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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer.
Claim 1 is rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,210,241. Although the claim(s) at issue is/are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because they are anticipated thereby. All limitations of application claim 1 are included in patented claim 1 of U.S. 12,210,241.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang [U.S. 2017/0139119 A1] in view of Park et al. [U.S. 2019/0094617 A1].
Regarding claim 1, Zhang discloses an electronic device [figure 2], comprising: a housing [back frame 11]; a driving circuit assembly [liquid crystal panel 20] disposed on the housing [11] ; a first adhesive segment [double-sided adhesives 30, 31] and a second adhesive segment [double-sided adhesives 40] disposed between the housing [11] and the driving circuit assembly [20], wherein the first adhesive segment and the second adhesive segment are separated by a first space [between double-sided adhesives 30 and double-sided adhesives 40, and under the liquid crystal panel 20]; and wherein the housing [11] and the driving circuit assembly [20] are connected to each other by the first adhesive segment and the second adhesive segment [figure 2].
However, Zhang does not clearly disclose the flexible circuit board electrically connected to the driving circuit assembly, wherein the flexible circuit board doesn't overlap the first space.
Park et al. teaches an electronic device [figure 3] having flexible circuit board [source drive circuits 210, the flexible source films 220, and a circuit board 230] electrically connected to the driving circuit assembly [display panel 100], wherein the flexible circuit board doesn't overlap the first space [210, 220 and 230 appear to be outside the display panel 100, thus doesn't overlap the first space under the display panel 100] (figures 2-3).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to modify/combine the electronic device of Zhang with the flexible circuit board as taught by Park et al. for purpose of providing an advantageous way of supplying power and controlling the display panel or the liquid crystal display.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Dunn et al. U.S. 2014/0268657 A1 discloses a layer of adhesive 110, another layer of adhesive 140, a backlight 160, an LCD 100, and a metal printed circuit board having a plurality of LEDs.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BAO Q TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-2383. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 am - 3 pm.
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/BAO Q TRUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875