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.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because “a second direction intersecting the first direction. wherein the plurality of pixels” should be changed to --a second direction intersecting the first direction[[.]], wherein the plurality of pixels--. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-6 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al (TW 200305750; hereinafter Kim and referenced using the accompany English translation), in view of Watanabe (US 2015/0211707), and further in view of Gettemy et al (US 2010/0073332; hereinafter Gettemy).
• Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a display device (figures 19-23) comprising:
a display panel (figures 19-23) having a liquid crystal layer arranged between a pair of substrates (inherent in elements 1100 and 1200 in figures 19-23 and the paragraph spanning the eighth and ninth pages of the English translation); and
a light source that makes light incident into the liquid crystal layer from one side surface of the display panel (element 301 in figures 19-32);
the display panel includes:
a display area in which a plurality of pixels is arranged (figure 25 and the second paragraph on the tenth page of the English translation);
a non-display area adjacent to the display area (figure 25);
a peripheral area arranged along a periphery of the display panel other than the one side surface and surrounding the non-display area (note the portion of figure 25 comprising element 1470);
a driving circuit arranged in the peripheral area (element 1470 in figure 25);
a plurality of first wirings connected to the driving circuit and extending in a first direction (figure 25); and
a plurality of second wirings extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction (figure 25),
wherein:
an image displayed in the display area is visible from a first surface of the display panel and from a second surface opposite the first surface (the second paragraph on the tenth page of the English translation).
However, Kim fails to disclose the additional details of the display device.
In the same field of endeavor, Watanabe discloses where the display panel includes:
a display area in which a plurality of pixels is arranged (element RA in figure 1; see also figures 12 and 15);
a non-display area adjacent to the display area and in which a plurality of dummy pixels is arranged (note the space between elements PX and 18 in figures 12 and 15, especially the portion in which elements PXD are located);
a peripheral area arranged along a periphery of the display panel other than the one side surface and surrounding the non-display area (note the portion of the display comprising elements 18 and 12C in figures 12 and 15);
wherein:
the plurality of pixels and the dummy pixels are the same size and arranged at equal pitch (note the relative size and shape of elements PX and PXD in figure 15(c) and ¶ 114).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Kim according to the teachings of Watanabe, for the purpose of simplifying a manufacturing process by arranging pixels in a display panel having curved corners in the same way as in a conventional rectangular display panel (¶ 114). However, Watanabe also fails to disclose the additional details of the display device.
In the same field of endeavor, Gettemy discloses where the display area and the non-display area are translucent (¶ 23).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Kim, as modified by Watanabe, according to the teachings of Gettemy, for the purpose of making a color filter out of appropriate materials (¶ 23).
• Regarding claims 2-6 and 8-10, Kim, in view of Watanabe and Gettemy, discloses everything claimed, as applied to claim 1. Additionally, Kim discloses where:
Claim 3: the driving circuit includes a scanning signal line driving circuit that outputs scanning signals (element 1470 in figure 25) and a video signal line driving circuit that outputs video signals (note the unlabeled rectangle at the bottom of figure 25),
the scanning signal line driving circuit and the video signal line driving circuit are arranged in the peripheral area (figure 25), and
the first wiring extends from the scanning signal line driving circuit and the second wiring extends from the video signal line driving circuit (figure 25).
Claim 4: the scanning signal line driving circuit is arranged in the peripheral area in a direction in which the first wiring extends from the display area (figure 25), and
the video signal line driving circuit is arranged in the peripheral area in a direction in which the second wiring extends from the display area (figure 25).
However, Kim fails to disclose the additional details of the display device.
In the same field of endeavor, Watanabe discloses where:
Claim 2: the pair of substrates includes an array substrate and a counter substrate facing the array substrate (elements 12 and 14, respectively, in figure 3 and ¶ 61),
the plurality of pixels includes a plurality of pixel electrodes provided on the array substrate and a counter electrode provided on the counter substrate (elements 12b and 14, respectively, in figure 4 and ¶ 67), and
the plurality of dummy pixels includes a plurality of dummy pixel electrodes provided on the array substrate and the counter electrode provided on the counter substrate (at least suggested by the combination of Kim and Watanabe).
Claim 5: an outer peripheral edge of the display panel has a continuously curved portion (figure 12).
Claim 6: the outer peripheral edge of the display panel further includes a straight portion (figure 12).
Claim 8: the display device further comprises:
a first sealing material surrounding the display area (element 18 in figure 4 and ¶ 61),
the first sealing material is arranged to overlap the non-display area (element 18 in figure 4 and ¶ 61).
Claim 9: the display device further comprises:
a second sealing material surrounding the display area and the non-display area (element 18 in figure 4 and ¶ 61).
Claim 10 the plurality of dummy pixels is arranged in a plurality of columns extending from the display area toward the peripheral area (note the arrangement of elements PXD in figure 15(c)), and
a number of the plurality of dummy pixels in the plurality of columns increases toward the light source (note the arrangement of elements PXD in figure 15(c); where ¶s 110-114 at least suggest that this arrangement should be applied to each of the four corners of element 400 in figure 12).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Kim according to the teachings of Watanabe, for the purpose of simplifying a manufacturing process by arranging pixels in a display panel having curved corners in the same way as in a conventional rectangular display panel (¶ 114).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim, in view of Watanabe and Gettemy, and further in view of Ma et al (US 2022/0317493; hereinafter Ma).
• Regarding claim 7, Kim, in view of Watanabe and Gettemy, discloses everything claimed, as applied to claim 2. However, Kim, in view of Watanabe and Gettemy, fails to disclose the additional details of the display device.
In the same field of endeavor, Ma discloses where:
Claim 7: each of the plurality of pixels includes a transistor (figure 1 and ¶ 48) having an oxide semiconductor layer (element 105 in figure 1 and ¶ 48),
a first conductive layer on the oxide semiconductor layer (element 102 in figure 1 and ¶ 48),
an insulating film between the oxide semiconductor layer and the first conductive layer (element 106 in figure 1 and ¶ 48),
a second conductive layer electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer (element 103 in figure 1 and ¶ 48), and
a third conductive layer electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer (element 104 in figure 1 and ¶ 48), and
the pixel electrode electrically connected to the third conductive layer (¶ 48),
each of the plurality of dummy pixels includes a structure lacking at least one of the oxide semiconductor layer, the first conductive layer, the second conductive layer, and the third conductive layer, and includes the pixel electrode (at least suggested by “[t]hose pixels have been formed as dummy pixels PXD that do not contribute to a display operation” in ¶ 114 of Watanabe), and
the display device further includes a video signal line electrically connected to the second conductive layer (inherent in figure 1 and ¶ 48, in view of figure 25 of Kim).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Kim, as modified by Watanabe and Gettemy, according to the teachings of Ma, for the purpose of maintaining performance under harsh conditions (¶ 6).
Closing Remarks/Comments
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN DANIELSEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4248. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
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/NATHAN DANIELSEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622
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