The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of device claims in the reply filed on 10/30/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that:
1. “The Restriction Requirement is improper because the product as claimed in Invention II (claims 1-13) and the method as claimed in Invention I (claims 14-20) are closely related”.
1. This is not found persuasive because even if the two inventions are subjectively “closely related” this does not mean that the two inventions are not independent and distinct.
2. Applicants further argue that although “the product could be made by a "materially different process",”, “any process capable of producing the claimed product of Invention II would necessarily require the essential steps recited in Invention I”.
2. Contrary to applicants’ position, any process capable of producing the claimed product of Invention II would NOT necessarily require the essential steps recited in Invention I, because invention II is a product.
3. Applicants continue to argue that “there would be no "serious search and/or examination burden" on the Examiner if restriction were not required. The search for the product of Invention II (e.g., a display panel with side-surface conductive lines) would substantially overlap with the search for the method of making it (e.g., forming conductive lines on a side surface)”.
3. The search and examination of two independent and distinct inventions DOES create a serious burden on the examiner.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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.
Claims 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CH113571534 (provided as IDS on 05/19/2023).Regarding claim 1, CH113571534 teaches in figure 3 and related text a display panel, comprising:
a substrate 100 (see figure 1) comprising a first surface 110a, a second surface 110b, and a side surface 110c, wherein the first surface and the second surface are disposed opposite to each other, and the side surface is disposed between the first surface and the second surface;
a plurality of first terminals (identified as drive circuit 120) disposed on the first surface 110a of the substrate;
a plurality of conductive lines 122, wherein each conductive line 1222 is at least partially disposed on the side surface of the substrate, and the conductive lines 1222 are spaced apart from the first terminals 120; and
a plurality of first connecting members 1221 disposed on the substrate, wherein the first connecting members 1221 are connected between the conductive lines 1222 and the first terminals 120, so that the conductive lines are electrically connected to the first terminals.
CH113571534 does not explicitly state that drive circuit 120 comprises terminals.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to form terminals in drive circuit 120 in the device of CH113571534, in order to provide better electrical connection to the display panel.
Regarding claim 2, CH113571534 teaches in figure 3 and related text that each first connecting member 1221 is at least partially disposed on the first surface, and/or each first connecting member is at least partially disposed on the side surface.
Regarding claim 3, CH113571534 teaches in figures 1, 3 and related text plurality of pixels 122, identical to pixel 122 described in figure 3, Therefore, CH113571534 teaches a plurality of second terminals and a plurality of second connecting members, wherein the second terminals are disposed on the second surface of the substrate, the second terminals are spaced apart from the conductive lines, the second connecting members are disposed on the substrate, and the second connecting members are connected between the conductive lines and the second terminals, so that the conductive lines are electrically connected to the second terminals.
Regarding claim 4, CH113571534 teaches in figures 1, 3 and related text that each second connecting member is at least partially disposed on the second surface, and/or each second connecting member is at least partially disposed on the side surface.
Regarding claim 5, CH113571534 teaches in figures 1, 3 and related text that an orthographic projection of each first terminal 120 projected on the substrate at least partially overlaps an orthographic projection of a corresponding one of the second terminals (another 120 in adjacent pixel) projected on the substrate.
Regarding claim 6, CH113571534 teaches in figure 3 and related text that the first terminals 120 are disposed on the first surface and close to the side surface, and/or the second terminals are disposed on the second surface and close to the side surface.
Regarding claim 7, CH113571534 teaches in figures 1, 3 and related text that the display panel comprises multiple first terminals 120 and multiple conductive lines 122, the first terminals are disposed in a one-to-one correspondence with the conductive lines, the display panel comprises multiple first connecting members, and each first connecting member is connected between the corresponding first terminal and the corresponding conductive line.
Regarding claim 8, CH113571534 teaches in figures 1, 3 and related text that the display panel comprises multiple second terminals and multiple second connecting members, the second terminals are disposed in a one-to-one correspondence with the conductive lines, and each second connecting member is connected between the corresponding second terminal and the corresponding conductive line.
Regarding claim 9, CH113571534 teaches in figures 1, 3 and related text that the first terminals 120 are arranged side by side on the first surface and close to the side surface; and the second terminals (another 120 in adjacent pixel) are arranged side by side on the second surface and close to the side surface.
Regarding claim 10, CH113571534 teaches in figure 3 and related text that the display panel further comprises a protective layer 130 covering the first terminals, the second terminals, the conductive lines, the first connecting members, and the second connecting members.
Regarding claim 11, CH113571534 teaches in figure 5 and related text that the substrate 100 comprises a driving circuit layer 120, a base substrate 110, and a pixel layer 200 that are arranged from the second surface toward the first surface, the pixel layer is electrically connected to the first terminals, and the driving circuit layer is electrically connected to the second terminals. CH113571534 does not teach that the above layers are sequentially arranged. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to sequentially arrange the above layers from the second surface toward the first surface in the device of CH113571534, in order to prevent electrical interference between the driving circuit and the pixel layer.
Regarding claim 12, CH113571534 does not teach that a material of the first terminals, the second terminals, and the conductive lines comprises one or more of copper, aluminum, molybdenum, or titanium; and a material of the first connecting members and the second connecting members comprises solder paste.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to sequentially arrange the above layers from the material of the first terminals, the second terminals, and the conductive lines comprises one or more of copper, aluminum, molybdenum, or titanium; and a material of the first connecting members and the second connecting members comprises solder paste, in the device of CH113571534, in order to improve the conductivity of the first terminals, the second terminals, and the conductive lines by using conventional conductive materials and in order to improve the structural integrity of the device by using the well-known solder material.
Regarding claim 13, CH113571534 teaches in figures 1, 3 and related text a display device, comprising the display panel of claim 1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ORI NADAV whose telephone number is 571-272-1660. The examiner can normally be reached between the hours of 7 AM to 4 PM (Eastern Standard Time) Monday through Friday.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lynne Gurley can be reached on 571-272-1670. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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O.N. /ORI NADAV/
1/27/2026 PRIMARY EXAMINER
TECHNOLOGY CENTER 2800