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 .
Claims 1-20 are pending and prosecuted.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 12, and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seol, et al., US Patent Publication 2006/0132366, in further view of Baek, US Patent Publication 2019/0268455.
Regarding Claim 1, Seol discloses an electronic device (Abstract; a mobile phone) comprising:
a first housing including a first space (Figures 1, 2 and 4; [0012]; [0028-0041]; a sliding housing 30 the inherently has a “first space” );
a second housing slidably coupled to the first housing and including a second space (Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; body housing 20 inherently has a “second space” and is considered to be “slidably coupled” to the sliding housing 30);
a display disposed to be supported by the first housing and the second housing, and having a display area that partially changes when the display is converted from a slide-in state to a slide-out state (Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; a display that is supported by the sliding housing 30 and the body housing 20 and having a display area that changes when the sliding housing 30 slides up or down);
a first substrate disposed in the first space of the first housing (Figures 1, 2, 4, 6- 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; a printed circuit board is in the “first space” of the sliding housing 30 as shown in Figure 6 ) ;
a second substrate disposed on a first surface of the second housing and including a first antenna pattern (Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; the examiner considers that the sliding modules 40 to be a “second substrate” that is on a surface of the sliding module 40 and has an antenna device 200);
a hole formed in a portion of the second housing, wherein the first antenna pattern is disposed to overlap the hole (Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; a connector hole 24d formed in the body housing 30, where the antenna device 200 overlaps the connector hole 24d).
However, Seol doesn’t explicitly disclose the display is a flexible display, and
a wireless communication circuit disposed on one of the first substrate or the second substrate and electrically connected to the first antenna pattern.
Baek, US Patent Publication 2019/0268455, discloses an electronic device with a flexible display which is movable (e.g. rollable or slidable) to extend or reduce a display region visually exposed to the outside ([0010];). Baek further discloses antenna module comprising of an antenna radiator that is connected to a wireless communication circuit 4121 mounted to a PCB 412 ([0044]; [0075]; [0080];).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the disclosure of Seol to further include the teachings of Baek in order to provide the display is a flexible display, and a wireless communication circuit disposed on one of the first substrate or the second substrate and electrically connected to the first antenna pattern. The motivation to combine these analogous arts is because Baek teaches a flexible display is used to extend or reduce a display region visually exposed to the outside (Baek: [0010];) and having a wireless communication module to identify and authenticate the electronic device in a communication network (Baek: [0044]; [0044];)
Regarding Claim 2, The combination of Seol and Baek teaches wherein air is filled in an interior of the hole (Seol: Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; the examiner considers that there is air filled in the interior of the connector hole 24d).
Regarding Claim 5, The combination of Seol and Baek teaches wherein the second substrate covers at least a portion of the hole (Seol: Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; the examiner considers that there is air filled in the interior of the connector hole 24d ).
Regarding Claim 8, The combination of Seol and Baek teaches further comprising: a second rear surface cover, wherein the second substrate is disposed between the first housing and the second rear surface cover (Seol: Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; the body housing 20 inherently has a “second rear surface cover”, and the sliding modules 40 are considered by the examiner as being between the sliding housing 30 (first housing) and said “second rear surface cover).
Regarding Claim 9, The combination of Seol and Baek teaches wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are electrically connected using at least one electrical connection member (Seol: Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; Baek: [0044]; [0075]; [0080]; the antenna module is connected to a wireless communication circuit 4121 mounted to the PCB 412 using connector 302 (electrical connection member)).
Regarding Claim 12, The combination of Seol and Baek teaches wherein the second substrate is disposed to face a portion of the flexible display through the hole in a state in which the first housing is slid into the second space of the second housing (Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; the antenna device is considered ot face a portion of the display through the connector hole 24d when the sliding housing is slid in to the body housing 20).
Regarding Claim 16, The combination of Seol and Baek teaches wherein the flexible display includes a first portion exposed to the outside, and a second portion extending from the first portion and, in a slide-in state, at least partially received into a second space of the second housing so that at least a portion of the second portion is not visible from the outside (Seol: Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; the display has a display area that changes when the sliding housing 30 slides up or down. Thus it has a first portion “exposed to the outside” and a second portion that extends from the portion and, “in a slide-in state” is at least partially received into the “second space” of the body housing 20 so that the second portion is not visible).
Regarding Claim 17, The combination of Seol and Baek doesn’t explicitly teach wherein the first portion is a planar portion, and wherein the second portion is a bendable portion.
