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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 10 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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, 4, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Che (US 2023/0337467 A1) in view of Seo (US 2021/0399060 A1).
Claim 1, Che teaches a device (electronic device 10; Fig. 1) comprising:
a display (display 14; Fig. 1) including a main portion (full pixel density region 334; paragraph 0101), a first region (region 332-1; Fig. 20 and paragraph 0107) and a second region (region 332-2; Fig. 20 and paragraph 0107), the first region and the second region being in different positions within a boundary of the main portion (see Fig. 20),
the first region (region 332-1; Fig. 20) having a first structure of light-blocking elements that distort light transmitted through the display (display pixels 322; see Fig. 5 and 20), the first structure of light-blocking elements including a layout of a first array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that each have a first shape (see pixels in inset 102, pixels may include a light-emitting diode; paragraph 0047), the first array of LEDs having a first arrangement of open space between the LEDs of the first array configured to allow light to pass through the display (see inset 102 of Fig. 20), the first arrangement of open space is configured to have a first transmissivity of light passing through the display (see Fig. 20), and
the second region (region 332-2; Fig. 20) having a second structure of light-blocking elements that distort light transmitted through the display differently as compared to the first structure the second structure of light-blocking elements including a layout of a second array of LEDs (“region 332-2 may use a second, different emission layer sub-pixel pattern;” paragraph 0109), the second array of LEDs having a second arrangement of open space between the LEDs of the second array configured to allow light to pass through the display (see inset 104 of Fig. 20);
a first light sensor positioned under the first region, the first light sensor being configured to capture a first image having at least one first characteristic, wherein the first characteristic depends on the first structure (sensor 13-1 under region 332-1 has a different associated diffractive artifact; paragraph 0107);
a second light sensor positioned under the second region, the second light sensor being configured to capture a second image having at least one second characteristic, wherein the second characteristic depends on the second structure (sensor 13-2 under region 332-2 has a different associated diffractive artifact; paragraph 0107); and
a memory (memory; 0041) including code that when executed by a processor causes the processor to generate a third image based on the first image and the second image (“images from respective sensors under respective pixel removal regions having different designs (with different associated diffractive artifacts) may be used in parallel to obtain an artifact free image;” paragraph 0105).
But Che is silent regarding wherein the second structure of light-blocking elements have a layout of a second array of LEDs that each have a second shape that is different from the first shape of the LEDs in the first array of LEDs, and wherein the second arrangement of open space is configured to have a second transmissivity of light passing through the display that is different from the first transmissivity of light passing through the display.
Seo teaches wherein a second region (display area NA of Fig. 10B) wherein a second structure of light-blocking elements have a layout of a second array of LEDs (each pixel may include a light-emitting diode; paragraph 0080) that each have a second shape that is different from the first shape of the LEDs in the first array of LEDs (each pixel of display area NA has a different shape than the pixels of display area BA; Fig. 10B), and wherein the second arrangement of open space is configured to have a second transmissivity of light passing through the display that is different from the first transmissivity of light passing through the display (transmission areas TA of display areas NA and BA are different; see Fig. 10B).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the teaching of Seo with that of Che in order to prevent visibility of a boundary portion between different display areas having different aperture ratios (see paragraph 0142 of Seo).
Claim 2, Che further teaches wherein the LEDs of the first array of LEDs comprise red, green, and blue LEDs (regions 332 include red, blue, and green pixels; paragraph 0064); and
the LEDs of the second array of LEDs comprise red, green, and blue LEDs (regions 332 include red, blue, and green pixels; paragraph 0064).
Claim 4, Che further teaches wherein the display includes a plurality of layers (see Fig. 3), and one of the plurality of layers includes the light-blocking elements of the first region (see OLED layers 306 of Fig. 3-4) and the light-blocking elements of the second region (see OLED layers 306 of Fig. 3-4).
Claim 8, Che further teaches wherein the at least one first characteristic includes one or more of quality, sharpness, and distortion, and the at least one second characteristic includes one or more of quality, sharpness, and distortion (different associated diffractive artifacts for each region; paragraph 0105, 0109-0110).
Claim 10, Che teaches a method comprising:
generating a first image having at least one first characteristic based on a first sensor sensing light through a first region of a display (sensor 13-1 in region 332-1 of display 14; see Figs. 1 and 20), the first region having a first structure configured to impact light transversing through the display (see Fig. 20), the first structure including a layout of a first array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that each have a first shape, the first array of LEDs having a first arrangement of open space between the LEDs of the first array configured to allow light to pass through the display, the first arrangement of open space is configured to have a first transmissivity of light passing through the display (see Fig. 20);
generating a second image having at least one second characteristic based on a second sensor sensing light through a second region of the display (sensor 13-2 in region 332-2 of display 14; Fig. 20), the second region having a second structure configured to impact the light traversing through the display differently as compared to the first structure (sensor 13-2 under region 332-2 has a different associated diffractive artifact; paragraph 0107), the second array of LEDs having a second arrangement of open space between the LEDs of the second array to allow light to pass through the display (see inset 104 of Fig. 20), the second arrangement of open space is configured to have a second transmissivity of light passing through the display (see Fig. 20); and
generating a third image based on the first image and the second image (“images from respective sensors under respective pixel removal regions having different designs (with different associated diffractive artifacts) may be used in parallel to obtain an artifact free image;” paragraph 0105).
