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 Status
The examiner acknowledges amendments made to claims 1, 2, and 8 in the reply dated 10 April 2026. Claims 4 through 6 and 9 through 20 were previously withdrawn.
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 1-3 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung (US 20200152896 A1, hereinafter “Jung”), in view of Lai et al (CN 218181774 U, hereinafter “Lai”).
Regarding Claim 1 – Jung discloses a display device comprising: a display substrate (110 Jung [0084] and Fig. 3) including a display area (DA Jung [0062] and Fig. 2), a pixel in the display area (PX Jung [0062] and Fig. 2), a pad area adjacent to the display area (NDA1 Jung [0063] and Fig. 2), and a pad in the pad area (140 Jung [0064] and Fig. 2); a driving chip on the display substrate (130 Jung [0064] and Fig. 2), in the pad area; and a circuit board (FPC Jung [0072] and Fig. 2) which is on the display substrate and electrically connected to the display substrate at the pad (Jung [0072] and Fig. 2)
Jung fails to disclose a circuit board directly electrically connected to the display substrate at the pad the circuit board defining a groove of the circuit board and covering the driving chip at the groove.
However, Lai discloses a circuit board which is on the display substrate (104 [n0047] and Fig. 5) and directly electrically connected to the display substrate at the pad ([0035]), the circuit board defining a groove of the circuit board and covering the driving chip at the groove (V in 104 covering 103 [n0048] and Fig. 5).
Lai discloses a similar display panel to Jung. Lai teaches directly electrically connecting a circuit board with a groove to the display substrate to cover and protect the driver IC (Lai [n0048]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Jung and Lai to directly electrically connect a circuit board with a groove to the display substrate to cover and protect the driver IC.
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Regarding Claim 2 – Jung modified by Lai discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Jung and Lai further discloses the circuit board includes: a connection part (170 Jung [0075] and Fig. 2) which electrically connects the circuit board to the pad of the display substrate (Jung [0076] and Fig. 2), and the connection part is within a planar area of the circuit board (connection at planar 104 on side of 102 away from 101, Lai [n0047] and Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 3 – Jung modified by Lai discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Jung and Lai further discloses an inner wall of the circuit board defines the groove of the circuit board, and the driving chip is in the groove of the circuit board and is spaced apart from the inner wall of the circuit board (Space observed between inner wall and driving chip in Lai Fig. 5, [n0040]).
Regarding Claim 8 – Jung modified by Lai discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Jung and Lai further discloses the display substrate further includes: a first area including the pixel (Area1 in annotated Jung Fig. 5); a second area which extends from the first area (BA Jung [0063] and Fig. 5), the display substrate being bendable at the second area to have a curvature (at BA Jung [0063] and Fig. 5); and a third area extending from the second area and including the pad (Area3 in annotated Jung Fig. 5), and the display substrate which is bent at the second area includes the third area facing the first area (Area1 and Area3 parallel to each other in annotated Jung Fig. 5).
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Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection necessitated by amendment.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 JASON MCDONALD whose telephone number is (571) 272-5944. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8a-6p Eastern, alternating Fridays out of office.
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, Julio Maldonado can be reached at (571) 272-1864. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON MCDONALD/Examiner, Art Unit 2898 /JULIO J MALDONADO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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