DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 July 24th, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant's amendment filed July 24th, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 9, 12, 14-16, 18, and 20 have been amended.
The Section 112, 2nd paragraph rejections made in the Office action mailed March 24th, 2026 have been maintained due to Applicant’s amendment being inadequate and their arguments being unpersuasive. The rejections have been reapplied and updated to reflect Applicant’s amendment.
The Section 102/103 rejections made in the Office action mailed March 24th, 2026 have been withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendments because the claim is currently contradictory in nature and comprises new matter.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed July 24th, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments/issues will be addressed in the Section 112, 2nd paragraph rejections as reapplied and updated below.
While Applicant’s inclusion of “a first marker configuration” and “a second marker configuration” is appreciated, they may have only elucidated a couple aspects while creating almost as many issues. The claims are currently unexaminable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
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, 4-10, & 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
AND
Claims 1, 4-10, & 12-20 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 claims 1 and 20, for clarity, the Examiner is assuming the “first marker configuration” as attempted is drawn to the invention of Figs. 3-6 and the “second marker configuration” as attempted is drawn to the invention of Figs. 17-23. However, the first marker configuration is set forth as “being spaced apart and not connected to each other” (which is confusing on its own when it is unclear what each other represents), but is then structurally claimed as integrally connected and the second marker configuration is set forth as “connected to each other to form an integral first marker structure” but then is structurally claimed as being spaced apart. Neither of these configurations as set forth are provided in the specification as claimed.
Furthermore, Applicant attempts to force a single marker configuration (the first marker configuration) into a claim setting requiring comprising more than one marker, when each marker comprising two first hollow portions and a second hollow portion is not disclosed as such.
Also, the dependent claims are replete with errors, where once again, it is not clear which claim is directed to which structure (i.e. claims 4-8 are directed to first and/or second hollow portions, when the second marker configuration is not directed thereto and claim 12 is directed to a third sub-line when the second marker configuration does not comprise a first or second sub-line). Claim 8 seems to be directed to Figs. 8-9, which is not being claimed and does not fit with either marker configuration. Claim 9 seems to be directed to Fig. 7, which is not being claimed and does not fit with either marker configuration. Claim 10 is confusing as the second configuration markers already each comprise a first end and a second end and the subject matter does not make sense in the context of the first configuration. Claim 13 is confusing as the second configuration markers already each comprise a first end and a second end and the subject matter does not make sense in the context of the first configuration. Claim 14 seems to include redundant information. Claim 17 has antecedent basis issues. Only claims 15-16 and 18-19 seem to not add any confusing elements or issues.
As the Examiner previously stated, attempting to tie these configurations together within the same claim is not beneficial to either embodiment and is confusing at best. To assist in allowance of the subject matter found allowable, a proposed Examiner’s amendment will be recited below.
Any claim not mentioned above is rejected for being dependent on an indefinite claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
A marker pattern for measuring grinding as claimed is known with Guo (CN 108363228 A) [Fig. 7)] and Shin (KR 2003-0097144 A) [Fig. 10] being closest to the invention of the first marker configuration/proposed claim 22/Figs. 3-6 and Lee (KR 1998-0069945 A) being closest to the invention of the second marker configuration/proposed claim 32/Figs. 17-23 and in view of, optionally Sung et al. (KR10-0624029 B1) to provide the target/actual grinding line type limitation, and any number of references such as Saito (U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0029680 A1) OR Choi et al. (KR 2015-0064277 A) and Noguchi (U.S. Patent No. 5,361,150) which teach modifying printed or solid characters/symbols as negative characters/symbols, as a part thereof.
Also, one could use the antistatic electricity pattern of Qi (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0346291 A1), optionally in view of Kim (U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0172790 A1), as an antistatic grinding pattern as set forth in Liang et al. (CN 111462629 A).
There are also inventions provided that would anticipate or make obvious the claimed subject matter, regardless of the functional limitations, such as Liu et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0312592 A1) [Fig. 8 by view of Fig. 7] as one could still grind this feature as it is adjacent the edge of the display panel as claimed.
Lastly, multiple rejections (using Cho as a primary reference) currently on the record as set forth in the Office action mailed are considered to still make obvious the intended subject matter, if not the current claims, without the functional limitations as set forth below.
However, the Examiner has found after a thorough review of the applied and discovered prior art, the invention of Figs. 3 & 5 and the invention of Figs. 17 & 19-23 as proposed below are believed to be allowable over the currently applied and discovered prior art, the change in shape/design needed to provide a modification of the prior art intended for the same purpose of providing an arrangement in the third direction as set forth with the remaining limitations is either unavailable or would not function as required by the limitations set forth below.
