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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 3/4/26 has been entered. Claims 1-7 and 9-20 remain pending.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims.
Dictionary meaning of plan view in Wikipedia is:
In other words, a plan is a section viewed from the top.
Therefore, in the plan view:
wherein a first distance defined as defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the first color conversion pattern and the second color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the first color conversion pattern in a first direction,
a second distance defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the second color conversion pattern and the third color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the second color conversion pattern in the first direction,
and a third distance defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the third color conversion pattern and the first color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the third color conversion pattern in the first direction;
must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s).
The drawings do not show any electrode in the plan view and do not show any color conversion layer with respect to the electrode in any of the plan views in the drawings.
No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1,5, 14-15 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim (CN 108254966 A. US 20180188593 A1, cited previously)
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches a display panel (at least Fig.2 and 1) comprising: a light emitting element layer (191 as pixel electrode and liquid crystal layer) comprising a plurality of light emitting elements configured to emit a first color light; and a color conversion layer 330R/G/B on the light emitting element layer that is configured to receive the first color light, configured to convert a wavelength of the first color light, and configured to output at least two lights having different colors from each other, the color conversion layer comprising: a first color conversion pattern corresponding to a first pixel area that is configured to convert the wavelength of the first color light, and configured to output a second color light; a second color conversion pattern corresponding to a second pixel area that is configured to convert the wavelength of the first color light, and configured to output a third color light; and a third color conversion pattern corresponding to a third pixel area that is configured to transmit the first color light,
wherein a first distance defined as defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the first color conversion pattern and the second color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the first color conversion pattern in a first direction,
a second distance defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the second color conversion pattern and the third color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the second color conversion pattern in the first direction,
and a third distance defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the third color conversion pattern and the first color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the third color conversion pattern in the first direction (see objection to drawings and 112 rejection above);
See drawing below:
1. wherein lower arrows indicated the first electrode of each region,
2. 330R, 330G, 330B are the color conversion patterns as claimed.
3. and two sides arrows are the first, second and third distances, wherein 1.2. and 3 are equidistant
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wherein each of the light emitting elements comprises a first electrode, and a distance between the first electrode and a corresponding color conversion pattern from among the first, second, and third color conversion patterns is uniform for each of the first, second, and third color conversion patterns (the distance between 330G,330B, 330R are the same from the pixel electrode 191).
Regarding claim 14, Kim teaches a display panel (at least Fig.2 and 1) comprising: a light emitting element layer comprising a plurality of light emitting elements (see pixels in Fig.1) configured to emit a first color light; and a color conversion layer (330R,330G,330B) on the light emitting element layer that is configured to receive the first color light, configured to convert a wavelength of the first color light, and configured to output at least two lights having different colors from each other, the color conversion layer comprising: a first color conversion pattern corresponding to a first pixel area that is configured to convert the wavelength of the first color light, and configured to output a second color light; a second color conversion pattern corresponding to a second pixel area that is configured to convert the wavelength of the first color light, and configured to output a third color light; and a third color conversion pattern corresponding to a third pixel area that is configured to transmit the first color light, wherein at least one pixel area of the first pixel area, the second pixel area, and the third pixel area is not aligned with each other (since the spacing between the color conversion layers is different:
(see in KIM:
According to an exemplary embodiment, the 330R gap between the first colour conversion layer, the second color conversion layer 330G and the transmitting layer 330B may be different. when the 330R gap between the first colour conversion layer, the second color conversion layer 330G and the transmitting layer 330B are different, the user can feel the difference of image quality)
pixel area from among the first pixel area, the second pixel area, and the third pixel area in a plan view,
wherein a first distance defined as defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the first color conversion pattern and the second color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the first color conversion pattern in a first direction,
a second distance defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the second color conversion pattern and the third color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the second color conversion pattern in the first direction,
and a third distance defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the third color conversion pattern and the first color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the third color conversion pattern in the first direction; (see objection to drawings and 112 rejection above with respect to plan view);
See drawing below:
1. wherein lower arrows indicated the first electrode of each region,
2. 330R, 330G, 330B are the color conversion patterns as claimed.
3. and two sides arrows are the first, second and third distances, wherein 1.2. and 3 are equidistant
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wherein each of the light emitting elements comprises an electrode, and a distance between the electrode and a corresponding color conversion pattern from among the first, second, and third color conversion patterns is uniform for each of the first, second, and third color conversion patterns ((the distance between 330G,330B, 330R are the same from the pixel electrode 191).
Regarding claim 5, Kim teaches the display panel, wherein the color conversion layer further comprises a color filter configured to transmit the second color light and the third color light obtained by converting the first color light (see in Kim: a color filter and a polarizing layer. polarizing layer and color filter of the display device may cause loss of light).
