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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 6-7, filed 3/16/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-8 under 112 rejection have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of MOON et al. (US Patent Appl. Pub. No. 2017/0155000 A1) and CHOI et al. (US Patent Appl. Pub. No. 2020/0212115 A1).
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) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MOON et al. (US Patent Appl. Pub. No. 2017/0155000 A1) in view of CHOI et al. (US Patent Appl. Pub. No. 2020/0212115 A1).
[Re claim 1] MOON discloses the display apparatus comprising; a substrate including a display area (AA) and a non-display area (NA) adjacent to the display area; a first thin film transistor (T2) disposed on the display area, a first semiconductor pattern (A2) of the first thin film transistor including an oxide semiconductor; a second thin film transistor (T1) disposed on the display area, a second semiconductor pattern (A1) of the second thin film transistor including a material different from the first semiconductor pattern; and a first conductive line (VSS) disposed on the non-display area, a first portion of the first conductive line having a round shape (see figure 1, 10 and paragraph [0045]-[0055], [0137]). MOON does not disclose the device wherein the first conductive line disposed on the non-display area, the first conductive line including a side surface toward the display area, wherein the side surface of the first conductive line includes a first portion of the first conductive line having a round shape with a curvature. CHOI discloses the device wherein the first conductive line (70) disposed on the non-display area (NDA), the first conductive line (70) including a side surface toward the display area (DA), wherein the side surface of the first conductive line includes a first portion (corner portion of 70) of the first conductive line having a round shape with a curvature (see figure 3, 7 and paragraph [0087]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art to the effective filing date of the instant application to have a side surface of the first conductive line having a round shape with a curvature in the device of MOON in order to create smooth round corner edge of the device.
[Re claim 2] CHOI also discloses the display apparatus wherein the first portion of the first conductive line (70) has a convex shape with respect to the display area (see figure 3).
[Re claim 3] CHOI also discloses the display apparatus wherein the first conductive line includes a second portion (straight portion of 70) having a different shape from the first portion (corner portion of 70) (see figure 3).
[Re claim 4] CHOI also discloses the display apparatus wherein a distance between the second portion (straight portion of 70) of the first conductive line and the display area is same as a distance between the first portion (corner portion of 70) of the first conductive line and the display area (see figure 3).
[Re claim 5] MOON also discloses the display apparatus further comprising a second conductive line (DL) disposed on the non-display area, wherein the second conductive line extends parallel to the first conductive line (see figure 10).
[Re claim 6] MOON also discloses the display apparatus wherein the second conductive line (DL) includes a curved portion corresponding to the first portion of the first conductive line (see figure 10).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7-8 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.
Claim 9-20 allowed.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance: Claim 9 allowable because of the prior art, either singly or in combination, fails to anticipate or render obvious, the device, wherein the second semiconductor pattern is disposed on a different layer as the first semiconductor pattern, and wherein the first conductive line includes a first portion and a second portion having a different width from the first portion. These features in combination with the other elements of the claim are neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Claims 10-20 depend from claim 9 so they are allowable for the same reason.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYOUNG LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-1982. The examiner can normally be reached M to F, 10am to 6pm.
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/KYOUNG LEE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817