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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicants election without traverse of the invention of Species A, Claims 1 through 18, in the reply filed on May 22, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 19 through 20 has been withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on May 22, 2026.
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, 2, 10 through 13 and 16 through 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication 2020/0303439 to Shimizu et al (hereinafter “Shimizu”)1 in view of the teachings of U.S. Publication 2014/0240938 to Newman et al (hereinafter “Newman”) and U.S. Publication 2017/0280567 to Suzuki et al (hereinafter “Suzuki”).
Claim 1: Shimizu discloses a method of manufacturing an electronic device, the method comprising:
preparing a mold (e.g. 3, Fig. 1C) with a first opening defined therein and including a projection portion disposed in the first opening;
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forming, in the first opening, a first layer (e.g. 41) including a first material (e.g. resin) through a pouring method (e.g. Figs. 1E to 1G, ¶¶ [0043] to [0046]);
disposing the mold on a printed circuit board (PCB)(e.g. 1) in a way such that the first opening faces the PCB (e.g. Fig. 1C); and
forming a display module by removing the mold (e.g. Figs. 7A to 7C),
wherein the display module is provided with a second opening (e.g. Fig. 7A, in-between 4 where 5 is located) defined therein and respectively corresponding to the projection portion.
Claim 2: Shimizu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises a metal (e.g. 141, Fig. 4G-3).
Claim 10: Shimizu discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising:
disposing an electronic module (e.g. 5, Fig. 7A) in the second opening,
wherein the disposing the electronic module (in Fig. 7A) is performed after the forming the display module (in Fig. 4G).
Claim 11: Shimizu discloses the method of claim 10, wherein the electronic module comprises at least one selected from a camera module (e.g. ¶¶ [0093], [0094]).
Claims 12 through 13: Shimizu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the forming the first layer in the mold comprises heating the mold at a predetermined temperature at about 100 ⁰C (e.g. ¶ [0047]).
Claims 16 through 18: Shimizu discloses the method of claim 1, that includes a step is formed on an inner surface of the mold defining the first opening; wherein when viewed on a plane, a corner of the first opening has a rounded shape; wherein the projection portion is provided in plurality, and a plurality of projection portions is adjacent to each other.
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Shimizu does not mention that the first material is formed through an inkjet printing method or that the mold is disposed on a display panel [as required by Claim 1].
It is noted that the first material composition of Shimizu includes a resin. Suzuki teaches that manufacturing processes of molding that utilize resin as a first material, the resin can be applied via an inkjet printing method for a whole host of advantages, e.g. reduced manufacturing time, enhanced versality, etc. (e.g. ¶¶ [0014], [0017] to [0020], [0057]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have substituted the inkjet printing method of Suzuki for the pouring method of Shimizu, in applying the first material for anyone, or all, of the associated advantages taught by Suzuki.
Newman teaches that when manufacturing a display module (e.g. Fig. 19), a PCB (e.g. 302) can be referred to as a display panel (i.e. circuit panel) as it is part of the overall structure of the display module (e.g. ¶ [0091]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that the PCB of Suzuki can be referred to as a display panel, as part of the structure of the display module as disclosed by Newman.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shimizu in view of Newman and Koyano, as applied to Claims 1, 12 and 13 above, and further in view of U.S. Publication 2005/0175850 to Koyano et al (hereinafter “Koyano”).
Claim 14: Shimizu disclose the method of claim 13, wherein the heating of the mold is performed for about 4 seconds to about 6 seconds.
Shimizu, as modified by Newman and Koyano, disclose the claimed manufacturing method as relied upon above in Claims 1, 12 and 13. The modified Shimizu method does not mention that heating of the mold is performed for about 4 to 6 seconds.
Koyano suggests that heating of a first material of resin can occur at least at 5 seconds to achieve any number of properties for the first material, e.g. thickness, cross-linking, heat resistance, etc., (e.g. ¶ [0141], Table 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the heating of Shimizu by heating the mold to 5 seconds, which heats the first material, as taught by Koyano, to achieve anyone, or all, of the properties necessary for the first material (resin) that is disclosed by Koyano.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 through 9 and 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
a) Japanese Patent Publication, JP 2008-126657, discloses a method of manufacturing a display device (e.g. 10, 14, Fig. 1) including a mold (e.g. 32, 34, Figs. 3, 4, 7, see SOLUTION)
b) Non-Patent Literature IEEE Publication to Vanfleteren et al, entitled "A new technology for rigid 3D free-form electronics based on the thermoplastic deformation of flat standard PCB type circuits", discloses a method of manufacturing an electronic device with the use of various different types of molds (e.g. Fig. 3, see entire document).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to A. DEXTER TUGBANG whose telephone number is (571)272-4570. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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/A. DEXTER TUGBANG/Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3729
1 Elements emphasized (in italics) are illustrated in the annotated figures of Shimizu.
Prosecution Insights