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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on10/3/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
Claims 6-9, 14-15, 17 and 20 are 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.
Regarding Claims 6, 14, and 20, each claim recites that a single load group (the first pad group, the second pad group, the third pad group) is arranged in the first direction. A single group of pad columns is not itself arranged in a direction, so the scope of the limitation is unclear. Therefore, claims 6, 14 and 20 are indefinite.
For the purpose of examination, claims 6, 14 and 20 are interpretated as the pad columns of the one recited group are arranged along the first direction.
Claim 7-9 depends on claim 6 so they are rejected for the same reason,
Regarding claim 15 and 17, these claims depend directly from claim 10, not from claim 14. Claim 15 recites “the first pads that are connected to the connection wire are spaced apart from each other with three of the first pads disposed therebetween that are not connected to the connection wire”. Claim 17 recites the same for the third pads.
Claim 10 provides only one connected first pad and only one connected third pad.
The plural “first pads that are connected” of claim 15 and “third pads that are connected” of claim 17 lacks antecedent basis. It is also unclear how these claims are reconciled with the “only” limitation of claim 10. The described spacing exist only if the four-column arrangement repeats in the first direction which neither claim 10 nor claim 15 and 17 recite. Therefore claim 15 and claim 17 are indefinite.
Applicant may consider amending claims 6, 14 and 20 to recite “a plurality of [first/second/third] pad groups arranged in the first direction, each comprising the first pad column, the second pad column,…” and making claims 15 and claim 17 depend from amended claim 14.
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.
Claims 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (US-2021/0271143-A1, hereinafter Yang), and further in view of Jian et.al. (US-2020/0355972-A1, hereinafter Jian).
Regarding Claim 18.
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Yang teaches in Fig.4 and in related text A display device (#1) comprising:
a display panel (#21A) comprising a plurality of pads; and
a driving chip comprising a plurality of bumpers corresponding to the plurality of pads ([0008][0031-0032]),
wherein the plurality of pads comprise:
a plurality of first pads arranged in a first direction (#212 in the first row, arranged in the row direction); and
a plurality of second pads (#211) arranged in the first direction and spaced apart from the plurality of first pads in a second direction crossing the first direction,
wherein a first pad column (annotated) and a second pad column (annotated) each comprise a first pad and a second pad arranged in the second direction,
wherein the first pad column and the second pad column are spaced apart from each other in the first direction,
wherein the first pad of the first pad column (#212) and the second pad of the second pad column (#211) are connected to a connection wire ([0036] Fig.4, connected to #213 and #215),
Yang does not explicitly disclose
wherein, in the first pad column, the second pad that is not connected to the connection wire is in a floating state.
Jian teaches in Fig.21 wherein, in the first pad column, the second pad (#631) that is not connected to the connection wire is in a floating state. (See Jian [0045] [0093-0094])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yang’s device with the teachings of Jain, as identified above, in order to facilitate routing and reduce crossing or interference between neighboring signal connections.
Regarding Claim 20.
Yang modified by Jian teaches The display device of claim 18,
Yang further teaches in Fig.4 wherein a third pad group (group #21A) comprises the first pad column and the second pad column,
wherein the third pad group is arranged in the first direction.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (US-2021/0271143-A1, hereinafter Yang), and further in view of Jian et.al. (US-2020/0355972-A1, hereinafter Jian) and further in view of Kwon et.al. (US-2019/0059156A1, hereinafter Kwon).
Regarding Claim 19.
Yang modified by Jian teaches The display device of claim 18,
Kwon teaches wherein, in the second pad column, the first pad that is not connected to the connection wire is in a floating state. (Kwon teaches a display panel having signal pads and dummy pads, where the dummy pads “may be disposed between some signal output pads” and ”may be in a floating state” [0053-0055] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Yang and Jian with the teachings of Kwon, as identified above, in order to reduce short-circuit failures between adjacent signal pads caused by moisture and sustained voltage differences.
REASONS FOR ALLOWANCE
Claims 1-5, 10-13 and 16 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claim 1 is allowable because of the prior art, either singly or in combination, fails to anticipate or render obvious, the device, wherein …… wherein only the first pad of the first pad column, the second pad of the second pad column, and the third pad of the third pad column are connected to a connection wire, wherein, in the first pad column, the second pad and the third pad that are not connected to the connection wire are in a floating state. These features in combination with the other elements of the claim are neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Claim 10 is allowable because of the prior art, either singly or in combination, fails to anticipate or render obvious, the device, wherein … wherein a first pad column, a second pad column, a third pad column, and a fourth pad column each comprise a first pad, a second pad, and a third pad arranged in the second direction, wherein the first pad column, the second pad column, the third pad column, and the fourth pad column are spaced apart from one another in the first direction, wherein only the first pad of the first pad column, the second pad of the second pad column, the third pad of the third pad column, and the second pad of the fourth pad column are connected to a connection wire, wherein, in the first pad column, the second pad and the third pad that are not connected to the connection wire are in a floating state. These features in combination with the other elements of the claim are neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Claims 2-5, 11-13 and 16 depend from claim 1 or claim 10, so they are allowable for the same reason.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Tang et. al. – US-20120025372-A1
Kim et. al. -- US-20210383730-A1
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SOPHIA W KAO whose telephone number is (703)756-4797. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Pacific Time.
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/SOPHIA W KAO/Examiner, Art Unit 2817
/RATISHA MEHTA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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