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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The four (4) information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 03/04/2025, and the information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/21/2026 were considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation " the plurality of holes" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 2-12 directly or indirectly depend from independent claim1 and therefore has the same antecedent basis issue as that of claim 1.
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 and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shin . et al. (20020039274) With respect to claim 1, Shin et al. discloses a foldable display device (DD), comprising: a display panel (DM)including a folding area (FA) and non-folding areas (NFA1, NFA2), the folding area (FA) disposed between the non-folding areas (NFA1, NFA2); and a back plate (LM) under the display panel (DM), the back plate (LM) including a plate top (PT), a plate bottom (CL) having at least one groove (SD) corresponding to the plurality of holes (OP), and an adhesive layer (1AD) attaching the plate top (PT) and the plate bottom (CL), wherein the back plate (LM) includes the folding area (FA) that is a bending portion of a folding operation with reference to a folding axis. With respect to claim 2, Shin et al. discloses the foldable display device (DD) of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the plate bottom (CL) of a central portion of a groove area corresponding to the at least one groove is equal to or smaller than a thickness of a maximum depth of the at least one groove of the central portion of the groove area.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-12 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LISA LEA-EDMONDS whose telephone number is (571)272-2043. The examiner can normally be reached M-F.
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LISA LEA-EDMONDS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2847
/LISA LEA-EDMONDS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847 2026-09-04
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