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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 8/21/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s Amendment filed on 8/21/2026. Claims 1, 7, and 14 have been amended. Claim 21 has been newly added. Claims 2 and 15 were canceled. Claims 3-5, 13, and 16-18 were withdrawn. Currently, claims 1, 3-14, and 16-21 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed on 8/21/2026, with respect to amended independent claims 1 and 14 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claims 1 and 14 has been withdrawn.
Election/Restriction
Independent claims 1 and 14 are allowable. The restriction requirement among Species 1-4 in Group I and among Species A-C in Group II, as set forth in the Office action mailed on May 7, 2025, has been reconsidered in view of the allowability of claims to the elected invention pursuant to MPEP § 821.04(a). The restriction requirement is hereby withdrawn as to any claim that requires all the limitations of an allowable claim. Specifically, the restriction requirement of 5/7/2025 is partially withdrawn. Claims 3 and 16 are no longer withdrawn from consideration because the claims require all the limitations of an allowable claim. However, claims 4-5, 13, and 17-18 are withdrawn from consideration because they do not require all the limitations of an allowable claim. Thus, claims 4-5, 13, and 17-18 have NOT been rejoined (see MPEP § 821.04(b))
Regarding claims 4-5 and 17-18, which are directed to Species B of Group 2, independent claims 1 and 14 require “the plurality of bonding pins are arranged on the front side of the base substrate” (line 21 of claim 1 and line 25 of claim 14). However, claims 4-5 and 17-18 instead requires “wherein the plurality of bonding pins are arranged on the back side of the base substrate.”
Regarding claim 13, which is directed to Species 3 of Group 1, independent claims 1 and 14 require “a plurality of signal traces being disposed in the flexible circuit board” (see lines 8-9 of claim 1 and lines 12-13 of claim 14), but claim 13 does not have this limitation.
In view of the above noted withdrawal of the restriction requirement, applicant is advised that if any claim presented in a divisional application is anticipated by, or includes all the limitations of, a claim that is allowable in the present application, such claim may be subject to provisional statutory and/or nonstatutory double patenting rejections over the claims of the instant application.
Once a restriction requirement is withdrawn, the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 121 are no longer applicable. See In re Ziegler, 443 F.2d 1211, 1215, 170 USPQ 129, 131-32 (CCPA 1971). See also MPEP § 804.01.
Claim Objections
Claims 3 and 16 are objected to because of the following informalities: in line 5 of both claims, it appears that “plurality extension wires” should be “plurality of extension wires.” Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claims 3 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claim 3 depends on claim 2, which has been canceled. Claim 16 depends on 15, which has been canceled. It appears that claim 3 should depend on claim 1, and that claim 16 should depend on claim 14. Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
Reasons for Allowance
Claims 1, 6-12, 14, and 19-21 are allowed.
