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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in present Application No. 18/904,494 filed on 10/02/2024.
Claim Objections
Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 16 recites “…a third insulation layer on the second insulation layer such that the second insulation layer is between the first metal layer and the second insulation layer”. It should be the second insulation layer that is between the first metal layer and the third insulation layer. Therefore, the examiner will amend and examine claim 16 as follows:
Claim 16 (Currently Amended) The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising: a second insulation layer; and a third insulation layer on the second insulation layer such that the second insulation layer is between the first metal layer and the third insulation layer.
Appropriate correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7, 10, 15-20 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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.
Claims 1-3, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumoto (US 2023/0319999).
Regarding claim 1, Matsumoto discloses a contact hole assembly (in Fig. 2A), comprising: a first metal layer [lower 11]; an insulation layer [21] on the first metal layer [lower 11]; a second metal layer [upper 11] on the insulation layer [21] such that the insulation layer [21] is between the first metal layer [lower 11] and the second metal layer [upper 11]; and a contact hole [12 and 23] that electrically connects the first metal layer [lower 11] and the second metal layer [upper 11], the contact hole [12 and 23; collectively] including: a via area [23] that penetrates through a thickness of the insulation layer [21]; a conductor [12] in the via area [23]; and a recess area [The concave portions of the conductor portions 122a] in the conductor [12], where a portion [122a] of a surface of the conductor [12] is indented in a direction away from the via area [23].
Matsumoto does not disclose the first metal layer receiving an electrical signal and the second metal layer outputting the electrical signal.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the contact hole assembly of Matsumoto to have the first metal layer receiving an electrical signal and the second metal layer outputting the electrical signal, in order to transmit the electrical signal between the first metal layer and the second metal layer in the contact hole assembly.
Regarding claim 2, Matsumoto, as applied to claim 1, further discloses (in Fig. 2A) wherein the conductor [12] includes an inner surface [122] and outer surface [121] that has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the inner surface [122], and the recess area [The concave portions of the conductor portions 122a] is disposed along the inner surface [122] of the conductor [12].
Regarding claim 3, Matsumoto, as applied to claim 2, further discloses (in Fig. 2A) wherein a diameter of the recess area [The concave portions of the conductor portions 122a] is greater than the diameter of the inner surface [122] of the conductor [12] and less than the diameter of the outer surface [121] of the conductor [12].
Regarding claim 8, Matsumoto discloses a contact hole assembly (in Fig. 2A), comprising: a first metal layer [lower 11]; an insulation layer [21] on the first metal layer [lower 11]; a second metal layer [upper 11] on the insulation layer [21] such that the insulation layer [21] is between the first metal layer [lower 11] and the second metal layer [upper 11]; and a contact hole [12 and 23; collectively] through the insulation layer [21], the contact hole [12 and 23; collectively] electrically connecting the first metal layer [lower 11] and the second metal layer [upper 11], wherein the contact hole [12 and 23; collectively] includes a conductor [12] that is connected to the first metal layer [lower 11] and the second metal layer [upper 11] and extends from the second metal layer [upper 11] to the first metal layer [lower 11] (Note that the conductor 12 does extend from the second metal layer [upper 11] to at least the first metal layer [lower 11] and beyond) whereas the contact hole [12 and 23; collectively] extends from the second metal layer [upper 11] past the first metal layer [lower 11].
Matsumoto does not disclose the first metal layer receiving an electrical signal and the second metal layer outputting the electrical signal.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the contact hole assembly of Matsumoto to have the first metal layer receiving an electrical signal and the second metal layer outputting the electrical signal, in order to transmit the electrical signal between the first metal layer and the second metal layer in the contact hole assembly.
Regarding claim 9, Matsumoto, as applied to claim 8, further discloses (in Fig. 2A) wherein the contact hole [12 and 23; collectively] includes: a via area [23] through an entire thickness of the insulation layer [21], the conductor [12] in the via area [23]; and a recess area [The concave portions of the conductor portions 122a] in the conductor [12], where a portion [122a] of a surface of the conductor [12] is indented in a direction away from the via area [23].
Regarding claim 11, Matsumoto discloses an electronic device (in Fig. 2A), comprising: a first metal layer [lower 11]; a first insulation layer [21] on the first metal layer [lower 11]; a second metal layer [upper 11] on the first insulation layer [21] such that the first insulation layer [21] is between the first metal layer [lower 11] and the second metal layer [upper 11]; and a contact hole [12 and 23; collectively] that electrically connects the first metal layer [lower 11] and the second metal layer [upper 11], the contact hole [12 and 23; collectively] including: a via area [23] that penetrates through a thickness of the first insulation layer [21]; a conductor [12] in the via area [23]; and a recess area [The concave portions of the conductor portions 122a] that extends from an inner surface [122] of the conductor [12] toward an outer surface [121] of the conductor [12], wherein a width of a portion [122a] of the conductor [12] having the recess area [The concave portions of the conductor portions 122a] is less than a width of a portion [122a] of the conductor [122] that lacks the recess area [The concave portions of the conductor portions 122a] (Note that the width of the conductor portion 122a having the recess area (concave portion) is smaller than the width of the conductor portion 122a having the protrusion area (convex portion)).
Matsumoto does not disclose the first metal layer receiving an electrical signal and the second metal layer outputting the electrical signal.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the contact hole assembly of Matsumoto to have the first metal layer receiving an electrical signal and the second metal layer outputting the electrical signal, in order to transmit the electrical signal between the first metal layer and the second metal layer in the electronic device.
Regarding claim 13, Matsumoto, as applied to claim 11, further discloses (in Fig. 2A) wherein the conductor [12] includes an inner surface [122] and outer surface [121] that has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the inner surface [122], and the recess area [The concave portions of the conductor portions 122a] is disposed along the inner surface [122] of the conductor [12].
Regarding claim 14, Matsumoto, as applied to claim 13, further discloses (in Fig. 2A) wherein a diameter of the recess area [The concave portions of the conductor portions 122a] is greater than the diameter of the inner surface [122] of the conductor [12] and less than the diameter of the outer surface [121] of the conductor [12].
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumoto (US 2023/0319999) in view of Park et al. (US 2020/0160781).
Regarding claim 12, Matsumoto, as applied to claim 11, further discloses (in Fig. 1) a printed circuit board [1] (See paragraph 0018) that includes the first metal layer [lower 11], the first insulation layer [21], the second metal layer [lower 11], and the contact hole [12 and 23; collectively].
Matsumoto does not disclose a display panel including a plurality of subpixels that display an image, the display panel connected to the printed circuit board.
Park teaches (in Fig. 2 and paragraph 0111) a display panel [110] including a plurality of subpixels [SP] that display an image, the display panel [110] connected to the printed circuit board [SPCB].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electronic device of Matsumoto to have a display panel including a plurality of subpixels that display an image, the display panel connected to the printed circuit board, as taught by Park, in order to provide a display panel that communicates with the printed circuit board.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHERMAN NG whose telephone number is (571)270-3131. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM.
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/SHERMAN NG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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