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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jin et al (USPN 10,073,290).
Regarding claim 1, Jin et al disclose a window panel comprising:
a window substrate 310 including a transmission area DA through which light is transmitted and a non-transmission area NDA adjacent to the transmission area;
a first printed layer 330’ disposed on a surface of the window substrate in the non-transmission area [see Fig. 3A; see also col. 6, lines 12-14]; and
a second printed layer 340’ covering upper and side surfaces of the first printed layer, disposed in the non-transmission area, and defining a boundary line between the transmission area and the non-transmission area [see Fig. 3A; see also col. 6, lines 14-17].
Regarding claim 14, Jin et al disclose a display device comprising:
a display panel including a display area including a pixel and a non-display area disposed adjacent to the display area;
a window substrate 310 including a transmission area DA corresponding to the display area and a non-transmission area NDA corresponding to the non-display area;
a first printed layer 330’ disposed on a surface of the window substrate in the non-transmission area [see Fig. 3A; see also col. 6, lines 12-14]; and
a second printed layer 340’ covering upper and side surfaces of the first printed layer, disposed in the non-transmission area, and defining a boundary line between the transmission area and the non-transmission area [see Fig. 3A; see also col. 6, lines 14-17].
Claims 1-3, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chu et al (US Patent Application Publication 2014/0300835).
Regarding claim 1, Chu et al disclose a window panel comprising:
a window substrate 210 including a transmission area R1 through which light is transmitted and a non-transmission area R2 adjacent to the transmission area;
a first printed layer 221 disposed on a surface of the window substrate in the non-transmission area [see Fig. 3; see also paragraph 0030]; and
a second printed layer 222 covering upper and side surfaces of the first printed layer, disposed in the non-transmission area, and defining a boundary line between the transmission area and the non-transmission area [see Fig. 3].
Regarding claim 2, Chu et al disclose the window panel of claim 1, furthermore wherein
the non-transmission area includes a first non-transmission area R21 adjacent to the transmission area and a second non-transmission area R22 adjacent to an edge of the window substrate [see Fig. 3; see also paragraph 0030], and
a side surface of the second printed layer includes an inclined surface inclined with respect to the surface of the window substrate in the first non-transmission area [see Fig. 3].
Regarding claim 3, Chu et al disclose the window panel of claim 2, furthermore wherein the inclined surface is a concave surface having a gradually increasing inclined angle with respect to the surface of the window substrate from the boundary line toward the second non-transmission area [see Fig. 3].
Regarding claim 14, Chu et al disclose a display device comprising:
a display panel including a display area including a pixel and a non-display area disposed adjacent to the display area [see Fig. 4];
a window substrate 210 including a transmission area R1 through which light is transmitted and a non-transmission area R2 adjacent to the transmission area;
a first printed layer 221 disposed on a surface of the window substrate in the non-transmission area [see Fig. 3; see also paragraph 0030]; and
a second printed layer 222 covering upper and side surfaces of the first printed layer, disposed in the non-transmission area, and defining a boundary line between the transmission area and the non-transmission area [see Fig. 3].
Regarding claim 15, Chu et al disclose the display device of claim 14, furthermore wherein
the non-transmission area includes a first non-transmission area R21 adjacent to the transmission area and a second non-transmission area R22 adjacent to an edge of the window substrate [see Fig. 3; see also paragraph 0030], and
a side surface of the second printed layer includes an inclined surface inclined with respect to the surface of the window substrate in the first non-transmission area [see Fig. 3].
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 4-11, 16 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chu et al (US Patent Application Publication 2014/0300835) in view of Shim (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0166965).
