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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/15/2024 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.
Claims 1, 2, 11-17, 26 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US PG Pub 2022/0190043 to Ge (hereinafter Ge).
Regarding Claim 1, Ge discloses a display device comprising:
a display panel (102-104, Fig. 1);
a polarization plate (105) disposed on the display panel and having a through hole;
a hole cover (106) disposed on the polarization plate to cover the through hole of the polarization plate;
a light blocking layer (301) disposed on the hole cover and the polarization plate; and
a window (107) on the polarization plate, the hole cover, and the light blocking layer,
wherein at least a portion of the light blocking layer is disposed between the hole cover and the window (Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 2, Ge discloses the display device of Claim 1, wherein the hole cover is disposed between the through hole of the polarization plate and the window (Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 11, Ge discloses the display device of Claim 1, wherein the hole cover is made of a transparent material [0054].
Regarding Claim 12, Ge discloses the display device of Claim 11, wherein the hole cover includes at least one material selected from transparent glass, transparent acrylic, transparent urethane, and transparent polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) [0054].
Regarding Claim 13, Ge discloses the display device of Claim 1, wherein the display panel has a through hole, and wherein the through hole of the display panel is disposed below the through hole of the polarization plate (Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 14, Ge discloses the display device of Claim 1, further comprising a passivation layer (101) disposed on a side of the polarization plate with the display panel interposed between the polarization plate and the passivation layer.
Regarding Claim 15, Ge discloses the display device of Claim 14, wherein the passivation layer has a through hole, and wherein the through hole of the passivation layer is disposed below the through hole of the polarization plate (Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 16, Ge discloses a method of manufacturing a display device, the method comprising:
placing a polarization plate (105, Fig. 1) having a through hole on a display panel;
placing a hole cover (106) on the polarization plate to cover the through hole of the polarization plate;
placing a light blocking layer (301) on the polarization plate and the hole cover; and
placing a window (107) on the light blocking layer,
wherein at least a portion of the light blocking layer is disposed between the hole cover and the window (Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 17, Ge discloses the method of Claim 16, wherein the hole cover is disposed between the through hole of the polarization plate and the window (Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 26, Ge discloses the display device of Claim 16, wherein the hole cover is made of a transparent material [0053].
Regarding Claim 27, Ge discloses the display device of Claim 26, wherein the hole cover includes at least one material selected from transparent glass, transparent acrylic, transparent urethane, and transparent polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) [0053].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 29-31 are allowed.
Claims 3-10, 18-25 and 28 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 29 recites a method of manufacturing a display device, the method comprising:
placing a polarization plate having a through hole on a display panel;
preparing a hole cover member including a first light blocking layer, a hole cover, and an adhesive layer;
placing the hole cover member on the polarization plate to cover the through hole of the polarization plate;
placing a second light blocking layer on the polarization plate; and
placing a window on the first light blocking layer,
wherein at least a portion of the first light blocking layer is disposed between the hole cover member and the window.
Ge does not disclose a second light blocking layer on the polarization plate. US Patent 11,127,797 (“Shin”) and US PG Pub 2021/0265600 (“Lee”) are cited as being other examples of relevant references in the art for comparison to Applicant’s invention. However, the references also do not disclose a second light blocking layer on the polarization plate.
Claims 3 and 18 require a second light blocking layer on the polarization plate and are allowable for at least the reasons above. Claims 4-10, 19-25, 28, 30 and 31 depend on one of Claims 3, 18 or 29 and are allowable for at least the reasons above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID C SPALLA whose telephone number is (303)297-4298. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10am-5pm MST.
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/DAVID C SPALLA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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