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 .
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 1/5/26 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 7 and 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakayasu et al (USP 2017/0306089) in view of Lu (USP 2018/0119282), WO2017/065446, KR1020160021806, and Kim et al (USPN 10759966).
Regarding claim 1, Nakayasu et al teach:
(Currently Amended) A method of manufacturing a cover window (Nakayasu et al: laminated sheet comprising hard coat layer, coating layer, and substrate layer), the method comprising:
forming a hard coating layer having a thickness of about 20 µm to about 50 µm, on a first surface of a window substrate (Nakayasu et al: hard coat layer has a thickness of 1-20µm; paras. 0178-0186, and 0234; example 3); and
molding the window substrate (Nakayasu et al: together coating layer on top of substrate layer constitute the claimed window substrate; paras. 0008,0030, 0044-0045, and 0165-168) on which the hard coating layer is formed,
wherein the molding the window substrate on which the hard coating layer is thermoformed into a 3D shape (Nakayasu et al: paras. 0008,0030,0204-0207; example 3),
wherein the molding the window substrate comprises thermally forming the window substrate at a temperature and for a predetermined time (Nakayasu et al: paras. 0008,0030,0204-0207; 0287; example 3; Tables 1-4),
wherein the window substrate comprises a first layer comprising polycarbonate (Nakayasu et al: substrate layer; paras. 0044-0045; example 3) and a second layer comprising polymethyl methacrylate (Nakayasu et al: coating layer; paras. 0008, 0029-0030, and 0165-0168; example 3) on the first layer, and
wherein the second layer has a thickness of about 30 pm to about 60 pm (Nakayasu et al: coating layer has a thickness of 10µm-60µm; paras. 0188 and 0234; example 3).
However, Nakayasu et al do not teach a lower coating layer on a second surface of the window substrate opposite the first surface of the window substrate; forming a light blocking member on a lower surface of the lower coating layer, wherein the light blocking member surrounds an outer portion of the cover window and has a hole exposing at least a portion of the lower surface of the lower coating layer; forming at least one flat portion and at least one curved portion in the window substrate; the thermally forming temperature and duration; and the hard coating layer comprises polysilsesquioxane having a ladder structure and having a viscosity of about 10 centipoise to about 30cP.
Regarding a lower coating layer on a second surface of the window substrate opposite the first surface of the window substrate, Lu teaches a laminate having an upper hard coating layer, a PMMA layer, a PC layer, and a lower hard coating layer underneath the PMMA and PC layers, wherein the hard coating layers provide protection to the middle layers (paras. 0022-0023; figs 2-3). Since Nakayasu et al and Lu are analogous with respect to hard coated laminates, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate a lower hard coating layer as taught by Lu into the laminate of Nakayasu et al in order to form a more completely protected laminate.
Regarding forming a light blocking member on a lower surface of the lower coating layer, wherein the light blocking member surrounds an outer portion of the cover window and has a hole exposing at least a portion of the lower surface of the lower coating layer, Nakayasu et al teach forming a print layer on the substrate layer side of the laminated resin sheet (para. 0207), but do not teach the claimed light blocking member. WO2017/065446 teach a window film 100 having a hardcoat layer 40, and a light blocking pattern 30 around the periphery of the lower surface of the hardcoat layer 40, wherein the light blocking pattern 30 is applied to hide internal components like circuits, or could be a design element to add aesthetics (WO2017/065446: Shading Pattern section). Since Nakayasu et al and WO2017/065446 are analogous with respect to window films, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate the light blocking pattern of WO2017/065446 onto the lower surface of the lower coating layer of Nakayasu et al (modified) in order to hide internal components or add aesthetics to the window film.
Regarding forming at least one flat portion and at least one curved portion in the window substrate, KR1020160021806 teaches a laminate sheet with a hard coat layer, wherein the laminate is thermoformed to have at least one flat portion and at least one curved portion (fig 5). Since Nakayasu et al and KR1020160021806 are analogous with respect to thermoformed laminate sheets with a hard coat layer, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to thermoform the laminate sheet of Nakayasu et al to have the shape of KR1020160021806 in order to form a diverse product having a desired shape.
Regarding the thermally forming temperature and duration, Nakayasu et al teach thermally forming the laminate at 149C for a duration, but does not explicitly teach the claimed temperature and duration. Thermoforming parameters such as temperature and duration are well-known in the molding art as important molding parameters, and the desired temperature and duration, which are dependent on the material worked upon, would have been obviously and readily determined through routine experimentation by one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention. Further, the claimed temperature and duration are generally well-known in the molding art and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to thermoform the laminate of Nakayasu et al at the claimed temperature and duration in order to efficiently produce a high quality product.
Regarding the hard coating layer comprises polysilsesquioxane having a ladder structure and having a viscosity of about 10 centipoise to about 30cP, Kim et al teach an optical laminate having high surface hardness and excellent mechanical properties while having flexibility and improved resistance to cracks caused my mechanical stress, wherein the laminate includes a hard coating layer comprising polysilsesquioxane having a ladder structure and having a viscosity of about 10 centipoise to about 30cP (col 3:19-col 4:35; col 5:43-46; col 10:4-13; Kim et al teaches polysilsesquioxane having a structural unit of RSiO3/2, which is the structural unit for a ladder-like polysilsesquioxane). Since Nakayasu et al and Kim et al are analogous with respect to optical laminates having hard coating layers, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the hard coating layer composition taught by Kim et al as the hard coating layer of Nakayasu et al in order to form a flexible laminate having high surface hardness and excellent mechanical properties.
Regarding claim 3, such is taught by Nakayasu et al since Nakayasu et al teach a laminate sheet having a thickness of 10µm-2000µm while the hard coat layer has a thickness of 1µm-20µm and the PMMA coating layer has a thickness of 10µm-60µm (Nakayasu et al: paras. 0186-0188, and 0234).
Regarding claim 7, such is taught by Nakayasu et al (Nakayasu et al: coating layer; paras. 0008, 0029-0030, 0178-0186; example 3).
Regarding claim 10, such is taught by the above combination of Nakayasu et al and KR1020160021806 since KR1020160021806 teaches the claimed shape at fig 5.
Regarding claim 11, Nakayasu et al do not teach a function coating layer. However, it is well-known in the laminate art to form a functional coating layer on top of a hard coat layer in order to provide aesthetic appeal. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to add a functional coating layer like a print or decorative layer on top of the hard coat layer of Nakayasu et al in order to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the laminate sheet.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1,3,7, and 10-11 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USP20110097586 teaches thermoforming a hard coated laminate at 100C to about 300C for 5 to 30 mins (para. 0064). USP20210008964 teaches a hard coated laminate having hard coat layers on both sides of a substrate. WO2019107462 teaches thermoforming a hard coated laminate at 115C for 10mins. Both WO2020004828 and JP2004354547 teach the benefits of using a ladder-like polysilsesquioxane as a hard coating material like excellent heat resistance, mechanical properties, high light transmittance. The following references teaches window films having light blocking patterns on the peripheral edge of a substrate: KR1020200056735; KR1020160095708; KR1020090034505; and KR1020150104282.
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EHL
/EDMUND H LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1744