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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 2 recites “ultrathin glass”. It is not clear how think a glass has to be in order to be called “ultrathin glass”.
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) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Heo et al. (US 2018/0327634) in view of Lim et al. (US 2021/0095137).
Regarding claims 1-2, Heo discloses hard coating film (abstract, 0048, 0103) comprising a first hard coating layer, formed on a display (0056, 0103), contains a siloxane compound (0060) and a second hard coating layer formed on the first hard coating layer (fig. 3, 0103). While given that Heo discloses the hard coating layer has a hardness value of 6H or more (0137) and the present specification discloses hardness of 3H or more, it is clear that the Vickers hardness of the hard coating layer of Heo would be the same as claimed in present claim.
Heo does not disclose the display being a glass and the second hard coating layer contains a fluorine based UV curable functional group containing compound and its thickness.
Lim discloses hard coating layer on glass substrate (abstract, 0072) comprising fluorine based UV curable compound such as KY 1203 and FS-7026 (0031) to obtain antifouling performance, wear resistance or chemical resistance (0028). Further, Lim discloses the hard coating layer has a thickness of 2 to 30 microns (0070).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the fluorine compound and thickness of the hard coating layer of Lim in the hard coating film including in the outer hard coating layer of Heo to obtain antifouling performance, wear resistance or chemical resistance.
Heo does not disclose the display being a glass.
Lim discloses hard coating layer on glass substrate, i.e. ultrathin glass, (abstract, 0072). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use hard coating film on any display including a glass display to meet end users requirements.
Regarding claim 3, Heo in view of Lim discloses the hard coating film of claim 1, wherein the display glass, the first hard coating layer and the second hard coating layer are formed by directly contacting each other without including a separate layer (fig 3).
Regarding claim 4, Heo in view of Lim discloses the hard coating film of claim 1, wherein Lim discloses hard coating layer comprising fluorine based UV curable compound such as KY 1203 and FS-7026 (0031). Given that Lim discloses the same UV curable functional group as disclosed in the present specification, it is clear that the fluorine based UV curable compound such as KY 1203 and FS-7026 of Heo in view of Lim would have the same 1 to 6 UV curable functional group as claimed in present claim.
Regarding claim 5, Heo in view of Lim discloses the hard coating film of claim 1, wherein one hard coating layer comprises solvent (0119, 0146).
Regarding claim 6, Heo in view of Lim discloses the hard coating film of claim 1, wherein one hard coating layer comprises photopolymerizable compound containing inorganic nano filler (0066, 0142).
Regarding claims 7-8, Heo in view of Lim discloses the hard coating film of claim 1, wherein one hard coating layer comprises leveling agent (0118).
Regarding claim 9, Heo in view of Lim discloses the hard coating film of claim 1, which is applied to a flexible display (0004, 0051).
Regarding claim 10, Heo in view of Lim discloses a window (title) comprising a display glass and the hard coating film of claim 1 as explained above.
Regarding claim 11, Heo in view of Lim discloses an image display device comprising the window of claim 10 (0003).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAMIR SHAH whose telephone number is (571)270-1143. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Callie Shosho can be reached at 571-272-1123. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SAMIR SHAH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1787
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