Regarding claim 15, Kim teaches the display panel, wherein the first color light corresponds to a blue light, the second color light corresponds to a red light, and the third color light corresponds to a green light (330R,330G,330B in Kim).
Regarding claim 19, Kim teaches the display panel, wherein a distance between the first color conversion pattern and the second color conversion pattern, a distance between the second color conversion pattern and the third color conversion pattern, and a distance between the third color conversion pattern and the first color conversion pattern are different from each other
(see in KIM: According to an exemplary embodiment, the 330R gap between the first colour conversion layer, the second color conversion layer 330G and the transmitting layer 330B may be different. when the 330R gap between the first colour conversion layer, the second color conversion layer 330G and the transmitting layer 330B are different, the user can feel the difference of image quality).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 Proir 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.
Claims 2-3, 7 and 9-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Song (US 20180197922 A1, cited previously)
Regarding claim 2, Kim teaches the invention set forth in claim 1 above, but is silent regarding each of the light emitting elements comprises: the first electrode; a light emitting layer on the first electrode; and a second electrode on the light emitting layer, and the light emitting element layer further comprises a pixel definition layer provided with an opening through which at least a portion of the first electrode is exposed.
Song teaches a first electrode AD1 (within OLED1 in Fig.5); a light emitting layer EML on the first electrode; and a second electrode CD on the light emitting layer, and the light emitting element layer further comprises a pixel definition layer PDL provided with an opening through which at least a portion of the first electrode is exposed and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to form the pixel defining layer as disclosed in Song, in the device of Kim in order to avoid crosstalk between the pixels ([0084])
Regarding claim 3, Kim in view of Song teaches the display panel, wherein the light emitting element layer further comprises a thin film encapsulation layer (FLL in Song) protecting the second electrode (CD in Song), and the color conversion layer (CCl in Song) is on the thin film encapsulation layer.
Regarding claim 7, Kim in view of Song teaches the display panel, wherein the color conversion layer further comprises: a first bank (blocking component 220 in Fig.2 of Kim) between the first color conversion pattern and the second color conversion pattern; a second bank between the second color conversion pattern and the third color conversion pattern; and a third bank between the third color conversion pattern and the first color conversion pattern.
Regarding claim 9, Kim in view of Song teaches the display panel, wherein the first color light corresponds to a blue light, the second color light corresponds to a red light, and the third color light corresponds to a green light.112
Regarding claim 10, Kim in view of Song teaches the display panel, wherein the first distance is equal to or greater than the second distance, and the second distance is greater than the third distance.
Regarding claim 11, Kim in view of Song teaches the display panel, wherein the third distance is greater than a distance in a thickness direction between the third color conversion pattern and the first electrode corresponding to the third color conversion pattern.
Regarding claim 12, Kim in view of Song teaches the display panel, wherein the first bank, the second bank, and the third bank have a same width in the first direction.
Regarding claim 13, Kim in view of Song teaches the display panel, wherein at least one pixel area of the first pixel area, the second pixel area, and the third pixel area is not aligned with each other pixel area from among the first pixel area, the second pixel area, and the third pixel area in a plan view.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Song and further in view of Kashiwabara (US 20070102737 A1, cited previously)
Regarding claim 4, Kim in view of Song teaches the invention set forth in claim 2 above, but is silent regarding each of the light emitting elements further comprises at least one of a hole control layer or an electron control layer, which overlaps at least the light emitting layer, and a portion of at least one of the hole control layer or the electron control layer is between the pixel definition layer and the color conversion layer.
Kashiwabara teaches a portion of at least one of the hole control layer or the electron control layer ([0134]-[0135]) is between the pixel definition layer 117 and the color conversion layer 22 and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use additional hole or electron control layers as disclosed in Kashiwabara in the device of Kim in view of Song in order to increase injection of charges/electrons ([0161],[0166] in Kashiwabara).
Claims 6 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim
Regarding claim 6, Kim teaches the color filter comprises: a first color filter overlapping the first color conversion pattern; a second color filter overlapping the second color conversion pattern (320; see in Kim: blue light cut-off filter 320 transmits light having a wavelength other than the blue region, and blocks blue region light. any type of material blue light cut-off filter 320 which is used for realizing the aforementioned effects, and for example may be a yellow color filter); but does not teach a third color filter (for color conversion layer 330B) overlapping the third color conversion pattern 330B. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use color filters for all the color conversion layers, based on the design and use of particular materials for the color conversion layers, in order to achieve the desired color light at the output.
