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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 13-16 and 20-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bai et al. (CN 114068655 A).
Regarding claim 1, Bai discloses a display apparatus comprising: a cover panel (30); a display panel (100) on the cover panel; and a cover window (22) on the display panel, wherein the display panel comprises: a substrate (10) having a first surface facing the cover panel (30), and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the substrate (10) comprising: a display area comprising a plurality of pixels (16); a first peripheral area outside the display area, and overlapping with the cover panel; and a second peripheral area outside the first peripheral area (Fig. 13); a display layer (EL, Fig. 31) on the second surface of the substrate (10), and comprising a pixel circuit (14); and a thin-film encapsulation layer (18) on the display layer, and wherein the first surface of the substrate comprises: a 1-1 surface parallel to the second surface (Figs. 13-14); and a 1-2 surface (10w) inclined from the 1-1 surface and located at least in the second peripheral area (Figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 2, Bai discloses a display apparatus wherein a width of the substrate (10) is greater than a width of the cover panel (30, Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 3, Bai discloses a display apparatus wherein the second peripheral area does not overlap with the cover panel (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 4, Bai discloses a display apparatus wherein, in the second peripheral area, a distance between the first surface and the second surface of the substrate decreases in a direction from the first peripheral area toward the second peripheral area (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 5, Bai discloses a display apparatus wherein the 1-1 surface of the substrate is located in the display area and the first peripheral area (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 13, Bai discloses a display apparatus wherein the cover panel comprises a heat-radiating layer (¶s[0097-0101], polyester/acrylic based material).
Regarding claim 14, Bai discloses a display apparatus further comprising: an optical function layer (20) on the display panel; and a touch sensor layer (13) on the optical function layer.
Regarding claim 15, Bai discloses a display apparatus comprising: a cover panel (30); and a display panel (100) on the cover panel, wherein the display panel comprises: a substrate (10) having a first surface facing the cover panel (30), and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the substrate (10) comprising: a display area including a plurality of pixels (16); and a peripheral area outside the display area (Fig. 13); a display layer (EL, Fig. 31) on the second surface of the substrate, and comprising a pixel circuit (14); and a thin-film encapsulation layer (18) on the display layer, wherein a width of the substrate (10) is greater than a width of the cover panel (30), and wherein at least a portion of the first surface of the substrate (10) has a slope (10w) in the peripheral area (Figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 16, Bai discloses a display apparatus wherein the peripheral area comprises: a first peripheral area overlapping with the cover panel (30); and a second peripheral area outside the first peripheral area (Fig. 13), and wherein the slope (10w) of the substrate (10) is located in at least the second peripheral area (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 20, Bai discloses a display apparatus comprising: a cover panel (30); a display panel (100) on the cover panel; and a cover window (22) on the display panel, wherein the display panel comprises: a substrate (10) comprising: a display area comprising a plurality of pixels (16); a first peripheral area outside the display area, and overlapping with the cover panel (Fig. 13); and a second peripheral area outside the first peripheral area (Fig. 13); a display layer (EL. Fig. 31) on the substrate, and comprising a pixel circuit (14); and a thin-film encapsulation layer (18) on the display layer, and wherein, in the second peripheral area, a thickness (10w) of the substrate (10w) decreases in a direction from the first peripheral area toward the second peripheral area (Figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 21, Bai discloses a display apparatus wherein the substrate (10) comprises a first surface facing the cover panel (30), and a second surface opposite the first surface, and wherein, in the second peripheral area, the first surface of the substrate is inclined with respect to the second surface (10w, Figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 22, Bai discloses a display apparatus wherein, in the first peripheral area, a thickness of the substrate is constant (10w, Figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 23, Bai discloses a display apparatus wherein, in at least a portion of the first peripheral area, a thickness of the substrate (10) decreases in the direction from the first peripheral area toward the second peripheral area (10w, Figs. 13-14).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-12 and 17-19 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(s) 6, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 6, and specifically comprising the limitation of the 1-2 surface of the substrate is located in at least a portion of the first peripheral area and the second peripheral area.
Regarding claim(s) 7-9, claims(s) 7-9 is/are allowable for the reasons given in claim(s) 6 because of its/their dependency status from claim(s) 66.
Regarding claim(s) 10, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 10, and specifically comprising the limitation of an organic layer on the 1-2 surface of the substrate.
Regarding claim(s) 11, claims(s) 11 is/are allowable for the reasons given in claim(s) 10 because of its/their dependency status from claim(s) 10.
Regarding claim(s) 12, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 12, and specifically comprising the limitation of a width of the substrate is less than a width of the cover window.
Regarding claim(s) 17, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 17, and specifically comprising the limitation of the slope of the substrate is located in the first peripheral area, and extends to the second peripheral area.
Regarding claim(s) 18, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 18, and specifically comprising the limitation of an organic layer on the slope of the substrate.
Regarding claim(s) 19, claims(s) 19 is/are allowable for the reasons given in claim(s) 18 because of its/their dependency status from claim(s) 18.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lee et al. (WO 2020/226267 A1) discloses a display device including a bending region between a first region and a second region, the display device comprising: a substrate having a first opening corresponding to at least the bending region, a thickness of the substrate decreases at a peripheral edge region.
Paek et al. (US 2023/0037058 A1) discloses a display panel including a glass substrate; a circuit layer disposed on the glass substrate; a light-emitting element layer disposed on the circuit layer; an encapsulation layer covering the light-emitting element layer; and a first organic film covering the encapsulation layer, in which the first organic film covers an extended portion of an inorganic film extending from the encapsulation layer in a bezel region of the display panel.
Jo et al. (US 2023/0024760 A1) discloses a substrate having a first surface and a second surface that face each other, a display unit including an organic light-emitting device arranged on the first surface of the substrate; and a thin-film encapsulation layer arranged on the display unit to shield the display unit, wherein an edge of the first surface or an edge of the second surface are inclined with respect to the first surface or the second surface.
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood or implied from the texts of the references. To emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out. Each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mariceli Santiago whose telephone number is (571) 272-2464. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James R. Greece, can be reached on (571) 272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Mariceli Santiago/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2879
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