DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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 § 103
2. 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
3. Claim(s) 1-20, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al., US 2017/0062773 A1, in view of Ma et al., US 2017/0031472 A1.
Claim 1. Lee et al., disclose an electronic device (such as the one in fig. 7D) comprising:
-a display panel (item 730) that displays an image, wherein the display panel has a rounded corner with compound curvature (as seen in the structure of fig. 7D);
-a display cover layer (item 740) that covers the display panel;
-and a patterned film (item 720) that is attached to the display panel, wherein the display panel (item 730) is interposed between the patterned film and the display cover layer (as seen in the structure of fig. 7D).
Lee et al., appear to not specify the details of wherein the patterned film has a portion with a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the display panel.
Examiner notes that “a high coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) means a material changes its physical size (length, area, or volume) significantly when subjected to changes in temperature”.
However, in view of the structure fig. 2 of Ma et al., [0038] disclose Specifically, the first base 21 may be made of glass, the metal film 22 may be made of aluminum, and the heating temperature is 150-250° C. Because aluminum is a metal with low melting point, atomic migration and re-crystallization occur within the temperature range of 150-250° C.; more importantly, the thermal expansion coefficient of aluminum is 25, while the thermal expansion coefficient of common glass is about 3.8, so the thermal expansion coefficient of aluminum is far greater than that of the glass base; thus, after heating, the amount of expansion of the metal film 22 made of aluminum is greater than that of the glass base 21, so that the support plate 20 bends towards the aluminum side (to form a concave curved surface shown in FIG. 2), and then forces the display panel 10 bonded with the support plate 20 to bend.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify the device of Lee et al by having another display device, as taught by Ma et al., in order to manage curvature, enhance heat dissipation, or protect the display panel.
Claim 12. Lee et al., disclose an electronic device (such as the one in fig. 7D) comprising:
-a display panel (item 730) that displays an image, wherein the display panel has a rounded corner with compound curvature (as seen in the structure of fig. 7D);
-a display cover layer (item 740) that covers the display panel;
-and a film (item 720) that is attached to the display panel, wherein the display panel is interposed between the film and the display cover layer (as seen in the structure of fig. 7D).
Lee et al., appear to not specify the details of wherein the film has a first portion with a first Young's modulus and a second portion with a second Young's modulus that is different than the first Young's modulus.
Examiner notes that “a high coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) means a material changes its physical size (length, area, or volume) significantly when subjected to changes in temperature”.
However, in view of the structure fig. 2 of Ma et al., [0038] disclose Specifically, the first base 21 may be made of glass, the metal film 22 may be made of aluminum, and the heating temperature is 150-250° C. Because aluminum is a metal with low melting point, atomic migration and re-crystallization occur within the temperature range of 150-250° C.; more importantly, the thermal expansion coefficient of aluminum is 25, while the thermal expansion coefficient of common glass is about 3.8, so the thermal expansion coefficient of aluminum is far greater than that of the glass base; thus, after heating, the amount of expansion of the metal film 22 made of aluminum is greater than that of the glass base 21, so that the support plate 20 bends towards the aluminum side (to form a concave curved surface shown in FIG. 2), and then forces the display panel 10 bonded with the support plate 20 to bend.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify the device of Lee et al by having another display device, as taught by Ma et al., in order to manage curvature, enhance heat dissipation, or protect the display panel.
Claim 18. Lee et al., disclose an electronic device (such as the one in fig. 7D) comprising:
-a display panel (item 730) that displays an image, wherein the display panel has a rounded corner with compound curvature (as seen in the structure of fig. 7D);
-a display cover layer (item 740) that covers the display panel;
-and a film (item 720) that is attached to the display panel, wherein the display panel is interposed between the film and the display cover layer (as seen in the structure of fig. 7D).
Lee et al., appear to not specify the details of and wherein the film has a first portion with a first thickness and a second portion with a second thickness that is different than the first thickness.
Examiner notes that “a high coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) means a material changes its physical size (length, area, or volume) significantly when subjected to changes in temperature”.
However, in view of the structure fig. 2 of Ma et al., [0025] disclose In the manufacturing method of the curved display panel provided by the present invention, as the first base of the support plate and the metal film have different thermal expansion coefficients, they have different amounts of expansion after being heated, thus the curved display panel can be manufactured by fixing the display panel onto the support plate and performing a heating treatment, and the manufacturing method is simple and easy to implement.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify the device of Lee et al by having another display device, as taught by Ma et al., in order to manage curvature, enhance heat dissipation, or protect the display panel.
Claim 2. The combination of Lee/Ma et al., discloses the electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the portion is a corner portion that overlaps the rounded corner of the display panel (this limitation would read through [0116] of Lee wherein is disclosed in the case of a flexible display device 200C according to still another embodiment of the present invention, the support film 210C has a size corresponding to the display area A of the flexible substrate 220C on which the display unit 230C is disposed, and overlaps only with the display area A of the flexible substrate 220C, and the peripheral circuit areas B of the flexible substrate 220C do not have the support film 210C attached thereto).
