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
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.
Claim(s) 12-15, and 20-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a(1) as being anticipated by Ahn et al. (U.S. 2019/0014664), hereafter Ahn.
As to claim 12, Ahn discloses a wiring board (101, para-0079) for an image display device (10) as shown in figures 1-18, the wiring board comprising;
a substrate (the body of the wiring board 101);
a metal layer (IE2-1 to IE2-4 or 250, 270) disposed on the substrate (101); and
a protective layer (307 or 308) that covers part of the metal layer, wherein
the substrate (101) has transparency, para-0060,
the metal layer includes a mesh wiring layer, para-0119 to para-0122, and
the protective layer (260, 280) is present in a first region (NDA) that does not overlap a display region of the image display device (10), and is not present in a second region (DA) that overlaps the display region of the image display device.
As to claim 13, Ahn discloses a difference in a coefficient of thermal contraction (same as CTE) of the protective layer (i.e. PET material about 20-80) and a coefficient of thermal contraction (the same as CTE) of the substrate (glass or transparency material about 0.5) after one hour at 120°C is 1% or less.
As to claim 14, Ahn discloses a dissipation factor (loss tangent) of the protective layer is 0.002 or less, see para-0160, i.e. the PET material having a loss tangent from 0.001 to 003.
As to claim 15, Ahn discloses in figures 7a-7b that a proportion of a thickness T₁₂ of the protective layer (260, 280) as to a thickness T₁ of the substrate (101) (T₁₂ / T₁) is 0.02 or more and 5.0 or less OR (0.02 to 5).
As to claim 20, Ahn discloses the substrate, the metal layer, and the protective layer are bent in the first region, para-0006+.
As to claim 21, Ahn discloses a module (100) comprising the wiring board (101) and a power supply line (130) electrically connected to the wiring board.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ahn in view of Lee et al. (U.S. 2021/0318730).
Regarding claim 17, Ahn discloses all of the limitation of claimed invention except for a dummy wiring layer that is electrically isolated from the mesh wiring layer is provided on a periphery of the mesh wiring layer.
Lee teaches a display device as shown in figures 4-5 comprising a dummy wiring layer (DE) that is electrically isolated from the mesh wiring layer (AP or TE or RE) is provided on a periphery of the mesh wiring layer.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date to have a teaching of Lee employed in the wiring board of Ahn in order to prevent edge defects, and protect against ESD.
Regarding claim 18, Ahn discloses all of the limitation of claimed invention except for the mesh wiring layer functions as an antenna.
Lee teaches a display device as shown in figures 4-5 comprising the mesh wiring layer functions as an antenna (AP).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date to have a teaching of Lee employed in the wiring board of Ahn in order to provide transparent wireless communication, touch sensing, and electromagnetic shielding.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ahn in view of Suzuki et al. (U.S. 2020/0373653).
Regarding claim 18, Ahn discloses all of the limitation of claimed invention except for a thickness of the substrate is 10 µm or more and 50 µm or less.
Suzuki teaches a wiring board (11) as shown in figures 20-22 comprising a thickness of the substrate is 10 µm or more and 50 µm or less, para-0215.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date to have a teaching of Suzuki employed in the wiring board of Ahn in order to achieve a minimize a size of the substrate formed within the display device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 19, and 22-25 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.
Claims 1-11 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Neither the references cited nor the cited references teach, suggest, or in combination of module or manufacturing method of module having a power supply line that is electrically connected to the power supply unit via an anisotropic conductive film containing conductive particles, the protective layer covers only part of the power supply unit, and the anisotropic conductive film covers a region of the power supply unit that is not covered by the protective layer (claims 1 and 11).
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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/TUAN T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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