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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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, 5-6, 12-13, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0202917) in view of Tada et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0197924).
Regarding to claim 1, Lee teaches a light emitting display device, comprising:
a substrate in which a display region and a non-display area are defined (Fig. 13, [0140]);
a light emitting diode disposed on the substrate and provided in a pixel region within the display region (Fig. 13, element EA, [0162], last 3 lines);
a protective film disposed on the light emitting diode, and including an edge portion an outer side surface of which is located in the non-display region and having an inclined step structure including a plurality of steps (Fig. 13, element 282, [0216], lines 1-2);
a lens disposed on the protective film and corresponding to the pixel region (Fig. 13, element 340, [0214], lines 1-2);
a planarization film covering the lens (Fig. 13, element 350, [0218], last 2 lines).
Lee does not disclose a first adhesive layer disposed on the planarization film and located in the display region and the non-display region, and a cover window disposed on the first adhesive layer.
Tada discloses a first adhesive layer disposed on the planarization film and located in the display region and the non-display region (Fig. 8, element 266) and a cover window disposed on the first adhesive layer (Fig. 8, element 268). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee in view of Tada to dispose a first adhesive layer on the planarization film in the display region and the non-display region, and dispose a cover window on the first adhesive layer, in order to provide protection and strength the structure.
Regarding to claim 2, Lee teaches the edge portion of the protective film includes at least one first dam disposed inside the outer side surface of the step structure and protruding upward (Fig. 13, element DAM1/right).
Regarding to claim 5, Lee teaches a second dam located outside the edge portion of the protective film; and a pad located outside the second dam (Fig. 13, element DAM1/left).
Regarding to claim 6, Lee teaches the edge portion of the protective film includes at least one groove disposed inside the at least one first dam and is recessed in a downward direction (Fig. 13, the groove between the dams).
Regarding to claim 12 Lee teaches a light emitting display device, comprising:
a substrate in which a display region and a non-display region are defined (Fig. 13, [0140]);
a light emitting diode disposed on the substrate and provided in a pixel region within the display region (Fig. 13, element EA, [0162], last 3 lines);
a protective film disposed on the light emitting diode, and including an edge portion having an outer side surface located in the non-display region (Fig. 13, element 282, [0216], lines 1-2);
a lens disposed on the protective film and corresponding to the pixel region (Fig. 13, element 340, [0214], lines 1-2);
a planarization film covering the lens (Fig. 13, element 350, [0218], last 2 lines);
a plurality of dam patterns disposed on the edge portion of the protective film (Fig. 13, elements DAM1, [0144], line 3);
wherein at least part of the plurality of dam patterns decreases in height of top end thereof along an outward direction (Fig. 13, the dams have inclined sidewall, thus the height decrease along an outward direction).
Lee does not disclose a first adhesive layer disposed on the planarization film and located in the display region and the non-display region, and a cover window disposed on the first adhesive layer.
Tada discloses a first adhesive layer disposed on the planarization film and located in the display region and the non-display region (Fig. 8, element 266) and a cover window disposed on the first adhesive layer (Fig. 8, element 268). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee in view of Tada to dispose a first adhesive layer on the planarization film in the display region and the non-display region, and dispose a cover window on the first adhesive layer, in order to provide protection and strength the structure.
Regarding to claim 13, Lee teaches the plurality of dam patterns include at least one first dam pattern located on the outer side surface, and at least one second dam pattern located inside the outer side surface (Fig. 13, element DAM1/left and DAM1/right).
Regarding to claim 17, Lee teaches a dam located outside the edge portion of the protective film (Fig. 13, element DAM1/left); and a pad located outside the dam (Fig. 13, element PAD).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 7-11, 14-16, and 18-19 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 to claim 3, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “the plurality of steps are N steps (N being a natural number of 5 or more), wherein each of the N steps has an inclined shape along an outward direction, wherein a height difference of a Nth step which is the highest among the N steps is 15% or more of a height of a portion of the protective film, which is located inside the outer side surface, wherein a N-lth step to a first step increases in height difference in the outward direction, and wherein a height difference of the first step is 30% to 45% of the height of the portion of the protective film located inside the outer side surface” in combination with the limitations recited in claim 1.
Regarding to claim 7, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “the at least one first dam includes two first dams, the at least one groove includes a first groove and a second groove, the first groove is located inside one of the two first dams, and the second groove is located inside another of the two first dams, and wherein a width of the first groove is greater than that of the second groove located outside the first groove” in combination with the limitations recited in claims 1-2 and 6.
Regarding to claim 9, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “a top end of the at least one first dam has a height equal to or greater than that of a top surface of the planarization film” in combination with the limitations recited in claims 1-2.
Regarding to claim 10, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “a second adhesive layer located between the planarization film and the first adhesive layer; and a polarizing film located between the second adhesive layer and the first adhesive layer” in combination with the limitations recited in claim 1.
Regarding to claim 14, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “the at least one first dam pattern includes a plurality of first dam patterns and heights of top ends of the plurality of first dam patterns decrease along the outward direction, and wherein a height of a top end of the at least one second dam pattern is greater than the heights of the top ends of the plurality of first dam patterns” in combination with the limitations recited in claims 12-13.
Regarding to claim 15, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “the at least one second dam pattern includes a plurality of second dam patterns and heights of top ends of the plurality of second dam patterns decrease along the outward direction” in combination with the limitations recited in claims 12-13.
Regarding to claim 16, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “the at least one second dam pattern has a width smaller than that of the at least one first dam pattern” in combination with the limitations recited in claims 12-13.
Regarding to claim 18, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “a second adhesive layer located between the planarization film and the first adhesive layer; a polarizing film located between the second adhesive layer and the first adhesive layer” in combination with the limitations recited in claim 12.
Pertinent Art
For the benefits of the Applicant, US-9367162-B2, US-9647233-B2, US-20230317894-A1, US-20140034919-A1, US-10135026-B2, US-20210050555-A1, and US-11018203-B2, are cited on the record as being pertinent to significant disclosure through some but not all claimed features of the defined invention. The references fail to disclose the combination of limitations including “a plurality of dam patterns disposed on the edge portion of the protective film; a first adhesive layer located on the planarization film and the dam pattern and in the display region and the non-display region; and a cover window disposed on the first adhesive layer, wherein at least part of the plurality of dam patterns decreases in height of top end thereof along an outward direction.”
Conclusion
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/VU A VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897