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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/19/2026 has been entered.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-2, 6, 10-11 and 33-34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US 2017/0153382) in view of Nakamura (US 2019/0088828 A1), and further in view of Reeh et al. (US 2001/0002049 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Wang et al. teach a quantum-dot light-emitting-diode (QD LED) module (Fig. 9; [0143]), comprising: a support assembly (322/326; Fig. 9; [0138]) having a top end (the top end of 322/326), a bottom end (the bottom end of 322/326), and at least one sidewall (the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) that defines an interior (the space between the left and right sidewalls of 322/326); a circuit board (320, a base which can have circuits shown in Fig. 13 for electrically connecting to the LED 302 through the wire bonding shown in Figs. 9 and 13; Fig. 9; [0147]) comprising a top surface (the top surface of 320; Fig. 9) facing and contacting the bottom end of the support assembly (the bottom end of 322/326), wherein (i) the top surface of the circuit board (the top surface of 320) faces the interior (the space between the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) that the support assembly (322/326) defines and (ii) the at least one sidewall of the support assembly (the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) extends away from the top surface of the circuit board (the top surface of 320; Fig. 9); an LED (302; FIG. 9, [0138]) operably supported by the circuit board (320), the LED (302) having a surface (the top surface) that emits blue light ([0090]) into the interior (the space between the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) that the support assembly (322/326) defines; a QD structure (324/428; Fig. 9, [0142]) supported within the interior of the support assembly (the space between the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) and axially spaced apart from the surface of the LED (the top surface of 302) by a distance D1 (the distance between 302 and 428), the QD structure (324/428) having an active area (324/428; Fig. 9, [0142]) that comprises at least one first region of QD material (324; Fig. 9, [0142]) and at least one second region (portions of 428 at the edges of 324, see Fig. 9 below; Fig. 9, [0142]) that has no QD material (428 of a transparent material; [0142]), wherein a first portion of the blue light (the portion of the blue light passing through 324) from the LED (302) passes through the at least one first region (324) and is converted by the QD material to red and green light ([0091]), and wherein a second portion of the blue light (the portion of the blue light not passing through 324) passes from the LED (302) in an unreflected straight-line path through the at least one second region (see Fig. 9 below, the blue light from the LED 302 in an unreflected straight-line L through the second region of 428 at the edges of 324) downstream beyond the QD structure (the blue light continues forward to be beyond the QD structure 324/428 as indicated by a dash line; see Fig. 9 below); a scattering layer (530 having diffusing/scattering particles; Fig. 9, [0143]) disposed downstream of each of the at least one first region of QD material (324) and the at least one second region that has no QD material (portions of 428 at the edges of 324, see Fig. 9 below).
Wang et al. do not teach in Fig. 9, wherein the at least one sidewall is made of a metal, and a lens element comprising glass disposed downstream of the QD structure and the scattering layer, and supported by the support assembly.
In the same field of endeavor of LEDs, Nakamura teaches wherein the at least one sidewall (the sidewall of the support 20; Fig. 4, [0051]) is made of a metal ([0051]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the inventions of Wang et al. and Nakamura, and have the wall 322 of Wang et al. made of a metal as taught by Nakamura, because the metal layer can be used to provide a high thermal conductivity of the holder to improve the high thermal dissipation and suppress the deterioration of the wavelength conversion member as taught by Nakamura ([0051, 0014]).
In the same field of endeavor of LED, Reeh et al. teach a lens element (29; Fig. 3, [0091]) comprising glass ([0091]), and supported by the support assembly (4 and 8; Fig. 3, [0091-0092]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the inventions of Wang et al. and Reeh et al., and to further include the lens element on the top of the device of Fig. 9, because the lens element can improve the output coupling of light as taught by Ree et al. ([0091]).
The combination of Wang et al. and Reeh et al. teach “a lens element disposed downstream of the QD structure and the scattering layer”, because Fig. 9 of Wang et al. teach that the topmost surface of the device, i.e. the topmost surface of the scattering layer (530) is disposed downstream of the QD structure (324/428) and the scattering layer (530), and Reeh et al. teach in Fig. 3 that the lens element (29) is disposed further downstream of the topmost surface of the device, i.e. the topmost surface of the layer 6.
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[AltContent: textbox (Second region)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (L)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: rect][AltContent: connector]
Fig. 9 of Wang et al showing the second region as a rectangular region surrounding by a solid line.
Regarding claim 2, Wang et al. teach the QD LED module according to claim 1, further comprising a spacer layer (323 filled with a transparent encapsulating compound; Figs. 8 and 9, [0141]) disposed between the LED (302) and the QD structure (324/428) so that there is no air space between the LED (302) and the QD structure (324/428).
Regarding claim 6, Wang et al. teach the QD LED module according to claim 1, wherein the QD material of the at least one first region (324) has an (x,y) CIE color point (Fig. 45, [0215]).
