DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This is in reply to an application filed on November 19, 2024 and an Amendment and Response to Restriction Requirement filed on January 19, 2026 regarding Application No. 18/951,677. Applicants amended claim 11 in the Amendment. Claims 5 and 8-19 are withdrawn as being drawn to non-elected species. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 5 and 8-19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a non-elected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on January 19, 2026.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of Applicants’ claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). A certified copy of the TW 113101508 application filed in Taiwan on January 15, 2024 has been filed.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on November 19, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the Office. Please note that the Office has included the application number, filing date, and art unit number on the IDS.
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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicants are advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wittenberg et al. in US 2024/0098913 A1 (hereinafter Wittenberg) in view of Park et al. in US 2017/0367198 A1 (hereinafter Park).
Regarding claim 1, Wittenberg teaches:
A display (12 and 14 in FIG. 8), comprising (Wittenberg: FIG. 8 and “[0060]… Display 14 is a flexible display and may be deployed from interior 44 to exterior 50 through opening 86 (e.g., a slot) in housing 12…. Housing portions 12-1 and 12-2 (e.g., the upper surfaces of these structures) may be used to help support display 14 ….”, see also FIGs. 9, 14-24, and 29-31. Note: FIGs. 8-9, 14-24, and 29-31 are interchangeable as they are/correspond to a display.):
a display size adjustment module (12 (12-1 and 12-2) in FIGs. 8-9), comprising (Wittenberg: FIGs. 8-9, “[0060]… Housing 12 of device 10 of FIG. 8 has portions such as first portion 12-1 and second portion 12-2. Portions 12-1 and 12-2 may slide towards and away from each other. In the arrangement of FIG. 8, portions 12-1 and 12-2 have been placed adjacent to each other so that device 10 and display 14 are in an unexpanded state….”, and “[0061] When it is desired to extend the area of display 14, housing portion 12-2 may be moved away (e.g., slid away) from housing portion 12-1 in direction 52, as shown in FIG. 9….”, see also FIGs. 14-24 and 29-31 and [0069]. Note: FIGs. 8-9, 14-24, and 29-31 are interchangeable as they are/include a display size adjustment module(s).):
a first element (12-1 in FIGs. 18-19), comprising a plurality of first ribs (12M1) arranged at intervals (recesses) (Wittenberg: FIGs. 18-19 and “[0070] Housing portion 12-1 of FIG. 18 has a series of elongated members (sometimes referred to as fingers) such as members 12M1…. The recesses formed between adjacent members on one portion (e.g., the elongated recesses between respective pairs of adjacent members 12M1)….”, see also FIGs. 8-9, 14-17, 20-24, and 29-31. Note: FIGs. 8-9 and 18-19, and 14-17, 20-24, and 29-31, are interchangeable as they are/include a display size adjustment module(s) that includes a first element.); and
a second element (12-2 in FIGs. 18-19), comprising a plurality of second ribs (12M2) arranged at intervals (recesses) and slidably engaged with the first ribs, wherein a size of the display increases as the second element slides away from the first element and decreases as the second element slides toward the first element (Wittenberg: FIGs. 18-19, “[0069] A top view (front face view) of an illustrative pair of interlocking housing structures with interdigitated members (e.g., interdigitated members that extend across front face F) is shown in FIG. 18. As shown in FIG. 18, device 10 may have interlocking housing portions 12-1 and 12-2 that are configured to allow housing portions 12-1 and 12-2 to slide towards and away from each other. This may allow the size of display 14 to be adjusted. For example, display 14 may be a flexible display having a first portion stored inside housing portion 12-1 when display 14 is in its unexpanded state and a second portion attached to housing portion 12-2. When housing portion 12-2 is moved away from housing portion 12-1, display 14 may be pulled out of housing portion 12-1 to increase the viewable size of display 14.”, and “[0070]… [H]ousing portion 12-2 may have a series of interlocking offset elongated members (fingers) such as members 12M2. The recesses formed between adjacent members on one portion (e.g., the elongated recesses between respective pairs of adjacent members 12M1) are configured to receive the elongated members of the other portion (e.g., members 12M2) and vice versa. The interlocking structures of FIG. 18 (e.g., the members of portion 12-1 and the corresponding members of portion 12-1) are configured to slidably engage so that housing portion 12-1 and 12-2 slide with respect to each other while serving as a robust support for display 14. The illustrative housing of FIG. 18 is shown in an expanded configuration (following sliding movement to move portions 12-1 and 12-2 away from each other) in FIG. 19.”, see also FIGs. 8-9, 14-17, 20-24, and 29-31. Note: FIGs. 8-9 and 18-19, and 14-17, 20-24, and 29-31, are interchangeable as they are/include a display size adjustment module(s) that includes a second element.); and
