Application No.: 17/391 ,056
`Reply dated December 28, 2023
`Responseto Office Action of September 29, 2023
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`REMARKS
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`Claims 1-6, 8, 9, and 11 have been amendedto moreparticularly define the claimed
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`inventions and clearly distinguish over the prior art of record, and new claim 15 has been added.
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`Conforming amendments have been madeto the specification to provide express support for
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`the amendedclaim limitations. Accordingly, claims 1-11 and 15 are currently pending in the
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`Application, of which claims 1, 3, 5, 8 and 11 are independent. Claims 12-14 should have been
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`withdrawn from consideration as being directed to a non-elected invention, but only claim 12
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`was so withdrawnin the Office Action.
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`Applicant respectfully submits that the above amendments do not add new matter to the
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`Application and are fully supported by the specification. Support for the amendments may be
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`found at least in Applicant’s originally-filed specification, such as in paragraphs [0019] and
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`[0117], the drawings and the corresponding description, as discussed in more detail herein.
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`In view of the above amendments and the following Remarks, Applicant respectfully
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`requests reconsideration and timely withdrawal of the pending objections and rejections for the
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`reasons discussed below.
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`Interpretations under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f)
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`Claims 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 11 wereinterpreted under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) as allegedly
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`including the following means plus function limitations: “a sensor control unit” and “display
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`driving unit” in claims 1, 5 and 11 and “control unit” in claims 3, 4 and 8. Applicant respectfully
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`traverses this interpretation for at least the following reasons.
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`The limitations “sensor control unit”, “display driving unit” and “control unit’ are well
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`knownterms in the art that connote sufficient structure to avoid meansplus function treatment.
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`However, in order to advance prosecution, Applicant amendedthe claims without prejudice or
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`disclaimer to recite the structural term “circuit” and specify the specific relevant functions and
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`--11--
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`

`

`Application No.: 17/391 ,056
`Reply dated December 28, 2023
`Responseto Office Action of September 29, 2023
`
`thereby obviate the issue. Conforming amendments have been madeto paragraphs [0117] and
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`[0118] of the specification to provide express support for the claimed “circuits,” the functions of
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`which were described in the specification as filed. Accordingly, there is no longer any basis to
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`invoke means plus function treatment of the claims.
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`Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. § 102
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`Claims 1-11 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as allegedly being anticipated
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`by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0266695, applied for by Bae, ef a/. (“Bae”).
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`Applicant respectfully traverses this Rejection for at least the following reasons.
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`In order for a rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) to be proper, a single reference must
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`disclose every claimed feature. To be patentable, a claim need only recite a single novel
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`feature that is not disclosed in the cited reference. Thus, the failure of a cited reference to
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`disclose one or more claimed features renders the 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) rejection improper.
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`Without conceding to or acquiescing in any of the arguments presentedin the Office
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`Action, Applicant has, merely in the interests of advancing prosecution, amended independent
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`claims 1, 3, 5, 8 and 11 to more clearly distinguish over Bae.
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`In particular, claim 1, as
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`amended, recites, in relevant part, inter alfa:
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`a display panel including a substrate supporting pixels and transistors to display an
`image, the display panel including a first area and a second area;
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`a fingerprint sensor disposed underthe substrate the-displaypane? in the first area and
`in_a different layer than the transistors; ...
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`a sensor control wa circuit to control an operation of the fingerprint sensor by sensing
`light variation or ultrasonic wave variation and the touch sensor by sensing capacitance:
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`a display driving uA circuit to control an image display operation of the display panel by
`generating an image driving signal,
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`wherein the sensor control wA# circuit sequentially or simultaneously is configured to
`drive the touch sensor and the fingerprint sensor.
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`--12--
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`

