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Claims 15-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 3/12/2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/16/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-6, 8, and 10-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryu (US 20220320395 A1) in view of Kawata (US 20170179159 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ryu teaches, in FIG. 21, a display device 11 which has a first substrate 1110 having a flexibility (paragraph 0185) and a pad electrode PD disposed on the first substrate, additionally, a connection line 1140 extending in DR1 and a flexible circuit board (paragraph 0095) - which constitutes a flexible film - forming a driving member. FIG. 9 shows that a light emitting area LA is disposed above this structure. Additionally, FIG. 1 and paragraph 0068 teach “In an embodiment, the plurality of the display devices may be arranged in a matrix form along a first direction DR1 and a second direction DR2 crossing the first direction DR1” (i.e., the pad electrodes PD, which are disposed on each of these “display devices” are arranged in a plurality of rows extending in a second direction DR2 intersecting the first direction DR1, also note that the plurality of display panels is itself a display device).
Ryu does not teach a connection electrode disposed between the pad electrode and the connection wires.
Kawata teaches, in FIG. 4, a “connection line” 100 which is on a curved substrate 200, electrically coupled to pad electrode PD via “projection” T (connection electrode).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the connection electrode taught by Kawata with the display device taught by Ryu. One having ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to add the connection electrode in order to, for example, increase connection reliability.
Regarding claim 2, as shown above, Kawata teaches a connection wire and pad electrode electrically connected through a connection electrode.
Regarding claim 4, Ryu further teaches, in FIG. 21, a “second conductive adhesive member” 1151 (bonding pattern) overlapping the connection wires in a plan view. Additionally, this is arranged to define a plurality of rows extending in a second direction in a plan view, along with the pad electrode structure, as shown above.
Additionally, Kawata teaches a connection electrode coupling the pad electrode and connection wire. In addition, Kawata teaches a conductive film 3 which “comprises conductive particles CP dispersed in an adhesive agent” (paragraph 0051).
Regarding claim 5, Ryu and Kawata teach a connection electrode and bonding pattern.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to bond the connection wires taught by Ryu with the connection electrode taught by Kawata with the bonding pattern also taught by Ryu. One having ordinary skill in the art is motivated to do so in order to, for example, secure the connection electrode in place.
Regarding claim 6, as stated above, Ryu and Kawata teach that the connection wires and connection electrodes are bonding by bonding patterns.
Additionally, Kawata teaches, in FIG. 4, a “support substrate” 5 which has an opening exposing the connection electrode T.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to further modify the display device taught by Ryu and Kawata such that the connection electrodes are exposed by an opening in the first substrate, as taught by Kawata. One having ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to do so in order to, for example, allow for the connection electrode to be bonded to the pad electrode via the bonding pattern directly (as opposed to more complex techniques, such as fitting the flexible film into a gap after applying an adhesive as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 of Ryu), reducing manufacturing cost and increasing yield.
Regarding claim 8, Ryu further teaches a conductive adhesive member (bonding pattern) 1151. The examiner notes that the inclusion of the word “conductive” teaches the presence of a conductive material therein.
Regarding claim 10, Ryu further teaches a second substrate, 2120, disposed above the conductive film 1151, in which Kawata teaches the inclusion of connection electrodes, as shown above.
Regarding claim 11, Ryu further teaches a through hole TH2, which exposes the top of the conductive film 1151 wherein Kawata teaches the inclusion of connection electrodes, as shown above. In addition, the pad electrode is electrically connected to the bonding pattern (and therefore the connection electrodes taught by Kawata).
Regarding claim 12, Ryu further teaches a “barrier layer” 1131 disposed on the first substrate. In addition, Ryu teaches “adhesive layer” 1180 disposed between the first and second layer. One having ordinary skill in the art would appreciate this to be a barrier layer due to it lacking conductive properties. The barrier layer 1180 is also disposed in a same layer as the bonding pattern 1151 (in which the connection electrodes taught by Kawata is disposed).
Regarding claim 13, Ryu further teaches, in FIG. 21, that end portions of the connection wires 1142 protrude farther in the first direction than an end portion of the flexible film.
Regarding claim 14, Ryu and Kawata further teach openings exposing the connection electrodes (and therefore the connection wires). Therefore, the plurality of rows extending in a second direction in a plan view defined by the connection electrodes, as shown above, also teaches openings in that are oriented likewise. Additionally, as shown above the connection electrodes overlap the film openings in a plan view.
Claim(s) 3 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryu (US 20220320395 A1) in view of Kawata (US 20170179159 A1), in further view of Kim (US 10937842 B2).
Regarding claim 3, Ryu and Kawata teach the limitations of claim 1, but do not teach that the connection electrodes of a first row are disposed between the connection electrodes of a second row.
