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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “second width in the second region of the support plate is greater than a third width, which is a width between the first reinforcement plate and the second reinforcement plate in the first direction, claims 5 and 15” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
None of the figures that shows the second width (L2) is greater than a third width (L3). Please clarify.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 5 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claims 5 and 15, the phrase of “the second width in the second
region of the support plate is greater than a third width” is not understood because as in the figure 5B, the second width (L2) is smaller than the third width (L3). Please, clarify.
Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (U.S. 2020/00319672).
As to claim 1, Kim discloses an electronic device comprising:
a first housing (110);
a second housing (120) rotatably connected to the first housing (110), figure 1, para-0052;
a display panel (131) a portion of which is transformed by rotation of the second
housing relative to the first housing, para-0051+;
a support plate (450) disposed below the display panel (131) to support the display panel and comprising a region where the display panel (131) is transformed,
wherein the support plate (450) comprises a first portion (453) comprising multiple openings (4531) which are arranged at predetermined intervals (figure 6A), and a second portion (451, 452) excluding the first portion;
a first reinforcement plate (510) disposed below the support plate (450) and disposed in the first housing (110) such that at least a portion thereof is located in the first portion (453); and
a second reinforcement plate (520) disposed below the support plate and disposed in the second housing (120) such that at least a portion thereof is located in the first portion (453), wherein the first portion of the support plate comprises:
a first region in which a width between the openings (4531) in a first direction is
a first width (w), and
a second region in which the width between the openings (4531) in the first direction is a second width (d1) greater than the first width (w), wherein at least a portion of the second region is located between the first and second reinforcement plates (510, 520).
As to claim 11, Kim discloses a display module (mobile communication device) included in an electronic device (100) comprising a first housing (110) and a second housing (120) which are rotatably connected to each other, the display module (100) comprising:
a display panel (131) a portion of which is transformed by rotation of the second
housing (120) relative to the first housing (110);
a support plate (450) disposed below the display panel (131) to support the display panel and comprising a region where the display panel (131) is transformed,
wherein the support plate (450) comprises a first portion (453) comprising multiple openings (4531) which are arranged at predetermined intervals (figure 6A), and a second portion (451, 452) excluding the first portion;
a first reinforcement plate (510) disposed below the support plate (450) and disposed in the first housing (110) such that at least a portion thereof is located in the first portion (453); and
a second reinforcement plate (520) disposed below the support plate and disposed in the second housing (120) such that at least a portion thereof is located in the first portion (453), wherein the first portion of the support plate comprises:
a first region in which a width between the openings (4531) in a first direction is
a first width (w), and
a second region in which the width between the openings (4531) in the first direction is a second width (d1) greater than the first width (w), wherein at least a portion of the second region is located between the first and second reinforcement plates (510, 520).
As to claims 2 and 12, Kim discloses the second region of the support plate (450) is located between the first and second reinforcement plates (510, 520) when viewed from a front surface of the electronic device (100).
As to claims 3 and 13, Kim discloses in para-0128 a center of the second region of the support plate (450) is aligned with a folding axis (C6) of the electronic device when viewed from the front surface of the electronic device.
As to claims 4 and 14, Kim discloses the second width (d1) in the second
region of the support plate is smaller than a third width (d3), which is a width between the first and second reinforcement plates (510, 520) in the first /x-direction.
As to claims 5 and 15, Kim discloses the second width (d1) in the second
region of the support plate is greater than [[a third]] the first width, which is a width between the first and second reinforcement plates (510, 520) in the first direction.
As to claims 6 and 16, Kim discloses in para-0123, the second region of the support plate (450) overlaps each of one end of the first reinforcement plate and one end of the second reinforcement plate when viewed from the front surface of the electronic device (100).
As to claims 7 and 17, Kim discloses in the second region of the support plate (450), at least a portion of a surface facing the first reinforcement plate and the second reinforcement plate is removed, para-0101.
As to claims 8 and 18, Kim discloses the first portion (453) of the support plate (450) comprises: a first section corresponding to the first and second reinforcement plates (510, 520), and a second section located between the first and second reinforcement plates (510, 520), wherein the first section comprises a first pattern comprising multiple openings (4531), and wherein the second section comprises a second pattern comprising multiple openings (4531), para-0094+.
As to claims 9 and 19, Kim discloses in figures 6A+ the first portion (453) of the support plate (450) comprises: a first section corresponding to the first and second reinforcement plates (510, 520), and a second section located between the first and second reinforcement plates, and
wherein a length of openings (4531), which are located in the second section, in a second direction (y direction) is shorter than a length of openings, which are located in the first section (x-direction), in the second direction.
As to claims 10 and 20, Kim discloses in figures 7A+ the first portion (453) of the support plate (450) comprises: a first section corresponding to the first and second reinforcement plates (510, 520), and a second section located between the first and second reinforcement plates, and
wherein a length of openings (4531), which are located in the second section, in the first direction (x-direction) is shorter than a length of openings, which are located in the first section, in the first direction.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUAN T DINH whose telephone number is (571)272-1929. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-5pm, M-F.
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/TUAN T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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