Wang et al. do not teach the QD material has an (x,y) CIE color point of x > 0.35 and y > 0.375. (emphasis added)
Parameters such as an (x,y) CIE color point of the OD material in the art of semiconductor manufacturing process are subject to routine experimentation and optimization to achieve the desired emission spectrum ([0215] of Wang et al.) during device fabrication. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to incorporate an (x,y) CIE color point of the OD material within the range as claimed in order to achieve the desired emission spectrum ([0215] of Wang et al.).
Regarding claim 10, Wang et al. teach the QD LED module according to claim 1, wherein the distance D1 (the distance between 302 and 428).
Wang et al. do not teach the distance D1 is in the range from 0.5 mm to 7 mm (emphasis added).
Parameters such as the distance between the QD structure and the LED are subject to routine experimentation and optimization to achieve the desired heat stability and chemical stability of the QD structure ([0140] of Wang et al.) during device fabrication. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to incorporate the distance between the QD structure and the LED within the range as claimed in order to achieve the desired heat stability and chemical stability of the QD structure ([0140] of Wang et al.).
Regarding claim 11, Wang et al. teach a quantum-dot light-emitting-diode (QD LED) module (Fig. 9; [0143]), comprising: a support assembly (322/326; Fig. 9; [0138]) having a top end (the top end of 322/326), a bottom end (the bottom end of 322/326), and at least one sidewall (the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) that defines an interior (the space between the left and right sidewalls of 322/326); a circuit board (320, a base which can have circuits shown in Fig. 13 for electrically connecting to the LED 302 through the wire bonding shown in Figs. 9 and 13; Fig. 9; [0147]) comprising a top surface (the top surface of 320; Fig. 9) that is disposed at or adjacent to the bottom end of the support assembly (the bottom end of 322/326), wherein (i) the top surface of the circuit board (the top surface of 320) faces the interior (the space between the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) that the support assembly (322/326) defines and (ii) the at least one sidewall of the support assembly (the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) extends away from the top surface of the circuit board (the top surface of 320; Fig. 9); an LED (302; FIG. 9, [0138]) operably supported by the circuit board (320), the LED (302) having a surface (the top surface) that emits blue light ([0090]) into the interior (the space between the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) that the support assembly (322/326) defines; a QD structure (324/428; Fig. 9, [0142]) supported within the interior of the support assembly (the space between the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) and axially spaced apart from the surface of the LED (the top surface of 302) by a distance D1 (the distance between 302 and 428), the QD structure (324/428) having an active area (324/428; Fig. 9, [0142]) that includes at least one first region of QD material (324; Fig. 9, [0142]) and at least one second region (portions of 428 at the edges of 324, see Fig. 9 above; Fig. 9, [0142]) that has no QD material (428 of a transparent material; [0142]), wherein a first portion of the blue light from the LED (the portion of the blue light passing through 324) passes through the at least one first region (324) and is converted to red and green light by the QD material ([0091]), and wherein a second portion of the blue light (the portion of the blue light not passing through 324) passes from the LED (302) in an unreflected straight-line path through the at least one second region (see Fig. 9 above, the blue light from the LED 302 in an unreflected straight-line L through the second region of 428 at the edges of 324) downstream beyond the QD structure (the blue light continues forward to be beyond the QD structure 324/428 as indicated by a dash line; see Fig. 9 above); at least one spacer layer (323 filled with a transparent encapsulating compound; Figs. 8 and 9, [0141]) disposed between the LED (302) and the QD structure (324/428) so that there is no air space between the LED (302) and the QD structure (324/428); a scattering layer (530 having diffusing/scattering particles; Fig. 9, [0143]) disposed downstream of each of the at least one first region of QD material (324) and the at least one second region that has no QD material (portions of 428 at the edges of 324, see Fig. 9 above); wherein heat is generated within the interior (the space between the left and right sidewalls of 322/326) of the support assembly (322/326) by the LED (302; implied in [0149]).
Wang et al. do not teach in Fig. 9, wherein the at least one sidewall is made of a metal, and a lens element comprising glass disposed downstream of the QD structure and the scattering layer, and supported by the support assembly, and wherein at least a portion of the support assembly is made of a metal that conducts the heat back to the circuit board.
In the same field of endeavor of LEDs, Nakamura teaches wherein the at least one sidewall (the sidewall of the support 20; Fig. 4, [0051]) is made of a metal ([0051]), and wherein at least a portion of the support assembly (the sidewall of the support 20; Fig. 4, [0051]) is made of a metal ([0051]) that conducts the heat back to the circuit board (10, which is equivalent to 320 of Wang et al., the conducting heat between elements is the intrinsic property of the metal layer; Fig. 4, [0045]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the inventions of Wang et al. and Nakamura, and have the wall 322 of Wang et al. made of a metal as taught by Nakamura, because the metal layer can be used to provide a high thermal conductivity of the holder to improve the high thermal dissipation and suppress the deterioration of the wavelength conversion member as taught by Nakamura ([0051, 0014]).
In the same field of endeavor of LED, Reeh et al. teach a lens element (29; Fig. 3, [0091]) comprising glass ([0091]), and supported by the support assembly (4 and 8; Fig. 3, [0091-0092]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the inventions of Wang et al. and Reeh et al., and to further include the lens element on the top of the device of Fig. 9, because the lens element can improve the output coupling of light as taught by Ree et al. ([0091]).
