DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 December 29, 2025, has been entered.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Drawings
The prior drawing objection is withdrawn in view of amended claim 13.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The prior §112 rejections are withdrawn in view of the amended claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1, 2, 7, 10, 13, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US 2020/0311373) in view of Nade (US 2017/0075444) and Moon et al. (US 2016/0234362).
(Re Claim 1) Lee teaches an electronic device comprising:
a display device comprising a first display region (upper region corresponding to area SA1) and a second display region (lower region corresponding to area NSA2+SA2),
wherein the first display region and the second display region are continuously provided (Figs.1-2),
wherein the first display region comprises a plurality of first light-emitting elements and a plurality of first photodetectors (Fig. 3B, light emitting pixels PXL, detectors PHS1),
wherein the second display region comprises a plurality of second light-emitting elements and a plurality of second photodetectors (Fig. 3C, PXL and PHS2),
wherein a first photodetector in the first photodetectors is configured to receive first light emitted from a first light-emitting element in the first light-emitting elements (¶63),
wherein a second photodetector in the second photodetectors is configured to receive second light emitted from a second light-emitting element in the second light-emitting elements (¶63),
wherein the first light-emitting elements and the first photodetectors are arranged in a matrix in the first display region (Figs. 2-3C),
wherein the second light-emitting elements and the second photodetectors are arranged in a matrix in the second display region (Figs. 2-3C), and
wherein the second photodetectors are arranged in a higher density than the first photodetectors (Figs. 3B-3C).
Lee is silent regarding a housing. A PHOSITA would recognize that Lee’s display is conventionally packaged in a housing to provide protection and structural support and that the packaging/housing may also be used to improve aesthetics, look, and feel of the display and would be motivated to look to related art to teach suitable means for packaging displays in housings. Related art from Nade teaches a display is packaged in a housing (see Figs. 1A and 3A) and that the display layers extending to the lateral sides can be curved along lateral sides of the housing. Related art from Moon also similarly teaches packaging a display in a housing (see Figs. 2A-5A) and that the display layers extending to the lateral sides can be curved along lateral sides of the housing. A PHOSITA would find it obvious to package Lee’s display in a curved housing to provide protection and structural support while also improving aesthetics, look, and feel of the display as this is conventional in the art. Then the first display region SA1 will be along a first surface of the housing, e.g. along the top, and the second display region NSA2+SA2 will be along a second surface of the housing, e.g. along the left side, then the first surface and the second surface are continuously provided and have different normal directions when packaging the display in the curved housing according to Nade and Moon, the primary/main surface and lateral/curved surfaces have different normal directions.
(Re Claim 2) wherein the first light-emitting elements are arranged in a higher density than the second light-emitting elements (Figs. 3B and 3C respectively show the same relative arrangement density as Applicant’s Fig. 1B:11a some of the pixels have detectors and in 1C:11b all of the pixels have detectors thus reducing the effective pixel area density).
(Re Claim 7) wherein the second surface comprises a curving surface (when packaging the display in the curved housing according to Nade and Moon, the second surface is curved).
(Re Claim 10) wherein the first display region is configured to capture an image of a fingerprint (the region SA including SA1 and SA2 is configured as a fingerprint sensor/imager, ¶¶51,116,147), and wherein the second display region has a function of a touch sensor (touch panel 300 senses touch and covers the entire display area, ¶¶45-47, also PHS1 and PHS2 in SA1 and SA2 can also be used for sensing touch, ¶61).
(Re Claim 13) Lee teaches an electronic device comprising:
a display device comprising a first display region, a second display region, and a third display region, wherein the first display region, the second display region, and the third display region are continuously provided, wherein the first display region comprises a plurality of first light-emitting elements and a plurality of first photodetectors, wherein the second display region comprises a plurality of second light-emitting elements and a plurality of second photodetectors, wherein the third display region comprises a plurality of third light-emitting elements and a plurality of third photodetectors, wherein a first photodetector in the first photodetectors is configured to receive first light emitted from a first light-emitting element in the first light-emitting elements, wherein a second photodetector in the second photodetectors is configured to receive second light emitted from a second light-emitting element in the second light-emitting elements, wherein a third photodetector in the third photodetectors is configured to receive third light emitted from a third light-emitting element in the third light-emitting elements, wherein the first light-emitting elements and the first photodetectors are arranged in a matrix in the first display region, wherein the second light-emitting elements and the second photodetectors are arranged in a matrix in the second display region, wherein the third light-emitting elements and the third photodetectors are arranged in a matrix in the third display region, and wherein the second photodetectors and the third photodetectors are arranged in a higher density than the first photodetectors (see claim 1 rejection above, the rejection of claim 13 is analogous to the rejection of claim 1, in Fig. 2 the first display region SA1 will be along a first surface of the housing discussed below, e.g. along the top, and the second display region: left half of NSA2+SA2 will be along a second surface of the housing, e.g. along the left side, the third region: right half of NSA2+SA2, along the right side, the remainder of the claim limitations are the same as in claim 1 and rely on the same elements of Lee, PHS1, PHS2, etc., see Figs. 3B-3C).
Lee is silent regarding a housing. A PHOSITA would recognize that Lee’s display is conventionally packaged in a housing to provide protection and structural support and that the packaging/housing may also be used to improve aesthetics, look, and feel of the display and would be motivated to look to related art to teach suitable means for packaging displays in housings. Related art from Nade teaches a display is packaged in a housing (see Figs. 1A and 3A) and that the display layers extending to the lateral sides can be curved along lateral sides of the housing. Related art from Moon also similarly teaches packaging a display in a housing (see Figs. 2A-5A) and that the display layers extending to the lateral sides can be curved along lateral sides of the housing. A PHOSITA would find it obvious to package Lee’s display in a curved housing to provide protection and structural support while also improving aesthetics, look, and feel of the display as this is conventional in the art. Then the first display region SA1 will be along a first surface of the housing, e.g. along the top side surface, and the second display region (left half of NSA2+SA2) will be along a second surface of the housing, e.g. along a left side, then the third region (right half of NSA2+SA2) will be along a third surface, e.g. along the right side, and the three surfaces are continuously provided and have different normal directions when packaging the display in the curved housing according to Nade and Moon, the primary/main surface and lateral/curved surfaces have different normal directions.