Regarding claim 18, Kim teaches a color filter configured to transmit the first color light, the second color light (320), but does not teach the filter for the third color light (blue in Kim). However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use color filters for all the color conversion layers, based on the design and use of particular materials for the color conversion layers, in order to achieve the desired color light at the output.
Claims 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Wu (CN 113257855 A)
Regarding claim 16, Kim teaches the invention set forth in claim 15 above, but is silent regarding the second pixel area is aligned with the third pixel area in a straight line in a first direction, and the first pixel area is spaced apart from the second pixel area and the third pixel area in a second direction crossing the first direction.
Wu teaches a display device wherein the second pixel area Par is aligned with the third pixel area Pag in a straight line in a first direction, and the first pixel area PAb is spaced apart from the second pixel area and the third pixel area in a second direction crossing the first direction.
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the arrangement as disclosed in Wu, in the device of Kim in order to achieve high image quality (see in Wu: The display device according to the embodiment of the present invention can prevent the user identified by the display device to identify the spot caused by the possible error in the forming process of the color filter, so it has the advantage of providing high quality image).
Regarding claim 17, Kim in view of Wu teaches the display panel, wherein the first pixel area is aligned with the second pixel area in a straight line in a first direction, and the third pixel area is spaced apart from the first pixel area and the second pixel area in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (see rejection in claim 16 and drawings of Wu as shown above). .
Claims 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Nakamura (US 10043439 B2)
Regarding claim 16, Kim teaches the invention set forth in claim 15 above, but is silent regarding the second pixel area is aligned with the third pixel area in a straight line in a first direction, and the first pixel area is spaced apart from the second pixel area and the third pixel area in a second direction crossing the first direction.
Nakamura teaches a display device wherein the second pixel area (top R) is aligned with the third pixel area (top G) in a straight line in a first direction, and the first pixel area (bottom B) is spaced apart from the second pixel area and the third pixel area in a second direction crossing the first direction.
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the arrangement as disclosed in Nakamura, in the device of Kim in order to prevent color mixing (see in Nakamura: (29) The present invention has an object of providing an EL display device effectively preventing color mixing between pixels located adjacent to each other.).
Regarding claim 17, Kim in view of Nakamura teaches the display panel, wherein the first pixel area is aligned with the second pixel area in a straight line in a first direction, and the third pixel area is spaced apart from the first pixel area and the second pixel area in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (see rejection in claim 16 and drawings of Nakamura as shown above).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Song2 (US 20180197922 A1, hereinafter Song2)
Regarding claim 20, Kim teaches the invention set forth in claim 14 above, but is silent regarding the color conversion layer further comprises a plurality of banks between the first color conversion pattern, the second color conversion pattern, and the third color conversion pattern, and the banks have a same width.
Song teaches various designs with varying lengths for the color conversion layers CCL (Fig.6) wherein the bank in between the CCL layers have adjustable widths, that can be either same (Fig. 6) or different (Fig.7) based on the desired design and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to make adjustable the widths for the bank layers based on the desired widths of the CCL layers in order to optimize the luminance.
Response to Arguments
The arguments filed by the Applicant on 3/4/26 is acknowledged. However, the amended portions, with respect to the recitation of plan view, that is:
wherein a first distance defined as defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the first color conversion pattern and the second color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the first color conversion pattern in a first direction,
a second distance defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the second color conversion pattern and the third color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the second color conversion pattern in the first direction,
and a third distance defined as a distance in a plan view between the first electrode corresponding to the third color conversion pattern and the first color conversion pattern adjacent to the first electrode corresponding to the third color conversion pattern in the first direction;
does not further limit the claim.
It is not clear how the above amendment changes the scope of the claims, because the condition that is claimed from previously has not changed, that is:
wherein each of the light emitting elements comprises an electrode, and a distance between the electrode and a corresponding color conversion pattern from among the first, second, and third color conversion patterns is uniform for each of the first, second, and third color conversion patterns; is still the same in the claims.
The amendment just defined the three widths without further limiting the scope of the claims, because the condition in the last lines of the claim is unchanged.
Therefore,
1.there is confusion of plan view recitation in claims 1 and 14 (see 112 rejection above),
2. additionally, it is not clear how the definition of the first width, the second width and the third width in the amended portions, has changed the scope of the claims. Because the last 4 lines of the claims are not further amended.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Fatima Farokhrooz whose telephone number is (571)-272-6043. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday- Friday, 9 am - 5 pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s Supervisor, James Greece can be reached on (571) 272-3711.
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/Fatima N Farokhrooz/
Examiner, Art Unit 2875
Prosecution Insights