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 .
This Office action is in response to Amendments filed 11/03/2025.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5-8, 10, 11, and 13-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zeng et al. (US 2020/0380238 A1) in view of Lillie et al. (US 2018/0211078 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Zeng discloses a sensing device (Fig. 4), comprising:
a first substrate (unlabeled bottommost layer in Fig. 4);
a first sensing element (40), located on the first substrate;
a light-emitting element (combination of 20b and 20c), located on the first sensing element; and
a light-shielding layer (combination of layers 52d, 52h, and 10), located between the light-emitting element and the first sensing element, and electrically connected to the light-emitting element (electrical connection via tapered section of component 20a).
Zeng does not explicitly disclose the construction of the first sensing element in order to determine if it includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a sensing layer located therebetween.
Lillie, in the same field of endeavor, discloses forming sensing elements to comprise a first electrode (NAV_Z2 in Fig. 8), a second electrode (WOF_TX-), and a sensing layer (NAV_Z3) located therebetween. Lillie discloses a benefit to such a configuration in that it allows for the formation of a hybrid sensing element which responds to both capacitive as well as optical inputs (Abstract of Lillie) which allows for more types of input. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the Application's effective filing date to use the sensing element configuration of Lillie for the first sensing element of Zeng for this benefit.
Regarding claim 2, Zeng further discloses wherein an orthographic projection of the first sensing element on the first substrate at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the light-emitting element on the first substrate (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 5, as Applicant has not yet limited what may be considered a “light angle control layer”, one of the planar sections 20a shown in Fig. 4 may be considered a light angle control layer as a portion of the light reflects off the planar section (¶ 0049), this layer is located between the light-shielding layer and the light-emitting element, wherein the light-shielding layer and the light angle control layer are respectively electrically connected to two pads of the light-emitting elements (the two pads being the other two planar sections 20a, the light shielding layer being directly connected to the pads and the light angle control layer being electrically connected via common electrode layer 20c; it is noted that applicant did not yet claim that the pads are part of the light-emitting element).
Regarding claim 6, Zeng further discloses wherein the sensing device comprises a second sensing element (layer 50; this layer is considered a sensing element as it is necessary for the sensor to function as reflected light must travel through this layer), located between the light-shielding layer and the light-emitting element.
Regarding claim 7, Zeng further discloses wherein an electrode of the second sensing element (52c) is electrically connected to the light-emitting element (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 8, Zeng further discloses wherein an orthographic projection of the second sensing element on the first substrate at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the first sensing element on the first substrate (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 10, Zeng further discloses wherein the device further comprises a second sensing element (layer 22; this layer is considered a sensing element as it is necessary for the sensor to function as reflected light must travel through this layer), wherein the first sensing element and the second sensing element are located on different sides of the light-emitting element.
Regarding claim 11, Zeng further discloses wherein an orthographic projection of the second sensing element on the first substrate is outside an orthographic projection of the light-emitting element on the first substrate (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 13, Zeng further discloses wherein the first sensing element is a fingerprint sensing element (¶ 0044).
Regarding claim 14, Zeng further discloses wherein the light-emitting element includes a light-emitting body (leftmost 20b in Fig. 4), a first pad (first planar portion of 20 above 22 that is to the right of the light-emitting body) and a second pad (planar portion of 20 above 22 that is to the right of the first pad), and the first pad and the second pad are disposed on the same side of the light-emitting body (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 15, Zeng further discloses a flat layer (11 in Fig. 4) located between the light angle control layer and the light-shielding layer, wherein the light angle control layer extends from above the flat layer toward the light-shielding layer along a side wall of the flat layer close to a first side of the first sensing element (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 16, Zeng further discloses wherein light rays enter the sensing layer of the first sensing element through a lateral light-transmitting opening in the flat layer close to a second side of the first sensing element opposite to the first side (opening between portions of 10 shown in Fig. 4).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zeng in view of Lillie as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kwak et al. (US 2020/0212267 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Zeng does not disclose that the light-emitting element emits invisible light.
However, emitting invisible light and the corresponding function was known in the art (¶ 0154 of Kwak, invisible light emission combined with a wavelength conversion element to emit visible light to the user). As such, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the Application's effective filing date to have substituted the known element of invisible light emission as taught by Kwak for zero emission of invisible light of Zeng and the results of the substitution would have been predictable. (see MPEP § 2143(I)(B)).
Claim(s) 10 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zeng in view of Lillie as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Sun et al. (US 2021/0326556 A1).
Regarding claims 10 and 11, Zeng further discloses wherein the device further comprises a second sensing element (layer 22; this layer is considered a sensing element as it is necessary for the sensor to function as reflected light must travel through this layer), wherein the first sensing element and the second sensing element are located on different sides of the light-emitting element.
Zeng does not disclose that the second sensing element is an organic photodiode.
Sun, in the same field of endeavor, discloses using organic photodiodes as sensing elements (¶ 0038 and Fig. 3 of Sun) which is connected to circuitry closer to the substrate (see Fig. 3). There was a benefit to using organic photodiodes as such in that provides a sensing element closer to the top surface of the device, increasing the accuracy of the sensor by minimizing the distance light needs to travel to be sensed. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the Application's effective filing date to place an organic photodiode in the second sensing element of Zeng (a portion of which is above the light-emitting element) and connected to circuitry closer to the substrate (i.e., the first sensing element) for this benefit.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejection(s) of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. § 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive as Zeng does not explicitly disclose the newly added limitations to claim 1. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, a new ground(s) of rejection is made over Zeng in view of Lillie and this rejection was necessitated by Applicant’s amendments.
Applicant's arguments with respect to newly added claims 14-16 have been considered but are not persuasive. Applicant argues that Zeng does not disclose the features of these newly added claims. This argument is not persuasive as Zeng does disclose these features, as discussed in the rejections above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/C.A.C/Examiner, Art Unit 2815
/JOSHUA BENITEZ ROSARIO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2815