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 § 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 1-10 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo et al. (US Pub No. 2022/0187872 A1 and Seo hereinafter) in view of Zhang et al (US Patent No. 12292761 B2 and Zhang hereinafter)
Regarding Claim 1, Seo discloses (figs. 1-8 and annotated figs below) a display device comprising: a display module (DP); a support plate below the display module, and comprising a first support plate (SUP1), a second support plate (SUP2), and a folding portion (FA) between the first and second support plates; a digitizer (DG) below the support plate; and a shielding layer (Metal plates including WP1 and WP2) in contact with a lower surface of the digitizer, and having: a first opening (OP1) adjacent to the
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first support plate and overlapping with the folding portion; and a second opening (OP2) adjacent to the second support plate and overlapping with the folding portion.
Seo does not explicitly disclose wherein each of the first opening and the second opening is an empty space. However, Zhang teaches (see annotated fig.9) wherein each of the first opening (OP1) and the second opening (OP2) is an empty space (hole).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the first opening and the second opening that is an empty space of Zhang to device of Seo in order to reduce a possibility that the bendable area that is subjected to impact to be deformed and damaged (Zhang and Col 11, lines 15-25)
Regarding Claim 2, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 1. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein: the first support plate, the folding portion, and the second support plate are located along a first direction (X) ; and the first opening and the second opening extend in a second direction (Z) crossing the first direction.
Regarding Claim 3, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 2. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein the first opening and the second opening open the shielding layer in the second direction to separate the shielding layer.
Regarding Claim 4, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 1. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein the digitizer comprises a first digitizer (DG1) overlapping with the first support plate and a portion of the folding portion adjacent to the first support plate; and a second digitizer (DG2) overlapping with the second support plate and a portion of the folding portion adjacent to the second support plate, and wherein the shielding layer comprises: a first shielding layer (WP1) in contact with the lower surface of the first digitizer, and having the first opening (OP1) defined therein; and a second shielding layer (WP2) spaced from the first shielding layer, in contact with the lower surface of the second digitizer, and having the second opening (OP2) defined therein.
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Regarding Claim 5, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 4. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein the folding portion comprises: a curved surface portion (CSP); a first reverse curvature portion (ICV1) between the first support plate and the curved surface portion; and a second reverse curvature portion (ICV2) between the second support plate and the curved surface portion, and wherein, when the folding portion is folded, the curved surface portion is bent to have a curvature (fig.6), and the first and second reverse curvature portions are bent in a direction opposite to that of the curved surface portion.
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Regarding Claim 6, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 5. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein the first opening overlaps with a portion of the first reverse curvature portion having the largest curvature from among the first reverse curvature portion.
Regarding Claim 7, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 5. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein the second opening overlaps with a portion of the second reverse curvature portion having the largest curvature from among the second reverse curvature portion.
Regarding Claim 8, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 5. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein: the first shielding layer comprises a first curved surface portion (CS1) overlapping with the first reverse curvature portion and bent together with the first reverse curvature portion when the folding portion is folded; and the first opening is in a central portion of the first curved surface portion (see annotated fig above).
Regarding Claim 9, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 5. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein: the second shielding layer comprises a second curved surface portion (CS2) overlapping with the second reverse curvature portion and bent together with the second reverse curvature portion when the folding portion is folded; and the second opening is in a central portion of the second curved surface portion (see annotated fig above).
Regarding Claim 10, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 5. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein: the first opening overlaps with the entire first reverse curvature portion; and the second opening overlaps with the entire second reverse curvature portion (see annotated fig above).
Regarding Claim 17, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 1. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein the shielding layer comprises a magnetic metal powder ([0090]).
Regarding Claim 18, Seo/Zhang discloses the display device of claim 1. Seo further discloses (figs. 1-8) wherein an edge of the shielding layer overlaps with an edge of the digitizer.
