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 parent Application No. 10-2023-0176849, filed on 12/07/2023 in Korea.
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS filed on 10/29/2024; 07/01/2025; and 12/17/2025 have been considered and made of record.
Oath/Declaration
The oath/declaration filed on 10/29/2024 is acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by SIM et al. [US 2021/0051221].
Regarding claim 1, SIM et al., disclose a display apparatus (300, figures 1-12), comprising:
a display module (400, figures 3-4 and 5A-5B) configured to display a video;
a metal plate (a metal support plate 311, figures 3-4, paragraph 0050) disposed behind the display module;
a printed circuit board (340, figure 3) disposed behind the metal plate; and
a camera module (500, figures 3 and 5A-5B) including a body (540, figure 5A) and a lens barrel (530, figure 5A) protruding from the body, in which the lens barrel is disposed at a location of the body corresponding to a location of a first through hole (OP1, figures 5A-5B) in the display module,
wherein the metal plate includes:
a second through hole (301, figures 5A-5B) at a location corresponding to the first through hole, the lens barrel located in the second through hole (figures 5A-5B); and
at least one guide protrusion (311, extended portions 312, figure 5A) disposed to surround the second through hole and protruding toward the camera module, wherein the at least one guide protrusion is configured to cooperate with the body of the camera module to position and guide the body of the camera module in response to the camera module being mounted in the display apparatus (figure 5A).
Regarding claim 2, SIM et al., disclose wherein the lens barrel includes at least one lens (530, figures 5A-5B), the at least one guide protrusion includes a plurality of guide protrusions which are spaced apart from each other to surround the body and determine an arrangement location of the body (the extended portions 312 are spaced apart to surround the lens 530, figure 5A).
Regarding claim 13, SIM et al., further disclose wherein the display module includes:
a back plate (440, figure 5A) disposed in front of the metal plate (311, figure 5A);
a display panel (431, figure 5A) disposed in front of the back plate and configured to display the video;
a polarizer (432, figure 5A) disposed in front of the display panel; and
an adhesive (410, figure 5A) disposed in front of the polarizer.
Regarding claim 14, SIM et al., further disclose a cover member (320, figures 3-4 and 5A-5B) disposed to cover the first through hole in front of the display module.
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SIM et al., in view of Lee et al. [US 2023/0236478].
Regarding claim 3, Kim et al., disclose the claimed invention except for wherein the body is a hexahedral shape, and each of the plurality of guide protrusions is disposed to support each side of the hexahedral body of the camera module.
Lee et al., disclose a camera module (100, figures 1-9) comprising a first shield housing (110, figure 3) being formed of a hexahedral shape (paragraph 0040) which is cooperated with its camera body.
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to set a body having a hexahedral shape in a display apparatus of SIM et al., as suggested by Lee et al., in order to easily mount a camera module in a compact display apparatus.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-18 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Closet arts,
SIM et al. [US 2021/0051221] disclose a display apparatus (300, figures 1-12), comprising: a display module (400, figures 3-4 and 5A-5B); a metal plate (a metal support plate 311, figures 3-4, paragraph 0050) disposed behind the display module; a printed circuit board (340, figure 3) disposed behind the metal plate; and a camera module (500, figures 3 and 5A-5B) including a body (540, figure 5A) and a lens barrel (530, figure 5A) protruding from the body, in which the lens barrel is disposed at a location of the body corresponding to a location of a first through hole (OP1, figures 5A-5B) in the display module, wherein the metal plate includes: a second through hole (301, figures 5A-5B) at a location corresponding to the first through hole, the lens barrel located in the second through hole (figures 5A-5B); and at least one guide protrusion (311, extended portions 312, figure 5A) disposed to surround the second through hole and protruding toward the camera module, wherein the at least one guide protrusion is configured to cooperate with the body of the camera module to position and guide the body of the camera module in response to the camera module being mounted in the display apparatus (figure 5A).
Neither cited references, SIM et al., nor the prior art of record alone or in combination, discloses, teaches or render suggest obvious that a display apparatus comprising a chip on film (COF) having a first side electrically connected to a display module and a second side electrically connected to a printed circuit board, and a rib at an edge of a second through hole in a circumferential direction of the second through hole and protruding toward a camera module, wherein a body of the camera module includes a seating groove having a shape corresponding to the rib, and the rib is seated in the seating groove to maintain a mounted position of the camera module in response to the camera module being mounted in the display apparatus, as claimed in the claim 15. Claims 16-18 depend on the allowed claim 15.
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.”
Claims 4 and 5-12 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:
The claim 4 discloses the combination features of “wherein the metal plate includes a formation hole in the metal plate corresponding to each of the at least one guide protrusions, the formation hole being adjacent to a corresponding one of the at least one guide protrusions.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the combination features of the claims 2 and 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records.
The claim 5 discloses the combination features of “wherein the printed circuit board includes a third through hole at a location corresponding to the second through hole, the lens barrel located in the third through hole; and an insertion hole at a location corresponding to the at least one guide protrusion, the at least one guide protrusion configured to be inserted into the insertion hole.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the combination features of the claims 2 and 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records. Claims 6-12 depend on the allowed claim 5.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hung S. Bui whose telephone number is (571)272-2102. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Allen L. Parker can be reached on (303) 297-4722. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUNG S. BUI/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2841
/HUNG S. BUI/Primary Patent Examiner, 2841/2800
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