However, Baek further teaches wherein the display includes a planar portion 431 and a bendable portion 432, that is moved when the device is slid to expand the display (Figures 3 and 5; [0060] [0083-0084];).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combinational disclosure of Seol and Baek to further utilize the teachings of Baek in order to provide wherein the first portion is a planar portion, and wherein the second portion is a bendable portion. The motivation to combine these analogous arts is because Baek teaches an electronic device may include a flexible display which is movable (e.g., rollable or slidable) to extend or reduce a display region visually exposed to the outside. If the flexible display is moved (e.g., rolled or slided), a shape of at least part thereof may be transformed (e.g., bended) which provides a slim size and allows for electrical components (e.g. an antenna) to be mounted with an improved degree of freedom and ensure performance of the electronic component (Baek: [0010];)
Regarding Claim 18, The combination of Seol and Baek teaches wherein the flexible display includes a first display area that corresponds to a first length L1 in a slide-in state, the first display area including an area corresponding to the first portion (Seol: Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; Baek: Figure 2A and 3; [0057]; the display has a first display area that “corresponds to a first length L1 in a slide-in state”. The examiner considers the “first display area” including “an area corresponding to the first portion”).
Regarding Claim 19, The combination of Seol and Baek teaches wherein the flexible display includes an expanded second display area that is greater than a first display area exposed to the outside, the second display area including an area corresponding to the second portion (Seol: Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; Baek: Figure 2A and 3; [0057]; the display has an “expanded second display area” that is greater than “a first display area exposed to the outside”, where the second display area includes an area corresponding to the second portion).
Regarding Claim 20, The combination of Seol and Baek teaches wherein the flexible display is expanded to have a third display area that corresponds to a third length L3 that is longer than the first length L1 and is greater than the first display area as the first housing further slides by a second length L2 relative to the second housing, in a slide-out state, and wherein the third display area is an area including the first portion and the second portion (Seol: Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; Baek: Figure 2A and 3; [0057]; the examiner considers that when the display is expanded, the display has a “third display area” that corresponds to a third length that is longer than the “first length L1” and is greater than the “first display area” as the display slides to a second length L2 to reveal the “second display area”, where the “third display area” is an area of the display comprising of both the “first portion” and the “second portion”).
Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seol, et al., US Patent Publication 2006/0132366, in further view of Baek, US Patent Publication 2019/0268455, in further view of Bashan et al., US Patent 8090407.
Regarding Claim 6, The combination of Seol and Baek doesn’t explicitly teach wherein the first antenna pattern is disposed on a first surface of the second substrate, and a second antenna pattern is disposed on a second surface of the second substrate.
However, Bashan et al., US Patent Publication 8090407, teaches wherein a first antenna is disposed on a first surface of a substrate, and a second antenna is disposed on a second surface, opposite to the first surface, of the substrate (Claim 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combinational disclosure of Seol and Baek to further include the teachings of Bashan in order to provide wherein the first antenna pattern is disposed on a first surface of the second substrate, and a second antenna pattern is disposed on a second surface of the second substrate. The motivation to combine these arts because Bashan teaches having two antennas used for different short range communication on opposite ides of the substrate (Claim 1;).
Regarding Claim 7, The combination of Seol, Baek, and Bashan teaches wherein the second antenna pattern is disposed to face the hole and to face a portion of the flexible display (Seol: Figures 1, 2 4, 7, and 8; [0012]; [0028-0041]; Bashan: Claim 1; the second antenna is considered by the examiner to face the connection hole 24d and a portion of the display).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seol, et al., US Patent Publication 2006/0132366, in further view of Baek, US Patent Publication 2019/0268455, in further view of Bae et al., US Patent Publication 2019/0074576
Regarding Claim 10, The combination of Seol and Baek doesn’t explicitly teach wherein the first antenna pattern is a printed circuit board (PCB) embedded antenna.
However, Bae et al., US Patent Publication 2019/0074576, teaches the antenna module 2297 may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., PCB). ([0212];).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combinational disclosure of Seol and Baek to further include the teachings of Bae in order to provide wherein the first antenna pattern is a printed circuit board (PCB) embedded antenna. The motivation to combine these arts is because Bae teaches that an antenna module has an antenna formed in or on a substate (e.g. a PCB) (Bae: [0212];)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, 11, and 13-15 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Choi et al., US Patent Publication 2021/0159585, discloses a mobile terminal with a slidable display with different states, as shown in Figure 5.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICK F MARINELLI whose telephone number is (571)270-3383. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 8:00AM - 5:00PM PST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, George Eng can be reached at (571)-272-7495. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PATRICK F MARINELLI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2699
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