Claims 3 and 16 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) set forth in this Office action by having claim 3 depend on claim 1, and claim 16 depend on claim 14.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 1, the closest prior art is You et al. (US 20200163216) in view of Zhou et al. (US 20230178567). You teaches, in Figs. 1-3 in Figs. 1-3 (annotated below),
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an array substrate ([0049]), comprising a display region (DA, [0050]) and a non-display region (PA, [0050], non-display because it does not have display layer 110), wherein the array substrate comprises:
a base substrate (100, [0062]);
a plurality of extension wires (LK1, [0056], plurality shown in Fig. 3), disposed on a front side (top side) of the base substrate (100) and located in the non-display region (PA) of the array substrate;
a bonding member (121, [0055]), comprising a plurality of bonding pins (121, plurality shown in Fig. 3) disposed in the non-display region (PA) of the array substrate; and
a flexible circuit board (300, [0065]), disposed on a back side (bottom side) of the base substrate (100) (see Fig. 2), a plurality of signal traces (320, Fig. 2, [0077], plurality because there is one 320 per via hole 122) being disposed in the flexible circuit board (300);
wherein a plurality of first through holes (first group of 122 filled by 123 as marked in Fig. 1, plurality shown in Figs. 1 and 3, [0058]) is defined in the base substrate (100) (see Fig. 2), each of the plurality of first through holes corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of extension wires (LK1) (see Fig. 3);
a first conductive layer (123, [0058]) is disposed in each of the plurality of first through holes (first group of 122 as marked in Fig. 1) (see Figs. 2-3);
wherein one end (right end) of each of the plurality of extension wires (LK1) adjacent to the respective first through hole (122) is electrically connected to one (right) end of a corresponding one of the plurality of signal traces (320) of the flexible circuit board (300) through the first conductive layer (123) disposed in the respective first through hole (122) (see Fig. 2, [0059]-[0060]), and wherein the other end (left end) of the each of the plurality of extension wires (LK1) is connected to a respective data line or scan line (data line) disposed on the array substrate ([0055]); and
wherein the base substrate (100) is a glass base substrate ([0062]);
the plurality of bonding pins (121) are arranged on the front side (top side) of the base substrate (100) (see Fig. 2);
a plurality of second through holes (second group of 122 filled by 123 as marked in Fig. 1, plurality shown in Figs. 1 and 3, [0058]) are further defined in the base substrate (100) (see Fig. 2), and a second conductive layer (123, [0058]) is disposed in each of the plurality of second through holes (second group of 122 as marked in Fig. 1),
the plurality of first through holes (first group of 122) extend through the base substrate (100) from the front side (top side) to the back side (bottom side) thereof (see Fig. 2); and a plurality of first conductive layers (123) are respectively filled in the plurality of first through holes (first group of 122) (see Figs. 2-3), each of the first conductive layers (123) electrically connecting the flexible circuit board (300) on the back side to a corresponding extension wire (LK1) on the front side of the base substrate (see Fig. 2, [0059]-[0060]);
the plurality of second through holes (second group of 122) extend through the base substrate (100) from the front side (top side) to the back side (bottom side) thereof (see Fig. 2); and a plurality of second conductive layers (123) are respectively filled in the plurality of second through holes (second group of 122), each of the second conductive layers (123) electrically connecting the flexible circuit board (300) on the back side to a corresponding bonding pin (121) on the front side (top side) of the base substrate (100) (see Fig. 2, [0059]-[0060]).
You does not teach that the other end of each of the plurality of signal traces of the flexible circuit board is electrically connected to the bonding member through a respective second conductive layer disposed in a respective one of the plurality of second through holes.
Zhou teaches, in Fig. 9, that the other (right) end of each of the plurality of signal traces (213, [0043], [0064]) of the flexible circuit board (211/34/214, [0050], [0064]) is electrically connected to the bonding member (28(23), [0044], can be pad) through a respective second conductive layer disposed in a respective one of the plurality of second through holes (2122, [0043], labelled in Fig. 2B).
However, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would not have found it obvious to modify the signal trace connections of You with the signal trace connections of Zhou because the structures of You and Zhou are not analogous. You’s first and second through holes 122 are only in the non-display area (see Figs. 1-3). However, Zhou’s first through holes (2121, labelled in Fig. 2B, [0043]) and extension wires (28(22), [0044], [0067]) are only in the display region AA, which contradicts both You’s structure and claim 1’s limitation “a plurality of extension wires …. located in the non-display region of the array substrate” (lines 4-5).
Claims 6-12 are allowed as they depend from allowed independent base claim 1.
Claim 3 would be allowable if rewritten to depend from claim 1.
Claim 14 is allowed for the same reasons as claim 1.
Claims 19-21 are allowed as they depend from allowed independent base claim 14.
Claim 16 would be allowable if rewritten to depend from claim 14.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIKA HEERA SON whose telephone number is 703-756-4644. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 12:30-9:30 PM ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yara Green can be reached on 571-270-3035. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIKA H SON/Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/YARA B GREEN/Supervisor Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