The following claim set drafted by the Examiner is presented to Applicant for consideration:
22. (New) A display panel, comprising:
a display area; and
a non-display area, wherein
at least a part of the non-display area is located on a side of the display area, the non-display area extending along a first direction from an edge of the display panel and extending along a second direction that intersects the first direction, and
the non-display area comprises at least one metal portion adjacent the edge of the display panel, the at least one metal portion comprising a marker, wherein marker is configured to determine a target grinding line, to determine whether an actual grinding line reaches the target grinding line in real time, wherein the second direction extends substantially parallel to the target grinding line and/or the actual grinding line,
the marker is an opening through the metal portion, the opening comprising:
a plurality of substantially identical length first hollow portions extending in a first direction and spaced apart in the second direction, wherein opposing ends of the first hollow portions define an extent of the opening in the first direction, and a number of the first hollow portions being at least three; and
a plurality of second hollow portions are spaced apart in the first direction and the second direction and are arranged along a third direction that intersects the first and second directions, each first hollow portion integrally connected to an adjacent first hollow portion in the second direction by only a corresponding one of the plurality of second hollow portions located inward from the opposing ends of the first hollow portions in the first direction,
wherein one of the plurality of second hollow portions comprises a first distance to the display area in the first direction and an adjacent one of the plurality of second hollow portions comprises a second distance to the display area in the first direction, the first distance being further than the second distance,
wherein, during grinding of the edge of the display panel toward the display area in the first direction, at least a portion of the length of the first hollow portions and at least a portion of the one of the plurality of second hollow portions are gradually ground off, such that a positional relationship between the actual grinding line and the target grinding line can be observed in real time.
23. (New) The display panel according to claim 22, wherein an interval between adjacent first hollow portions is the same, or
wherein an interval between two adjacent first hollow portions is different from an interval between another two adjacent first hollow portions.
24. (New) The display panel according to claim 22, wherein the second hollow portion comprises a zig-zag, curved, or wavy shape in a plan view.
25. (New) The display panel according to claim 22, wherein the marker is a first marker and the at least one metal portion further comprises a second marker different in configuration from the first marker.
26. (New) The display panel according to claim 22, wherein the non-display area comprises a plurality of metal portions arranged along the edge of the display panel, wherein the at least one metal portion is a first metal portion and the marker is a first marker.
27. (New) The display panel according to claim 26, wherein at least one metal portion further comprises a second metal portion having a second marker with a same or different configuration as the first marker of the first metal portion.
28. (New) The display panel according to claim 26, wherein the non-display area comprises a bonding area, wherein the at least one metal portion is multiplexed as an electrical connection portion of the bonding area and is electrically connected to a flexible circuit board.
29. The display panel according to claim 28, wherein the at least one metal portion further comprises a positioning hole therethrough, wherein the flexible printed circuit board is assisted in alignment via the positioning hole.
30. (New) A display device comprising the display panel of claim 22.
31. (New) A method for manufacturing the display device of claim 27, wherein the method comprises:
providing the display panel;
positioning the target grinding line according to the marker as configured; and
grinding the edge of the display panel in the first direction until reaching the target grinding line.
32. (New) A display panel, comprising:
a display area; and
a non-display area, wherein
at least a part of the non-display area is located on a side of the display area, the non-display area extending in a first direction from an edge of the display panel, and
the non-display area comprises at least one metal portion adjacent the edge of the display panel, the at least one metal portion comprising a plurality of markers, wherein the plurality of markers is configured to determine a target grinding line, to determine whether an actual grinding line reaches the target grinding line in real time, wherein the second direction extends substantially parallel to the target grinding line and/or the actual grinding line,
wherein each marker being an opening through the metal portion, each opening having an extent defined between opposing ends in the first direction, the extent in the first direction being greater than or equal an extent in the second direction, wherein the openings are spaced apart in the first direction and the second direction and arranged along at least one third direction that intersects the first and second directions such that an imaginary line drawn parallel to the first direction or the second direction would not intersect more than one opening in a plan view,
wherein a distance to the display area in the first direction from one of the markers of the plurality is further than a distance to the display area in the first direction from an adjacent one of the markers of the plurality,
wherein, during grinding of the edge of the display panel toward the display area in the first direction, at least a portion of the one of the markers is gradually ground off, such that a positional relationship between the actual grinding line and the target grinding line can be observed in real time.
33. (New) The display panel according to claim 32, wherein each of openings comprises the same shape and a same size in the plan view, or
wherein each of openings comprises the same shape and a different size in the plan view.
34. (New) The display panel according to claim 32, wherein the geometric shape of each of the openings comprises rings, circles, polygons, and/or polygons with rounded corners, or
wherein a shape of each of the openings is rotationally symmetric.
35. (New) The display panel according to claim 32, wherein the plurality of markers is a first plurality of markers and the at least one metal portion further comprises a second plurality of markers different in configuration from the first plurality of markers.
36. (New) The display panel according to claim 32, wherein the non-display area comprises a plurality of metal portions arranged along the edge of the display panel, wherein the at least one metal portion is a first metal portion and the plurality of markers is a first plurality of markers.
37. (New) The display panel according to claim 36, wherein at least one metal portion further comprises a second metal portion having a second plurality of markers with a same or different configuration as first plurality of markers of the first metal portion.
38. (New) The display panel according to claim 36, wherein the non-display area comprises a bonding area, wherein the at least one metal portion is multiplexed as an electrical connection portion of the bonding area and is electrically connected to a flexible circuit board.
39. (New) The display panel according to claim 38, wherein the at least one metal portion further comprises a positioning hole therethrough, wherein the flexible printed circuit board is assisted in alignment via the positioning hole.
40. (New) A display device comprising the display panel of claim 32.
41. (New) A method for manufacturing the display device of claim 40, wherein the method comprises:
providing the display panel;
positioning the target grinding line according to the plurality of markers as configured; and
grinding the edge of the display panel in the first direction until reaching the target grinding line.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to JEFFREY A VONCH whose telephone number is (571)270-1134. The Examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, Applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Frank J Vineis can be reached at (571)270-1547. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JEFFREY A VONCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781 September 3rd, 2026
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