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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313- 1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`APPLICATION NO.
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` F ING DATE
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`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
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`CONF {MATION NO.
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`12/153,568
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`05/21/2008
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`Mutsuko Hatano
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`ASAM—0285
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`7887
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`7590
`9999,9919
`JuancaflosAMmq —
`c/o Stites & Harbison PLLC
`BURKHART9 ELIZABETH A
`1199 North Fairfax Street
`9119999
`Alexandria, VA 223 14- 1437
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`NM
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`1715
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`NOT *ICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`01/22/2013
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/0r attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
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`iplaw @ stites.com
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`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Application No.
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`Applicant(s)
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` 12/153,568 HATANO ET AL.
`Examiner
`Art Unit
`ELIZABETH BURKHART
`1715
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`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
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`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTH(S) OR THIRTY (30) DAYS,
`WHICHEVER IS LONGER, FROM THE MAILING DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1. 136(a).
`In no event however may a reply be timely filed
`after SIX () MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
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`Status
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`1)|Zl Responsive to communication(s) filed on 12 October 2012.
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`2a)IZI This action is FINAL.
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`2b)|:l This action is non-final.
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`3)|:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:l Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims
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`5)IZ Claim(s) 1-5 and9 is/are pending in the application.
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`5a) Of the above claim(s) _ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`6)|:| Claim(s)_ is/are allowed.
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`7)|Xl Claim(s) 1-5_and9 is/are rejected.
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`8)I:I Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
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`9)|:I Claim((s)
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
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`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway
`program at a participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
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`httn:i/www usntq. quwua'ertslanr events/
`h/index.'s or send an inquiry to PPeredback us toxev.
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`Application Papers
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`10)I:| The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
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`11)|:l The drawing(s) filed on _ is/are: a)|:l accepted or b)|:l objected to by the Examiner.
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`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
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`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`12)|:| The oath or declaration is objected to by the Examiner. Note the attached Office Action or form PTO-152.
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`13)I:| Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
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`a)|:l All
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`b)I:I Some * c)I:I None of:
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`1.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`2.I:I Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. _
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`3.|:l Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
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`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`Attachment(s)
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`
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`1) I] Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`2) I] Notice of Draftsperson‘s Patent Drawing Review (PTO-948)
`3) I] Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date _.
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
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`4) I] Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper N0(S )/Mai| Date. _
`5)I:I NOTICQ 0f Informal Patent Application
`6)I:I Other:—
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 01-12)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20130113
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`Application/Control Number: 12/153,568
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 1715
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`1.
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`Claims 1-5 and 9 are pending in the application. The amendment filed
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`10/12/2012 has been entered and carefully considered.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all
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`obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed
`or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the
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`subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject
`matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made
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`to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains.
`Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was
`made.
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`2.
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`Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over
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`Shimoda et al (US 2002/0146893) in view of French et al (US 2007/0091062), Chang et
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`al (US 2002/0031605), and lnoue et al (US 2003/0040164).
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`Shimoda discloses a method of making a display device comprising: forming a
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`resin material layer 2 on a main surface of a glass substrate 1 [0109], forming a plurality
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`of lamination material layers 4 configuring a display circuit on the resin material layer
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`[0119], and generating exfoliation at the interface between the resin material layer and
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`glass substrate by irradiating light from the surface on the opposite side of the glass
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`substrate [0100] (Fig. 5 & 7). The resin material layer may be polyimide [0109]. The
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`display circuit includes a polarization plate to form an active matrix LCD (Fig. 36; [0119];
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`[0368D.
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`Application/Control Number: 12/153,568
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 1715
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`Shimoda does not disclose using the resin material layer from which the glass
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`substrate is removed as a substrate for the display device, that the resin material layer
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`is formed by curing the resin, or that an oriented film is formed on the polarizing plate.
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`French discloses forming a display device wherein a rigid glass substrate is
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`removed from a plastic substrate after deposition of the display circuits such that
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`conventional substrate handling and processing is enabled with minimal extra
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`equipment (Abstract). The plastic substrate enables lighter and thinner display devices
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`[0002]. The plastic substrate may be polyimide [0068].