Kim teaches, in FIG. 8, a first row of contact holes in a direction D2 (711, 712) which is disposed between a second row of contact holes (721, 722) most adjacent to the first row, among the plurality of rows in a plan view. Additionally, FIGS. 9 and 10 show that the contact holes comprise a contact electrode 710.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the display device taught by Ryu and Kawata with the connection electrode layout taught by Kim. This ensures that connection electrodes are spaced apart from each other in both a first and second direction from a plan view (Kim, paragraph 41), which one of ordinary skill in the art would understand to maximize spacing and therefore decrease parasitic capacitance.
Regarding claim 7, Ryu teaches that the structure including the pad electrode (to which the bonding patterns are affixed, as well as to the connection electrodes, as taught by Kawata) are arranged into rows, and Kim teaches that the connection electrodes of a first row are between the connection electrodes of a second row, as shown above. Therefore, this combination of teachings also teaches that the bonding patterns are oriented likewise.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryu (US 20220320395 A1) in view of Kawata (US 20170179159 A1), in further view of Yi et al (Li, Y., Moon, KS. & Wong, C.P. Monolayer-protected silver nano-particle-based anisotropic conductive adhesives: Enhancement of electrical and thermal properties. J. Electron. Mater. 34, 1573–1578 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-005-0167-5).
Regarding claim 9, Ryu teaches a plurality of bonding patterns, as shown above.
Ryu does not explicitly teach that these bonding patterns includes silver, copper, chromium, or aluminum.
Yi et al teaches, in the abstract, that the introduction of monolayer-coated silver nanoparticles into conductive adhesives improves the electrical and thermal properties thereof.
It would have been obvious to modify Ryu and Kawata with Yi et al such that the bonding patterns taught by Ryu and Kawata comprise silver, as taught by Yi et al, in order to garner the benefits taught by Yi et al.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryu (US 20220320395 A1) in view of Kawai (US 20070040798 A1).
Regarding claim 21, as explained above, Ryu teaches the limitations of claim 1. Ryu does not teach a connection electrode disposed between the pad electrode and the connection wires that directly contacts one of the connection electrodes.
Kawai teaches, in FIG. 4, a display panel comprising a substrate 14 with an electrode 16 thereon, a driving member including “wiring pattern” 22 extending in a first direction, and “connector” 24 disposed between the pad electrode and the connection wire that directly contacts the connection electrode. The wiring pattern further connects to “external device” 50 (which is analogous to the flexible film taught by Ryu). Paragraph 0036 further states “In addition, although illustration is omitted, a thin film semiconductor circuitry layer may be provided on the one surface and/or on the other surface of the second substrate 14. Here, the thin film semiconductor circuitry layer includes, for example, a plurality of wiring groups which are arranged in a row direction and in a column direction, respectively, a pixel electrode group, a pixel driving circuit, connecting terminals, and row and column decoders that select driving pixels, etc.”
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date to modify the display device taught by Ryu such that connection electrodes which directly contact one of the pad electrodes are disposed between the pad electrode and the connection wires, as taught by Kawai. One having ordinary skill in the art is motivated to do so because, for example, this provides an electrical connection between the connection wires and flexible film: “The wiring pattern 22 is electrically connected to the second electrode 16 via a connector (via) 24 passing through the second substrate 14” (Kawai, paragraph 0035), enabling electrical/signal connection therebetween.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 6-7 of arguments filed 7/2/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Ryu in view of Kawata (see above). This action is therefore non-final.
In response to applicant's argument that one having ordinary skill in the art would not have a reasonable expectation of success in combining the teachings of Kim with those of Ryu and Kawata to arrive at the invention of claim 3, the test for obviousness is not whether the features of a secondary reference may be bodily incorporated into the structure of the primary reference; nor is it that the claimed invention must be expressly suggested in any one or all of the references. Rather, the test is what the combined teachings of the references would have suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981). In the present situation, although Kim teaches connection electrodes for touch-screen wiring electrodes, one of ordinary skill in the art could apply the electrode layout taught by Kim in the device taught by Ryu with a reasonable expectation of success because electrode placements in a device are routinely modified as needed to provide electrical interconnects in a provided space, in order to practically assemble an operable device. Therefore, the disposition of the touch screen wiring connections of Kim can be straightforwardly implemented in the data line interconnections taught by Ryu via routine experimentation. Further, one having ordinary skill in the art is motivated to utilize this particular electrode arrangement in the pursuit of reducing the well-known detrimental effects of parasitic capacitance, as stated in the rejection of claim 3 above. See MPEP 2143.02 (I) and (II).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GABRIEL S MINNEY whose telephone number is (571)272-9688. The examiner can normally be reached Monday Friday, 8:30 a.m. 5 p.m. ET..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jacob Choi can be reached at (469) 295-9060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/G.S.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2897
/JACOB Y CHOI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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