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
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, 8, 11-12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al (20200203642), Kim hereinafter.
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a display device, comprising: a first substrate (121, ¶ [66], fig. 6A) including an active area (AA, ¶ [75], fig. 6A) having a plurality of sub pixels (EM, ¶ [115], fig. 6A) in the active area (AA) and a non-active area (NA, ¶ [83]) enclosing the active area (AA) (see fig. 4), the first substrate (121) comprising one of a transparent conducting oxide (AN, ¶ [131]) or an oxide semiconductor (TR, ¶ [121]); an inorganic layer (122, ¶ [94]) on the first substrate (121); a planarization layer (125a, ¶ [115]) on the inorganic layer (122); a second substrate (128, ¶ [66]) on the planarization layer (125a), the second substrate (128) including an end that is inset from an end of the first substrate (121) such that the end of the first substrate (121) extends past the end of the second substrate (128) (see fig. 6A); a seal member (170, ¶ [66], fig. 6A) covering a portion of the second substrate (128); an adhesive layer (AD2, ¶ [105], fig. 6A) on the second substrate (128), the adhesive layer (AD2) spaced apart from the seal member (170) (on the third non-display area NA3 on fig. 6A the end of adhesive layer (AD2) is space apart from the seal member (170)); and a back cover (110, ¶ [105], fig. 6A) on the adhesive layer (AD2), the back cover (110) bonded to the second substrate (128) by the adhesive layer (AD2).
Regarding claim 8, Kim discloses that the adhesive layer (AD2) comprises double-sided tape (¶ [105] discloses that the second adhesive layer AD2 may be formed of an optical clear adhesive (OCA) and evidence of an (OCA) been a double-sided tape can be found on US 20220327296 A1, ¶ [132]).
Regarding claim 11, Kim discloses a display device comprising: a first substrate (121, ¶ [66], fig. 6A) comprising an active area (AA, ¶ [75], fig. 6A) and a non-active area (NA, ¶ [83]) around the active area (AA) (see fig. 4); an inorganic layer (122, ¶ [94]) on the active area (AA) and the non-active area (NA) of the first substrate (121); a plurality of subpixels (EM, ¶ [115], fig. 6A) on a portion of the inorganic layer (122) in the active area (AA), the plurality of subpixels (EM) configured to emit light; a second substrate (128, ¶ [66]) on the plurality of subpixels (EM), the second substrate (128) including an end that is inset from an end of the first substrate (121) in the non-active area (NA) such that the end of the first substrate (121) extends past the end of the second substrate (128) in the non-active area (NA) (see fig. 6A); a seal member (170, ¶ [66], fig. 6A) in the non-active area (NA), the seal member (170) covering an edge of an uppermost surface of the second substrate (128) in the non-active area (NA) such that an uppermost portion of the seal member (170) is higher than the uppermost surface of the second substrate (128) (see fig. 6A); a back cover (110, ¶ [105], fig. 6A) on the second substrate (128); and an adhesive layer (AD2, ¶ [105], fig. 6A) between the second substrate (128) and the back cover (110), an end of the adhesive layer (AD2) spaced apart from the seal member (170) in the non-active area (NA) (on the third non-display area NA3 on fig. 6A the end of adhesive layer (AD2) is space apart from the seal member (170)).
Regarding claim 12, Kim discloses that the first substrate (121) comprises one of a transparent conducting oxide (AN, ¶ [131], fig. 6A) or an oxide semiconductor (TR, ¶ [121], fig. 6A).
Regarding claim 14, Kim discloses a conductive element (GD, ¶ [115], fig. 6A) on the inorganic layer (122) in the non-active area (NA), wherein an end of the adhesive layer (AD2) extends past an end of the conductive element (GD) and is aligned with an end of the inorganic layer (122) (See fig. 6A).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-7, 9-10, 13 and 15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if at least one the limitations indicated below were included in the base claim.
Regarding claim 2, the references of Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim 2, and specifically comprising the limitation directed to an end of the inorganic layer is inset from the end of the first substrate in the non-active area.
Regarding claims 3-7, the claims are allowable for the reasons given in claim 2 because of their dependency status from claim 2.
Regarding claim 9, the references of Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim 9, and specifically comprising the limitation directed to the adhesive layer is spaced apart from the seal member in an area other than an area comprising the plurality of flexible films.
Regarding claim 10, the claim is allowable for the reasons given in claim 9 because of their dependency status from claim 9.
Regarding claim 13, the references of Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim 13, and specifically comprising the limitation directed to wherein an end of the adhesive layer extends past an end of the conductive element and is inset from an end of the inorganic layer.
Regarding claim 15, the references of Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim 15, and specifically comprising the limitation directed to an end of the adhesive layer extends past an end of the inorganic layer and an end of the conductive element without extending to the seal member.
Conclusion
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/JOSE M DIAZ/ Examiner, Art Unit 2875
/ANNE M HINES/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875