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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant's preliminary amendment filed on 31 January 2025 has been entered. Claims 1-10 have been amended. No claims have been cancelled. No claims have been added. Claims 1-10 are still pending in this application, with claims 1 and 10 being independent.
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.
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.
Claims 1-6 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yi et al. (CN 112283669 A, herein referred to as: Yi).
Regarding claim 1, Yi discloses a luminous module of a luminous and/or signaling device of an automotive vehicle (Figs. 1-8b), comprising: a. a flexible organic light-emitting diode (13) mounted on a transparent substrate (11), the transparent substrate (11) includes an interconnection layer with a network of electrical tracks for supplying electrical power to the organic light-emitting diode (“...the transparent electrode 131 and the reflecting electrode 135 electrically connected to the wiring pattern formed on the back surface of the substrate 11 (not shown)...” Additionally, the wiring pattern must have at least two tracks or proper electrical power flow between the anode and cathode of the flexible organic light-emitting diode 13); b. a support (2) of the flexible organic light-emitting diode (13), the support (2) being designed to shape at least part of the flexible organic light-emitting diode and the transparent substrate in a predetermined shape (“...the support frame 2 is formed of a resin or a metal having a desired rigidity in a plate shape...”); the at least part of the organic light-emitting diode being fastened to the support by means of an adhesive (3); c. a flexible printed circuit board (15, Fig. 2); wherein the transparent substrate includes a portion (an edge portion extending beyond 13, as shown in Fig. 2) protruding beyond the organic light-emitting diode (13) and facing a portion of the support (as shown in Fig. 2), in that the flexible printed circuit board (15) is electrically connected to the interconnection layer (said interconnection layer formed by the wiring layer on the back surface of 11) at this portion of the transparent substrate (11) and in that the flexible printed circuit board (15) is fastened to this portion of the support (2) by means of an adhesive (3, e.g., adhesive 3 either directly or indirectly couples the flexible printed circuit board 15 to the support 2 at said portion of the transparent substrate 11).
Regarding claim 2, Yi discloses (Figs. 1-8b) the adhesive (3) fastening the flexible printed circuit board (15) to the support (2) is identical to the adhesive (3) fastening the organic light-emitting diode (13) to the support (as shown in Fig. 2, e.g., 15 and 13 are bound to 2 by the same double-sided adhesive sheet 3, and thus, the adhesive is identical over the same double-sided adhesive sheet).
Regarding claim 3, Yi discloses (Figs. 1-8b) the adhesive (3) is a double-sided adhesive layer (3 forms a “double-sided adhesive sheet,” as noted in the corresponding description of Yi).
Regarding claim 4, Yi discloses (Figs. 1-8b) the double-sided adhesive layer (3) fastening the flexible printed circuit board (15) to the support (2) and the double-sided adhesive layer (3) fastening the organic light-emitting diode (13) to the support (2) come from one and the same double-sided adhesive tape (3; as shown in Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 5, Yi discloses (Figs. 1-8b) the organic light-emitting diode (13) includes a first light-emitting face (a face coupled to 11), with a face of the transparent substrate (11) covering the first light emitting face (as shown in Figs. 2-3), with the organic light-emitting diode (13) being mounted on the support (2) via a second face (a face of 135) opposite the first light-emitting face (as shown in Figs. 2-3), and in that the interconnection layer (said interconnection layer formed by the wiring layer on the back surface of 11) of the transparent substrate (11) extends over the face of the transparent substrate (over a rear face of said transparent substrate 11).
Regarding claim 6, Yi discloses (Figs. 1-8b) the network of electrical tracks (e.g., the wiring pattern) of the interconnection layer (said interconnection layer formed by the wiring layer on the back surface of 11) is laid on a face of the transparent substrate (11) situated on the side of the organic light-emitting diode (13, as shown in Figs. 2-3 and as noted in the corresponding description).
Regarding claim 9, Yi discloses (Figs. 1-8b) the portion of the support (the portion of the support on the side having 15, as shown in Fig. 2) forms a step (21) with respect to the rest of the support (as the claim specifies the portion as that which faces the portion of the transparent substrate, between which 15 connects, and no particular shape or contact is otherwise defined in the claim, the portion formed by the side of the support 2 on the same side of 15 as 1 in Fig. 2 meets the claimed limitation).
