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 § 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(s) 1 and 4-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (2022/0063233 A1) in view of Lee (US 2019/0165300 A1).
Re claim 1, Lee et al. discloses a device comprising a display panel (100) including: a flat portion (MR_F) and at least one curved portion (MR_C) extending from the flat portion in a bent manner, a support substrate (SUB), a light-emissive layer (ATL) disposed on the support substrate, wherein the light-emissive layer comprises: a light-emissive element comprising a light-emissive material (ATL) (paragraph 0094), and encapsulation layer (ENP) covering the light-emissive element, and a touch electrode layer (paragraph 0096) disposed on the encapsulation layer; a front member (211, 212) disposed on the display panel; and an adhesive layer (OCA) disposed between the touch electrode layer and the front member, wherein an end of the front member includes at least one tapered region (Fig. 5, ref. 212). Lee et al. does not disclose wherein the light-emissive material is disposed on the anode, and a cathode disposed on the light-emissive material.
Lee discloses a device wherein the light-emissive material is disposed on the anode, and a cathode disposed on the light-emissive material (paragraph 0083).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to employ the device wherein the light-emissive material is disposed on the anode, and a cathode disposed on the light-emissive material since doing so is a well known and conventional way of driving the light-emissive layer to emit light.
Re claim 4, Lee et al. discloses the device wherein the tapered region is located at an upper edge of the front member (Fig. 5, ref. 212).
Re claim 5, Lee et al. discloses the device wherein the tapered region is located at a lower edge of the front member (Fig. 5, ref. 212).
Re claim 6, Lee et al. discloses the device wherein the tapered region includes an inclined surface (Fig. 5, ref. 212).
Re claim 7, Lee et al. discloses the wherein the end of the front member includes a side connected to the tapered region (Fig. 5, ref. 212).
Re claim 8, Lee et al. discloses the device wherein the side of the front member is a non-tapered region (Fig. 5, ref. 212).
Re claim 9, Lee et al. discloses the device wherein the tapered region is disposed between an upper surface and the side of the front member or between a lower surface and the side of the front member (Fig. 5, ref. 212).
Re claim 10, Lee et al. discloses the device wherein a width of the lower surface or the upper surface of the front member, located between the sides of the front member, is smaller than a width between the sides of the front member (Fig. 5, ref. 212).
Re claim 11, Lee et al. discloses the device wherein a length from an end of the lower surface of the front member to an end of the adhesive layer is shorter than a length from an edge of the side of the front member to an end of the adhesive layer (Fig. 5, ref. 212, OCA).
Re claim 12, Lee et al. discloses the device wherein the display panel (100, PF1) includes a substrate protective layer (PF1), and an end of the substrate protective layer protrudes further toward then end of the front member (211, 212) than an end of the adhesive layer (OCA).
Re claim 13, Lee et al. discloses the device wherein the display panel (100, PF1) includes a substrate protective layer (PF1), and an end of the display panel (100, PF1) protrudes further toward the end of the front member (212) than an end of the adhesive layer (OCA), and a side of the end of the substrate protective layer (PF1) is arranged to correspond to a side of the end of the display panel that protrudes further than the end of the adhesive layer (Fig. 5).
Claim(s) 2 and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. and Lee in view of Fujihara (US 2019/0196265 A1).
Lee discloses the device wherein the display panel includes a polarizing plate (POL), but does not disclose the device wherein the adhesive layer exposes an end region of the polarizing plate in a plan view, and a length from an end of the adhesive layer to an end of the front member is longer than a length from an end of the polarizing plate to an end of the front member.
Fujihara discloses a device wherein an adhesive layer (14) exposes an end region of the polarizing plate (12) in a plan view, and a length from an end of the adhesive layer to an end of the front member (10) is longer than a length from an end of the polarizing plate (12) to an end of the front member.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to employ the device wherein the adhesive layer exposes an end region of the polarizing plate in a plan view, and a length from an end of the adhesive layer to an end of the front member is longer than a length from an end of the polarizing plate to an end of the front member since one would be motivated to prevent stress on a section of the display panel corresponding to that area of the polarizing plate.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 14 allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot due to new grounds of rejection.
Conclusion
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 RICHARD H KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-2294. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 10 am-6:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Caley can be reached at 571-272-2286. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RICHARD H KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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