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 .
Claims 13-32 are currently pending and prosecuted.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Korea on 14 March 2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the KR2022/003529 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 13 September 2024 and 10 July 2025 were considered by the examiner.
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 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 13-16 and 23-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al., US PG-Pub 2016/0355091, hereinafter Lee.
Regarding Claim 13, Lee teaches a display device (bar type display apparatus 130) for a vehicle (vehicle), the display device comprising:
a housing (housing 131);
a display base (plate 171) extending along the housing (Figs. 12A-12B, and corresponding descriptions), the display base being rotatably coupled to the housing ([0068]-[0069], “The plate 171 is connected with the bar type display apparatus 130, that is, the lower surface of the housing 131, and the plate 171 is rotatably supported on the receiving frame 173”);
a driving module (driving member 177) located in the housing (Figs. 12A-12B, and corresponding descriptions), the driving module being configured to rotate the display base ([0071]-[0072], “The driving member 177 is a driving motor, wherein the driving member 177 tilts the plate 171”); and
a display module (display module 133) coupled to the display base (Figs. 9, 12A-12B and 14, and corresponding descriptions), the display module being configured to rotate together with the display base ([0068]-[0069], “The plate 171 is connected with the bar type display apparatus 130, that is, the lower surface of the housing 131, and the plate 171 is rotatably supported on the receiving frame 173”), the display module including:
a first display surface (second blocking area 137b) extending along the display base (Figs. 14A-16, and corresponding descriptions; [0080], “The second blocking area 137b may be defined by a second display area of the display module corresponding to the remaining on the front of the display module except the front of the passenger seat”); and
a second display surface (first blocking area 137a) extending along the display base (Figs. 14A-16, and corresponding descriptions; [0079], “The first blocking area 137a may be defined by a first display area of the display module corresponding to the front of the passenger seat”), the second display surface being bent ([0059], “the display module 133 is convexly bent toward the front glass 110 so as to improve the viewing angle of a driver 100”) and extending from the first display surface (Figs. 14A-16, and corresponding descriptions, showing the second blocking area extends from the first), a size of the second display surface being greater than a size of the first display surface (Figs. 14A-16, and corresponding descriptions, showing the size of the first blocking area is larger than the second).
Regarding Claim 14, Lee teaches the display device of claim 13, wherein the display module further includes:
a substrate (front cover 135) including the first display surface and the second display surface (Fig. 9, and corresponding descriptions), the substrate being transparent ([0111], “the front cover 135 may be formed of a transparent material”);
a display panel (liquid crystal display panel 133a) located at a rear of the substrate (Figs. 2 and 16, and corresponding descriptions); and
an intermediate layer (guide frame) located between the substrate and the display panel so as to couple the display panel to the substate ([0057], “the liquid crystal display module may include a liquid crystal display panel 133a, a backlight unit (not shown) for emitting light to a rear surface of the liquid crystal display panel 133a, a guide frame (not shown) for supporting the liquid crystal display panel 133a, a rear case (not shown) for receiving the backlight unit and supporting the guide frame, and a front case 133b for covering a front edge of the liquid crystal display panel 133a and a lateral side of the rear case”).
Regarding Claim 15, Lee teaches the display device of claim 14, wherein the substrate is configured such that a connection between the first display surface and the second display surface provides an obtuse angle (Figs. 14A-16, and corresponding descriptions, showing the display surfaces are curved in an angle greater than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees since the display is not straight; [0059], “the display module 133 has a concave screen”),
wherein the display panel is curved ([0059], “the display module 133 has a concave screen”), and
wherein the intermediate layer contacts the substrate and the display panel ([0057], “the liquid crystal display module may include a liquid crystal display panel 133a, a backlight unit (not shown) for emitting light to a rear surface of the liquid crystal display panel 133a, a guide frame (not shown) for supporting the liquid crystal display panel 133a, a rear case (not shown) for receiving the backlight unit and supporting the guide frame, and a front case 133b for covering a front edge of the liquid crystal display panel 133a and a lateral side of the rear case”).
Regarding Claim 16, Lee teaches the display device of claim 15, wherein a length of the first display surface corresponds to a length of the second display surface (Figs. 14A-16, and corresponding descriptions, showing the height of the display surfaces are the same), and
wherein a width of the second display surface is greater than a width of the first display surface (Figs. 14A-16, and corresponding descriptions, showing the width of the second display surface is greater than the width of the first display surface).
Regarding Claim 23, Lee teaches the display device of claim 13, further comprising a controller ([0056], host system) electrically connected to the display module ([0056], “An image supplied from a host system (not shown) is displayed on the display module 133”), the controller being configured to control an image displayed through at least a portion of the first display surface or the second display surface of the display module ([0056], “An image supplied from a host system (not shown) is displayed on the display module 133”).
Regarding Claim 24, Lee teaches the display device of claim 23, wherein, when the driving module causes the display module to rotate ([0071]-[0072], “The driving member 177 is a driving motor, wherein the driving member 177 tilts the plate 171”), the controller is configured to display the image by moving the image from the first display surface to the second display surface or from the second display surface to the first display surface ([0056], “An image supplied from a host system (not shown) is displayed on the display module 133”).
