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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 – 7, 9 and 12 – 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cha et al. (US 2022/0181576) in view of Zhang et al. (US (2016/0204366).
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(Claim 1) Cha et al. teach a display device comprising:
a display panel (100) including a display area (FP), a pad area (PAD) spaced apart from the display area, and a bending (BND) area between the display area and the pad area;
a first support part (210) overlapping the display area (FP); and
a second support part (220) overlapping the pad area (PAD), wherein the second support part is spaced apart from the first support part in a first (Z) direction when the bending area is bent, and
wherein a first (Right) end of the first support part (210) adjacent to the bending area and a first (Right) end of the second support part (220) adjacent to the bending area are spaced apart from each other in a second (Y) direction crossing the first (Z) direction when the bending area is bent.
Cha et al. lack wherein the spaced apart from each other is about 0.4 mm or less.
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However, Zhang et al. teach wherein the spaced apart from each other is about 0.4 mm or less (aligned, fig. 11, paragraph 48) for the benefit of adjusting the bend profile (paragraphs 47, 48).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the references for the benefit of adjusting the bend profile.
(Claim 2) Cha et al. teach wherein each of the first support part (210) and the second support part (220) includes glass (paragraphs 81, 82, 98, 103).
(Claim 3) Cha et al. teach wherein the first support part and the second support part overlap each other and face each other when the bending area is bent (see figure).
(Claim 4) Cha et al. teach the display device, further comprising a driving integrated circuit (160) disposed on the display panel and overlapping the pad area.
(Claim 5) Cha et al. teach the display device, further comprising a printed circuit board (500) connected to the display panel in the pad area (PAD).
(Claim 6) Cha et al. teach the display device, further comprising a functional layer (310) disposed between the first support part (210) and the second support part (220).
(Claim 7) Cha et al. teach wherein the display panel (100) includes a first (inner) surface contacting the first (210) and second (220) support parts and a second surface opposite to the first surface.
(Claim 9) Cha et al. teach wherein each of a side surface of the first end of the first support part and a side surface of the first end of the second support part is perpendicular to the first surface of the display panel.
(Claim 12) Cha et al. teach the display device, further comprising a polarization layer (140, paragraph 78) disposed on the display panel (100) and overlapping the display area (FP).
(Claim 13) Cha et al. teach the display device, further comprising an adhesive layer (150, paragraph 76) disposed on the polarization layer (140) and overlapping the display area (FP).
(Claim 14) Cha et al. teach the display device, further comprising a window (20, paragraph 59) member disposed on the adhesive layer (150) and overlapping the display area (FP).
(Claim 15) Cha et al. teach the display device, further comprising a bending protection layer (600) disposed on the display panel and overlapping the bending area.
(Claim 16) Cha et al. teach the display device, further comprising a substrate (110, paragraph 80) extending from the display area to the pad area.
(Claim 17) Cha et al. teach wherein the substrate (100) includes an organic material (paragraphs 80 – 82).
(Claim 18) Cha et al. teach wherein the display panel further includes:
a circuit element layer (120) disposed in the display area on the substrate and including at least one transistor (paragraphs 86 – 88);
a light emitting diode layer disposed in the display area on the circuit element layer and including at least one light emitting diode (paragraph 87, 91); and
an encapsulation layer (130, paragraph 80) disposed on the light emitting diode layer.
(Claim 19) a display device comprising:
a display panel including a display area, a pad area, and a bending area between the display area and the pad area;
a first support part (210) disposed on the display panel and overlapping the display area; and
a second support part (220) disposed on the display panel and overlapping the pad area,
wherein the second support part (220) is spaced apart from the first support part (210) in a second direction (Y) when the display panel is in a flat state, and
when the display panel is bent the first support part (21) and the second support part (220) face each other in a first direction (Z) crossing the second direction and a first end of the first support part adjacent to the bending area and a first end of the second support part adjacent to the bending area are spaced apart from each other by about 0.4 mm or less in the second direction.
Cha et al. lack wherein the spaced apart from each other is about 0.4 mm or less.
However, Zhang et al. teach wherein the spaced apart from each other is about 0.4 mm or less (aligned, fig. 11, paragraph 48) for the benefit of adjusting the bend profile (paragraphs 47, 48).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the references for the benefit of adjusting the bend profile.
Claims 8, 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cha et al. (US 2022/0181576) in view of Zhang et al. (US (2016/0204366) and Lee et al. (US 2022/0102468).
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(Claim 8) Cha/Zhang et al. lack wherein each of a side surface of the first end of the first support part and a side surface of the first end of the second support part has a tapered shape.
However, Lee et al. teach wherein each of a side surface of the first end of the first support part (100A) and a side surface of the first end of the second support part (100B) has a tapered shape for the benefit of achieving a bending regardless of the material (paragraph 93).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the references for the benefit of achieving a bending regardless of the material.
(Claim 10) Cha/Zhang et al. lack wherein each of the first end of the first support part and the first end of the second support part includes at least two surfaces extending in different directions from each other.
However, Lee et al. teach wherein each of the first end of the first support part (100A) and the first end of the second support part (100B) includes at least two surfaces extending in different directions from each other for the benefit of achieving a bending regardless of the material (paragraph 93).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the references for the benefit of achieving a bending regardless of the material.
(Claim 11) Cha/Zhang et al. lack wherein each of the side surface of the first end of the first support part and the side surface of the first end of the second support part has a curved shape.
However, Lee et al. teach wherein each of the side surface of the first end of the first support part (100A) and the side surface of the first end of the second support part (100B) has a curved shape for the benefit of achieving a bending regardless of the material (paragraph 93).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the references for the benefit of achieving a bending regardless of the material.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon, considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure are listed in PTO – 892 Form.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IGWE U ANYA whose telephone number is (571)272-1887. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Landau can be reached at (571) 272- 1731. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/IGWE U ANYA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891
February 20, 2026