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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 10-13 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu US 2017/0148822 in view of Zhao et al. US 2022/0344619.
Re claim 1, Hu teaches a display module (fig1), comprising an under-display structure (102, 104 and 101, fig1, [41, 42]) and a display panel (103, fig1, [42]);
wherein the under-display structure comprises a support insulating layer (102, fig1, [42]), a buffer layer (104, fig1, [41]), and a base (101, fig1, [41]),
wherein the buffer layer (104, fig1, [41]) is disposed on a side of the base (top side of 101, fig1, [41]), and the support insulating layer (102, fig1, [42]) is disposed on a side of the buffer layer (top side of 104, fig1, [41]) facing away from the base (101, fig1, [41]); and
the display panel (103, fig1, [42]) is disposed on a side of the support insulating layer (top side of 102, fig1, [42]) facing away from the buffer layer (104, fig1, [41]);
the display panel (103, fig1, [42]) comprises a substrate (1031, fig1, [42).
Hu does not explicitly show the substrate comprising polyimide; and a Young's modulus of the support insulating layer is higher than a Young's modulus of the substrate.
Zhao teaches using polyimide as an adhesive planarization layer ([47]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Hu and Zhao to use PI as the material for layer 1031. The motivation to do so is to bond the bottom baseplate on the display panel and protect the display panel from water and oxygen damage (Zhao, [88]).
Hu in view of Zhao teaches a Young's modulus of the support insulating layer (102 as SiO2 ~50-90GPa, fig1, [46]) is higher than a Young's modulus of the substrate (1031 as PI ~2.5-3.5 GPa, fig1).
Re claim 2, Hu modified above teaches the display panel according to claim 1, wherein the support insulating layer comprises at least one groove (groove between 1021, fig1, [44]); wherein a total volume of the at least one groove is v1, and a total volume of the support insulating layer (102, fig1, [42]) is v2; wherein 0 < v1/v2 ≤ 40% (V1/V2~25%, fig1).
Re claim 3, Hu modified above teaches the display module according to claim 2, wherein along a thickness direction of the support insulating layer, a depth of the at least one groove is h1, and a thickness of the support insulating layer is h2; wherein 0 < h1 ≤ h2/2 (h1~h2/3, fig1).
Re claim 10, Hu modified above teaches the display module according to claim 2, wherein the at least one groove comprises at least one of a third groove (2022, fig3, [44]) or a fourth groove; wherein the third groove penetrates through a surface of a side of the support insulating layer (top side of 102, fig1, [42]) facing the display panel (103, fig1, [42]); and the fourth groove penetrates through a surface of a side of the support insulating layer facing the buffer layer.
Re claim 11, Hu modified above teaches the display module according to claim 2, wherein the support insulating layer (102, fig2, 3 or 7, [42]) comprises a first region (center 102 region with one groove in fig2 or center two squire groove in fig7, [42]) and a second region (region around center 102 region with two grooves on each side in fig2 or region around center two square groove in fig7, [42]), wherein the first region comprises a center of the support insulating layer (center line pass through first region with one center groove in fig2 or two square groove in fig7), and the second region (region around center 102 region with two grooves on each side in fig2 or region around center two square groove in fig7, [42]) surrounds the first region; and in a unit area, a sum of volumes of grooves in the first region is less than a sum of volumes of grooves in the second region (fig2 or 7).
Re claim 12, Hu modified above teaches the display module according to claim 11, wherein in the unit area, a number of the grooves in the first region (center 102 region with one groove, fig2, [42]) is less than a number of the grooves in the second region (region around center 102 region with two grooves on each side, fig2, [42]).
Re claim 13, Hu modified above teaches the display module according to claim 11, wherein an average volume of the grooves in the first region (center two squire groove in fig7, [42]) is less than an average volume of the grooves in the second region (region around center two square groove in fig7, [42]).
Re claim 17, Hu modified above teaches the display module according to claim 2, wherein the at least one groove comprises one of a circular groove, an elliptical groove, or a polygonal groove (fig 7).
Re claim 18, Hu modified above teaches the display panel according to claim 1, wherein the support insulating layer comprises glass (102 as SiO2 ~50-90GPa, fig1, [46]).
Re claim 19, Hu modified above teaches a display device (fig1),
comprising a display module (101-103, fig1, [41, 42]),
wherein the display module comprises an under-display structure (102, 104 and 101, fig1, [41, 42]) and a display panel (103, fig1, [42]);
wherein the under-display structure (102, 104 and 101, fig1, [41, 42]) comprises a support insulating layer (102, fig1, [42]), a buffer layer (104, fig1, [41]), and a base (101, fig1, [41]), wherein the buffer layer (104, fig1, [41]) is disposed on a side of the base (top side of 101, fig1, [41]), and the support insulating layer (102, fig1, [42]) is disposed on a side of the buffer layer (top side of 104, fig1, [41]) facing away from the base (101, fig1, [41]); and
the display panel (103, fig1, [42]) is disposed on a side of the support insulating layer (top side of 102, fig1, [42]) facing away from the buffer layer (104, fig1, [41]);
the display panel (103, fig1, [42]) comprises a substrate (1031, fig1, [42) comprising polyimide; and a Young's modulus of the support insulating layer is higher than a Young's modulus of the substrate.
Hu does not explicitly show the substrate comprising polyimide; and a Young's modulus of the support insulating layer is higher than a Young's modulus of the substrate.
Zhao teaches using polyimide as an adhesive planarization layer ([47]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Hu and Zhao to use PI as the material for layer 1031. The motivation to do so is to bond the bottom baseplate on the display panel and protect the display panel from water and oxygen damage (Zhao, [88]).
Hu in view of Zhao teaches a Young's modulus of the support insulating layer (102 as SiO2 ~50-90GPa, fig1, [46]) is higher than a Young's modulus of the substrate (1031 as PI ~2.5-3.5 GPa, fig1).
Re claim 20, Hu modified above teaches the display device according to claim 19, wherein the support insulating layer comprises at least one groove (groove between 1021, fig1, [44]); wherein a total volume of the at least one groove is v1, and a total volume of the support insulating layer is v2; wherein 0 < v1/v2 ≤ 40% (V1/V2~25%, fig1).
Claim(s) 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu US 2017/0148822 in view of Zhao et al. US 2022/0344619 and Liu et al. US 2023/0134581.
Re claim 4, Hu does not explicitly show the display module according to claim 3, wherein 0 < h1 ≤ 30 μm, and 30 μm < h2 ≤ 80 μm.
Liu teaches wherein along a thickness direction of the support insulating layer, a depth of the at least one groove is h1 (height of 41 about 1.5~7.5 μm, fig1, [24]), and a thickness of the support insulating layer is h2 (4 ≥ 30μm, fig1, [19]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Hu modified above and Liu adjust the thickness of layer 102. The motivation to do so is to have a flexible substrate with enough structure support for the device (Liu, [19]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5-9 and 14-16 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.
Specifically, the limitations are material to the inventive concept of the application in hand to reduce size of the high voltage transistor and increase the breakdown voltage of the device.
Conclusion
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/XIAOMING LIU/Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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