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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1/29/26 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/29/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding the applicant’s arguments, the applicant states that Kawai fails to disclose that the reinforcement member is arranged where the third substrate is connected to the electrical terminal. The examiner respectfully disagrees as Paragraphs 0046 and 0050 of Kawai disclose that the third substrate 50 connects to the electrical terminal 22 via element 34, where the reinforcement member 30 overlaps 22, 34, and 50 at the connection point.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 1, the limitation “the frame member includes a fifth surface facing toward the first surface of the first substrate, and wherein the fifth surface includes a sixth surface being in contact with the fourth surface of the second substrate and a seventh surface being overlapped with the second substrate with a gap in a direction perpendicular to the first surface” is ambiguous as to the metes and bounds of the claim. It is unclear how one surface can have multiple surfaces. For this reason, the limitation is interpreted to mean “the frame member includes a fifth surface facing toward the first surface of the first substrate, and wherein the fifth surface includes a portion being in contact with the fourth surface of the second substrate and another portion being overlapped with the second substrate with a gap in a direction perpendicular to the first surface.”
Claims 2-17 are rejected by virtue of their dependence on the rejected claim.
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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawai (US Publication No.: US 2007/0040798 A1 of record) in view of Suzuki (US Publication No.: US 2016/0268542 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Kawai discloses an electronic module (Figure 7) comprising:
A first substrate including (1) a first surface on which an electronic element is arranged, (2) a second surface on an opposite side of the first surface, and (3) a side surface between an edge portion of the first surface and an edge portion of the second surface, the first surface being provided with an electrical terminal on a peripheral portion of the first surface (Figure 7, first substrate 14, electrical terminal 16/24/22/34, electronic element 18);
A second substrate including (1) a third surface, (2) a fourth surface on an opposite side of the third surface, and (3) a side surface between an edge portion of the third surface and an edge portion of the fourth surface (Figure 7, second substrate 10);
A joint member configured to join the first surface of the first substrate and the third surface of the second substrate (Figure 7, joint member 20);
A third substrate electrically connected to the electrical terminal of the first substrate (Figure 7, third substrate 50; Paragraph 0046);
A frame member including (1) a wall portion surrounding a part of the first substrate and a part of the second substrate, and (2) a contact portion having a convex shape and contacting the fourth surface of the second substrate (Figure 7, frame member 26/32b); and
A reinforcement member arranged at a point where the electrical terminal and the third substrate are connected, wherein the reinforcement member is in contact with the side surface of the second substrate (Figure 7, reinforcement member 30 is in contact with side surface of second substrate 10), wherein
The frame member includes a fifth surface facing toward the first surface of the first substrate (Figure 7, frame member 26 has a bottom fifth surface that faces toward the first surface of the first substrate 14), and wherein
The fifth surface includes (1) a portion being in contact with the fourth surface of the second substrate (Figure 7, the fifth surface of the frame member 26 is in contact with the fourth surface of the second substrate 10).
Kawai fails to disclose that another portion of the fifth surface is overlapped with the second substrate with a gap in a direction perpendicular to the first surface.
However, Suzuki discloses a similar fifth surface where another portion of the fifth surface is overlapped with the second substrate with a gap in a direction perpendicular to the first surface (Suzuki, Figure 6 discloses frame member 90 which has a bottom fifth surface that has a portion in contact with the second substrate 20 and then another portion that curves around and overlaps with the second substrate but does not contact it).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the fifth surface as disclosed by Kawai to have a contact portion and an overlapping portion as disclosed by Suzuki. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of optimizing the position of the frame member to be flexible and accessible (Suzuki, Paragraph 0049).
Regarding Claim 2, Kawai in view of Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion includes (1) an inner edge on a side close to a center of the second substrate, and (2) an outer edge on an opposite side of the inner edge, and wherein the outer edge is arranged a position matching the side surface of the second substrate in a planar view or at a position closer to the center of the second substrate than the side surface of the second substrate (Figure 7 discloses an inner edge of the contact portion 26 closer to the center of the second substrate 10 and an outer edge closer to the side surface).
Regarding Claim 3, Kawai in view of Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion contacts a whole circumference of the fourth surface of the second substrate (Figure 7, contact portion 26/32b contacts a whole circumference of the fourth surface of the second substrate 10).
Regarding Claim 4, Kawai in view of Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the side surface of the first substrate contacts the wall portion of the frame member (Figure 7, first substrate 14 contacts wall portion of frame member 26/32b).
