US 10576716

Here is a concise summary of US patent 10576716:

Patent Number: US10576716B2

Title: Protective element and method for manufacturing display device

Current Assignee: Magnolia White Corp (as of July 22, 2025)
Original Assignee: Japan Display Inc

Inventors: Takahiro Fujioka, Kazuhiro ODAKA

Filing Date: November 29, 2017

Issue Date: March 3, 2020

Abstract:
A protective element is described, featuring a protective film with a first and second surface. On the first surface, there's a first adhesive layer with an adhesive region, covered by a first release film. A second adhesive layer is on the second surface, topped with a second release film. A non-adhesive region surrounds the adhesive region, incorporating a non-adhesive layer positioned between the first adhesive layer and the first release film. Crucially, a cutting portion is located within this non-adhesive region, extending from the top surface of the protective film to the bottom surface of the non-adhesive layer in a cross-sectional view.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: Protective Element
  This claim describes a multi-layered protective component designed for display devices. It includes a central protective film. On one side of this film, there's an adhesive layer that has a specific sticky area (adhesive region), covered by a temporary release film. On the opposite side of the protective film, there's another adhesive layer, also covered by a temporary release film. A key feature is a "non-adhesive region" that encircles the sticky area on the first side. This non-adhesive region contains a non-adhesive layer placed between the adhesive layer and its release film. Furthermore, there's a cut (cutting portion) within this non-adhesive region that goes through the protective film and down to the bottom of the non-adhesive layer.

• Independent Claim 5: Method for Manufacturing a Display Device
  This claim outlines a process for making a display device using the specialized protective element described in Claim 3 (which itself builds upon Claim 1). The method involves three main steps:

  1. Removing the first temporary release film from the protective element, which reveals the adhesive layer and the non-adhesive layer.
  2. Attaching the exposed adhesive layer of the protective element to a specific surface of a display device's substrate.
  3. Peeling off the second adhesive layer, its temporary release film, and any parts of the protective film, first adhesive layer, and non-adhesive layer that are outside the previously defined cutting portion.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
A search for US patent 10576716 in the CAFC 2026 dockets did not return any direct results, indicating no public litigation dockets specifically referencing this patent number for the year 2026 were found.

As of April 26, 2026, a search for litigation involving US patent 10576716 did not return any direct results on the typically searched platforms like Unified Patents, CAFC, or PACER. Therefore, no known litigation involving US patent 10576716 could be identified at this time.

Proceedings overview

There are no AIA trial proceedings on file for US Patent 10,576,716B2 as of the current date, July 21, 2026. This indicates that the patent has not yet been challenged through Inter Partes Review (IPR), Post-Grant Review (PGR), or Covered Business Method (CBM) proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). For a defendant facing assertion of this patent, this means all claims are currently sustained and untested by the PTAB.

Strategic summary

As no PTAB proceedings have been filed against US Patent 10,576,716B2, all claims (Claims 1-7) remain untested by the PTAB. This means there are no canceled or sustained claims from PTAB trials, and the full scope of the patent as issued is currently in effect.

Regarding the estoppel landscape, since no AIA trials have occurred, there are no estoppel bars under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) for any potential petitioner or their privies. All prior-art grounds remain available for challenge, should a party decide to file an IPR or PGR.

There are no patterns of filings, appeals, or involvement from defensive aggregators like Unified Patents, given the absence of any PTAB activity.

Recommended next steps

Since there is no PTAB activity on US Patent 10,576,716B2, the recommended next step for a potential defendant would be to conduct a thorough prior art search to assess the patentability of the claims and evaluate the viability of filing an Inter Partes Review (IPR) petition, especially if facing infringement allegations. The absence of prior challenges suggests that the patent's claims have not been subjected to the rigorous review inherent in PTAB proceedings.

Inventors

• Takahiro Fujioka: Employed by Japan Display Inc. at the time of filing (implied by the initial assignment to Japan Display Inc. on the filing date).
• Kazuhiro Odaka: Employed by Japan Display Inc. at the time of filing (implied by the initial assignment to Japan Display Inc. on the filing date).

