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
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 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, and
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 6 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 11,006,533 to Floch et al. (i.e., Ref. 1 hereafter).
Referring to claim 1, Ref. 1 discloses a method for assembling a display device (10), wherein the method comprises the following steps:
assembling a screen (16) comprising a display face (i.e., front) with a seal (56) thereby forming a central assembly (Fig. 1);
attaching a frame (12) with a lens (54), thereby forming a front assembly;
assembling the central assembly with the front assembly (Fig. 1), the lens (54) being positioned opposite the display face of the screen (16), the seal (56) maintaining a sealed connection between the lens (54) and the screen and forming a spacer ((outer rim of 54) maintaining a space (not numbered) between the screen (16) and the lens (54), the seal (56) comprising at least one injection opening (38) comprising an internal orifice opening (38) into the space and an external orifice (40) adapted to receive an injector tip (not shown) of a transparent adhesive (20); and
injecting said transparent adhesive (20) into the space through the injection opening. See Col. 2, lines 45-47).
Referring to claim 2, Ref. 1 discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the seal (56) is present over the entire periphery of the screen and creates a seal between the screen and the frame. See Fig. 2.
Referring to claim 3, Ref. 1 discloses the method according to claim 2, wherein the seal (56) comprises lips (46) over its entire periphery, positioned to be in contact with the screen. See Figs. 1 and 2.
Referring to claim 4, Ref. 1 discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the frame (12) comprising a support column (i.e., extending from the rear and surrounding orifice 48), the seal forming a cylindrical portion surrounding the support column over the entire perimeter of the column, the injection opening being provided in the cylindrical portion. See Fig. 1.
Referring to claim 6, Ref. 1 discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the seal (56) further comprises an air vent passing through the seal, the air vent comprising an interior orifice (40) opening onto the space and an exterior orifice (36). See Fig. 1 and 2.
Referring to claim 8, Ref. 1 discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the space is in contact only with the lens (16), the screen (16) and the seal (56). See Figs. 1 and 2.
Referring to claim 9, Ref. 1 discloses a display device (10) comprising a screen (16), a frame (12) and a lens (54), the lens being positioned opposite a display face of the screen (16), the frame (12) surrounding the screen and the lens (54) being attached to the frame (12), wherein the display device (10) comprises a seal (56) attached to the frame (12) and to the screen (16), adapted to maintain a sealed connection between the lens (54) and the screen (16) and forming a spacer (i.e., outer rim of 54) to maintain a space (not numbered) between the screen (16) and the lens (54), the display device comprising at least one injection opening (36) passing through the seal (56), the injection opening comprising an internal orifice (40) opening into the space and an external orifice (36) adapted to receive a transparent adhesive injector tip (not shown), the space being adapted to receive a transparent adhesive (20). See Figs. 1 and 2.
Referring to claim 10, Ref. 1 discloses a manufacturing assembly with several recesses each enabling a display device to be received that was assembled with an assembly method according to claim 1, the manufacturing assembly comprising an injector device (i.e., “supply device” – col. 4, ll. 12-15) enabling the adhesive to be injected into each external orifice of each seal.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ref. 1. Ref. 1 discloses the method of manufacturing as substantially claimed, except for the method comprising the following steps: positioning several display devices in the manufacturing assembly; connecting the injector device to each external orifice; and injecting adhesive into the space of each of the display devices through the external orifice of each seal.
Official Notice is taken that it is well-known in the art of methods of manufacturing to assemble several devices at the same time. As such, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to produce a multitude or plurality of display devices as claimed, in order to more efficiently manufacture said devices.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 7 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 claim 5, the specific limitations of the method of assembly including “an injection valve located in proximity to the external orifice of the injection opening, the injection valve being able to allow the passage of fluid only from the external orifice to the internal orifice,” in combination with the remaining steps, is not taught or adequately suggested in the prior art of record.
Regarding claim 7, the specific limitations of the method of assembly including “a vent valve located in proximity to the exterior orifice of the air vent, the vent valve being able to allow the passage of fluid only from the interior orifice to the exterior orifice,” in combination with the remaining steps, is not taught or adequately suggested in the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY Q EDWARDS whose telephone number is (571)272-2042. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm.
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/Anthony Q Edwards/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
January 20, 2026