Claims 3, 10-11. The combination of Lee/Ma et al., discloses the electronic device defined in claim 2, wherein the corner portion has first and second orthogonal edges and a curved edge that connects the first and second orthogonal edges (this limitation would read through [0124] of Lee wherein is disclosed for example, the flexible substrate 220F having the display unit 230F formed thereon is attached on the support film 210F having a curved edge. In other words, the support film 210F may have a sufficient thickness and its lateral sides may be formed in a curved shape so that the edge portions of the display device can have a curved shape without bending the support film 210F).
Claim 4. The combination of Lee/Ma et al., discloses the electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the rounded corner of the display panel is one of four rounded corners, wherein the display panel includes four edges that are each interposed between two of the four rounded corners, and wherein the portion is an edge portion that overlaps one of the four edges of the display panel (this limitation would read through [0124] of Lee wherein is disclosed for example, the flexible substrate 220F having the display unit 230F formed thereon is attached on the support film 210F having a curved edge. In other words, the support film 210F may have a sufficient thickness and its lateral sides may be formed in a curved shape so that the edge portions of the display device can have a curved shape without bending the support film 210F).
Claims 5-7. The combination of Lee/Ma et al., discloses the electronic device defined in claim 4, wherein the edge portion of the patterned film includes an increasing amount of material with increasing distance from the center of the display panel (this limitation would read through [0081] of Lee wherein is disclosed for example, the bending area formed with the bending pattern 111 may be centered at the boundary between the display area A and the peripheral circuit area B of the flexible substrate 120. In some embodiments, center of the bending area may be slightly offset towards the peripheral circuit area B so that the bending of the flexible substrate 120 and the support film 110 does not affect the display unit 130).
Claims 8-9, 19-20. The combination of Lee/Ma et al., discloses the electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the portion has a coefficient of thermal expansion gradient and wherein a coefficient of thermal expansion of the portion increases with increasing distance from a center of the display panel.
This limitation would read through [0081] of Ma wherein is disclosed for example, after heating, the amount of expansion of the metal film 22 made of aluminum is greater than that of the glass base 21, so that the support plate 20 bends towards the aluminum side (to form a concave curved surface shown in FIG. 2), and then forces the display panel 10 bonded with the support plate 20 to bend). As the examiner notes that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) gradient refers to a non-uniform, spatial variation of a material's expansion properties within a single, solid component. Unlike a uniform material where all parts expand at the same rate, a CTE gradient means one part of the material expands differently (more or less) than another part in response to the same temperature change.
Claim 13. The combination of Lee/Ma et al., discloses the electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the first and second portions are coplanar (this limitation would read through [0097] of Lee wherein is disclosed for example, the first surface of the cover 140I may extend along a plane parallel to the top surface of the display area A of the flexible substrate 120I, and the second surface of the cover 140I may extend along a plane that is not parallel to the top surface of the display area A of the flexible substrate 120I but parallel to the surface of the flexible substrate 120I in the peripheral circuit area B). As the examiner notes that coplanar means lying on the same flat plane, with common examples including three points on a sheet of paper, the four corners of a tabletop, or two parallel train tracks.
Claim 14. The combination of Lee/Ma et al., discloses the electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the first and second portions are overlapping layers (this limitation would read through [0097] of Lee wherein is disclosed for example, the first surface of the cover 140I may extend along a plane parallel to the top surface of the display area A of the flexible substrate 120I, and the second surface of the cover 140I may extend along a plane that is not parallel to the top surface of the display area A of the flexible substrate 120I but parallel to the surface of the flexible substrate 120I in the peripheral circuit area B).
Claims 15-17. The combination of Lee/Ma et al., discloses the electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the second Young's modulus is higher than the first Young's modulus and wherein the second portion is a patch that overlaps the rounded corner of the display panel (this limitation would read through [0106] of Lee wherein is disclosed for example, support film 210A includes a bending area formed with a pattern 211A where the bending of the flexible substrate is localized. Bending of various elements included in the flexible display device 200A may be localized at or near the pattern 211A without affecting the display area A). As the examiner notes that Young's modulus measures a material's stiffness, indicating how much it will bend, stretch, or compress under tension or compression. A high value signifies a stiff material (like steel) resistant to deformation, while a low value indicates a flexible, elastic material (like rubber). It defines the material's elastic behavior.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILNER JEAN BAPTISTE whose telephone number is (571)270-7394. The examiner can normally be reached M-T 8:00-6:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dale Page can be reached at 571-270-7877. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/W.J/Examiner, Art Unit 2899 /DALE E PAGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899