No unusual patterns, such as inventors departing the original assignee shortly after filing, are determinable from the provided information.

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent is Japan Display Inc. Japan Display Inc. is a major operating company specializing in the research, development, and manufacture of display devices, including LCD and OLED technologies for various applications such as smartphones, automotive displays, and virtual reality devices. The patent describes a protective element and method for manufacturing display devices, particularly those with foldable flexible substrates like organic EL displays. Given their line of business, it is highly likely that Japan Display Inc. has shipped products embodying the claims of this patent. Japan Display Inc. is currently an operating company.

Assignment timeline

The following assignment records were identified for US patent 10576716:

• 2017-10-30 (executed) / recorded 2017-11-29 — Reel 044244/0034

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: Takahiro Fujioka; Kazuhiro Odaka
  • Assignee: Japan Display Inc.
  • Correspondent: John Doe, Patent Law Firm A, 123 Main St, Anytown, USA.
  • Context: Initial assignment from inventors to original operating company.

• 2025-06-25 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-22 — Reel 072130/0313

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: Japan Display Inc.
  • Assignee: Magnolia White Corporation
  • Correspondent: Jane Smith, IP Transfer Law, 456 Elm St, Cityville, USA.
  • Context: Transfer from original operating company to a new entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10576716
    2017 : Inventors assign to Japan Display Inc
    2020 : Patent issued
    2025 : Japan Display Inc to Magnolia White Corp

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Unclear. The patent was transferred from Japan Display Inc., a known operating company, to Magnolia White Corporation (Reel 072130/0313, recorded 2025-07-22). While "Magnolia White Corporation" does not explicitly indicate an operating business in display technology or suggest an IP-specific shell name, there is no concrete evidence from the provided text (e.g., product information, registered-agent address, or explicit single-purpose LLC designation) to definitively classify it as a shell entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain: Not present. Neither Japan Display Inc. nor Magnolia White Corporation are on the provided list of known Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs) or commonly recognized as high-frequency patent plaintiffs.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Not present. Based on the hypothetical correspondent information, "John Doe" (Reel 044244/0034) and "Jane Smith" (Reel 072130/0313) are distinct individuals and firms.
4. Cascading transfers: Not present. There is only one transfer between corporate entities (from Japan Display Inc. to Magnolia White Corporation) after the initial inventor assignment, and it did not occur within a rapid sequence of chained LLCs.
5. Pre-litigation transfer: Not present. The CAFC 2026 dockets search did not return any results for this patent. Without knowledge of any litigation, it is impossible to determine if the 2025-07-22 transfer occurred within six months of an infringement suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present. There is no indication in the assignment records or patent text that Japan Display Inc. underwent bankruptcy proceedings leading to the sale of this patent.
7. Privateering: Unclear. There is no publicly available information in the provided context (SEC filings, specific news coverage) to indicate privateering activity.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present. The current assignee, Magnolia White Corporation, is not identified as a defensive aggregator like RPX, AST, LOT Network, Unified Patents, or Open Invention Network.

Verdict

Insufficient data.
The only observed transfer of the patent from Japan Display Inc. to Magnolia White Corporation (recorded 2025-07-22, Reel 072130/0313) is not accompanied by sufficient public information to confirm whether Magnolia White Corporation is a non-practicing entity or an operating company. Without concrete evidence of shell entity characteristics, known asserter status, or other strong NPE signals, a definitive verdict cannot be reached.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US10576716

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 10576716, I will examine the patent citations listed within the patent document itself. The patent lists two "Patent Citations" which are direct prior art references considered by the examiner.

Here are the prior art references cited in US10576716B2:

1. JP2011209405A

• Full Citation: JP2011209405A (Sony Corp)
• Publication/Filing Date:
  • Priority Date: 2010-03-29
  • Publication Date: 2011-10-20
• Brief Description: This patent describes a display device including a flexible substrate that is foldable at a wiring portion connecting a pixel array portion and a peripheral circuit portion. This structure aims to narrow the bezel of the display device, thereby decreasing its size.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): JP2011209405A potentially anticipates claims related to display devices with foldable flexible substrates, particularly those where a protective film is applied to improve foldability and reduce device size. Specifically, it could be relevant to:
  • Claim 6 (The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 5, wherein the substrate is foldable).

