Invalidity dossier
US 6043979
Heat-discharging LCD monitor
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Added 9/23/2026, 3:49:16 PM
Active provider: DeepSeek · deepseek-flash
Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
Patent Overview — US 6043979 A
Title: Heat-discharging LCD monitor
Assignee/Inventor: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; inventor Jae-Soo Shim
Key dates: Korean priority 1996-12-04 (Ser. No. 1996/61632); US filing 1997-12-04 (App. No. 08/985,626); granted/publication 2000-03-28; anticipated expiration 2017-12-04; status listed as "Expired – Lifetime."
Purpose: The patent addresses heat generated by circuit parts on a flat-display panel monitor's main printed circuit board (PCB). The specification states that unless internally generated heat is removed, those parts "undergo increased wear and the lifespan of the monitor will be reduced," and that natural convection cooling becomes less effective as monitors and internal spaces shrink. The stated goal is a monitor that better discharges internally generated heat, thereby increasing lifespan, permitting further miniaturization, improving reliability, and increasing market competitiveness.
Plain-language scope: The abstract describes a flat-display panel monitor that discharges excessive heat from its main PCB using an air duct and a fan to force air through the monitor housing, providing greater cooling than natural convection, with filters over the apertures to reduce contaminants entering the housing. The description describes a main body, L-shaped member, and stand; a main PCB secured to the rear housing with a space forming an air flow passage; a fan over an intake aperture at the lower portion of the back cover; an exhaust aperture in the back cover; and an optional filter between intake aperture and fan. The specification notes the fan operates during monitor operation and stops when the monitor is off, and that locating the intake at the bottom and exhaust at the back keeps apertures out of front view.
What the excerpt does not establish: It is an excerpt, not the full document; it does not include the complete claims or full description ("It is another object to provide a flat-display panel monitor that effectively discharges inte…" is truncated), does not reproduce the referenced prior-art patents' disclosures, and does not independently establish validity, enforceability, or legal status.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:51:19 PM
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Litigation summary
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Proceedings on file (0)
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PTAB challenges
AIA trial proceedings at the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board — IPR, PGR, and CBM. Petitioners, judge panels, claim-level invalidation outcomes from Final Written Decisions, and Federal Circuit appeals. The single most important defensive datapoint after litigation history.
Assignment history
Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.
Prior art
Earlier patents, publications, and products that may anticipate or render the claims unpatentable.
Obviousness
Combinations of prior art that suggest the claimed invention would have been obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103.
Extensions
Patent term adjustments, term extensions, continuations, divisionals, family members, and expiration dates.
Derivative works
Defensive disclosure: derivative variations of each claim designed to render future incremental improvements obvious or non-novel.