DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities: A dependent claim 7 that relies on claim 1. Appropriate correction is required.
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 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. [US 2019/0346887], in view of Mitchell [US 2020/0407268] and Gross et al. [US 11,116,098].
Regarding claim 20, Park et al., disclose a display assembly (100, figures 1-23), the display assembly comprising:
a cover substrate (210/220/230, figure 14) comprising a first major surface (a top surface of the cover substrate 210, figure 14) and a second major surface (a bottom surface of the cover substrate 210, figure 14) opposite the first major surface;
a support structure comprising:
a frame (241 & 242, figure 14) attached to the second major surface of the cover substrate via an adhesive layer (251 & 252, figure 14), the frame comprising:
a first frame portion (241, figure 14) adhered to a first portion (a top region disposed above the adhesive 251, figure 14) of the cover substrate and retaining the first portion in a first fixed shape (a left flat region of the cover substrate, figure 14); and
a second frame portion (242, figure 14) adhered to a second portion of the cover substrate and retaining the second portion in a second fixed shape (a left flat region of the cover substrate, figure 14), wherein the cover substrate comprises a dynamically bending portion extending between the first frame portion and the second frame portion (figure 14);
a central portion (a region connecting between a right end of NFR1 and a left end of NFR2, figure 14) attached to the second major surface at a dynamic bending portion of the cover substrate;
a first shear joint (1371, figure 14) connecting a first edge of the central portion to the first frame portion, the first shear joint permitting the central portion to move along a first axis relative to the first frame portion while maintaining a connection between the first frame portion and the central portion as the cover substrate is bent in the dynamic bending portion;
a second shear joint (1372, figure 14) connecting a second edge of the central portion to the second frame portion, the second shear joint permitting the central portion to move along the first axis relative to the second frame portion while maintaining a connection between the second frame portion and the central portion as the cover substrate is bent in the dynamic bending portion.
Park et al., disclose the claimed invention except for the cover substrate comprising one or more of a glass material and a glass ceramic material; and an actuator assembly configured to move the first frame portion relative to the second frame portion to bend the cover substrate in the dynamic bending portion.
Mitchell discloses a display device (100, figure 1) comprising a cover substrate (112, figure 1) disposed on a front of the display device, wherein the cover substrate is formed of a glass material and a ceramic material (paragraphs 0066-0075).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to use glass material in combination with ceramic material to make a cover substrate of a display assembly of Park et al., as suggested by Mitchell, in order to improve superior durability, scratch resistance and high strength compared to traditional glass of a display assembly.
Gross et al., disclose a display assembly (100, figures 2A-2B and 3A-3B) for an automotive interior, the display assembly comprises an actuator (figures 2A-2B), wherein the actuator is configured to move a first frame portion (130a, figure 3A) relative to a second frame portion (130b, figure 3A) to bend a cover substrate (120, figures 3A-3B) in the dynamic bending portion.
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add an actuator device in a display assembly of Park et al., in view of Mitchell, as suggested by Gross et al., in order to adjust the curvature of a cover substrate in a display assembly.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3, 5-15 and 17 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The allowance of claims 1, 3, 5-8 and 17 and 9-15 remains as indicated in the Notice of Allowance mailed on 10/22/2025.
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.”
Claims 21-23 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The allowance of claims 21-23 remains as indicated in the Notice of Allowance mailed on 10/22/2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 3, 5-15, 17 and 20-23 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Botelho et al. [US 2009/0155555] disclose Frit-containing pastes for producing sintered frit patterns on glass sheet;
Dejneka et al. [US 2019/0106357] disclose pre-fractured glass composites and laminates with impact resistance;
Dejneka et al. [US 2020/0199019] disclose glass-based articles including a metal oxide concentration gradient; and
OH et al., [US 2021/0265450] disclose display device.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hung S. Bui whose telephone number is (571)272-2102. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8am-5pm.
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/HUNG S. BUI/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2841
/Hung S. Bui/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
02/25/2026