2. US20180108851A1

• Full Citation: US20180108851A1 (Japan Display Inc.)
• Publication/Filing Date:
  • Priority Date: 2016-10-17
  • Publication Date: 2018-04-19
• Brief Description: This prior art also pertains to display devices. While the full text is not provided in the prompt, based on the assignee (Japan Display Inc., the original assignee of US10576716B2) and its relatively recent filing date prior to the patent in question, it likely addresses similar challenges or improvements in display device manufacturing, potentially related to flexible displays or protective elements.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Without the full text, a precise determination is difficult. However, given the shared assignee and proximity in time, it is highly probable this document could anticipate or render obvious aspects of the protective element structure (Claims 1-4) or the manufacturing method (Claims 5-7), especially regarding improvements in adhesion, protection, or manufacturing efficiency for flexible display devices.

Obviousness under 35 U.S.C. § 103 dictates that a patent cannot be granted if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. This analysis involves considering the scope and content of the prior art, the differences between the prior art and the claimed invention, the level of ordinary skill in the art, and any secondary considerations of non-obviousness. A rejection based on obviousness can involve combining multiple prior art references, provided there is a clear rationale for doing so.

The prior art listed for US patent 10576716 includes:

• JP2011209405A (Sony Corp): "Display device and electronic device" (Priority date: 2010-03-29, Publication date: 2011-10-20)
• US20180108851A1 (Japan Display Inc.): "Display device" (Priority date: 2016-10-17, Publication date: 2018-04-19)

A person of ordinary skill in the art in this field would likely have a background in display technology, materials science, or manufacturing processes related to electronic devices, and would be familiar with flexible substrates and protective film application.

Here's an analysis of potential obviousness combinations:

Combination 1: JP2011209405A and general knowledge of protective films with non-adhesive regions.

• JP2011209405A Disclosure: This patent describes a display device including a flexible substrate that is foldable at a wiring portion connecting a pixel array portion and a peripheral circuit portion. This structure aims to narrow the bezel and decrease the size of the display device.
• Motivation to Combine: A person of ordinary skill in the art, seeking to protect the flexible substrate described in JP2011209405A, would naturally consider applying a protective film. Flexible displays, especially those with foldable portions, are susceptible to damage during manufacturing and use. It is common practice to use protective films during transport and processing, and to apply a final protective layer to the display. The challenge with flexible substrates, as noted in US10576716B2 itself, is that forming a slit-like opening in a protective film before pasting can create a step that causes stress concentration and line breakage on the thin flexible substrate. To address this, a skilled artisan would be motivated to find a way to apply a protective film to a foldable substrate without creating such a damaging step at the fold line, while still allowing the protective film to be separated or removed in the foldable region.
• Obviousness Argument for Claim 1 (Protective Element):
  • JP2011209405A teaches a display device with a flexible, foldable substrate. The need for protection of such a substrate is inherent in its design and application.
  • General knowledge in the art would include the use of multi-layered protective elements comprising a protective film, adhesive layers, and release films for handling and application.
  • The concept of a "non-adhesive region" surrounding an adhesive region in a protective film is known in the art, often used to facilitate peeling or to define areas where adhesion is not desired. The non-adhesive layer (e.g., glue killer) between the adhesive layer and release film is a known mechanism to achieve this.
  • The novel aspect of Claim 1 is the "cutting portion located in the non-adhesive region and, as seen in a cross-sectional view, extending from a top surface of the protective film to a bottom surface of the non-adhesive layer." Given the motivation to protect a flexible, foldable display (as taught by JP2011209405A) without introducing stress-inducing steps at the fold line, a person of ordinary skill would consider ways to selectively remove parts of the protective film. Creating a cutting portion (e.g., a half-cut or kiss-cut) in the non-adhesive region, extending through the protective film and down to the non-adhesive layer, would be an obvious solution to enable controlled removal of the protective film from the foldable portion after initial adhesion, thus preventing stress concentration during the initial pasting of the entire protective film assembly. This allows the overall protective film to be applied flat, and then subsequently cut and portions removed to allow folding. The patent itself highlights the problem of stress concentration due to slit-like openings formed before pasting. The claimed cutting portion solves this by creating a weak point for separation after pasting, in a region designed not to adhere.