Regarding claim 10, Yi discloses a luminous and/or signaling device of an automotive vehicle (Figs. 1-8b), comprising a luminous module (Figs. 1-8b), with the luminous module including a flexible organic light-emitting diode (13) mounted on a transparent substrate (11), the transparent substrate (11) includes an interconnection layer with a network of electrical tracks for supplying electrical power to the organic light-emitting diode (“...the transparent electrode 131 and the reflecting electrode 135 electrically connected to the wiring pattern formed on the back surface of the substrate 11 (not shown)...” Additionally, the wiring pattern must have at least two tracks or proper electrical power flow between the anode and cathode of the flexible organic light-emitting diode 13); a support (2) of the flexible organic light-emitting diode (13), the support (2) being designed to shape at least part of the flexible organic light-emitting diode and the transparent substrate in a predetermined shape (“...the support frame 2 is formed of a resin or a metal having a desired rigidity in a plate shape...”); the at least part of the organic light-emitting diode being fastened to the support by means of an adhesive (3); a flexible printed circuit board (15, Fig. 2); wherein the transparent substrate includes a portion (an edge portion extending beyond 13, as shown in Fig. 2) protruding beyond the organic light-emitting diode (13) and facing a portion of the support (as shown in Fig. 2), in that the flexible printed circuit board (15) is electrically connected to the interconnection layer (said interconnection layer formed by the wiring layer on the back surface of 11) at this portion of the transparent substrate (11) and in that the flexible printed circuit board (15) is fastened to this portion of the support (2) by means of an adhesive (3, e.g., adhesive 3 either directly or indirectly couples the flexible printed circuit board 15 to the support 2 at said portion of the transparent substrate 11).
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 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yi, in view of Kim (US 2011/0101314 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Yi teaches or suggests (Figs. 1-8b) that the flexible printed circuit board 15) is electrically connected to the interconnection layer (said interconnection layer formed by the wiring layer on the back surface of 11) between an edge of the flexible printed circuit board (an edge of 15 connected to 11, as shown in Fig. 2) and the portion of the transparent substrate (11; as shown in Fig. 2).
Yi does not explicitly teach that said connection is by means of an anisotropic conductive adhesive connector.
Kim teaches or suggests (Fig. 3) said connection of a flexible printed circuit board (650) to an organic light emitting apparatus (101) is by means of an anisotropic conductive adhesive connector (450, paragraph [0054]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device of Yi and incorporated the teachings of said connection is by means of an anisotropic conductive adhesive connector, such as taught or suggested by Kim, since it has been held by the courts that combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results, or choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success, is not sufficient to distinguish over the prior art, as it requires only ordinary skill in the art. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1397 (2007). In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to yield the predictable result of reducing the complexity of assembling the device (e.g., by utilizing a versatile connection effective for various substrate materials), and/or reduce the thickness or size of the connection device, and/or improve the reliability of the device.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yi, in view of Nakamura (US 2019/0157602 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Yi teaches or suggests (Figs. 1-8b) the flexible organic light-emitting diode (13) is mounted on a first area of the transparent substrate (11; as shown in Fig. 2), in that the flexible printed circuit board (15) is electrically connected to the interconnection layer (said interconnection layer formed by the wiring layer on the back surface of 11) in a second area of the portion of the transparent substrate (as shown in Fig. 2, and as noted in the corresponding description, e.g.: “...the transparent electrode 131 and the reflecting electrode 135 electrically connected to the wiring pattern formed on the back surface of the substrate 11 (not shown)...”).
Yi does not explicitly teach that that the first area and the second area are separated by a third area of the portion of the transparent substrate, the luminous module being devoid of adhesive between the support and the transparent substrate in the third area.
Nakamura teaches or suggests (Fig. 6) the first area and the second area are separated by a third area (the area between 234 and 232) of the portion of the substrate (320), the luminous module being devoid of adhesive between the support and the transparent substrate in the third area (as shown in Fig. 6).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device of Yi and incorporated the teachings of the first area and the second area are separated by a third area of the portion of the transparent substrate, the luminous module being devoid of adhesive between the support and the transparent substrate in the third area, such as taught or suggested by Nakamura, since it has been held by the courts that combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results, or choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success, is not sufficient to distinguish over the prior art, as it requires only ordinary skill in the art. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1397 (2007). In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to yield the predictable result of reducing the cost or complexity of assembling the device (e.g., by providing an electrical connection to the device with adhesive on fewer regions thereof).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: please see US 2020/0149703 A1 to Kaneko and US 2013/0026513 A1 to Aurongzeb, pertinent to various features as presently recited in claims 1-10.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Colin J Cattanach whose telephone number is (571)270-5203. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jong-Suk (James) Lee can be reached at (571) 272-7044. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/COLIN J CATTANACH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875