`

`Application No.: 17/391 ,056
`Reply dated December 28, 2023
`Responseto Office Action of September 29, 2023
`
`Claim 3, as amended, similarly recites in relevant part, inter alia:
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`a display panel including a substrate supporting pixels and transistors to display an
`image, the display panelincluding a first area and a second area;
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`a fingerprint sensor disposed underthe substratethedisplaypanet in the first area and
`in_a different layer than the transistors; .
`.
`.
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`a control uA# circuit to control an operation of the fingerprint sensor by sensing light
`variation or ultrasonic wave variation, the touch sensor by sensing capacitance, and the
`display panel by generating an image data signal,
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`wherein the control uA circuit sequentially or simultaneously is configured to drive the
`touch sensor, the fingerprint sensor and the display panel,
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`Claim 5, as amended, similarly recites in relevant part, inter alia:
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`a display panel including a substrate supporting pixels and transistors to display an
`image, the display pane! including a first area and a second area;
`
`a fingerprint sensor disposed underthe substratethedisplaypanet in the first area and
`in_a different layer than the transistors; .
`.
`.
`
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`a sensorcontrol ua circuit to control an operation of the fingerprint sensor by sensing
`light variation or ultrasonic wave variation and the touch sensor by sensing capacitance:;.
`
`a display driving uA circuit to control an image display operation of the display panel by
`generating an image driving signal: ...
`
`
`wherein the sensor control wA# circuit sequentially or simultaneously is configured to
`drive the touch sensor and the fingerprint sensor.
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`Claim 8, as amended, similarly recites in relevant part, inter alia:
`
`a display panel including a substrate supporting pixels and transistors to display an
`image, the display panel including a first area and a second area;
`
`a fingerprint sensor disposed underthe substrate the-displaypane? in the first area and
`in_a different layer than the transistors; .
`.
`.
`
`a control uA# circuit to control an operation of the fingerprint sensor by sensing light
`variation or ultrasonic wave variation, the touch sensor by sensing capacitance, and the
`display panel by generating an image data signal: and
`
`wherein the control uA circuit sequentially or simultaneously is configured to drive the
`touch sensor, the fingerprint sensor and the display panel, ...
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`--13--
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`

`

`Application No.: 17/391 ,056
`Reply dated December 28, 2023
`Responseto Office Action of September 29, 2023
`
`Claim 11, as amended, similarly recites in relevant part, inter alia:
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`a display panel including a substrate supporting pixels and transistors to display an
`image, the display panel including a first area and a second area;
`
`a fingerprint sensor disposed underthe substratethedisplaypane! in the first area and
`in a different layer than the transistors; .
`.
`.
`
`a sensorcontrol unit circuit to control an operation of the fingerprint sensor by sensing
`light variation or ultrasonic wavevariation;
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`a display driving uA circuit to control an image display operation of the display panel by
`generating an image driving signal; and...
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`Applicant respectfully submits that Bae particularly fails to disclose or suggest the
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`limitations of claims 1, 3, 5, 8 and 11 requiring “a fingerprint sensor disposed under the
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`substrate in the first area and in a different layer than the transistors:”
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`These amendedfeatures are fully supported by the specification, including annotated
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`FIGS.1B and 4B, reproduced below.
`
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`--14--
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`

`

`Application No.: 17/391 ,056
`Reply dated December 28, 2023
`Responseto Office Action of September 29, 2023
`
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`< Annotated FIGS. 1B and 4B of this Application>
`
`Specifically, the specification of this application discloses:
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`[0107] In detail, the display panel PNL includes a substrate SUB, a display unit PP
`disposed on a front surface of the substrate SUB, and a fingerprint sensor FPS disposed
`on a rear surface of the substrate SUB.
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`[0135] The first sub-pixel according to exemplary embodiments mayinclude an
`insulating layer, a pixel definition layer PDL,a thin film transistor TFT, a light emitting
`element, and a coverlayer CV disposed on the substrate SUB. Herein, a thin film
`transistor TFT mayinclude an active pattern ACT, a gate electrode GE, a source
`electrode SE, and a drain electrode DE. Theinsulating layer may include a buffer layer
`BF, a gate insulating layer Gl, an interlayer insulating layer IL, and a passivation layer
`PSV. Thelight emitting element may includea first electrode EL1, a second electrode
`EL2, and an organic layer disposed betweenthe first electrode EL1 and the second
`electrode EL2.
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`The specification and drawingsclearly disclose that the fingerprint sensor FPSis
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`disposed under the substrate SUB andthe thin film transistor is disposed on the substrate SUB
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`in a different layer above the substrate SUB. Thus, the amendmentsto claims 1, 3, 5 ,8 and 11
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`encompassthe features disclosed in FIGS. 1B and 4B, but are nowheredisclosed in the Bae
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`reference, which is structurally different than the claimed inventions.
`
`--15--
`
`

