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 .
Examiner’s Note
The Examiner notes that the Applicant’s use of the phrase “a pixel unit” in the current application does not refer necessarily to a single grouping of subpixels, or to put it another way a block of subpixels, but instead refers to a number of subpixels defined by the claim (i.e. one red, one blue and two green) in a general area that may or may not be directly adjacent to each other in which the spacing in between the respective subpixels is not necessarily considered to be part of the pixel unit. The Examiner also notes that subpixels may be a part of two different pixel units as in the Applicant’s Fig. 8.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The Examiner acknowledges that the amendments to claims 1 and 21 renders the previous rejection of claims 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 13, 21, 23 and 24 under 35 USC 112(b) renders the previous rejection moot. Therefore, the previous rejection of claims 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 13, 21, 23 and 24 under 35 USC 112(b) have been withdrawn.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 4, 8, 10, 13, 21, 23 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Han et al. (US 2021/0408140) hereinafter “Han”.
Regarding claim 1, Fig. 10B of Han teaches a display panel (Paragraph 0002), comprising a display region (Item DA), wherein the display region comprises at least one functional unit (See Picture 8 below) disposed on a substrate (Item 10), a pixel unit (Combination of four green subpixels a blue subpixel and a red subpixel; See the subpixels within the respective functional units in Picture 8 below) and only least one non-display unit (Item S) are disposed in the one functional unit, wherein the pixel unit (See Picture 8 below) comprises at least one sub-pixel (Items R, B and four Gs, respectively), and an orthographic projection of the pixel unit (See Picture 8 below) on the substrate (Item 10) does not overlap an orthographic projection of the one non-display unit (Item S) on the substrate (Item 10), wherein the pixel unit comprises four green sub-pixels, one blue sub-pixel and one red sub-pixel, two of the four green sub-pixels are arranged along a second direction of the substrate to form a green sub-pixel column a (See Picture 8 below), the other two of the four green sub-pixels are arranged along the second direction of the substrate to form a green sub-pixel column b (See Picture 8 below), the non-display unit and the blue sub-pixel are arranged along the second direction of the substrate to form a combined pixel column (See Picture 8 below), the green sub-pixel column a and the combined pixel column are arranged in parallel in a first direction of the substrate (See Picture 8 below), the red sub-pixel is located on one side (bottom) of the green sub-pixel column a and the combined pixel column in the second direction of the substrate, and the green sub-pixel column b is located on one side (right side) of the red sub-pixel and the non-display unit in the first direction of the substrate, wherein the first direction is different from the second direction, and the one non-display unit is surrounded by the green subpixel column a, the green subpixel column b, the blue subpixel and the red subpixel (See Examiner’s Note 2 below).
Examiner’s Note: The Examiner notes that stating “on one side of” merely requires that a structure is oriented on one particular side of another structure. It does not require any specific distance from or being directly adjacent to.
Examiner’s Note 2: The Examiner notes that stating “surrounded by” does not require that the subpixels are adjacent to the non display unit nor that other subpixels cannot be present around the non-display unit.
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Picture 8 (Labeled version of Han Fig. 10B)
Regarding claim 4, Fig. 10B of Han further teaches where the display panel comprises at least two functional units (See Picture 8 above), the at least two functional units are arranged along a first direction (Left to right across the page; See Picture 8 above) of the substrate to form a functional unit row, and in one functional unit row, centers of non-display units (Item S indicated in Picture 8 above) of at least three functional units are in a same straight line in the first direction (Left to right across the page).
Regarding claim 8, Han further teaches where the non-display unit (Item S) is an organic photodiode (Paragraph 0065).
Regarding claim 10, Fig. 10B of Han further teaches where the orthographic projection of the non-display unit (Item S) on the substrate (Item 10) is a diamond.
Regarding claim 13, Fig. 10B of Han further teaches where an orthographic projection of at least one of the blue subpixel, the red subpixel the four green subpixels and the non-display unit on the substrate is a polygon.
Regarding claim 21, Fig. 10B of Han teaches a method for preparing a display panel (Paragraph 0002), comprising: forming at least one functional unit (See Picture 8 above) on a substrate (Item 10), wherein a pixel unit (Combination of Items B, R and two Gs within the functional unit; See Examiner’s Note at the beginning of the office action) and only one non-display unit (Items S) are disposed in the one functional unit, the pixel unit comprises at least one sub-pixel (Items R, B and two Gs, respectively), an orthographic projection of the pixel unit on the substrate (Item 10) and an orthographic projection of the one non-display unit on the substrate (Item 10) are not overlapped, wherein the pixel unit comprises four green sub-pixels, one blue sub-pixel and one red sub-pixel, two of the four green sub-pixels are arranged along a second direction of the substrate to form a green sub-pixel column a (See Picture 8 above), the other two of the four green sub-pixels are arranged along the second direction of the substrate to form a green sub-pixel column b (See Picture 8 above), the one non-display unit and the blue sub-pixel are arranged along the second direction of the substrate to form a combined pixel column (See Picture 8 above), the green sub-pixel column a and the combined pixel column are arranged in parallel in a first direction of the substrate (See Picture 8 above), the red sub-pixel is located on one side (bottom) of the green sub-pixel column a and the combined pixel column in the second direction of the substrate, and the green sub-pixel column b is located on one side (right side) of the red sub-pixel and the non-display unit in the first direction of the substrate, wherein the first direction is different from the second direction, and the one non-display unit is surrounded by the green subpixel column a, the green subpixel column b, the blue subpixel and the red subpixel.
Examiner’s Note: The Examiner notes that stating “on one side of” merely requires that a structure is oriented on one particular side of another structure. It does not require any specific distance from or being directly adjacent to.
Examiner’s Note 2: The Examiner notes that stating “surrounded by” does not require that the subpixels are adjacent to the non display unit nor that other subpixels cannot be present around the non-display unit.
Regarding claim 23, Han further teaches where the non display unit (Item S; See Picture 8 above) comprises a sensor (Paragraph 0048).
Regarding claim 24, Han teaches a display apparatus, comprising the display panel according to claim 1 (for purposes of brevity the entirety of the rejection of claim 1 will not be repeated here; See above).
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 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.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (US 2021/0408140) hereinafter “Han” in view of Zha et al. (US 2022/0320050) hereinafter “Zha”.
Regarding claim 7, Han teaches all of the elements of the claimed invention as stated above except where in the one functional unit, an area of the orthographic projection of the one non-display unit on the substrate is greater than 100 square microns.
Zha teaches a display (Paragraph 0003) where an area of an orthographic projection of one non-display unit (Paragraph 0009 fingerprint identification sensor) on a substrate (Item 10) is between 10 square microns and 800 square microns (Paragraph 0009).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have, in the one functional unit, an area of the orthographic projection of the at one non-display unit on the substrate be greater than 100 square microns because “In the case where the claimed ranges ‘overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art’ a prima facie case of obviousness exists.” In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191 USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976) (MPEP 2144.05).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant’s REMARKS, filed 05/11/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1 and 21 under 35 USC 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of an alternate interpretation of Fig. 10B of Han (See Picture 8 above where the subpixels and non-display unit in a functional unit are defined differently than in the previous rejection).
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 ERIC K ASHBAHIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5187. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Landau can be reached at 571-272-1731. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIC K ASHBAHIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891
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