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 § 102
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 the appropriate paragraph s 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 1-5, 11-17 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al. (US 2021/0268869).
Regarding claim 1, Chen discloses a display module, comprising:
a display panel (1, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) and a heat-dissipation part (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) wherein: the heat-dissipation part at least includes a main-heat-dissipation portion (4, behind display 1, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) and a sub-heat-dissipation portion (4, around display 1, figs. 1-5 paragraph 0024-0030); and along a direction perpendicular to a plane of the display panel, the main-heat-dissipation portion (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) is at least partially overlapped with the display panel (1, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024); along a direction in parallel with the plane of the display panel, the sub-heat-dissipation portion (6, figs. 1-5 paragraph 0024-0030) is at least on a side of the main-heat-dissipation portion (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) ; and the sub-heat-dissipation portion includes a blade structure (both 9, figs. 1-5, 18, fig. 5 paragraph 0024-0030)- the baffles 18 and inlets (vents) are interpreted by the Examiner as blade structures; heat dissipation sheets 30 and 31 may also be interpreted as a blade structure); and the main-heat-dissipation portion (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) is connected to the blade structure of the sub-heat-dissipation portion (18, 14(9)/15(9), figs. 1-5 paragraph 0024-0030) and (30, 31, fig.8 paragraph 0035); and the main-heat-dissipation portion and the blade structure of the sub-heat -dissipation portion together form a single-piece structure (figs. 1-9).
Regarding claim 2, Chen further discloses wherein: the main-heat-dissipation portion (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) is disposed on a side of a backlight surface (3, figs.2-4 paragraph 0024) of the display panel (1, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024).
Regarding claim 3, Chen further discloses wherein: the main-heat-dissipation portion (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) includes a hollow structure (5, figs. 1-7 paragraph 0024), and the blade structure includes a hollow structure (18, 14(9)/15(9), figs. 1-5 paragraph 0024/0027-0030- air inlets have hollow portions to allow air flow- and baffles are movable to create cavities for desired air flow; the heat dissipation sheets 30 and 31 have hollow structures between them to allow air flow); and the hollow structure included in the blade structure and the hollow structure included in the main-heat-dissipation portion are connected to communicate with each other (figs. 3, 6, 8 paragraph 0029-0032).
Regarding claim 4, Chen further discloses wherein: a liquid or a gas (water in 11, 12, figs. 1-9 and paragraph 0024) is disposed in both the hollow structure included in the main-heat-dissipation portion (5, figs. 1-7 paragraph 0024) and the hollow structure included in the blade structure (18, 14(9)/15(9), figs. 1-5 paragraph 0024-0030) and (30, 31, fig.8 paragraph 0035) see also paragraph 0027-0032).
Regarding claim 5, Chen further discloses wherein: the hollow structure included in the main-heat-dissipation portion (5, figs. 1-7 paragraph 0024) includes a support part (16/17(19)/18 (20) paragraph 0034), and/or the hollow structure included in the blade structure (18, 14(9)/15(9), figs. 1-5 paragraph 0024/0027-0030) and (30, 31, fig.8 paragraph 0035) includes a support part (28, 27, 1 figs. 1-8 paragraph 0034); and the support part is fixedly connected to the heat-dissipation part (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024).
Regarding claim 11, Chen further discloses wherein: the main-heat-dissipation portion is disposed on a side of a light-exiting surface of the display panel; and the main-heat-dissipation portion includes a light-transmitting region; along the direction perpendicular to the plane of the display panel, the main-heat-dissipation portion at the light-transmitting region is overlapped with a display region of the display panel; and the main-heat-dissipation portion at the light-transmitting region is transparent (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024).
Regarding claim 12, Chen further discloses wherein: the blade structure is one of a flat block shape, a wavy shape and/or a cylindrical shape (18, 14(9)/15(9), figs. 1-5 paragraph 0024/0027-0030- flat block).
Regarding claim 13, Chen further discloses wherein: the main-heat-dissipation portion includes a plurality of heat-conducting strips; and the plurality of heat-conducting strips is inside the display panel and connected to the sub-heat dissipation portion (fig. 8).
