direction; and
a plurality of second members extending in a second direction and intersecting the plurality of first members.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7659. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 3 pm.
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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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/CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/JAMES WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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