Regarding Claim 19, Seo discloses (figs. 1-8) a display device comprising: a display module (DP); a support plate below the display module, and comprising a first non-folding portion (SUP1), a second non-folding portion (SUP2), and a folding portion between the first and second non-folding portions; a digitizer (DG) below the support plate; and a shielding layer in contact with a lower surface of the digitizer, wherein the folding portion comprises: a curved surface portion (CSP); a first reverse curvature portion (ICV1) between the first non-folding portion and the folding portion; and a second reverse curvature portion (ICV2) between the second non-folding portion and the folding portion, wherein, when the folding portion is folded, the curved surface portion is bent to have a curvature (fig.6), and the first and second reverse curvature portions are bent (HG1 and HG3) in a direction opposite to the curved surface portion,
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and wherein a first opening overlapping with a portion of the first reverse curvature portion having the largest curvature from among the first reverse curvature portion and a second opening overlapping with a portion of the second reverse curvature portion having the largest curvature from among the second reverse curvature portion are defined in the shielding layer (See annotated fig below).
Seo does not explicitly disclose wherein each of the first opening and the second opening is an empty space. However, Zhang teaches (see annotated fig.9) wherein each of the first opening (OP1) and the second opening (OP2) is an empty space (hole).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the first opening and the second opening that is an empty space of Zhang to device of Seo in order to reduce a possibility that the bendable area that is subjected to impact to be deformed and damaged (Zhang and Col 11, lines 15-25)
Regarding Claim 20, Seo discloses (figs. 1-8) an electronic device comprising a display device for displaying images, the display device comprising: a display module (DP); a support plate (FLT) below the display module, and comprising a first non-folding portion(NFA1), a second non-folding portion (NFA2), and a folding portion (FA) between the first and second non-folding portions; a digitizer (DG) below the support plate; and a shielding layer (WP1 and WP2) in contact with a lower surface of the digitizer, wherein the folding portion comprises: a curved surface portion (CSP); a first reverse curvature portion (ICV1) between the first non-folding portion and the folding portion; and a second reverse curvature portion (ICV2) between the second non-folding portion and the folding portion, wherein, when the folding portion is folded, the curved surface portion is bent to have a curvature (fig.6), and the first and second reverse curvature portions are bent in a direction opposite to the curved surface portion, and wherein a first opening (OP1) overlapping with a central portion of the first reverse curvature portion and a second opening (OP2) overlapping with a central portion of the second reverse curvature portion are defined in the shielding layer.
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Seo does not explicitly disclose wherein each of the first opening and the second opening is an empty space. However, Zhang teaches (see annotated fig.9) wherein each of the first opening (OP1) and the second opening (OP2) is an empty space (hole).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the first opening and the second opening that is an empty space of Zhang to device of Seo in order to reduce a possibility that the bendable area that is subjected to impact to be deformed and damaged (Zhang and Col 11, lines 15-25)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-16 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 11, the prior art fails to disclose, “wherein: the first opening comprises a plurality of first openings; the second opening comprises a plurality of second openings; the first shielding layer comprises a first bending extension portion overlapping with the folding portion; the second shielding layer comprises a second bending extension portion overlapping with the folding portion and located in a direction parallel to the first bending extension portion; the plurality of first openings are in the first bending extension portion; and the plurality of second openings are in the second bending extension portion.”
Claims 12-15 are objected being depend on claim 11.
Regarding claim 16, the prior art fails to disclose, “a first wing plate below the folding portion; a second wing plate below the folding portion and located in a direction parallel to the first wing plate; and a folding support portion connected to the second wing plate and extending onto the first wing plate, wherein: the first shielding layer comprises a first bending extension portion overlapping with the folding portion; the second shielding layer comprises a second bending extension portion overlapping with the folding portion and located in a direction parallel to the first bending extension portion; the first wing plate is located below the first bending extension portion; the second wing plate is located below the second bending extension portion; the folding support portion is located between the first wing plate and the first bending extension portion and between the second wing plate and the second bending extension portion; and the folding support portion extends to be adjacent to a boundary between the first support plate and the folding portion and a boundary between the second support plate and the folding portion.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-10 and 17-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the combination of the references applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
The title of the invention has been withdrawn.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Li et al (US 20250275072 A1) (fig.2) empty spaces between 312 and 322.
LIN et al (US 20230409086 A1) (fig. 11-12) empty spaces in 100c Area.
Kim et al (US 20180102496 A1) (figs. 1-5) empty spaces 500h holes.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROCKSHANA D CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)272-1602. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8 AM - 4:30 PM ET.
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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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/ROCKSHANA D CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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