Regarding claim 14, Chen further discloses wherein: the display panel includes a plurality of light-emitting elements; and an orthographic projection of the plurality of heat-conducting strips on the plane of the display panel is not overlapped with an orthographic projection of the plurality of light-emitting elements on the plane of the display panel (figs. 1, 8 and paragraph 0024).
Regarding claim 15, Chen further discloses wherein: the display panel includes at least one insulating layer, and the plurality of heat-conducting strips is embedded in the insulating layer (fig. 8 and paragraph 0035).
Regarding claim 16, Chen further discloses wherein: the plurality of heat-conducting strips includes a first heat-conducting strip and a second heat-conducting strip in different film layers of the display panel (fig. 8 and paragraph 0035).
Regarding claim 17, Chen further discloses wherein: a heat-conducting strip of the plurality of heat-conducting strips includes a light-blocking material (fig. 8 and paragraph 0035).
Regarding claim 19, Chen discloses a vehicle terminal, comprising a display module (Abstract, fig. 1 and paragraph 0024), comprising: a display panel (1, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) and a heat-dissipation part (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) wherein: the heat-dissipation part at least includes a main-heat-dissipation portion (4, behind display 1, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) and a sub-heat-dissipation portion (4, around display 1, figs. 1-5 paragraph 0024-0030); and along a direction perpendicular to a plane of the display panel, the main-heat-dissipation portion (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) is at least partially overlapped with the display panel (1, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024); along a direction in parallel with the plane of the display panel, the sub-heat-dissipation portion (6, figs. 1-5 paragraph 0024-0030) is at least on a side of the main-heat-dissipation portion (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) ; and the sub-heat-dissipation portion includes a blade structure (both 9, figs. 1-5, 18, fig. 5 paragraph 0024-0030)- the baffles 18 and inlets (vents) are interpreted by the Examiner as blade structures; heat dissipation sheets 30 and 31 may also be interpreted as a blade structure); and the main-heat-dissipation portion (4, figs. 1-9 paragraph 0024) is connected to the blade structure of the sub-heat-dissipation portion (18, 14(9)/15(9), figs. 1-5 paragraph 0024-0030) and (30, 31, fig.8 paragraph 0035); and the main-heat-dissipation portion and the blade structure of the sub-heat -dissipation portion together form a single-piece structure (figs. 1-9).
Regarding claim 20, Chen further discloses an air-conditioning outlet, wherein the sub-heat-dissipation portion is reused as the air-conditioning outlet (paragraph 0036).
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 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (US 2021/0268869).
Regarding claim 18, Chen discloses the display module according to claim 1, as mentioned above. Chen does not explicitly disclose wherein: the main-heat-dissipation portion and the display panel are fixed by a thermal conductive adhesive layer. However, the use of thermal conductive adhesives in heat dissipation structures would be deemed obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing as such practices were considered to be standard in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-10 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 6, there is no teaching or suggestion in the art of record disclosing a display module comprising the combination of limitations of claim 6, wherein the main -heat-dissipation portion includes a third region and a fourth region; along the direction perpendicular to the plane of the display panel, the display panel at the first region is overlapped with the main-heat-dissipation portion at the third region, and the display panel at the second region is overlapped with the main-heat-dissipation portion at the fourth region; and a thermal conductivity of the main-heat-dissipation portion at the third region is greater than a thermal conductivity of the main-heat-dissipation portion at the fourth region. Therefore, independent claim 6 is deemed allowable.
Claims 7-10 depend from claim 6.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/1/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant has amended independent claims 1 and 19 to include the limitation, “the main-heat-dissipation portion and the blade structure of the sub-heat-dissipation portion together form a single-piece structure”, and essentially argues that such language means that the main-heat-dissipation portion and the blade structure are formed from the same material as a single-piece structure. Examiner disagrees, broadest reasonable interpretation would include a main-heat-dissipation portion bolted to a blade structure such that together form a single-piece structure since if you pick up one you pick up the other since they are bolted together and now form a single piece. Furthermore, Applicant also discloses movable blades (paragraph 0064). Applicant is advised to amend the claims to uniquely define Applicant’s invention.
Applicant has also amended claim 6 into independent form and as such is now allowable along with its dependent claims 7-10.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
/DOUGLAS M MENZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897 10/6/26
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