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`Chang discloses that polyimide for a display device may be coated on a
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`substrate and then cured to form a film [0007].
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`lnoue discloses a method of forming an active matrix liquid crystal display (LCD)
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`wherein an oriented film is used for orienting a liquid crystal layer (Fig. 26; [0262]-
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`[0263]
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`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
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`invention by applicant to use the resin material layer (i.e. polyimide) of Shimoda as the
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`substrate for the display device as suggested by French in order to form thinner and
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`lighter display devices. Further, it would have been obvious to form the polyimide layer
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`of Shimoda or French by curing the resin on the substrate as suggested by Chang since
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`it was a known method of depositing a polyimide film on a substrate for a display
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`device. Further, it would have been obvious to include an oriented film on the polarizing
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`plate of Shimoda as suggested by lnoue since it was common for orientation of liquid
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`crystal layers.
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`Application/Control Number: 12/153,568
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 1715
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`Regarding Claims 3 and 4, Shimoda discloses forming a barrier layer 3 between
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`the resin layer 2 and the display circuit 4. The barrier layer may be silicon oxide [0115]-
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`[0116}
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`Regarding Claim 5, Shimoda discloses that the display circuit includes a thin film
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`transistor [0119] (Fig. 36).
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`Thus, claims 1-5 would have been obvious within the meaning of 35 USC 103
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`over the combined teachings of Shimoda, French, Chang, and lnoue
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`3.
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`Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Shimoda
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`et al (US 2002/0146893) in view of French et al (US 2007/0091062), Chang et al (US
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`2002/0031605), and lnoue et al (US 2003/0040164) as applied above and further in
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`view of Kim et al (US 2006/0043889).
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`Shimoda, French, Chang, and lnoue do not disclose forming an electric
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`conductive film on the glass substrate and forming the coated resin (e.g. polyimide) on
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`the electric conductive film.
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`Kim discloses forming a display device wherein an electric conductive anti-static
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`layer is formed on a donor substrate to suppress static electricity that may occur when
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`the donor substrate is detached. The antistatic layer may be ZnO [0033].
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`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
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`invention by applicant to form an electric conductive layer as suggested by Kim on the
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`glass substrate of Shimoda or French in order to suppress static electricity when
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`removing the glass substrate.
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`Application/Control Number: 12/153,568
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 1715
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`Thus, claim 9 would have been obvious within the meaning of 35 USC 103 over
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`the combined teachings of Shimoda, French, Chang, Inoue, and Kim.
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`Response to Arguments
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`4.
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`Applicant's arguments filed 10/12/2012 have been fully considered but they are
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`not persuasive. Applicant argues that lnoue discloses that a polarizing plate and an
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`oriented film are placed on opposite sides without lamination thereof, and thus teaches
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`away from the claimed invention of forming an oriented film on the polarizing plate. The
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`Examiner disagrees. lnoue teaches that an active matrix board 440, which is on a
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`polarizing plate 420, may have an orientation film (not shown) thereon for orienting a
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`liquid crystal layer (Fig. 26; [0262]). Thus, the orientation film of lnoue is on the
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`polarizing plate, although not in direct contact. The claims as presently written do not
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`require that the oriented film and the polarizing plate be in direct contact with one
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`another, nor do they exclude intervening layers.
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`Conclusion
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`5.
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`THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time
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`policy as set forth in 37 CFR1.136(a).
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`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE
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`MONTHS from the mailing date of this action.
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`In the event a first reply is filed within
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`TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not
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`mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the
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`shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any
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`extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of
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`Application/Control Number: 12/153,568
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 1715
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`the advisory action.
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`In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later
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`than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to ELIZABETH BURKHART whose telephone number is
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`(571)272-6647. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 6:30-3:00.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Timothy Meeks can be reached on 571-272—1423. The fax phone number
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`for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the
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`Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for
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`published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
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`Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only.
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`For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should
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`you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic
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`Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a
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`USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information
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`system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272—1000.
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`/Elizabeth Burkhart/
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`Examiner, Art Unit 1715
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`