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 .
This communication is in response to the claims dated 11/19/2024.
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 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KANG et al. U.S. Pub. 2022/0346287 (hereinafter D1) in view of Noda et al. U.S. Patent 5,718,549 (hereinafter D2).
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Regarding claim 1, D1 teaches a display device (100; figure 1) comprising:
a display panel (110; figure 1);
a material complexed plate (130; figures 2, 5 and 6) to which the display panel is coupled; and
a coupling member (“S”; figure 8) coupled to the material complexed plate, wherein the material complexed plate (130) comprises:
a front skin (132; figures 2, 5 and 6) that defines a front surface (see figures 2, 5 and 6) of the material complexed plate (130);
a rear skin (133; figures 2, 5 and 6) that defines a rear surface (see figures 2, 5 and 6) of the material complexed plate, the rear skin facing (see figures 2, 5 and 6) the front skin;
a core (131; figures 2 and 6) positioned between the front skin and the rear skin, the core including fibers (see par[0026]); and
a coupling hole (“H”; figures 6 and 8) formed through (see figures 6 and 8) the front skin, the rear skin, and the core;
a coupling member (see figures 7-8).
However, D1 does not specifically teach wherein the coupling member comprises:
an outer shell inserted into the coupling hole and coupled to at least one of the front skin or the rear skin; and
an inner solid inserted into the outer shell and coupled to the outer shell.
D2, suggests coupling member comprising an outer shell (1; figure 1) inserted into a coupling hole (H1 + H2 + 4; figure 5) and coupled to at least one of the front skin (P1; figure 5) or the rear skin (P2; figure 5); and
an inner solid (11; figure 1) inserted into the outer shell (1; figure 1) and coupled to the outer shell.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to substitute the coupling member of D1 with coupling member of D2, such that the coupling member would comprise an outer shell inserted into the coupling hole and coupled to at least one of the front skin or the rear skin; and an inner solid inserted into the outer shell and coupled to the outer shell, for coupling and fixing said front skin and said rear skin together.
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Regarding claim 2, the modification of D1/D2 would result in the display device of claim 1, wherein the outer shell comprises:
a plurality of side plates (see above annotated figure 1 of D2) extending from the front skin toward the rear skin with respect to a widthwise direction of the material complexed plate, the plurality of side plates (see above annotated figure 1 of D2) being exposed to an outside of the rear skin; and
a top plate (see above annotated figure 1 of D2) disposed opposite the front skin with respect to the rear skin so as to face the coupling hole, the top plate connecting (see figure 1 of D2) the plurality of side plates.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-14 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.
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record fails to teach, disclose or fairly suggest the display device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of side plates each comprise: a wall plate bent and extending from the top plate, the wall plate being supported by an edge of the coupling hole of the material complexed plate; and a plurality of side holders formed as the wall plate is cut and bent, and wherein the plurality of side holders comprises: a lower holder having a lower side that protrudes from the wall plate to an outside of the outer shell so that the lower side of the lower holder is supported by the rear skin; and an upper holder having an upper side that protrudes from the wall plate to an inside of the outer shell so that the upper side of the upper holder is supported by the inner solid.
Claims 4-6 are dependent from claim 3, and therefore, are objected-but-allowable for at least the same reason.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record fails to teach, disclose or fairly suggest the display device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of side plates each comprise: a wall plate bent and extending from the top plate, the wall plate being supported by an edge of the coupling hole of the material complexed plate; and an upper holder formed as the wall plate is cut and bent, the upper holder having an upper side that protrudes from the wall plate to an inside of the outer shell so that the upper side of the upper holder is supported by the inner solid.
Claims 8-14 are dependent from claim 7, and therefore, are objected-but-allowable for at least the same reason.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG Q DANG whose telephone number is (571)272-3069. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6PM..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani N Hayman can be reached at 571-270-5528. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUNG Q DANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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