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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 1-15 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (hereinafter “Kim”), US Pub. No. 2017/0005077.
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches a display (fig. 1, display 14) comprising: a circuit board ([0057], flexible printed circuit substrates, rigid printed circuit board material, flexible printed circuit board material; substrate 32 may include one or more layers of metal traces separated by layers of dielectric); an arrangement of pixels provided on or in the circuit board (figs. 6-8, [0053, 0074, 0076]); and electrical connections between the pixels of the arrangement of pixels on or in the circuit board ([0057, 0062, 0069], layers of metal traces may form signal interconnect paths, device 20 may contain an array of components 24 interconnected by corresponding signal paths, signal paths 42 interconnect components 24), wherein the display is a meshed display ([0062, 0068], the overall shape of paths 42 may form a mesh, provide the substrate layer with a mesh shape) due to removed portions of the circuit board ([0068, 0070, 0077], portions of the polymer substrate may be removed, portions 46 may be thinned or removed completely to form openings, the mesh formed by thinning or removing portions 46 from substrate 44).
Regarding claim 2, Kim teaches wherein the portions of the circuit board that are removed are between the pixels or electrical connection ([0068-0070, 0077]).
Regarding claim 3, Kim teaches wherein the portions of the circuit board that are removed are where none of the pixels or none of the electrical connections therebetween are present ([0069, 0070, 0077]).
Regarding claim 4, Kim teaches wherein the portions of the circuit board that are removed are between individual pixels of the arrangement of pixels (fig. 8, [0069, 0070, 0076).
Regarding claim 5, Kim teaches wherein the circuit board has perforations provided therein due to the portions of the circuit board removed (fig. 8, [0068, 0070]).
Regarding claim 6, Kim teaches further comprising a driver at each of the individual pixels of the arrangement pixels, each of the drivers being configured to control a respective individual pixel ([0090]).
Regarding claim 7, Kim teaches comprising a plurality of circuit boards; wherein an arrangement of pixels is provided on or in each of the plurality of circuit boards, such that at least a part of said plurality of circuit boards have one or more of said pixels being mounted thereon, and such that said pixels are connected with each other ([0053, 0057, 0062, 0069, 0076]).
Regarding claim 8, Kim teaches wherein the display comprises electrical connections that provide power to said pixels and/or to connect two or more of said pixels with each other ([0062, 0069], signal paths 42, interconnects 50, 56).
Regarding claim 9, Kim teaches further comprising a plurality of drivers arranged such that one of said drivers is provided for each individual pixel, wherein the plurality of drivers are arranged on at least one of said plurality of circuit boards, for respectively controlling each of the individual pixels ([0057-0058, 0090]).
Regarding claim 10, Kim teaches wherein the display is deformable or flexible in at least one direction ([0054-0055, 0066]).
Regarding claim 11, Kim teaches wherein the display is deformable or flexible in two or more orthogonal directions ([0055]).
Regarding claim 12, Kim teaches wherein a sufficient part of said circuit board is removed in said meshed display that open spaces between the electrical connections and the pixels are created (fig. 8, [0068, 0069]).
Regarding claim 13, Kim teaches further comprising a thermoplastic material or other material ([0067, 0070, 0073]).
Regarding claim 14, Kim teaches wherein the pixels of the arrangement of pixels are embedded in the thermoplastic material or other material ([0070, 0076]).
Regarding claim 15, Kim teaches wherein the thermoplastic material or other material is transparent ([0073]).
Regarding claim 17, Kim teaches wherein the thermoplastic material or other material provides mechanical stiffness and/or mechanical reinforcement ([0067, 0070]).
Regarding claim 18, Kim teaches further comprising a thermoplastic material, wherein the thermoplastic material is provided with optical components, lenses diffusers, or polarizers ([0067,0070,0073, fig. 17).
Regarding claim 19, Kim teaches wherein the perforations are arranged arbitrarily or are arranged to match a structure of the display (fig. 8, [0068-0069]).
Regarding claim 20, it is a method of claim 1 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
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.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (see above) in view of Herrmann et al. (hereinafter “Herrmann”), US Pub. No. 2021/0091263.
Regarding claim 16, Kim fails to explicitly teach wherein the thermoplastic material or other material is locally hardened or locally frozen in one or more areas of the display.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Herrmann teaches a display device wherein a thermoplastic deformation of the carrier is effected, which maintains its deformation after cooling ([0006, 0009]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the polymer substrate of Kim using Herrmann’s thermoplastic fixation technique so that portions of the display substrate could be fixed or hardened after deformation. As such, a person having ordinary skill in the art would appreciate the motivation for doing so would have been to maintain display geometry and improving mechanical stability.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Wyatt (US Pub. No. 2021/0097943) teaches a display including integrated drivers per pixel area.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH B LEE JR whose telephone number is (571)270-3147. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William Boddie can be reached at 571-272-0666. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KENNETH B LEE JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625
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