`

`Application No.: 17/391 ,056
`Reply dated December 28, 2023
`Responseto Office Action of September 29, 2023
`
`In particular, in rejecting claim 1, the Rejection asserts that:
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`a finger print sensor disposed underthe display panel in the first area ([(0067]-[0068],
`FIG. 1, function as a display apparatus and an input device such as a touchinterface at
`the same time. The display apparatus FSD having an image scanning function that
`detect a fingerprint pattern FP from a finger F of a user in contact with a specific area SA
`of a display surface thereof). See Office Action, at p. 6.
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`Similar assertions are madefor claims 3, 5,8 and 11. See Office Action at pp. 8-9.
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`However, Bae discloses that the optical sensor and the TFT “may be disposedinthe
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`same plane on the lower glass substrate (paragraph [0147]), which is shownin FIG. 22 of Bae
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`reproducedon the following page. While Bae mentions that the “optical sensor may be
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`disposed on or below the TFT,” in the same paragraph, Bae does not teach placing the
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`optical sensor below the substrate. Therefore, Bae fails to disclose the limitation requiring “a
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`fingerprint sensor disposed under the substrate in the first area and in a different layer than the
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`transistors;”, as recited in the amended claims herein.
`
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`Accordingly, Applicant respectfully requests withdrawal of the 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1)
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`rejection of claim 1, 3, 5,8 and 11. Claims 2, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10 dependfrom claim 1, 3, 5, 8 and
`
`--16--
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`

`

`Application No.: 17/391 ,056
`Reply dated December 28, 2023
`Responseto Office Action of September 29, 2023
`
`11, respectively, and are allowable at least for this reason. Since none ofthe alleged priorart of
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`record discloses or suggestsall the limitations of the claimed subject matter, Applicant
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`respectfully submits that independent claim 1, 3, 5, 8 and 11, and all the claims that depend
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`therefrom, are allowable.
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`Added Claims
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`Addedclaim 15 is directed to additional features of the disclosed subject matter, which
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`are not disclosed or suggested in the art of record. Support for these features may be found at
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`least in original claim 171.
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`Other Matters
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`In addition to the amendments mentioned above, claims 2, 4, 6, and 9 have been
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`amendedsolely for informality correction, better wording, and clarification. These amendments
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`are not madefor the purpose of avoiding prior art or narrowing the claimed subject matter, and
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`no change in claim scopeis intended. Therefore, Applicant does not intend to relinquish any
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`subject matter by these amendments.
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`--17--
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`

`

`Application No.: 17/391 ,056
`Reply dated December 28, 2023
`Responseto Office Action of September 29, 2023
`
`CONCLUSION
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`A full and complete response has been madeto the pending Office Action, and all of the
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`stated objections and grounds for rejection have been overcome or rendered moot.
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`Accordingly, all pending claims are allowable, and the Application is in condition for allowance.
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`The Examiner is invited to contact Applicant’s undersigned representative at the number
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`below if it would expedite prosecution. Prompt and favorable consideration of this Reply is
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`respectfully requested.
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`Respectfully submitted,
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`/Jae Hoon Kim/
`
`Jae Hoon Kim
`Reg. No. 77,622
`
`Date: December28, 2023
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`CUSTOMER NUMBER: 58027
`H.C. Park & Associates, PLC
`1894 Preston White Drive
`Reston, VA 20191
`Tel: 703-288-5105
`Fax: 703-288-5139
`HCP/RSM/JHK/jhe
`
`--18--
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