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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 9-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 July 7, 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Claim 6 recites “wherein the window is spaced apart from the outside surface of the display module”. This contradicts claim 1, which recites “the window being directly disposed on the display module”. Applicant may cancel the claim, amend the claim to place the claim in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim complies with the statutory requirements.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-5 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jang (US 2020/0135063).
As to claim 1, Jang discloses in figure 4: a display module DM; a window WM including a transmission region (region that does not overlap the bezel layer BZL) and a bezel region (region that overlaps the bezel layer BZL) adjacent to the transmission region, the window being directly disposed on the display module and including a resin material (paragraph [0059], base layer BS may include a plastic substrate); and a light blocking pattern BZL (paragraph [0060], “the bezel layer BZL may include a black pigment or dye”) overlapping the bezel region, wherein an outside surface of the window protrudes further outward compared to an outside surface of the display module, and wherein a front surface of the window includes a curved portion, and the curved portion curves toward a rear surface of the window as a distance from the transmission region increases.
As to claim 2, Jang discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. Jang further discloses in paragraph [0059] (“The base layer BS may include a glass substrate and a plastic film bonded to the glass substrate with an adhesive member”), a first window (plastic layer) directly disposed on the display module, the first window having a first modulus; and a second window (glass layer) directly disposed on the first window, the second window having a second modulus value greater than the first modulus value (glass has a higher modulus value than plastic).
As to claim 4, Jang discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. Jang further discloses in figure 4, a first portion overlapping the transmission region, wherein a distance between a front surface and a rear surface of the first portion is constant, and a second portion overlapping the bezel region, wherein a distance between a front surface and a rear surface of the second portion decreases as the distance from the first portion increases.
As to claim 5, Jang discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. Jang further discloses in figure 4, wherein the light blocking pattern BZL is directly disposed on the rear surface of the window.
As to claim 8, Jang discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. Jang further discloses in figure 4, wherein a width of the window in a first direction is greater than a width of the display module in the first direction.
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 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang (US 2020/0135063).
Jang discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1, but does not disclose wherein the light blocking pattern has a thickness of 5 micrometers or less. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Jang wherein the light blocking pattern has a thickness of 5 micrometers or less in order to enable use of conventional printing techniques, which were known to be cost effective and reliable.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 is 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: none of the prior art taught or fairly suggested a display device comprising the combination required by claim 3, wherein the light blocking pattern is directly disposed between the first window and the second window.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to David Chung whose telephone number is (571)272-2288. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Caley can be reached at (571)272-2286. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DAVID Y CHUNG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
Prosecution Insights