DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission has been entered.
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 and 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yun (US 2020/0127231) in view of Wantanabe (US 2016/0202515, hereinafter referred to as “Wan”.
Regarding claim 1, Yun discloses a display device, comprising:
a display unit comprising a display area (AA, fig. 1 and PA in fig. 2), a first non-display area outside the display area (PDA, fig. 1), and a second non-display area (BA in fig. 2) inside the display area, the display unit comprising a first substrate (101, fig. 2) and a second substrate (140, fig. 2) facing the second substrate;
a touch unit (152, fig. 6) on the display unit (130, fig. 6) and comprising a capacitance compensation pattern (see right 152 in fig. 6 on the right side of bridge electrode 154) that overlaps, and is bent a plurality of time in (see right 152 in fig. 6; wherein 152 has multiple bends on 158), the second non-display area in plan view (see fig. 6 as applied to fig. 2; wherein the right 152 is located in the bezel area BA; further wherein the electrodes located in the bezel area BA are capacitance compensation patterns and the electrodes located in the pixel area PA are touch electrodes); and
a through hole (170 in fig. 2 and in fig. 6) penetrating the touch unit and the display unit, the through hole being in the second non-display area to be surrounded by the second non-display area in a plan view (see fig. 2),
wherein the display unit comprises a plurality of light emitting elements (130, fig. 2 and para. 24) and a pixel defining layer (138, fig. 2) between the plurality of light emitting elements (see fig. 2), and
wherein:
the touch unit comprises a plurality of touch electrodes (see left 152, fig. 6 and para. 67); and
each of the plurality of touch electrodes includes a transparent conductive material (para. 68) and overlaps two or more of the plurality of light emitting elements (see fig. 1-2).
Yun fails to discloses a sealing member located entirely between the first and second substrate and surround the through hole completely.
Wan discloses a sealing member (93A in fig. 16) being entirely between the first substrate (11 in fig. 16) and the second substrate (12 in fig. 16).
When the invention was made (pre-AIA ) or before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include the teachings of Wan in the device of Yun. The motivation for doing so would have been to have a through hole having sides that are perpendicular to the display of the device to fit an input device having sides that are perpendicular to the display (Wan; fig. 16 and fig. 12 and para. 49; wherein the sealing member has a closed loop shape to protect the display elements of the display device from an input device).
Regarding claim 2, Yun discloses wherein the plurality of the light emitting elements and the pixel defining layer are interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate (see fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4, Yun discloses wherein the sealing member is configured to block spatial connection between the display area of the display unit and an inner space of the through hole (see 114, fig. 2 and para. 45).
Wan discloses the sealing member overlapping the second substrate in the second non-display area (10A in fig. 16) in a plan view and surrounding the through hole completely (see fig. 12).
The same rational to combine as applied in claim 1, applies to claim 4.
Regarding claim 5, Yun discloses wherein the capacitance compensation pattern (see right 152, fig. 6 on the right side of bridge electrode 154) is connected to at least one of the plurality of the touch electrodes (see left 152 and bridge 154 in fig. 6).
Regarding claim 6, Yun discloses wherein the capacitance compensation pattern is bent two or more times in a region overlapping the second non-display area (see 152 in fig. 6; wherein 152 has multiple bends).
Regarding claim 7, Yun discloses wherein the plurality of touch electrodes comprises a first touch electrode (see right 152 in fig. 6) adjacent the through hole and a second touch electrode spaced from the through hole (154 in fig. 6), and
wherein an area of the first touch electrode is smaller than an area of the second touch electrode (see fig. 6; wherein the area of the bridge 154 is greater than the area of electrode 152).
Regarding claim 8, Yun discloses wherein the first touch electrode (see right 152 to the left of right contact hole 156 in fig. 6) is connected to the capacitance compensation pattern (see right 152 to the right of right contact hole 156).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-15 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims have been considered but are moot in view of new grounds of rejection. See new citations above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBIN J MISHLER whose telephone number is (571)270-7251. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00-5:00 M-F.
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/ROBIN J MISHLER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628
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