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 .
Acknowledgment
This Office Action is responsive to amendment filed on 12/25/2025.
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 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) 21, 22, 24, 26-35 and 37-40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yuen (US 2018/0164749, previously cited) in view of Francois et al. (US 2021/0088973).
Regarding claim 21, Yuen teaches a display device (160, fig. 2A and [0063]) comprising a display panel (162, fig. 2C, [0064] and [0078]) and an electroluminescent light source ([0078]), wherein the display panel comprises a first surface (front surface of the 162) which is a front surface and a display surface (162a), a second surface which is a back surface (back surface of the 162), and a panel body (162, [0078]) intermediate the first surface and the second surface; wherein the electroluminescent light source is configured to provide back illumination by projecting light towards the back surface, and the light is to form a visible image and/or an information display on the display surface after passing through the panel body (fig. 1A, [0064], [0065] and [0078]-[0084]).
Yuen surface fails to teach wherein the display surface is an opaque and nacreous and/or iridescent surface.
However, Francois teaches display surface (fig. 2) is an opaque and nacreous and/or iridescent surface ([0016] and [0027]).
In view of Francois’s teaching, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Yuen by incorporating the teaching as taught by Francois so as to improve the aesthetic appearance of the display device.
Regarding claim 22, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Francois further teaches wherein the panel body comprises a nacre or nacreous intermediate layer, and the display surface is an integral part of the nacre or nacreous layer (fig. 2). Regarding claim 24, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Both Yuen and Francois further teach wherein the panel body is opaque under normal ambient room illumination or under mild or diffused sunlight illumination condition (Yuen: fig. 4, [0096], black (opaque), [0111]. Francois: [0016]).
Regarding claim 26, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Yuen further teaches wherein the display panel has a thickness of between 0.4 mm and 0.5mm ([0113] and [0114]).
Regarding claim 27, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Yuen further teaches wherein the display device is configured as a dial surface of an analogue watch and is operable in a digital mode, and wherein the electroluminescent light source is configured as a pattern generator is to generate a visible pattern and/or information messages on the display surface as a display screen by back illumination for user reading when in the digital mode (fig. 1A, [0064]-[0065] and [0078]-[0084]).
Regarding claim 28, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Yuen further teaches wherein the pattern generator is configured to generate a light emitting pattern having a resolution of higher than 100 pixels per inch or higher than 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 pixels per centimeter ([0082]).
Regarding claim 29, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Yuen further teaches wherein the visible image is casted on the display surface by the electroluminescent light source and is readable by a user with naked eyes under mild or diffused sunlight illumination conditions (figs. 3A-3D).
Regarding claim 30, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Yuen further teaches wherein the visible image has a luminance level of between 20 lux and 45 lux ([0108]).
Regarding claim 31, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Yuen further teaches wherein the panel body is heavily light attenuating and the light is heavily attenuated after traversing through the panel body ([0095]-[0098]).
Regarding claim 32, Yuen teaches an electronic apparatus (timepiece, fig. 1A) comprising a display device (160, fig. 2A and [0063]) comprising a display panel (162, fig. 2C, [0064] and [0078]) and an electroluminescent light source ([0078]), wherein the display panel comprises a first surface (front surface of the 162) which is a front surface and a display surface (162a), a second surface which is a back surface (back surface of the 162), and a panel body (162) intermediate the first surface and the second surface; wherein the electroluminescent light source is configured to provide back illumination by projecting light towards the back surface, and the light is to form a visible image and/or an information display on the display surface after passing through the panel body (fig. 1A, [0064], [0065] and [0078]-[0084]).
Yuen surface fails to teach wherein the display surface is an opaque and nacreous and/or iridescent surface.
However, Francois teaches display surface (figs. 1 and 2) is an opaque and nacreous and/or iridescent surface ([0016] and [0027]).
In view of Francois’s teaching, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Yuen by incorporating the teaching as taught by Francois so as to improve the aesthetic appearance of the display device.
Regarding claim 33, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Yuen further teaches wherein the panel body is heavily light attenuating and the light is heavily attenuated after traversing through the panel body ([0095]-[0098]).
Regarding claim 34, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Francois further teaches wherein the panel body comprises a nacre or nacreous intermediate layer (layer 3), and the display surface is an integral part of the nacre or nacreous layer (fig. 1).
Regarding claim 35, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Francois further teaches wherein the nacre layer is a nacre foil having a thickness between 50µm and 0.1mm ([0027]).
Regarding claim 37, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Both Yuen and Francois further teach wherein the panel body is opaque under normal ambient room illumination or under mild or diffused sunlight illumination condition (Yuen: fig. 4, [0096], black (opaque), [0111]. Francois: [0016]).
Regarding claim 38, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Yuen further teaches wherein the visible image and/or an information display on the display surface is luminescent and has a has a luminance level of between 20 lux and 45 lux on the display surface ([0108]).
Regarding claim 39, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Yuen further teaches wherein the display panel is configured to conceal what is underneath during normal use when the electroluminescent light source is turned on or turned off ([0089], [0090], [0100] and [0115]).
Regarding claim 40, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Yuen further teaches wherein the apparatus is a smart analogue watch having moving arms and a dial surface which conceals digital capability of the smart watch until operating in a digital mode (fig. 1A and [0015]).
Claim(s) 23, 25 and 36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yuen as modified by Francois as applied to claim 21 above, and further in view of Kaku (WO 2018/088217A, previously cited).
Regarding claims 23, 25 and 36, Yuen as modified by Francois teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above except for wherein the intermediate layer is polished iridescent nacreous layer of a mollusk shell or the panel body comprises an intermediate layer comprising: :- hexagonal platelets of crystalized calcium carbonate of 10pm - 20pm wide,- platelets of crystalized calcium carbonate of 0.4 pm - 0.6 pm thick,- platelets of aragonite,- porcelain,- ceramics, or - China.
However, Kaku teaches an electronic apparatus comprising display device (timepiece) having an intermediate layer is polished iridescent nacreous layer of a mollusk shell or a panel body comprises an intermediate layer comprising: :- hexagonal platelets of crystalized calcium carbonate of 10pm - 20pm wide,- platelets of crystalized calcium carbonate of 0.4 pm - 0.6 pm thick,- platelets of aragonite,- porcelain,- ceramics, or - China (page 10, paragraph 7).
In view of Kaku’s teaching, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary
skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the
combination of Yuen and Francois by incorporating the teaching as taught by Kaku since it is just a matter of selecting an alternative material for the intermediate layer.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 21-40 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection is made in view of Yuen, Francois and Kaku.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tuyen Kim Vo whose telephone number is (571)270-1657. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs: 8AM-6:30PM.
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/TUYEN K VO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876