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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I in the reply filed on 7/7/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 12-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 7/7/2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/27/2024 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 § 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, 3 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jin et al (CN 113658513; hereinafter Jin).
Regarding claim 1, Figs 1-2 of Jin discloses a display device comprising:
a display panel (Fig 11) including a deformation part (A1; Fig 1/11), which is curvedly deformable (Fig 11) and a non-deformation part (A2; Fig 1/11) adjacent to the deformation part (A1; Fig 1/11); and
a cover window (1; Fig 1/8) disposed on the display panel,
wherein the cover window (1; Fig 1/8) comprises:
a first cover part (1 (A2); Figs 1/8) overlapping the non-deformation part (A2; Fig 1/11) and comprising crystallized glass (A21; Fig 2); and
a second cover part (1 (A1); Fig 1/8) overlapping the deformation part (A1; Fig 1/11) and not comprising the crystallized glass (amorphous region; Figs 1/2).
Regarding claim 3, Figs 1-2 of Jin discloses the second cover part (1 (A1); Fig 1/8) comprises amorphous glass (A1; Figs 1/2).
Regarding claim 9, Figs 1-2 of Jin discloses a thickness of the second cover part is in range of about 10 µm to about 100 µm (Page 4 of Jin).
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) 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al (CN 113658513; hereinafter Jin) and further in view of Umada et al (US 2022/0119307; hereinafter Umada).
Regarding claim 2, Jin does not expressly disclose the crystallized glass comprises a crystal having a diameter in a range of about 10 nm to about 100 nm.
In the same field of endeavor, Umada discloses a crystallized glass comprises a crystal having a diameter in a range of 80 nm or less (¶ [0115]).
Accordingly it would have been obvious to the person in the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention such that a crystallized glass comprises a crystal having a diameter in a claimed range for the purpose of forming a crystallized glass with a desired diameter of crystals which is well known in the art (¶ [0115]).
Claim(s) 4-8, 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al (CN 113658513; hereinafter Jin) and further in view of Park et al (US 2020/0292731; hereinafter Park).
Regarding claim 4, Jin does not expressly disclose the cover window further comprises a coating layer overlapping the second cover part.
In the same field of endeavor, Fig 5 of Park discloses a cover window (100; Fig 3; ¶ [0042]) further comprises a coating layer (130; Fig 5; ¶ [0064]) overlapping a second cover part (110; Fig 5).
Accordingly it would have been obvious to the person in the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention such that a cover window comprises a coating layer in a cover window with deformation so that the cover window is bonded to the total surface of the display panel without an empty space therebetween (¶ [0063]).
Regarding claim 5, Jin in view of Park as modified above in claim 4 (Fig 5 of Park in particular) discloses the coating layer (130; Fig 5; ¶ [0064] of Park) does not overlap a first cover part (Fig 5 of Park).
Regarding claim 6, Jin in view of Park as modified above in claim 4 (Fig 5 of Park in particular) discloses a refractive index (¶ [0066]) of the coating layer (130; Fig 5; ¶ [0064] of Park) is substantially same as a refractive index (¶ [0066]) of the second cover part (110; Fig 5).
Regarding claim 7, Jin in view of Park as modified above in claim 4 (Fig 5 of Park in particular) discloses the coating layer (130; Fig 5; ¶ [0064] of Park) comprises an optically transparent polymer resin (¶ [0066]).
Regarding claim 8, Jin does not expressly disclose a first thickness of the first cover part is greater than a second thickness of the second cover part.
In the same field of endeavor, Fig 5 of Park discloses a first thickness (Plane area (P); Fig 2; ¶ [0043]) of the first cover part is greater than a second thickness of the second cover part (110; Fig 2/5; ¶ [0042]).
Accordingly it would have been obvious to the person in the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention such that the folding part is slimmed by corresponding to a folding area of the display thereby having excellent strength and folding properties while maintaining the intrinsic texture of glass (¶ [0033]).
Regarding claim 10, Jin does not expressly disclose the cover window further comprises a third cover part disposed between the first cover part and the second cover part and including a slope.
In the same field of endeavor, Fig 5 of Park discloses a cover window (100; Fig 5; ¶ [0042]) further comprises a third cover part (120; Fig 5; ¶ [0054]) disposed between a first cover part (Plane area (P); Fig 2; ¶ [0043]) and a second cover part (110; Fig 2/5; ¶ [0042]) and including a slope (Fig 5).
Accordingly it would have been obvious to the person in the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention in order to form a buffer part such that the second cover part can be slimmed thereby having excellent strength and folding properties while maintaining the intrinsic texture of glass (¶ [0033]).
Regarding claim 11, Jin in view of Park as modified above in claim 4 (Fig 5 of Park in particular) discloses the third cover part (120; Fig 5; ¶ [0054]) does not comprise the crystallized glass and comprise amorphous glass (Fig 5).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Chang et al (US 2024/0224776)
Kim et al (US 2024/0168523)
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/RATISHA MEHTA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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