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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim 10 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on August 9, 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Pub. No. 2020/0245071 A1 (hereinafter “Won”).
Won discloses an electronic device (display device 10) comprising:
a first substrate (source circuit board 140) on which a first connector (first connector 151) is mounted;
a second substrate (control circuit board 160) that is disposed with a gap with respect to the first substrate in a first direction (see Fig. 24 showing source circuit board 140 and control circuit board 160 separated by a gap along the y-direction), and on which a second connector (second connector 152) is mounted; and
a flexible substrate (cable 150) having one end and another end, with the one end being connected to the first connector, and the other end being connected to the second connector (see ¶ 0093 and Fig. 24), wherein
the first connector (151) and the second connector (152) face each other in the first direction (see Fig. 24 showing first connector 151 facing second connector 152 in the y-direction),
the flexible substrate (150) further includes a first bent portion, and a second bent portion that is positioned on a side nearer to the other end than the first bent portion (see annotated Fig. 24 below),
the flexible substrate (150) extending from the first connector (151) is bent at the first bent portion toward one side in a second direction (z-direction) that is orthogonal to the first direction, and extends further toward the one side in the second direction with respect to the first substrate (see annotated Fig. 24 showing cable 150 bending down and extending past source circuit board 140), and
the flexible substrate (150) extending from the second connector (152) is bent at the second bent portion toward another side in the second direction, and extends further toward the other side in the second direction with respect to the second substrate (see annotated Fig. 24 showing cable 150 bending up and extending past control circuit board 160).
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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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 2-3 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Won as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0103545 A1 (hereinafter “Itakura”).
Regarding claim 2, Won discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as stated above. Won
fails to disclose that the flexible substrate further includes a third bent portion.
Itakura discloses and electronic device comprising:
a first substrate (substrate 11) on which a first connector (first connector 17) is mounted;
a second substrate that is disposed with a gap with respect to the first substrate in a first direction, and on which a second connector is mounted (see annotated Fig. 2B below); and
a flexible substrate (flexible substrate 13) having one end and another end, with the one end being connected to the first connector, and the other end being connected to the second connector (see annotated Fig. 2B below), wherein
the first connector and the second connector face each other in the first direction (see annotated Fig. 2B below),
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the flexible substrate (13) further includes a first bent portion, and a second bent portion that is positioned on a side nearer to the other end than the first bent portion (see annotated Fig. 2B below),
the flexible substrate (13) extending from the first connector is bent at the first bent portion toward one side in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction (see annotated Fig. 2B below showing flexible substrate 13 immediately bending down toward the one side), and
the flexible substrate (13) extending from the second connector is bent at the second bent portion toward another side in the second direction (see annotated Fig. 2B below showing flexible substrate 13 immediately bending up toward the other side).
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Itakura further discloses that:
the flexible substrate (13) further includes a third bent portion on the other side in the second direction with respect to the second substrate, and between the first bent portion and the second bent portion (see annotated Fig. 2B below), and
the flexible substrate (13) extending from the second bent portion toward the other side in the second direction with respect to the second substrate is bent at the third bent portion toward the one side in the second direction, passes through a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, and extends toward the one side in the second direction with respect to the second substrate (see annotated Fig. 2B below showing flexible substrate 13 bending toward the one side at the third bent portion, passing through the gap between first and second substrates, and extending toward the one side).
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Itakura is considered to be analogous art because it is in the same field of endeavor as the claimed invention. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the present application, to modify the structure taught by Won to include the above-describe third bent portion.
Motivation: For certain devices, it may be advantageous to place the first and second substrates on the same plane. Itakura teaches a known flexible substrate bending structure for connecting two coplanar substrates. A flexible substrate long enough to facilitate these additional bent portions would provide enough slack to maintain connection between two connectors that may be slightly misaligned or disposed further apart than intended in the manufacturing process.
Regarding claim 3, Won in view of Itakura teaches all the limitations of claim 2 as stated above. Won in view of Itakura further teaches that the third bent portion is positioned on the other side in the second direction with respect to the first bent portion (Itakura: see annotated Fig. 2B above).
Won in view of Itakura lacks the specific teaching that the third bent portion is positioned on a side nearer to the first connector in the first direction with respect to the first bent portion.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to position the third bent portion on a side near to the first connector in the first direction with respect to the first bent portion. This modification would be obvious to try, given that there are a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success. With respect to the first direction, the third bending portion can either be positioned nearer to the second connector, directly between the first connector and the second connector, or nearer to the first connector. Since there are only three relative positions for the third bending portion, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to try out each position to find which of the three works best for their specific application.
Regarding claim 8, Won discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as stated above. Won fails to teach that a position of the second substrate in the second direction is same as or substantially same as a position of the first substrate in the second direction.
Itakura discloses that a position of the second substrate in the second direction is same as or substantially same as a position of the first substrate in the second direction (see annotated Fig. 2B above), or is a position on the other side in the second direction with respect to the first substrate.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the present application, to position the first and second substrates on the same plane with respect to the second direction in order to make the device more compact.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Won as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of JP H09-260867 A (hereinafter “Mori”).
Won discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as stated above. Won lacks a specific teaching that the first bent portion is bent at an acute angle.
Mori discloses a flexible substrate (flat cable 23) connecting first (connector 33) and second (connector 35) connectors. The flexible substrate (23) extending from the first connector (33) is bent at a first bent portion toward one side of a substrate (base 31) at an acute angle and extends below the substrate (see Fig. 1).
Mori is considered to be analogous art because it is in the same field of endeavor as the claimed invention. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the present application, to modify the device taught by Won so that the first bent portion is bent at an acute angle. Doing so would allow the connectors to be positioned closer together in the first direction.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Won as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of WO 2007/136040 A1 (hereinafter “Shibata”).
Won discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as stated above. Won lacks a specific teaching that a distance between the first connector and the second connector in the first direction is 10 (mm) or less.
Shibata discloses a first connector (connector 101) and a second connector (103), disposed 3 mm apart, and connected by a bent flexible substrate (FPC 104; see ¶ 0035 and Fig. 19).
Shibata is considered to be analogous art because it is in the same field of endeavor as the claimed invention. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the present application, to set the first and second connectors 10 mm apart or less. Doing so would be beneficial in order to save space and make the device more compact.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5 and 7 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 4, the prior art neither teaches nor suggests that as a portion of the flexible substrate extending from the third bent portion, passing through the gap, and extending toward the one side on the second direction with respect to the second substrate extends further toward the one side in the second direction, the portion shifts to a direction opposite to the first direction.
Claim 5 depends on claim 4 and would therefore be allowable for at least the reason stated above.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art neither teaches nor suggests a first bent portion on the one side in the second direction with respect to the first substrate and between the first and second bent portions, the flexible substrate extending from the first bent portion toward the one side in the second direction with respect to the first substrate is bent at the fifth bent portion at an acute angle and extends in a direction opposite to the first direction, and a portion of the flexible substrate extending from the first connector through the first bent portion and the fifth bent portion, and then extending from the fifth bent portion delineates a Z shape in a view from a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions.
Conclusion
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/R.T.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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