a flexible display module (14 in FIGs. 8-9), disposed on the display size adjustment module and bent to a back side of the display size adjustment module (Wittenberg: FIGs. 8-9 and “[0060]… Display 14 is a flexible display and may be deployed from interior 44 to exterior 50 through opening 86 (e.g., a slot) in housing 12…. In the unexpanded state of FIG. 8, display has a first portion 14-1 that is viewable from exterior 50 of device 10 and has a second portion 14-2 that is housed within interior 44 and is not viewable from exterior 50. Display 14 may, for example, have one or more bends (folds) that allow display 14 to double back on itself so that portion 14-2 may be stored in interior 44. Housing portions 12-1 and 12-2 (e.g., the upper surfaces of these structures) may be used to help support display 14 ….”, see also FIGs. 14-17 and 31. Note: FIGs. 8-9, 14-17, and 31 are interchangeable as they are flexible display modules.),
wherein the flexible display module comprises a flexible display panel (14 in FIGs. 8-9) (Wittenberg: FIGs. 8-9 and “[0060]… Display 14 is a flexible display….”, see also FIGs. 14-17 and 31. Note: FIGs. 8-9, 14-17, and 31 are interchangeable as they are flexible display modules that include a flexible display panel.).
However, it is noted that Wittenberg does not teach:
wherein the flexible display module comprises a flexible support member supporting the flexible display panel, and the flexible support member is connected to the second element through at least one of magnetic attraction, electrostatic attraction, or a buckle.
Park teaches:
wherein a flexible display module (100 in FIG. 9) comprises a flexible display panel (of 100) and a flexible support member (face seal material layer of 100) supporting the flexible display panel, and the flexible support member is connected to an element (200 and 250) through at least one of magnetic attraction, electrostatic attraction, or a buckle (Park: connected through magnetic attraction; FIG. 9, “[0079] The back cover 200 supports the rear side of the flexible display panel 100….”, and “[0086]… If the flexible magnet 250 is fixed to the back cover 200, the flexible magnet 250 makes… contact with the flexible display panel 100 by an attractive force between the flexible magnet 250 and the flexible display panel 100. For example, if the flexible display panel 100 comprises an OLED element, the flexible display panel 100 may further have an FSM (face seal material) layer for keeping moisture or oxygen from permeating into the OLED. The FSM layer may comprise invar. Invar is a nickel-iron alloy…. Thus, the flexible magnet 250 may make… contact with the flexible display panel 100 by an attractive force between the flexible magnet 250 and the FSM layer.”).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include: the features taught by Park, such that Wittenberg as modified teaches: wherein the flexible display module comprises a flexible display panel and a flexible support member supporting the flexible display panel, and the flexible support member is connected to the second element through at least one of magnetic attraction, electrostatic attraction, or a buckle (flexible display module, flexible display panel, and second element of Wittenberg combined with the flexible display module, flexible display panel, flexible support member, and element of Park), to connect a flexible support member to an element.
Regarding claim 20, Wittenberg as modified by Park teaches:
The display according to claim 1, wherein materials of the flexible support member and the second element comprise conductive materials (nickel-iron alloy and aluminum) (Park: materials of the flexible support member and element comprise conductive materials; “[0079]…[T]he back cover 200 may be made of… aluminum….”, and “[0086]… The FSM layer [of the flexible display panel 100] may comprise invar. Invar is a nickel-iron alloy….”; claim 1 above (second element of Wittenberg and element of Park)).
The motivation for the combination is to protect and provide support for a flexible display panel.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 and 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to K. Kiyabu whose telephone number is (571) 270-7836. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Thursday 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Temesghen Ghebretinsae, can be reached at (571) 272-3017. The fax number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/K. K./
Examiner, Art Unit 2626
/TEMESGHEN GHEBRETINSAE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2626 2/3/2026