DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Note by the Examiner
2. For clarity, the reference to specific claim numbers are presented in bold. Cited claim limitations are presented in bold the first time they are associated with a particular prior art disclosing the cited limitations, and subsequent reference to the already disclosed claim limitations are presented un-bolded. Certain elements from prior art which are not required by the claims are also presented un-bolded if they are particularly pertinent to understanding how the references are being combined. Item-to-item matching and Examiner explanations for 102 &/or 103 rejections have been provided in parenthesis.
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.
3. Claims 1-8 and 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Do et al. (US 2021/0096697 A1), hereinafter as D1, in view of Yamazaki et al. (US 2014/0061612 A1), hereinafter as Y1
4. Regarding Claim 1, D1 discloses a display device (see Figs. 1-15 and [0016] “touch display”) comprising:
a display panel (see Fig. 12 [0202] “display panel DISP”) including at least one hole (elements H1, H2, see [0210] “first hole H1 and a second hole H2”) in a display area (element AA, see [0203] “active area AA”) of the display panel;
a cover member (see Fig. 9 element PAC, see [0179] “protective film PAC”) on the display panel (see [0066] “emitting device ED”).
D1 does not explicitly disclose a sealing member supporting an edge of the cover member and surrounding side surfaces of the display panel; and a stress relief member adjacent to the at least one hole and between the sealing member and a side surface of the side surfaces of the display panel.
Y1 discloses (5A1-6B) a sealing member (element 106b, see [0063] “second sealant 106b”) supporting an edge of the cover member (element 104, see [0063] “second substrate 104”) and surrounding side surfaces of the display panel (element 102, see [0032] “display device includes a pixel portion 102 which includes a display element”); and a stress relief member (element 106a, see [0063]) between the sealing member and a side surface of the side surfaces of the display panel (see Fig. 5C1).
The sealing and stress relief members as taught by Y1 are incorporated as sealing and stress relief members of D1, wherein the combination further discloses the stress relief member is adjacent to the at least one hole.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to incorporate the teachings of Y1 with D1 because the combination provides low moisture permeability for substance barrier, mechanical, and electrical protection for improved reliability (see Y1 [0034]); and
the combination is simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results – simple substitution of one known edge boundary structure in a similar display device for another to obtain predictable results (see Y1 Fig. 5C1 and [0034]).
5. Regarding Claim 2, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 1, wherein a thermal expansion coefficient of the stress relief member is lower than a thermal expansion coefficient of the sealing member (see Y1 [0047] “a metal layer, a thermoplastic resin, or the like can be used for the second sealant 106. As the metal layer, for example, a metal material containing aluminum, lead, nickel, or the like, or an alloy material containing such a metal material can be used. For example, stainless steel can also be used. As the thermoplastic resin, for example, one or a combination of the following can be used: polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, polytetrafluoroethylene, an ABS resin, an AS resin, an acrylic resin, and the like” Any one or combination of material can be selected, such that the material of the stress relief member has a lower thermal expansion coefficient than that of the sealing member; furthermore, the claim does not require a particular material, and the only specific material the Applicant’s invention provides for the stress relief member and sealing member are “an ultraviolet light (UV)-curable acrylic resin or an ultraviolet light (UV)-curable epoxy resin” which overlaps with the prior art disclosed material).
6. Regarding Claim 3, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 1, wherein a width of the stress relief member is greater than a width of the at least one hole in a direction parallel to an upper side surface of the display panel (see Y1 Fig. 5C1 the width of element 106a extends to surround the entire display panel which is greater than that of the at least one hole confined within the display panel).
7. Regarding Claim 4, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 1, wherein the at least one hole includes a first hole (see D1 element H1) and a second hole (see D1 element H2) spaced apart from the first hole (see Fig. 12),
wherein a width of the stress relief member is greater than a sum of a width of the first hole, a width of the second hole, and a gap between the first hole and the second hole in a first direction parallel to an upper side surface of the display panel (Y1 Fig. 5C1 the width of element 106a extends to surround the entire display panel which is greater than that of the elements confined within the display panel).
8. Regarding Claim 5, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 1, wherein the at least one hole includes a first hole (see D1 element H1) and a second hole (see D1 element H2) spaced apart from the first hole (see Fig. 12),
wherein a thickness of a portion of the stress relief member adjacent to an area between the first hole and the second hole is greater than another portion of the stress relief member (Y1 Fig. 5C1 element 106a has a thinner portion directly adjacent to element 101 and 104 which can be selected as another portion which has a thinner lateral thickness).
