DETAILED ACTION
1. This Office Action is in response to the communications dated 07/22/2026.
Claims 1-10 are pending in this application.
Applicant made a provisional election to prosecute the invention of Group I, claims 1-7, is acknowledged.
Because Applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed error in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.03(a)).
Claims 8-10 have been withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a non-elected group there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Applicant has the right to file a divisional application covering the subject matter of the non-elected claims.
Acknowledges
2. Receipt is acknowledged of the following items from the Applicant.
Information Disclosure Statements (IDS) filed on 05/06/2024, 01/15/2025, 04/18/2025, 11/17/2025, and 01/21/2026. The references cited on the PTOL 1449 form have been considered.
Foreign Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Specification
4. The specification has been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of possible minor errors. However, the applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
6. Claims 1-2, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Oh et al. (US 2006/0124966)
Regarding claim 1, Oh discloses a display panel (see Figs. 1-8), comprising:
a substrate 110, having a bonding pad area PA (Fig. 1, Fig. 8), a repair area RP1, and a pixel array area DA, wherein the repair area RP1 is located between the bonding pad area and the pixel array area;
a plurality of first bonding pads (in the bonding pad area PA, connecting the data lines DLm, gate line GLm to the pad area PA, Figs. 1-2) and a plurality of repair pads (connecting to repair lines RL1-RL4), located over the bonding pad area;
a pixel array, located over the pixel array area DA (Fig. 1; see para. 0030);
a plurality of first data lines DLm, extending from the bonding pad area PA to the pixel array area DA, wherein the plurality of first data lines DLm electrically connect the plurality of first bonding pads to the pixel array respectively;
a plurality of transfer lines GLn, located over the repair area and across the plurality of first data lines DLm;
a plurality of repair signal lines RL1-RL2, RL3-RL4, extending from the bonding pad area to the repair area and electrically connected to the plurality of repair pads respectively, wherein an end of each of the plurality of repair signal lines RL1-RL2, RL3-RL4 is located over the repair area; and
an isolation layer 113 (Fig. 3-6), located between the plurality of transfer lines and the plurality of repair signal lines.
Regarding claim 2, Oh discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein at least a part of the plurality of repair signal lines RL1-RL2, RL3-RL4 is electrically insulated from the plurality of transfer lines DLm due to the isolation layer. See Figs. 1-6.
Regarding claim 6, Oh discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of repair pads are located between the plurality of first bonding pads. See Figs. 1-2.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 103
7. 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 of this title, 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.
8. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oh (US 2006/0124966)
Regarding claim 7, Oh discloses the display panel of claim 1, comprising all claimed limitations, as discussed above.
Oh does not particularly disclose the display panel further comprising: a chip-on-film package structure, bonded to the plurality of first bonding pads and the plurality of repair pads.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time the invention was made that controller or driver chips are well known to be connected to the pads of the display panel for controlling the display panel. Bonding a controller chip to a display panel would be common and involve only routine skill in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
9. Claims 3-5 allowable.
Claims 3-5 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, since the prior art of record and considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure does not teach or suggest the claimed display panel (in addition to the other limitations in the claim) comprising:
wherein the second line segment is electrically connected to the pixel array, wherein one of the plurality of repair signal lines is electrically connected to one of the plurality of transfer lines through a first connection point located in the isolation layer, and the one of the plurality of transfer lines is electrically connected to the second line segment through a second connection point located in the isolation layer.
Conclusion
10. A shortened statutory period for response to this action is set to expire 3 (three) months and 0 (zero) day from the day of this letter. Failure to respond within the period for response will cause the application to become abandoned (see M.P.E.P 710.02(b)).
A shortened time for reply may be extended up to the maximum six-month period (35 U.S.C. 133). An extension of time fee is normally required to be paid if the reply period is extended. The amount of the fee is dependent upon the length of the extension. Extensions of time are generally not available after an application has been allowed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Dao H. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-1791. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Loke, can be reached on (571)272-1657. The fax numbers for all communication(s) is 571-273-8300.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is (571)272-1633.
/DAO H NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818 August 20, 2026
Prosecution Insights