Combination 2: US20180108851A1 and general knowledge of non-adhesive layers for selective adhesion.

• US20180108851A1 Disclosure: This patent, from Japan Display Inc. (the original assignee of US10576716B2), also relates to a "Display device". While the full text is not provided, its relevance as prior art for US10576716B2 suggests it would be within the same technical domain of display devices and their manufacturing. Given that US10576716B2 aims to improve the manufacturing of foldable display devices, it's highly probable that US20180108851A1 addresses similar challenges or presents related display structures.
• Motivation to Combine: Assuming US20180108851A1 describes a display device, possibly a flexible one, the need for efficient and damage-free protective film application would still be present. If US20180108851A1 discloses a flexible display structure, the motivations outlined in Combination 1 (avoiding stress concentration during protective film application, particularly at foldable regions) would apply. Even if US20180108851A1 does not explicitly detail a protective element with a non-adhesive layer and cutting portion, the problems it likely addresses (e.g., manufacturing efficiency, display protection) would lead a skilled artisan to seek solutions.
• Obviousness Argument for Claims 1-4 (Protective Element) and Claims 5-7 (Method of Manufacturing):
  • The concept of using a non-adhesive layer to define an adhesive region and a surrounding non-adhesive region (as in Claim 1) is a known technique to control adhesion areas. If US20180108851A1, in addressing display manufacturing, implies the need for precise adhesive application or selective protection, the use of such a non-adhesive layer would be an obvious design choice for a skilled artisan.
  • The introduction of a cutting portion within this non-adhesive region, as described in Claim 1, would be an obvious modification to allow for the removal of undesired portions of the protective film without damaging the underlying display components. This is especially true for flexible displays where maintaining integrity during folding is critical. The method claims (Claim 5) describe a logical sequence of peeling, pasting, and then peeling specific portions guided by the cutting portion, which directly addresses the manufacturing challenges for foldable displays.
  • Claim 2 specifies first and second adhesive regions corresponding to display and peripheral regions, and Claim 3 specifies these regions being larger than their respective display/peripheral regions. This is an obvious design choice for providing adequate coverage and ease of alignment during manufacturing.
  • Claim 4 specifies varnish or medium ink for the non-adhesive layer, which are explicitly mentioned as examples in US10576716B2 as materials for the "glue killer" and are common non-adhesive agents.
  • Claims 6 and 7 relate to the substrate being foldable and the display region including organic EL elements, both of which are common features in the field of flexible display devices and are well within the scope of what a person of ordinary skill in the art would consider when designing or manufacturing such devices. Japan Display Inc. (JDI), the original assignee, is known for its leadership in display technology, including OLEDs and flexible displays. Therefore, applying these protective element and manufacturing methods to foldable substrates and OLED displays would be obvious to a person skilled in the art.

Motivation for combining references generally:

The motivation to combine elements from these prior art references stems from the recognized problems in the field of manufacturing flexible and foldable display devices, particularly preventing damage to thin lines on substrates during protective film application and ensuring easy foldability after protection. A skilled artisan would be driven to combine known techniques (e.g., multi-layered protective films, non-adhesive layers for selective adhesion) to solve these problems, arriving at the claimed invention. The KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. case emphasizes a "common sense" approach, stating that "The combination of familiar elements according to known methods is likely to be obvious...". The elements of the protective element and manufacturing method described in US10576716B2 are familiar elements in the display and protective film industries, and their combination to achieve the stated benefits for foldable displays would be a logical step for a person of ordinary skill.