[Kitagawa et al. (US 2018/0059462 A1), hereinafter as K1 is utilized herein as evidence]
9. Regarding Claim 6, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 1, wherein the stress relief member is a first stress relief member and the display device further includes a second stress relief member between the sealing member and the first stress relief member (see Y1 [0047] “a metal layer, a thermoplastic resin, or the like can be used for the second sealant 106. As the metal layer, for example, a metal material containing aluminum, lead, nickel, or the like, or an alloy material containing such a metal material can be used. For example, stainless steel can also be used. As the thermoplastic resin, for example, one or a combination of the following can be used: polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, polytetrafluoroethylene, an ABS resin, an AS resin, an acrylic resin, and the like” An additional material combination can be selected;
Also see evidentiary reference K1 Figs. 16A-C showing that one of ordinary skill in the art understands that a combination of one or material can alternatively select a plurality of layers).
10. Regarding Claim 7, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 6, wherein a thermal expansion coefficient of the second stress relief member is higher than a thermal expansion coefficient of the first stress relief member and lower than a thermal expansion coefficient of the sealing member (see Y1 [0047] the material combination for the layers can be selected to have the relationship as claimed; furthermore, the claim does not require a particular material, and the only specific material the Applicant’s invention provides for the stress relief member and sealing member are “an ultraviolet light (UV)-curable acrylic resin or an ultraviolet light (UV)-curable epoxy resin” which overlaps with the prior art disclosed material).
11. Regarding Claim 8, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 6, wherein a width of the second stress relief member is greater than a width of the first stress relief member (the second stress relief member is on an outer side of the display panel with respect to the first stress relief member such that it has a greater width from the top view perspective).
12. Regarding Claim 10, D1 discloses a display device (see Figs. 1-15 and [0016] “touch display”) comprising:
a display panel (see Fig. 12 [0202] “display panel DISP”) including at least one hole (elements H1, H2, see [0210] “first hole H1 and a second hole H2”) in a display area (element AA, see [0203] “active area AA”) of the display panel;
D1 does not explicitly disclose a sealing member surrounding side surfaces of the display panel; and at least one stress relief member adjacent to the at least one hole and between the sealing member and a side surface of the side surfaces of the display panel, wherein the at least one stress relief member has a thermal expansion coefficient that is lower than a thermal expansion coefficient of the sealing member.
Y1 discloses (5A1-6B) a sealing member (element 106b, see [0063] “second sealant 106b”) surrounding side surfaces of the display panel (5A1-6B element 102, see [0032] “display device includes a pixel portion 102 which includes a display element”); and at least one stress relief member (element 106a, see [0063]) between the sealing member and a side surface of the side surfaces of the display panel (see Figs. 5A1-6B), wherein the at least one stress relief member has a thermal expansion coefficient that is lower than a thermal expansion coefficient of the sealing member (see [0047] “a metal layer, a thermoplastic resin, or the like can be used for the second sealant 106. As the metal layer, for example, a metal material containing aluminum, lead, nickel, or the like, or an alloy material containing such a metal material can be used. For example, stainless steel can also be used. As the thermoplastic resin, for example, one or a combination of the following can be used: polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, polytetrafluoroethylene, an ABS resin, an AS resin, an acrylic resin, and the like” Any one or combination of material can be selected, such that the material of the stress relief member has a lower thermal expansion coefficient than that of the sealing member; furthermore, the claim does not require a particular material, and the only specific material the Applicant’s invention provides for the stress relief member and sealing member are “an ultraviolet light (UV)-curable acrylic resin or an ultraviolet light (UV)-curable epoxy resin” which overlaps with the prior art disclosed material).
The sealing and stress relief members as taught by Y1 are incorporated as sealing and stress relief members of D1, wherein the combination further discloses the stress relief member is adjacent to the at least one hole.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to incorporate the teachings of Y1 with D1 because the combination provides low moisture permeability for substance barrier, mechanical, and electrical protection for improved reliability (see Y1 [0034]); and
the combination is simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results – simple substitution of one known edge boundary structure in a similar display device for another to obtain predictable results (see Y1 Fig. 5C1 and [0034]).
