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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 4-7 and 9-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species B, C, and D, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1 December 2025.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) submitted on 3 August 2023 has been considered by the examiner and made of record in the application file.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 objected to because of the following informalities:
The limitation --the connection part inside an edge of the circuit board-- is missing a verb. Appropriate correction is required. For the purpose of examination, the phrase has been changed to -- the connection part is spaced apart from outer edges of the circuit board in a plan view--, consistent with the specification ([00106]).
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 Eom et al (KR 20190131462 A1, hereinafter “Eom”).
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 the circuit board defining a groove of the circuit board and covering the driving chip at the groove.
However, Eom discloses a bracket (104 Eom [0029] and Fig. 1) defining a groove (141 Eom [0029] and Fig. 1) of the bracket and covering the driving chip (135 Eom [0023] and Fig. 1) at the groove (Eom Fig. 1).
Eom discloses a similar display panel to Jung. Eom teaches placing a groove in the cover over the driving chip for the benefit of minimizing the thickness of the display device (Eom [0030]) while protecting the driver chip, display panel, and flexible printed circuit board as well (Eom [0029]). 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 Eom to cover the driving chip with a circuit board having a groove to protect the driving chip, display panel, and flexible printed circuit board while minimizing the thickness of the display device.
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495
506
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621
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276
344
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Regarding Claim 2 – Jung modified by Eom discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Jung and Eom 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 spaced apart from outer edges of the circuit board in a plan view (Edges of 170 inside edges of FPC).
Regarding Claim 3 – Jung modified by Eom discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Jung and Eom 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 Eom Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 8 – Jung modified by Eom discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Jung and Eom 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), 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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Conclusion
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 7:30a-5p Eastern, alternating Fridays out of office.
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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