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
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, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheng et al. (CN 109545826 A) in view of Kim et al. (US 2021/020020 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Cheng discloses an electronic device comprising: a display module having an active area (AA) in which pixels are disposed and a non-active area (display periphery, Fig. 12), in which pixels are not disposed, adjacent to the active area, the active area (AA) including a module hole (TH); an electronic module (¶[0062]) disposed in an opening formed by the module hole; wherein the active area (AA) comprises a first area (BA) defined adjacent to the module hole (TH) and a second area (AA) surrounding the first area, the at least one pixel is not disposed in the first area (BA, Fig. 4), and the at least one pixel is disposed in the second area (AA), the display module comprising: a lower display substrate (10) comprising a base layer (10), a circuit device layer (layers 101-104), and a display device layer (105); an encapsulation substrate (20) facing the lower display substrate; and a light blocking sealing member (41) is configured to couple the lower display substrate (10) and the encapsulation substrate (20) in the first area and comprises a light blocking material (¶[0028], Fig. 4). Cheng fails to state a window disposed on the display module.
Kim discloses an electronic device comprising: a display module having an active area (200) in which pixels are disposed and a non-active area (display periphery, Fig. 2), in which pixels are not disposed, adjacent to the active area, the active area (200) including a module hole (210); an electronic module (310) disposed in an opening formed by the module hole; a window (202), for protecting the display module, disposed on the display module, wherein the active area (200) comprises a first area (hole bezel, Fig. 7) defined adjacent to the module hole (210) and a second area (A/A) surrounding the first area, the at least one pixel is not disposed in the first area (Fig. 5), and the at least one pixel is disposed in the second area (Fig. 5). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling of the claimed invention to incorporate a window disclosed by Kim in the electronic device of Cheng in order to provide protection for the display module and the electronic module.
Regarding claims 2, 5 and 8, Cheng fails to exemplify a functional layer disposed between the display module and the window, the functional layer including a first opening defined therethrough that overlaps with the module hole; and a light blocking layer disposed on at least one of upper and lower surfaces of the functional layer and positioned adjacent to the first opening.
Kim further discloses an electronic device comprising a functional layer (2016) disposed between the display module (201) and the window (202), the functional layer (2016) including a first opening defined therethrough that overlaps with the module hole (210); and a light blocking layer (221) disposed on at least one of upper and lower surfaces of the functional layer and positioned adjacent to the first opening (Fig. 7), a light blocking sealing member (230) on a side surface of the module hole (210), wherein the light blocking layer overlaps with the first area, and wherein the light blocking layer (221) has a width that is greater than a width of the light blocking sealing member (230), the functional layer provides a polarization function and the light blocking layer prevents a region in which a screen is not output from being visually recognized from the outside. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling of the claimed invention to incorporate the functional layer and the light blocking layer disclosed by Kim in the electronic device of Cheng in order to provide a polarization function and further prevent a region in which a screen is not output from being visually recognized from the outside.
Regarding claim 4, Cheng fails to exemplify an adhesive layer disposed between the upper surface of the functional layer and the window, the adhesive layer including a second opening defined therethrough that overlaps with the module hole.
Kim further discloses an electronic device further comprising an adhesive layer (203) disposed between the upper surface of the functional layer (2016) and the window (202), the adhesive layer (203) including a second opening defined therethrough that overlaps with the module hole (Fig. 7), in order to bond together the window and the display module. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling of the claimed invention to incorporate the adhesive layer disclosed by Kim in the electronic device of Cheng in order to bond together the window and the display module.
Regarding claim 11, Cheng discloses an electronic device wherein the electronic module comprises at least one of an audio output module, a light emitting module, a light receiving module, and a camera module (¶[0062]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 6-7, 9 and 10 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim(s) 3, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 3, and specifically comprising the limitation of the light blocking layer comprises: a first light blocking layer disposed on the upper surface of the functional layer and positioned adjacent to the first opening; and a second light blocking layer disposed on the lower surface of the functional layer and positioned adjacent to the first opening.
Regarding claim(s) 6, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 6, and specifically comprising the limitation of a window black matrix disposed on a lower surface of the window that is positioned to overlap the light blocking layer.
Regarding claim(s) 7, claims(s) 7 is/are allowable for the reasons given in claim(s) 6 because of its/their dependency status from claim(s) 6.
Regarding claim(s) 9, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 9, and specifically comprising the limitation of the light blocking layer comprises an organic mixture comprising a black dye or pigment.
Regarding claim(s) 10, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 10, and specifically comprising the limitation of the light blocking sealing member comprises an adhesive member and an organic mixture comprising a black dye or pigment.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hwang et al. (US 2021/0032156 A1) discloses an electronic panel includes: a base substrate divided into a hole region including a hole transmissive region overlapping an electronic module when viewed in a plan view and a light shielding region adjacent to the hole transmissive region, an active region adjacent to the hole region, and a peripheral region adjacent to the active region; a plurality of light emitting devices spaced apart from the hole region in the active region; a light shielding pattern spaced apart from the hole transmissive region in the light shielding region; and an encapsulation substrate on the base substrate and covering the light emitting devices, wherein the light shielding pattern comprises frit.
Won (US 2020/0328375 A1) discloses a display device includes an active region and a non-active region, a display panel and a polarizing member disposed on a surface of the display panel, where the display panel and the polarizing member include a first through hole which penetrates the display panel and the polarizing member in a thickness direction and a hole coating layer which is disposed on an inner wall of the polarizing member of the first through hole.
Hwang et al. (US 2020/0124910 A1) discloses a display device including a substrate; a sealing member surrounding a part of a transmission area of the substrate; a plurality of pixels in a display area of the substrate; an encapsulation substrate facing the substrate with the sealing member between the encapsulation substrate and the substrate; a transparent material layer between the substrate and the encapsulation substrate and corresponding to the transmission area; and a light-shielding portion on the encapsulation substrate and corresponding to the sealing member.
Li et al. (CN 109119447 A) discloses a display panel, comprising a display area and a through hole in the display area and a sealant surrounding the through hole.
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood or implied from the texts of the references. To emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out. Each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mariceli Santiago whose telephone number is (571) 272-2464. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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/Mariceli Santiago/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2879
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