DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 13 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.
Claims 13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohno et al. (US 11,054,687) (“Ohno”) in view of Shin (US 10,884,532).
With regard to claim 13, fig. 2-3 of Ohno discloses a display device 300 comprising: a display module (layers below 121 in fig. 3) comprising: a pad region 311c, a base layer 220 in which a first open region (opening in 63 for 242 to connect to 311c) corresponding to the pad region 311c is defined, a pixel 30 on the base layer 200, and a signal line 365 which is on the base layer 200 and electrically connected to the pixel 30, the signal line 365 including a pad portion 311c corresponding to the first open region (opening in 63 for 242 to connect to 311c), a flexible circuit board 372 electrically connected to the display module 220, at the pad region 311c of the display module 220; a window 131 facing the display module (layers below 121 in fig. 3); an upper layer 121 between the window 131 and the display module (layers below 121 in fig. 3) and bonds the window 131 to the display module (layers below 121 in fig. 3), the upper layer 121 comprising a first resin structure (“acrylic resin”, col. 23 ll. 50); and a second resin structure 242 which bonds the flexible circuit board 372 to the display module (layers below 121 in fig. 3), at the pad region 311c.
Ohno does not disclose a first resin structure overlapping the pad region.
However, fig. 6 of Shin discloses a first resin structure (70 in 23) overlapping the pad region 23.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to form the connection portion of Ohno overlapping the bonding layer as taught in Shin in order to improve the connection reliability. See col. 11 ll. 26 of Shin.
With regard to claim 15, figs. 2-3 of Ohno discloses that the pad portion 311c of the signal line 365 is exposed (“conductive layer 311c is exposed”, col. 34 ll. 2-3) to outside the base layer 220, through the first open region (opening in 63 for 242 to connect to 311c) defined in the base layer 220.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-12 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The primary reason for the allowance of claim 1 is that closest prior art Ohno et al. (US 11,054,687) (“Ohno”), Park et al. (US 2019/0312095) (“Park”), and Shin (US 10,884,532) do not disclose the inclusion of the limitation a lower layer which faces the upper layer with the display module therebetween, the lower layer non-overlapping the pad region; the resin structure contacts each of the display module and the lower layer, at the end surfaces thereof. Claim 2-10 depend on claim 1 and are allowed.
The primary reason for the allowance of claim 9 is that closest prior art Ohno et al. (US 11,054,687) (“Ohno”), Park et al. (US 2019/0312095) (“Park”), and Shin (US 10,884,532) do not disclose the limitation the pad portion of the signal line defines an end surface of the pad portion which is exposed to outside the display module, and the resin structure contacts the pad portion at the end surface thereof. Claim 10 depend on claim 9 and are allowed.
Claims 14 and 16-20 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
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN T LIU whose telephone number is (571)272-6009. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 11:00am-7:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yara J Green can be reached at 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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/BENJAMIN TZU-HUNG LIU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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