Regarding Claim 5, Kawai in view of Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion includes a shape heading to the center of the second substrate in accordance with a distance from the second substrate in a vertical direction (Figure 7, contact portion 26/32b has a shape heading to the center of the second substrate 10 in accordance with a distance from the second substrate in a vertical direction).
Regarding Claim 6, Kawai in view of Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion includes a shape heading outward with respect to the side surface of the second substrate in accordance with a distance from the second substrate in a vertical direction (Figure 7, contact portion 26/32b is headed outward relative to side surface of second substrate 10).
Regarding Claim 7, Kawai in view of Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 1, wherein the side surface of the second substrate is apart from the wall portion of the frame member (Figure 7, side surface of second substrate 10 is apart from the wall portion of the frame member 32b).
Regarding Claim 8, Kawai in view of Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 1, wherein the second substrate is a translucent substrate (Paragraph 0032)
Regarding Claim 9, Kawai in view of Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 1, wherein the joint member is an acrylic resin (Paragraph 0052).
Regarding Claim 10, Kawai in view of Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement member is an ultraviolet curing resin (Paragraph 0045).
Claims 11-12, 14, 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawai in view of Suzuki in further view of Kim (US Publication No.: US 2018/0004330 A1 of record).
Regarding Claim 11, Kawai in view of Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 1.
Kawai fails to disclose that the electronic element includes a light-emitting element.
However, Kim discloses a similar module where the electronic element includes a light-emitting element (Kim, Paragraph 0060).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the electronic element as disclosed by Kawai to be a light-emitting element as disclosed by Kim. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of achieving an organic light-emitting display panel (Kim, Paragraph 0061).
Regarding Claim 12, Kawai in view of Kim and Suzuki discloses a display device comprising the module according to claim 11, and an active element connected to the electronic module (Figure 8, active element 18; Figure 9, display device).
Regarding Claim 14, Kawai in view of Kim and Suzuki discloses an electronic apparatus comprising a housing provided with a display unit, and a communication unit provided in the housing and configured to perform external communication, wherein the display unit includes the module according to claim 11 (Kawai, Figure 9; Paragraph 0054).
Regarding Claim 17, Kawai in view of Kim and Suzuki discloses a wearable device comprising a display device configured to display an image, wherein the display device includes the module according to claim 11 (Kawai, Figure 9; Paragraphs 0054).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawai in view of Kim and Suzuki in further view of Chaum (US Publication No.: US 2022/0163806 A1 of record).
Regarding Claim 13, Kawai in view of Kim and Suzuki discloses a display unit including the module according to claim 11.
Kawai fails to disclose a photoelectric conversion device comprising an optical unit including a plurality of lenses; an image sensor configured to receive light having passed through the optical unit; and a display unit configured to display an image received by the sensor.
However, Chaum discloses a similar module comprising a photoelectric conversion device comprising an optical unit including a plurality of lenses, an image sensor configured to receive light having passed through the optical unit, and a display unit configured to display an image received by the sensor (Chaum, Paragraph 0065; Figure 8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the module as disclosed by Kawai to include an image sensor as disclosed by Chaum. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of creating a wearable display device that is also capable of image sensing and recording (Chaum, Paragraph 0072).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawai in view of Kim and Suzuki in further view of Lee et al (US Publication No.: US 2021/0341788 A1 of record, “Lee”).
Regarding Claim 15, Kawai in view of Kim and Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 11.
Kawai fails to disclose an illumination device comprising a light source, and at least one of a light diffused and an optical film, wherein the light source includes an electronic module.
However, Lee discloses a similar module comprising an illumination device comprising a light source, and at least one of a light diffused and an optical film, wherein the light source includes an electronic module (Lee, Figure 2; Paragraph 0069; Paragraph 0077).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the module as disclosed by Kawai to include an illumination device as disclosed by Lee. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of controlling the luminance of the display device (Lee, Paragraph 0004; Paragraph 0174).
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawai in view of Kim and Suzuki in further view of Tokida et al (US Publication No.: US 2011/0222303 A1 of record, “Tokida”).
Regarding Claim 16, Kawai and Suzuki discloses the module according to claim 11.
Kawai fails to disclose a moving body comprising a main body, and a lighting unit provided in the main body, wherein the lighting unit includes an electronic module.
However, Tokida discloses a similar module comprising a moving body comprising a main body, and a lighting unit provided in the main body, wherein the lighting unit includes an electronic module (Tokida, Figure 1, moving body 12, main body inside of 22, light uniting 30/36, electronic module 36).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the module as disclosed by Kawai to include a moving body as disclosed by Tokida. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of creating a vehicle headlamp (Tokida, Paragraph 0018).
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