Regarding claim 4, Chu et al disclose the window panel of claim 2. Chu et al do not disclose wherein the inclined surface is a convex surface having a gradually decreasing angle with respect to the surface of the window substrate from the boundary line toward the second non-transmission area. One such as Shim discloses a similar first printed layer 221 disposed on a surface of a window substrate 210 in a non-transmission area NTA, and a second printed layer 222 covering the upper surface of the first printed layer, disposed in the non-transmission area, and defining a boundary line between the transmission area TA and the non-transmission area [see Figs. 2-4]; and furthermore wherein the non-transmission area includes a first non-transmission area NTA1 adjacent to the transmission area and a second non-transmission area NTA2 adjacent to an edge of the window substrate [see Figs. 2-4], and a side surface of the second printed layer includes an inclined surface inclined with respect to the surface of the window substrate in the first non-transmission area [see Figs. 2-4]. Furthermore, Shim discloses wherein the inclined surface may be a convex surface having gradually decreasing inclined angle with respect to the surface of the window substrate from the boundary line toward the second non-transmission area [see Fig. 3; see also paragraph 0067]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to form the inclined surface to have any of a straight, a concave or a convex surface because they are known in the art for defining boundaries between transmission and non-transmission areas in window substrates.
Regarding claims 5 and 14, Chu et al disclose the window panel of claim 1 and the display device of claim 14. Chu et al do not disclose wherein each of the first printed layer and the second printed layer includes an inorganic material or an organic material including a black light blocking material. One such as Shim discloses a similar first printed layer 221 disposed on a surface of a window substrate 210 in a non-transmission area NTA, and a second printed layer 222 covering the upper surface of the first printed layer, disposed in the non-transmission area, and defining a boundary line between the transmission area TA and the non-transmission area [see Figs. 2-4]; and furthermore wherein the non-transmission area includes a first non-transmission area NTA1 adjacent to the transmission area and a second non-transmission area NTA2 adjacent to an edge of the window substrate [see Figs. 2-4], and a side surface of the second printed layer includes an inclined surface inclined with respect to the surface of the window substrate in the first non-transmission area [see Figs. 2-4]. Furthermore, Shim discloses wherein the print layers can include a black dye material [see paragraph 0059]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to form the print layer from black material to provide light blocking characteristics.
Regarding claims 6, 9 and 18, Chu et al disclose the window panel of claim 2 and the display device of claim 14. Chu et al do not disclose wherein the window substrate includes a curved surface such that the surface of the window substrate is concave in the non-transmission area or convex in the non-transmission area. Shim discloses a window substrate 210 having a transmission area TA and a non-transmission area NTA, furthermore wherein the window substrate includes a curved surface such that the surface of the window substrate is concave in the non-transmission area or convex in the non-transmission area [see Fig. 5]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to form the window substrate including a curved surface, such that the surface of the window substrate is concave in the non-transmission area or convex in the non-transmission area, in order to put the window substrate to use in a device that requires flexibility and/or curvature.
Regarding claims 7, 8, 10 and 11, the prior art of Chu et al and Shim disclose the window panel of claims 6 and 9. Furthermore, Shim discloses wherein the inclined surface may be a concave surface having a gradually increasing inclined angle with respect to the surface of the window substrate from the boundary line toward the second non-transmission area, or a convex surface having gradually decreasing inclined angle with respect to the surface of the window substrate from the boundary line toward the second non-transmission area [see Figs. 3 and 4; see also paragraphs 0067 and 0070]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to form the inclined surface to have any of a straight, a concave or a convex surface because they are known in the art for defining boundaries between transmission and non-transmission areas in window substrates.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12, 13, 19 and 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: regarding dependent claims 12 and 19, the prior art of record fails to teach or make reasonably obvious, in combination with the other claimed elements, wherein the first printed layer includes a first sub-printed layer and a second sub-printed layer disposed on the first sub-printed layer and wherein the second printed layer includes a third sub-printed layer and a fourth sub-printed layer; regarding dependent claims 13 and 20, the prior art of record fails to teach or make reasonably obvious, in combination with the other claimed elements, wherein the second printed layer includes a first sub-printed layer, a second sub-printed layer, and a third sub-printed layer sequentially disposed.
Conclusion
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/C.E.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2899 /VICTOR A MANDALA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899