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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 2/06/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, and 12 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Murari (TW 202141150 A, see attached machine translation) in view of Berleue (US 20210108077 A1).
Re Claim 1, Murari discloses, on Fig. 1, an electronic paper display device comprising: an upper supporting layer (film 112); a lower supporting layer (electrode 105) opposite to the upper supporting layer, wherein the upper supporting layer has a thickness in a range from 1 μm to 50 μm (Adhesive 104 and electrode 102, comprising film 112 are 5 -25 µm, and <1 µm respectively) [Page 10, Par 3] and has a storage modulus in a range from 1 kPa to 100 kPa in 0° C. to 70° C. (adhesive 104 can be 30 kPa at 70ºC, or 50 kPa at 70 ºC, the storage modulus of an adhesive decreases as temperature increases, thus at a temperature less than 70ºC, the storage modulus would be between 1 kPa and 100 kPa) [Page 10, Par 2]; and an electronic ink ( electro-optical layer 106 contains microcapsules) [Page 10, Par 2] located between the upper supporting layer and the lower supporting layer, wherein the upper supporting layer (layer 112) and the lower supporting layer (layer 105) is in direct contact with the electronic ink layer (electrooptical layer 106, layers 112 and 105 are in direct contact with layer 106 see Fig. 1)
But Murari does not explicitly disclose, wherein the lower supporting layer has a storage modulus in a range from 9 MPa to 11 MPa in 0ºC to 70ºC, and the storage modulus of the upper supporting layer is smaller than the storage modulus of the lower supporting layer.
However, within the same field of endeavor, Berleue teaches, on Fig. 3, that it is desirable in folded substrate for the lower supporting layer (polymer 254) to have a storage modulus in a range from 9 MPa to 11 MPa in 0ºC to 70ºC (Berleue presents a large number of embodiments where the storage modulus is 1 MPa or more and 10 MPa, at 23ºC) [Par 483-485] , and the storage modulus of the upper supporting layer ( adhesive 207, -20ºC to 60 ºC, storage modulus can be, “about 1 MPa or more”) [Par 9 and 428-429] is smaller than the storage modulus of the lower supporting layer (lower storage modulus range of adhesive 207 is higher than storage modulus range of polymer 254).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify the system of Murari with Berleue in order to provide, improved folding performance, as taught by Berleue [Par 10].
Re Claim 4, Murari in view of Berlueue discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 1, and Murari further discloses, wherein the upper supporting layer (conductive film 112) is an electrode layer (film 112 includes electrode 102).
Claim(s) 1, 5-8, and 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bzowej (CN 113004854 A, see attached machine translation) in view of Berleue (US 20210108077 A1).
Re Claim 1, Bzowej discloses, on Fig. 1c-1d and 12, an electronic paper display device comprising: an upper supporting layer (adhesive 142, which can comprise the same composition as binder 160) [Page 23, Par 4]; a lower supporting layer (back plate electrode 110 and adhesive 140) opposite to the upper supporting layer, wherein the upper supporting layer has a thickness in a range from 1 μm to 50 μm (Adhesive layer can be about 25 µm) [Page 22, Par 2-4] and has a storage modulus in a range from 1 kPa to 100 kPa in 0° C. to 70° C. (See storage modulus, G’, of adhesive in Fig. 12); and an electronic ink layer (electro-optic layer 125) located between the upper supporting layer and the lower supporting layer, wherein each the upper supporting layer and the lower supporting layer is in direct contact with the optical clear resin (adhesive 142 and 140 in Fig. 1D-1E is in direct contact with resin 160).
But Bzowej does not explicitly disclose, wherein the lower supporting layer has a storage modulus in a range from 9 MPa to 11 MPa in 0ºC to 70ºC, and the storage modulus of the upper supporting layer is smaller than the storage modulus of the lower supporting layer.
However, within the same field of endeavor, Berleue teaches, on Fig. 3, that it is desirable in folded substrate for the lower supporting layer (polymer 254) to have a storage modulus in a range from 9 MPa to 11 MPa in 0ºC to 70ºC (Berleue presents a large number of embodiments where the storage modulus is 1 MPa or more and 10 MPa, at 23ºC) [Par 483-485] , and the storage modulus of the upper supporting layer ( adhesive 207, -20ºC to 60 ºC, storage modulus can be, “about 1 MPa or more”) [Par 9 and 428-429] is smaller than the storage modulus of the lower supporting layer (lower storage modulus range of adhesive 207 is higher than storage modulus range of polymer 254).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify the system of Murari with Berleue in order to provide, improved folding performance, as taught by Berleue [Par 10]. Re Claim 5, Bzowej discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 1, and further discloses on Fig. 1, wherein the lower supporting layer (Electrode 110 and adhesive 140) is a thin film transistor layer (back plate electrode can be a thin film transistor) [Page 23, Par 2].
Re claim 6, Bzowej in view of Berleue discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 1, and Bzowej further discloses on Fig. 1, wherein the electronic ink layer (electro-optic layer 125) comprises a microcapsule or a microcup (electro-optic layer comprises microcapsules)[Page 23, Par 4].
Re Claim 7, Bzowej in view of Berleue discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 6, and Bzowej further discloses on Fig. 1, wherein the microcapsule or the microcup contacts the upper supporting layer (electro-optic layer 125 contacts binder 160, which contact adhesive 140).