The combination of Wang et al. and Reeh et al. teach “a lens element disposed downstream of the QD structure and the scattering layer”, because Fig. 9 of Wang et al. teach that the topmost surface of the device, i.e. the topmost surface of the scattering layer (530) is disposed downstream of the QD structure (324/428) and the scattering layer (530), and Reeh et al. teach in Fig. 3 that the lens element (29) is disposed further downstream of the topmost surface of the device, i.e. the topmost surface of the layer 6.
Regarding claim 33, Wang et al. teach the QD LED module of claim 1, wherein the top end of the support assembly (322/326).
Wang et al. do not teach in Fig. 9, the top end of the support assembly supports the lens element.
In the same field of endeavor of LED, Reeh et al. teach the top end of the support assembly (4 and 8; Fig. 3, [0091-0092]) supports the lens element (29; Fig. 3, [0091]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the inventions of Wang et al. and Reeh et al., and to further include the lens element on the top of the device of Fig. 9, because the lens element can improve the output coupling of light as taught by Ree et al. ([0091]).
Regarding claim 34, Wang et al. teach the QD LED module of claim 11, wherein the top end of the support assembly (322/326).
Wang et al. do not teach in Fig. 9, the top end of the support assembly supports the lens element.
In the same field of endeavor of LED, Reeh et al. teach the top end of the support assembly (4 and 8; Fig. 3, [0091-0092]) supports the lens element (29; Fig. 3, [0091]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the inventions of Wang et al. and Reeh et al., and to further include the lens element on the top of the device of Fig. 9, because the lens element can improve the output coupling of light as taught by Ree et al. ([0091]).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al., Nakamura and Reeh et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Wu et al. (US 2018/0301663 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Wang et al. teach the QD LED module according to claim 1, further comprising a light-homogenizing medium (530 having diffusing/scattering particles can also be a light-homogenizing medium, “homogenize” means “make uniform or similar” based on Oxford Languages, the diffusing particles would mix the incoming light beams by the diffusion process; Fig. 9, [0143]) supported by the support assembly (322/326) and that resides downstream of the QD structure (324/428).
Wang et al. do not teach in Fig. 9, a light-homogenizing medium downstream of the scattering layer and below the lens element.
In the same field of endeavor of LED, Wu et al. teach a light-homogenizing medium (the topmost layer of the scattering layer 140 having a multilayer structure, which can diffuse/homogenize the light; Fig. 1, [0029]) downstream of the scattering layer (the bottommost layer of the scattering layer 140 having a multilayer structure, Fig. 1, [0029]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the inventions of Wang et al. and Wu et al., and to substitute the single layer structure of the scattering layer 530 of Wang et al. (Fig. 9, [0143]) with a multilayer structure of the scattering layer 140 of Wu et al. (Fig. 1, [0029]), because the multilayer structure of the scattering layer 140 of Wu et al. can be used to achieve the effect of preferable diffusion of light ([0029] of Wu et al.).
Wu et al. do not teach a light-homogenizing medium below the lens element.
In the same field of endeavor of LED, Reeh et al. teach the lens element (29; Fig. 3, [0091]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the inventions of Wang et al. and Reeh et al., and to further include the lens element on the top of the device of Fig. 9 of Wang et al., because the lens element can improve the output coupling of light as taught by Ree et al. ([0091]).
The combination of Wang et al., Reeh et al. and Yu teaches “a light-homogenizing medium below the lens element”, because Fig. 9 of Wang et al. teach the topmost surface of the optical layer (530) is the topmost surface of the device, while Reeh et al. teach in Fig. 3 that the lens element (29) is disposed above the topmost surface of the device, i.e. the topmost surface of the layer 6 in Fig. 2. Thus, the combination would put the lens element 29 of Reeh et al. on the top of the layer 530 of Wang et al., while the layer 530 of Wang would be substituted by the multilayer structure 140 of Wu et al. with the topmost layer being the claimed “a light-homogenizing medium” which would be below the lens element 29 of Reeh et al.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al., Nakamura and Reeh et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Goeoetz et al. (US 2017/0345977 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Wang et al. teach the QD LED module according to claim 1, further comprising the QD structure (324/428).
Wang et al. do not teach in Fig. 9, a hermetic seal disposed downstream of the QD structure.
In the same field of endeavor of LED, Goeoetz et al. teach a hermetic seal (Fig. 3A, [0066]) disposed downstream of the QD structure (1 and 30; Fig. 3A, [0066])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the inventions of Wang et al. and Goeoetz et al., and to further include a hermetic seal disposed downstream of the QD structure, because the hermetic seal can prevent the oxidation of the quantum dots which would destroy the quantum dots as taught by Goeoetz et al. ([0027-0028]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments, filed 03/19/2026, overcome the objections to claim 11. The objections to claim 11 have been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1 and 11 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
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/HSIN YI HSIEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899 5/25/2026
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