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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 6/2/26 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments are moot in view of the amendments to the claims and the new grounds of rejection below.
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 1-13, 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al (US Publication No.: US 2019/0267434 A1 of record, “Liu”) in view of Nakamura et al (US Publication No.: US 2020/0236259 A1, “Nakamura”).
Regarding Claim 1, Liu discloses a display panel (Figure 7), comprising:
A display area comprising a first functional area and a second functional area surrounded by the first functional area (Figures 7, display area 11 includes a first functional area 111 and second functional area 20 surrounded by the first functional area), wherein
A light transmittance of the second functional area is higher than a light transmittance of the first functional area (Paragraph 0048 and Figure 4 disclose a light transmittance of the transparent region 142 (corresponding to the second functional area 20) is greater than the light transmittance of the non-transparent region 141 (corresponding to the first functional area 111; Paragraph 0051); and
A non-display area located on one side of the first functional area away from the second functional area (Figure 7, non-display area 60 located on one side of the first functional area 111 away from the second functional area 20), wherein
The non-display area comprises a first sub-edge and a second sub-edge which form an edge of the display panel (Figure 7, as annotated below),
The first sub-edge and the second sub-edge area located on a same side of the display in a first direction, the first sub-edge and the second sub-edge are sequentially arranged in a second direction (Figure 7, as annotated below, discloses the first and second sub edges are located on a same side the display in a first horizontal direction and area sequentially arranged in a second vertical direction),
The second functional area is arranged on a side of the display area close to the first sub-edge and the second sub-edge (Figure 7, the second functional area 20 is arranged close to the first and second sub-edge),
A distance from the first sub-edge to the first functional area is smaller than a distance from the second sub-edge to the first functional area, and the first sub-edge is arranged closer to the second functional area than the second sub-edge (Figure 7, as annotated below), wherein
The first direction and the second direction intersect (Figure 7, the first horizontal direction intersects the second vertical direction), and
When the display panel is in a bent state, the non-display area does not overlap with the second functional area (Figure 7, the non-display area 60 would not overlap with the second functional area 20).
Liu fails to disclose that the first functional area is used for image display.
However, Nakamura discloses a similar display comprising A display area comprising a first functional area and a second functional area surrounded by the first functional area (Nakamura, Figure 1, first functional area PF, second functional area TS; Paragraph 0030).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the display area as disclosed by Liu to have a first functional area that displays images as disclosed by Nakamura. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of having a smartphone display and a camera opening (Nakamura, Paragraph 0030).
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Regarding Claim 2, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 1, wherein the display area has a first edge and a second edge in a first direction which are arranged opposite to and spaced apart from each other, and the first edge and the second edge is located on opposite sides of the second functional area, and the first sub-edge and the second sub-edge are located on a same side of the first edge (Figure 7 as annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 3, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 2, wherein a distance from the first edge to the second functional area is smaller than a distance from the second edge to the second functional area (Figure 7, as annotated in the rejection of claim 2 above).
Regarding Claim 4, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 2, wherein the non-display area comprises a first sub-non-display area and a second sub-non-display area, arranged along the first edge, the first sub-edge is an edge of the first sub-non-display area, and the second sub-edge is an edge of the second sub-non-display area (Figure 7, as annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 5, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 4, wherein the non-display area further comprises a third sub-non-display area located on one side of the second sub-non-display area away from the first sub-non-display area, the third sub-non-display area comprises a third sub-edge forming the edge of the display panel, and the distance from the second sub-edge to the first functional area is smaller than a distance from the third sub-edge to the first functional area (Figure 7, as annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 6, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 4, wherein the non-display area further comprises a first sub-bending area, and at least part of the first sub-bending area is located within an area of the second sub-non-display area (Figure 7, as annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 7, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 6, wherein the non-display area comprises a third edge and a fourth edge arranged opposite to each other in a second direction, the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other, the third edge is arranged close to the second functional area, the second functional area is formed with a first end and a second end in the first direction, and the first end is arranged close to the first edge; and in the first direction, a distance from the second sub-edge to the first sub-bending area is smaller than or equal to a distance from the first sub-bending area to the first end (Figure 7, as annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 8, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 4, wherein the non-display area comprises a third edge and a fourth edge arranged opposite to each other in a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other, the third edge is arranged close to the second functional area, the second functional area is formed with a third end and a fourth end in the second direction, and the third end is arranged close to the third edge; and in the second direction, a distance from the third edge to the second sub-non-display area is greater than or equal to a distance from the third edge to the fourth end (Figure 7, as annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 9, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 4, wherein the non-display area further comprises a binding area, and the binding area is located within an area of the second sub-non-display area (Paragraph 0055 discloses a binding area within the second sub-non-display area 60).
Regarding Claim 10, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 4, wherein the first sub-edge and the second sub-edge extend in a second direction respectively, and the first direction and the second direction area perpendicular to each other (Figure 7, as annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 11, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 4, wherein the first sub-edge and/or the second sub-edge is inclined in a direction away from the first functional area, with respect to a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other (Figure 7, as annotated in the rejection of Claim 10 above, discloses an inclination at least at each corner of the first and second sub-edges in a direction away from the first functional area).
Regarding Claim 12, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 4, wherein the non-display area further comprises a fourth sub-non-display area located on one side of the second edge, and the first sub-non-display area is arranged closer to the second functional area than the fourth sub-non-display area (Figure 7, as annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 13, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 12, wherein the non-display area further comprises a fifth sub-non-display area located on one side of the second edge, and a width of the fourth sub-non-display area in the first direction is smaller than width of the fifth sub-non-display area in the first direction (Figure 7, as annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 16, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 1, wherein a contour edge of an orthographic projection of the non-display area in a direction perpendicular to a substrate of the display panel is step, and the first sub-edge and the second sub-edge are parts of an edge of the step, respectively (Figure 7, as annotated below)
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Regarding Claim 17, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses the display panel according to claim 16, wherein both a contour edges of two opposite ends of the display panel in the second direction comprise a step (Figure 1, as annotated in the rejection of claim 17, discloses a step by two opposite ends of the display panel).
Regarding Claim 18, Liu in view of Nakamura discloses a display apparatus comprising a display panel according to claim 1 (Figure 1; Paragraph 0027).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-15 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 MARIAM QURESHI whose telephone number is (571)272-4434. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
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/MARIAM QURESHI/Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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