Re Claim 8, Bzowej in view of Berleue discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 6, and Bzowej further discloses on Fig. 1, wherein the microcapsule or the microcup contacts the upper supporting layer (electro-optic layer 125 contacts binder 160, which contacts adhesive 142, and electrode 110).
Re claim 10, Bzowej in view of Berleue discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 1, and Bzowej further discloses on Fig. 1c-1d and 12, wherein the upper supporting layer is an optically clear adhesive or a pressure sensitive adhesive (adhesive 142 has storage modulus values shown in Fig. 12a, and is thus pressure sensitive) [Page 23, Par 4].
Re Claim 11, Bzowej in view of Berleue discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 1, Bzowej further discloses, wherein the lower supporting layer is an optically clear adhesive or a pressure sensitive adhesive (adhesive 142 has storage modulus values shown in Fig. 12a, and is thus pressure sensitive) [Page 23, Par 4].
Re claim 12, Bzowej discloses, on Fig. 1a-1d and 12, an electronic paper display device comprising: a lower supporting layer (adhesive 142 or electrode 110), an optical clear resin (binder 160 is a clear polyurethane resin) [Page 33, Par 2]; and a plurality of microcapsules (Capsules 150) [Page 23, Par 4] located in the optical clear resin and surrounded by the optical clear resin, wherein the optical clear resin has a thickness in a range from 20 μm to 100 μm (1-100 microns, but preferably 1-50 microns) [Page 22, Par 1] and has a storage modulus in a range from 1 kPa to 100 kPa in 0° C. to 70° C (see G’, in Fig. 12) [Page 38, Par 5-6], the lower supporting layer is in direct contact with the optical clear resin (adhesive 142 in Fig. 1E is in direct contact with resin 160).
But Bzowej does not explicitly disclose, wherein the lower supporting layer has a storage modulus in a range from 9 MPa to 11 MPa in 0ºC to 70ºC, the storage modulus of the optical clear resin is smaller than the storage modulus of the lower supporting layer
However, within the same field of endeavor, Berleue teaches, on Fig. 3, that it is desirable in folded substrate for the lower supporting layer (adhesive 207) to have a storage modulus in a range from 9 MPa to 11 MPa in 0ºC to 70ºC ( in -20ºC to 60 ºC, storage modulus can be, “about 5 MPa to about 11 MPa, or any range or subrange therebetween”) [Par 9 and 428-429].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify the system of Bzowej with Berleue in order to provide, improved folding performance, as taught by Berleue [Par 10].
But Bzowej in view of Berleue does not teach wherein, the storage modulus of the optical clear resin is smaller than the storage modulus of the lower supporting layer.
However, Bzowej teaches wherein the clear resin has storage modulus of 1 kPa to 100 kPa in 0° C. to 70° C (see G’, in Fig. 12) [Page 38, Par 5-6] and Berleue teaches a lower supporting layer (adhesive 207) to have a storage modulus in a range from 9 MPa to 11 MPa in 0ºC to 70ºC ( in -20ºC to 60 ºC, storage modulus can be, “about 5 MPa to about 11 MPa, or any range or subrange therebetween”) [Par 9 and 428-429].
In combination, Bzowej and Berleu would thus inherently teach, wherein the storage modulus of the optical clear resin is smaller than the storage modulus of the lower supporting layer.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify the system of Bzowej with Berleue in order to provide, improved folding performance, as taught by Berleue [Par 10].
Re claim 13, Bzowej in view of Berleue discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 12, and Bzowej further discloses on Fig. 12, wherein the storage modulus of the optical clear resin is in a range from 50 kPa to 300 kPa in −25° C. to 0° C (Fig. 12: storage modulus G’, at 0° C and lower starts at 100kPA and increases).
Re Claim 14, Bzowej in view of Berleue discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 12, and Bzowej further discloses on Fig. 1d, wherein the optical clear resin is a UV-curable adhesive (binder 160 is UV curable) [Page 21, Par 2].
Re Claim 15, Bzowej in view of Berleue discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 12, and Bzowej further discloses on Fig. 1, wherein the lower supporting layer is a thin film transistor layer (electrode 110 can be a thin film transistor) [Page 23, Par 2], and the optical clear resin surrounding the microcapsules is coated on the thin film transistor layer (binder 160 is on electrode 110).
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Murari in view of Berleue as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kim (US 20210193743 A1).
Re Claim 2, Murari in view of Berleue discloses, the electronic paper display device of claim 1.
But Murari in view of Berleue does not explicitly disclose, wherein at least one of the upper supporting layer and the lower supporting layer has the storage modulus in a range from 50 kPa to 300 kPa in −25° C. to 0° C.
However, within the same field of endeavor, Kim teaches, on Fig. 3, that it is desirable in electro-optical adhesive for at least one of the upper supporting layer and the lower supporting layer has the storage modulus in a range from 50 kPa to 300 kPa in −25° C. to 0° C (adhesive layer AL has storage modulus of 200 kPa at -20ºC) [Par 19].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify the system of Murari with Kim in order to provide improved reliability, as taught by Kim [Par 26].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Bu (US 20200058899 A1) discloses a sealant tape for a display panel and a method for manufacturing the same.
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/RAY ALEXANDER DEAN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/BUMSUK WON/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872