[Kitagawa et al. (US 2018/0059462 A1), hereinafter as K1 is utilized herein as evidence]
13. Regarding Claim 11, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 10, wherein the at least one stress relief member includes a first stress relief member having a thermal expansion coefficient that is lower than the thermal expansion coefficient of the sealing member, and a second stress relief member having a thermal expansion coefficient that is higher than the thermal expansion coefficient of the first stress relief member and lower than the thermal expansion coefficient of the sealing member (see Y1 [0047] “a metal layer, a thermoplastic resin, or the like can be used for the second sealant 106. As the metal layer, for example, a metal material containing aluminum, lead, nickel, or the like, or an alloy material containing such a metal material can be used. For example, stainless steel can also be used. As the thermoplastic resin, for example, one or a combination of the following can be used: polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, polytetrafluoroethylene, an ABS resin, an AS resin, an acrylic resin, and the like” An additional material combination can be selected with the material property relationship as claimed; furthermore, the claim does not require a particular material, and the only specific material the Applicant’s invention provides for the stress relief member and sealing member are “an ultraviolet light (UV)-curable acrylic resin or an ultraviolet light (UV)-curable epoxy resin” which overlaps with the prior art disclosed material.
Also see evidentiary reference K1 Figs. 16A-C showing that one of ordinary skill in the art understands that a combination of one or material can alternatively select a plurality of layers).
14. Regarding Claim 12, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 10, wherein a width of the at least one stress relief member is greater than a width of the at least one hole in a direction parallel to an upper side surface of the display panel (see Y1 Fig. 5C1 the width of element 106a extends to surround the entire display panel which is greater than that of the at least one hole confined within the display panel).
15. Regarding Claim 13, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 10, wherein the at least one hole includes a first hole (see D1 element H1) and a second hole (see D1 element H2) spaced apart from the first hole (see Fig. 12),
wherein a width of the at least one stress relief member is greater than a sum of a width of the first hole, a width of the second hole, and a gap between the first hole and the second hole in a first direction parallel to an upper side surface of the display panel (Y1 Fig. 5C1 the width of element 106a extends to surround the entire display panel which is greater than that of the elements confined within the display panel).
16. Claim 9 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Do et al. (US 2021/0096697 A1), hereinafter as D1, in view of Yamazaki et al. (US 2014/0061612 A1), hereinafter as Y1, in view of Kang et al. (US 2023/0329054 A1), hereinafter as K1
[Yamazaki et al. (US 2014/0063432 A1), hereinafter as Y2 is utilized herein as evidence]
17. Regarding Claim 9, D1,Y1 disclose the display device of claim 1, further comprising:
a polarizing plate (see D1 Fig. 10 element T-BUF and [0171] “T-BUF may be made of an organic insulating material or be provided as a circular polarizer”) on the display panel;
a back plate under the display panel (see D1 element SUB, see [0063] “substrate SUB”).
D1, Y1 do not explicitly disclose a metal plate under the back plate; wherein the stress relief member is in contact with the side surface of the display panel, a side surface of the polarizing plate, a side surface of the back plate, and a side surface of the metal plate
K1 discloses (see in particular Figs. 1-3) a metal plate (see [0084] “The support plate may be disposed below the cover panel CP. The support plate may include a metal material with high strength.”) under the back plate; wherein the stress relief member (element LS, see [0085] “resin structure LS”) is in contact with the side surface of the display panel (element DM, see [0085] “display module DM”), a side surface of the polarizing plate (polarizing plate of element UM, see [0061] “The optical film may include a polarizer”), a side surface of the back plate (element LM, see [0061] “lower member LM may include a protective film, which protects the display panel DP, a support member, which supports the display panel DP, a digitizer, etc”), and a side surface of the metal plate (see [0076, 0084-0085] while not illustrated the metal support plate is associated with the lower member element LM as an additional layer below the element CP which is within the scope of the prior art to be covered by the resin structure for moisture protection the same as for the rest of the elements of element LM; also see evidentiary reference Y2 Figs. 1B, 3B, 4B, 5A-B the stress relief member vertical extending length is alternatively selectable such as to contact some or all of the side surfaces of the stack of layers).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to incorporate the teachings of K1 with Y1 because the combination provides a reduced bezel region and moisture prevention penetration from the side (see K1 [0005, 0150]); and
the combination is simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results – simple substitution of one known edge boundary resin extending height and side surface interface in a similar display device for another to obtain predictable results (K1 Figs. 1-3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAMUEL PARK whose telephone number is (303)297-4277. The examiner can normally be reached Normal Schedule: M-F Sometime between 6:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m..
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/SAMUEL PARK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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