(Re Claim 14) wherein the first light-emitting elements are arranged in a higher density than the second light-emitting elements (Figs. 3B and 3C respectively show the same relative arrangement density as Applicant’s Fig. 1B:11a some of the pixels have detectors and in 1C:11b all of the pixels have detectors thus reducing the effective pixel area density).
Claims 3-5 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US 2020/0311373), Nade (US 2017/0075444), and Moon et al. (US 2016/0234362) as applied above, and further in view of Bouthinon et al. (US 2021/0233975) and Akiyama (US 2013/0075761).
(Re Claims 3 and 15) wherein the first photodetector and the second photodetector comprise active layers comprising a first organic compound, and wherein the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element comprise light-emitting layers comprising a second organic compound.
(Re Claims 4 and 16) wherein each of the first photodetector and the second photodetector comprises a stacked structure in which a first pixel electrode, an active layer, and a common electrode are stacked, wherein each of the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element comprises a stacked structure in which a second pixel electrode, a light-emitting layer, and the common electrode are stacked, wherein the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode are provided on a same plane, and wherein the active layer and the light-emitting layer comprise different organic compounds.
(Re Claim 5) according to wherein the common electrode is configured to be supplied with a first potential, wherein the first pixel electrode is configured to be supplied with a second potential lower than the first potential, and wherein the second pixel electrode is configured to be supplied with a third potential higher than the first potential.
Lee is silent regarding the limitations of claims 3-5, 15, and 16 as Lee apparently assembles silicon photodetectors on different layers of the OLED display and does not provide details of the physical cross sections of the OLEDs with respect to their individual layers. A PHOSITA motivated to make, use, and further improve upon Lee’s display would be motivated to look to related art to teach details of OLED and photodetector integrations. Related art from Bouthinon teaches (see Fig. 1 and supporting text) the OLED 16 and the photodetector 18 can both be fabricated from organic materials and on a same layer and share parts of the structure such as the bank layer 20, common electrode 22, etc. A PHOSITA also would find in related art from Akiyama (e.g. see Figs. 3-23 and supporting text) that the OLED 200 and the photodetector 300 can both be fabricated from organic materials and on a same layer and share parts of the structure such as the bank layer 302, common electrode 607, etc. In view of Bouthinon and Akiyama a PHOSITA would recognize numerous advantages of forming the OLEDs and photodetectors both from organics as this simplifies manufacturing, and by forming the emitters and detectors on and in the same layers at the same time and at the same elevation in the display thereby further simplifying fabrication and reducing cost. Other advantages include making thinner and more lightweight displays and the ability to form flexible or bendable displays since the organics allow for flexibility while a single crystal silicon photodetector cannot be made flexible. Thus a PHOSITA would find it obvious to use an OLED with organic photodetector combination as taught by Bouthinon and Akiyama in Lee’s display.
When forming the photodetectors and light emitters according to Bouthinon and Akiyama, it is obvious all of the photodetectors will be formed simultaneously and from the same organic materials and the OLEDs (each individual color, e.g. RGB) will also all be formed simultaneously and from the same material as this is how OLED displays are conventionally manufactured at low cost. Each photodetector having a stacked structure of a pixel electrode, an active layer and a common electrode and each OLED having a pixel electrode, light-emitting layer, and the common electrode, the pixel electrodes on a same layer, and the detector and OLED using different active/emitting layers (Bouthinon: pixel electrodes 14/15 on layer 58, active/emitting layers 42/30 ¶¶90,113-115, common 22; Akiyama: pixel electrodes 201/301 on layer 106, active/emitting layers 305/205 ¶¶78-82, common 307/607).
With respect to the limitations of claim 5, the structural requirements are met by Bouthinon and Akiyama as both teach separately addressable pixel electrodes and a common electrode, and in this configuration, each pixel electrode may be set to a different potential with respect to the common electrode. Akiyama shows (e.g. Fig. 4) the OLED connected to 126/108 while the detector is connected to 115/107. One would conventionally bias the pixel electrode of the OLED with a voltage suitable to make electrons flow into the OLED to cause it to emit light and the required voltage depends on the materials of the OLED. The common electrode is typically at zero volts (e.g. Vss or ground). The detector will create a small current proportional to the intensity of incident light and in order to allow current to flow out of the detector to be sensed, its corresponding pixel electrode must be held at a suitable potential to allow for current to flow in the correct/desired direction. Thus, it would be obvious to set the OLED pixel electrode to a higher potential than the common and the detector pixel electrode to a lower potential than the common because this would cause the current to flow in the correct directions into/out of each device.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments have been considered but they are not persuasive. The rejections above have been updated to address the amended claims regarding the housing surfaces continuously provided and having different normal directions, and the display regions being continuously provided. The second display region of claim 1 and the second and third display regions of claim 13 are a combination of SA2+NSA2, and left/right halves of SA2+NSA2, respectively. These regions are continuously provided as claimed, and as modified in view of Moon and Nade, the surfaces of the housing having curved sides each having a different normal direction and continuously provided (left side surface having a different normal direction than the top side surface and the right side surface of the housing, see Nade Figs. 1A, 3A, and Moon Figs. 2A-5A).
Conclusion
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/ERIK T. K. PETERSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898