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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment dated 06/23/2026, in which claims 6-7, 9, 11 were withdrawn has been entered.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of species 1 in the reply filed on 04/23/2026 is acknowledged.
Regarding claims 10 and 12, claims 10 and 12 require “a common voltage region, the common voltage region is disposed at a periphery of the display region, and the conducting pad is located on the common voltage region and electrically connected to the common voltage region” which is not shown in elected species of Fig. 1-6 but is shown in nonelected species 6 of Fig. 16 and 17. Therefore, claims 10 and 12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species. There being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
(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, 2 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lin et al. (US Pub. 20110317121).
Regarding claim 1, Lin et al. discloses in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a display device, comprising:
a driving circuit substrate, comprising a first substrate [120] and a driving circuit layer [140] disposed on the first substrate [120],
wherein the driving circuit layer [140] comprises a display region, a peripheral region, and a conducting pad [143 and (141 or 142)], the peripheral region is disposed at a periphery of the display region, and the conducting pad [143 and (141 or 142)] is located between the peripheral region and an edge of the first substrate [120];
a display layer [155], disposed on the driving circuit substrate [140];
an opposite substrate, comprising a second substrate [110 and 130] and an opposite electrode layer [161, 162] disposed on the second substrate [110 and 130], wherein the display layer [155] is located between the opposite electrode layer [161, 162] and the driving circuit layer [140]; and
a conducting structure [150], comprising a conductive member, which is connected between the conducting pad [143 and (141 or 142)] and the opposite electrode layer [161, 162], wherein the conducting structure [150] has a first width in a prescribed direction, the peripheral region has a second width in the prescribed direction, and the first width is less than or equal to 2.5 times the second width.
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Regarding claim 2, Lin et al. discloses in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 wherein the prescribed direction is parallel to a side length direction of the display region.
Regarding claim 8, Lin et al. discloses in Fig. 1, Fig. 3, paragraph [0047]-[0048]
wherein the display layer [155] is driven by the driving circuit layer [140] and displays merely a single color [R] in the peripheral region.
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, 2 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US Pub. 20120206403) in view of Lin et al. (US Pub. 20110317121).
Regarding claim 1, Wang et al. discloses in Fig. 1, Fig. 7, Fig. 8 a display device, comprising:
an array substrate [64], comprising a first substrate [71b] and a circuit layer [layer of array substrate above layer 71b] disposed on the first substrate [71b],
wherein the circuit layer [layer of array substrate above layer 71b] comprises a display region, a peripheral region, and a conducting pad, the peripheral region is disposed at a periphery of the display region, and the conducting pad is located between the peripheral region and an edge of the first substrate [71b];
a display layer [66], disposed on the array substrate [64];
an opposite substrate [62], comprising a second substrate [layers of 62 above 70 or 81] and an opposite electrode layer [70 or 81] disposed on the second substrate, wherein the display layer [66] is located between the opposite electrode layer [70 or 81] and the circuit layer [layer of array substrate above layer 71b]; and
a conducting structure [ball], comprising a conductive member, which is connected between the conducting pad and the opposite electrode layer [70 or 81], wherein the conducting structure has a first width in a prescribed direction, the peripheral region has a second width in the prescribed direction.
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Wang et al. fails to disclose
the array substrate comprises a driving circuit substrate and the circuit layer comprising a driving circuit layer; and
the first width is less than or equal to 2.5 times the second width.
Lin et al. discloses in Fig. 1, Fig. 3
the array substrate comprises a driving circuit substrate, the circuit layer comprises a driving circuit layer [140],
wherein the conducting structure [150] has a first width in a prescribed direction, the peripheral region has a second width in the prescribed direction, and the first width is less than or equal to 2.5 times the second width.
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to incorporate the teachings of Lin et al. into the method of Wang et al. to include the array substrate comprises a driving circuit substrate and the circuit layer comprising a driving circuit layer; and the first width is less than or equal to 2.5 times the second width. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Wang et al. in the above manner for the purpose of providing suitable configuration of the array substrate and providing suitable width of conducting structure.
In addition, Applicant has not provided any criticality of the claimed range. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Wang et al. to include the claim range for at least the purpose of optimization and routine experimentation to provide optimal width for the conducting structure. The claimed ranges are merely optimizations, and as such are not patentable over the prior art. "[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). "The normal desire of scientists or artisans to improve upon what is already generally known provides the motivation to determine where in a disclosed set of percentage ranges is the optimum combination of percentages." Peterson, 315 F.3d at 1330, 65 USPQ2d at 1382.
Regarding claim 2, Lin et al. discloses in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 wherein the prescribed direction is parallel to a side length direction of the display region.
Regarding claim 8, Lin et al. discloses in Fig. 1, Fig. 3, paragraph [0047]-[0048]
wherein the display layer [155] is driven by the driving circuit layer [140] and displays merely a single color [R] in the peripheral region.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to incorporate the teachings of Lin et al. into the method of Wang et al. to include wherein the display layer is driven by the driving circuit layer and displays merely a single color in the peripheral region. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Wang et al. in the above manner for the purpose of providing suitable configuration of the display layer.
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US Pub. 20120206403) in view of Lin et al. (US Pub. 20110317121) as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Fan (US Pub. 20080116574).
Regarding claims 3-5, Wang et al. and Lin et al. fails to disclose
wherein the conducting structure comprises a conducting hole accommodating the conductive member, and the conducting hole penetrates through the display layer;
wherein the first width of the conducting structure is a width of the conducting hole in the prescribed direction;
wherein the display layer laterally surrounds the conducting hole.
Fan discloses in Fig. 4, paragraph [0031]
wherein the conducting structure comprises a conducting hole [431] accommodating the conductive member [440], and the conducting hole [431] penetrates through a material layer [430] surrounds the conductive member [440];
wherein the first width of the conducting structure is a width of the conducting hole [431] in the prescribed direction;
wherein the material layer [430] laterally surrounds the conducting hole [431].
Wang et al. discloses in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8
the display layer [66] laterally surrounds the conductive member.
Thus, the combination of Wang et al. and Fan would result to “the conducting hole penetrates through the display layer; the display layer laterally surrounds the conducting hole.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to incorporate the teachings of Fan into the method of Wang et al. to include wherein the conducting structure comprises a conducting hole accommodating the conductive member, and the conducting hole penetrates through the display layer; wherein the first width of the conducting structure is a width of the conducting hole in the prescribed direction; wherein the display layer laterally surrounds the conducting hole. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Wang et al. in the above manner for the purpose of avoiding the conductive member from falling due to contact stress [paragraph [0031] of Fan].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited art discloses similar materials, devices and methods.
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/SOPHIA T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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