Regarding Claim 25, Lee teaches the display device of claim 24, wherein the controller is further configured to:
enlarge a size of the image in response to the image being moved from the first display surface to the second display surface ([0080], “the different images may be respectively displayed on the first and second display areas of the display module 133 through the use of viewing angle blocking member 137”; Figs. 14A-17, and corresponding descriptions, noting the size of the viewing areas are different which would enlarge an image displayed on one versus the other); and
reduce a size of the image in response to the image being moved from the second display surface to the first display surface ([0080], “the different images may be respectively displayed on the first and second display areas of the display module 133 through the use of viewing angle blocking member 137”; Figs. 14A-17, and corresponding descriptions, noting the size of the viewing areas are different which would reduce an image displayed on one versus the other).
Regarding Claim 26, Lee teaches a vehicle (vehicle) comprising:
a dashboard (dashboard 120); and
a display device (bar type display apparatus 130), the display device including:
a housing (housing 131) having a length corresponding to a length of the dashboard (Fig. 2, and corresponding descriptions, showing the bar type display apparatus extends corresponding to the length of the dashboard);
a display base (plate 171) extending along the housing (Figs. 12A-12B, and corresponding descriptions), the display base being rotatably coupled to the housing ([0068]-[0069], “The plate 171 is connected with the bar type display apparatus 130, that is, the lower surface of the housing 131, and the plate 171 is rotatably supported on the receiving frame 173”);
a driving module (driving member 177) located in the housing (Figs. 12A-12B, and corresponding descriptions), the driving module being configured to rotate the display base ([0071]-[0072], “The driving member 177 is a driving motor, wherein the driving member 177 tilts the plate 171”); and
a first display module (display module 133) coupled to the display base (Figs. 9, 12A-12B and 14, and corresponding descriptions), the first display module being configured to rotate together with the display base ([0068]-[0069], “The plate 171 is connected with the bar type display apparatus 130, that is, the lower surface of the housing 131, and the plate 171 is rotatably supported on the receiving frame 173”), the first display module having a length corresponding to a length of the display base (Fig. 2, and corresponding descriptions, showing the bar type display apparatus extends corresponding to the length of the dashboard), the first display module including:
a first display surface (second blocking area 137b) disposed in a first direction (Figs. 14A-16, and corresponding descriptions, showing the curvature of the second blocking area; [0080], “The second blocking area 137b may be defined by a second display area of the display module corresponding to the remaining on the front of the display module except the front of the passenger seat”); and
a second display surface (first blocking area 137a) disposed in a second direction different from the first direction (Figs. 14A-16, and corresponding descriptions, showing the first blocking area continue the curvature would be a different angle, and subsequently in a different direction that the first direction; [0079], “The first blocking area 137a may be defined by a first display area of the display module corresponding to the front of the passenger seat”).
Regarding Claim 27, Lee teaches the vehicle of claim 26, wherein the first display surface and the second display surface are fixedly connected to each other (Figs. 14A-16, and corresponding descriptions, showing the first blocking area and the second blocking area re connected to one another).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-22 and 28-32 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:
Regarding Claim 17, the limitation “the display cover being configured to move between a first position covering the second display surface and a second position uncovering the second display surface” is considered novel. The prior art of record fails to teach the display cover being positioned in order to cover or uncover the second display surface as currently claimed. Claim 18 is objected to due to its dependency on Claim 17, which is dependent on rejected base Claim 13.
Regarding Claim 19, the limitations “a rotation block located between the display module and the display base, the rotation block being coupled to the display base, wherein the display base includes: a wing plate being configured to support a rear of the second display surface; a shaft fixed to the wing plate, the shaft being adjacent to the first display surface, the shaft being configured to support a rear of the first display surface; and a block groove recessed into the shaft, and wherein the rotation block is configured to be inserted into the block groove” are considered novel. The prior art of record fails to teach a dual heads up display that utilizes the rotation block as currently claimed. Claims 20-22 are objected to due to their dependency on Claim 19, which is dependent on rejected base Claim 13.
Regarding Claim 28, the limitation “a cover coupled to an upper surface of the housing, the cover being configured to cover and uncover the second display surface” is considered novel for the same reasons as noted above regarding Claim 17.
Regarding Claim 29, the limitation “the driving module is configured to rotate at least a portion of the second display surface outside of the housing with respect to a vertical direction” is considered novel. The prior art of record fails to teach rotating the display so the second display surface is outside of the housing with respect to a vertical direction.”
Regarding Claim 30, the limitation “a second display module, the second display module being disposed under the first display module with respect to a vertical direction, the second display module having a length corresponding to the length of the first display module” is considered novel. The prior art of record teaches a second display module aligned with the first display module along a horizontal direction but fails to teach them aligned in a vertical direction. Claims 31-32 are objected to due to their dependency on Claim 30, which is objected to due to its dependency on Claim 26.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN T REED whose telephone number is (571)272-7234. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 0800-1800.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ke Xiao can be reached at 571-272-7776. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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STEPHEN T. REED
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2627
/Stephen T. Reed/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627