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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I, claims 1-11, in the reply filed on 22 January 2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-3, 5-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukuda et al. (US 2018/0123076 A1) in view of Takii (US 2014/0367655 A1).
With respect to claim 1: Fukuda teaches “a method (Fig. 7) of manufacturing a display device (10), the method comprising: discharging ink (step S61) containing a solvent (see Fig. 10) onto a substrate (100x) to form a preliminary functional layer (123); providing a temperature control member (700) on a lower surface of the substrate (see Figs. 5, 28); providing a drying member (400) on an upper surface of the substrate (see Figs. 5, 28); and drying the preliminary functional layer by the drying member (step S62)”.
Fukuda does not specifically teach “including a plurality of thermally conductive balls”.
However, Takii teaches a method of manufacturing a display device featuring a drying member (41) including a plurality of thermally conductive balls (60).
It would have been obvious at the time the application was effectively filed for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Fukuda with the thermally conductive balls of Takii in order to keep the thickness of the functional layer uniform as it dries (Takii paragraph 55).
With respect to claim 2: Fukuda in view of Takii teaches “the method of claim 1 (see above)”.
Fukuda further teaches “adjusting a distance between the drying member and the substrate (step S621; see Fig. 10)”.
With respect to claim 3: Fukuda in view of Takii teaches “the method of claim 1 (see above)”.
Fukuda further teaches wherein the solvent is vaporized and passes through the drying member (paragraph 171).
Fukuda does not teach that the drying member includes thermally conductive balls.
However, Takii teaches a method of manufacturing a display device featuring a drying member (41) including a plurality of thermally conductive balls (60).
It would have been obvious at the time the application was effectively filed for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Fukuda with the thermally conductive balls of Takii in order to keep the thickness of the functional layer uniform as it dries (Takii paragraph 55).
With respect to claim 5: Fukuda in view of Takii teaches “the method of claim 1 (see above)”.
Fukuda further teaches wherein the drying member further comprises an outer plate (450, 800), and the drying member is surrounded by the outer plate (see Fig. 28).
Fukuda does not teach that the drying member includes thermally conductive balls.
However, Takii teaches a method of manufacturing a display device featuring a drying member (41) including a plurality of thermally conductive balls (60).
It would have been obvious at the time the application was effectively filed for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Fukuda with the thermally conductive balls of Takii in order to keep the thickness of the functional layer uniform as it dries (Takii paragraph 55).
With respect to claim 6: Fukuda in view of Takii teaches “the method of claim 1 (see above)”.
Fukuda further teaches wherein the drying member further comprises: a first mesh member (522Y) attached to a lower surface of the outer plate (see Fig. 28); and a second mesh member (400) attached to an upper surface of the outer plate (see Fig. 28a)”.
Fukuda does not specifically teach “the plurality of thermally conductive balls are disposed in a space surrounded by the outer plate, the first mesh member, and the second mesh member”.
However, Takii places the plurality of thermally conductive balls at a location underneath the functional layer (50) and on top of the substrate (10). In Fukuda such a location would be within the space surrounded by the outer plate, the first mesh member, and the second mesh member (see Fukuda Fig. 28).
It would have been obvious at the time the application was effectively filed for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Fukuda with the thermally conductive balls of Takii in order to keep the thickness of the functional layer uniform as it dries (Takii paragraph 55).
With respect to claim 7: Fukuda in view of Takii teaches “the method of claim 6 (see above)”.
Fukuda further teaches “wherein a plurality of openings are defined in the first mesh member (400a) and the second mesh member (522z)”.
Fukuda suggests a range of widths overlapping with “a width of each of the plurality of openings is smaller than a diameter of each of the plurality of thermally conductive balls (Fukuda paragraphs 131, 133; the widths of the openings range from 1:1 to 1:10 of the width of the solid material between openings, if the thermally conductive balls from Takii were present they would correspond to the solid material and thus would have a diameter overlapping with the claimed range)”.
It would have been obvious at the time the application was effectively filed for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Fukuda with the thermally conductive balls of Takii in order to keep the thickness of the functional layer uniform as it dries (Takii paragraph 55).
With respect to claim 8: Fukuda in view of Takii teaches “the method of claim 6 (see above)”.
Fukuda further teaches “wherein the outer plate has a thickness in a range of about 5 mm to about 1 cm (paragraph 131)”.
With respect to claim 9: Fukuda in view of Takii teaches “The method of claim 1 (see above)”.
Fukuda further teaches “wherein a distance between the substrate and the drying member is in a range of about 10 mm to about 100 mm (paragraph 131)”.
With respect to claim 10: Fukuda in view of Takii teaches “The method of claim 1 (see above)”.
Fukuda further teaches “wherein the substrate completely overlaps the drying member in a plan view (see Fig. 6b)”.
With respect to claim 11: Fukuda in view of Takii teaches “The method of claim 1 (see above)”.
Fukuda further teaches “wherein the providing of the drying member comprises adjusting a height of the drying member to adjust a pressure difference of the drying member (paragraph 223)”.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukuda in view of Takii as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Mieney et al. (US 10,821,747 B1).
With respect to claim 4: Fukuda in view of Takii teaches “The method of claim 1 (see above)”.
Fukuda in view of Takii does not specifically teach “wherein the plurality of thermally conductive balls comprise a silicon oxide polymer”.
However, Mieney teaches a method of drying ink which recognizes silicon oxide polymer as suitable for the purpose of forming a drying unit (column 7 lines 43-61).
It would have been obvious at the time the application was effectively filed for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Fukuda in view of Takii by making the thermally conductive balls comprise a silicon oxide polymer as taught by Mieney due to the art recognized suitability of silicon oxide polymers for the purpose of forming an ink-drying apparatus (Mieney column 7 lines 43-61).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yamamoto et al. (US 20150137087 A1), which teaches a display panel and method of making the display panel.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANIEL J. LEE whose telephone number is (571)270-5721. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5 EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ABDULMAJEED AZIZ can be reached at (571)270-5046. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHANIEL J LEE/ Examiner, Art Unit 2875
/ABDULMAJEED AZIZ/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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