But Che is silent regarding wherein the second structure including a layout of a second array of LEDs that each have a second shape that is different from the first shape of the LEDs in the first array of LEDs and wherein the first transmissivity is different than the second transmissivity.
Seo teaches wherein a second region (display area NA of Fig. 10B) wherein a second structure of light-blocking elements have a layout of a second array of LEDs (each pixel may include a light-emitting diode; paragraph 0080) that each have a second shape that is different from the first shape of the LEDs in the first array of LEDs (each pixel of display area NA has a different shape than the pixels of display area BA; Fig. 10B), and wherein the second arrangement of open space is configured to have a second transmissivity of light passing through the display that is different from the first transmissivity of light passing through the display (transmission areas TA of display areas NA and BA are different; see Fig. 10B).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the teaching of Seo with that of Che in order to prevent visibility of a boundary portion between different display areas having different aperture ratios (see paragraph 0142 of Seo).
Claim 11, Che further teaches wherein the at least one first characteristic includes one or more of quality, sharpness, and distortion, and the at least one second characteristic includes one or more of quality, sharpness, and distortion (different associated diffractive artifacts for each region; paragraph 0105, 0109-0110).
Claim 13, Che further teaches wherein the first light sensor is one of a color sensor, a monochrome sensor, or an infrared sensor, and the second light sensor is one of a color sensor, a monochrome sensor, or an infrared sensor (sensors 13 may be monochromatic and color ambient light sensors; paragraph 0045).
Claim 16, Che further teaches wherein the light through the first region is distorted based on the first structure (sensor 13-1 under region 332-1 has a different associated diffractive artifact; paragraph 0107), and the light through the second region is distorted based on the second structure (sensor 13-2 under region 332-2 has a different associated diffractive artifact; paragraph 0107).
Claim(s) 6 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Che in view of Seo, and further in view of Li (US 2017/0125490 A1).
Claim 6, Che in view of Seo teaches the device of claim 1, Che further teaches wherein the first light sensor is a monochrome sensor (sensor 13 may be a monochrome light sensor; paragraph 0045), the second light sensor is a color sensor (sensor 13 may be a color light sensor; paragraph 0045),
wherein light-blocking elements of the first structure include rectangular shaped elements (see inset 102 of Fig. 20)
but Che is silent regarding wherein light-blocking elements of the second structure include circular shaped elements.
Li teaches wherein light-blocking elements may include circular shaped elements (edge pixels 110 have a circular shape; paragraph 0042).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the teaching of Li with that of the cited prior art in order to improve light emitting efficiency and to improve the display effect of pixels (see paragraph 0029 of Li).
Claim 14, Che in view of Seo teaches the method of claim 10, Che further teaches wherein the first sensor is a monochrome sensor (sensor 13 may be a monochrome light sensor; paragraph 0045), the second sensor is a color sensor (sensor 13 may be a color light sensor; paragraph 0045), a layout of the first structure includes rectangular shaped elements (see inset 102 of Fig. 20), but is silent regarding wherein a layout of the second structure includes circular shaped elements.
Li teaches wherein light-blocking elements may include circular shaped elements (edge pixels 110 have a circular shape; paragraph 0042).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the teaching of Li with that of the cited prior art in order to improve light emitting efficiency and to improve the display effect of pixels (see paragraph 0029 of Li).
Claim(s) 9 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Che in view of Seo, and further in view of Gove (US 2020/0389575 A1).
Claim 9, Che in view of Seo teaches the device of claim 1, but is silent regarding wherein the code includes a machine learned model having at least one convolution layer.
Gove teaches wherein code includes a machine learned model having at least one convolution layer (a convolutional neural network (CNN) inherently includes at least one convolution layer and may be used to process images; paragraph 0029, 0042).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the teaching of Gove with that of An in order to remove a screen door effect caused by capturing images through display pixels and to make images suitable for depth sensing and further image analysis (see paragraphs 0005, 0042 of Gove).
Claim 12, Che in view of Seo teaches the method of claim 10, but is silent regarding wherein the generating of the third image includes using a machine learned model having at least one convolution layer.
Gove teaches wherein the generating of the third image includes using a machine learned model having at least one convolution layer (a convolutional neural network (CNN) inherently includes at least one convolution layer and may be used to process images; paragraph 0029, 0042).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the teaching of Gove with that of An in order to remove a screen door effect caused by capturing images through display pixels and to make images suitable for depth sensing and further image analysis (see paragraphs 0005, 0042 of Gove).
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Che in view of Seo and Li, and further in view of Kim (US 2021/0028248 A1) and Zhou (US 2021/0384269 A1).
Claim 15, Che in view of Seo and Li teaches the method of claim 14, but does not expressly teach wherein the rectangular shaped elements include first rectangular shaped elements having first dimensions and a second rectangle having second dimensions.
Kim teaches a sensor under a pixel display (paragraph 0097) wherein rectangular shaped elements include first rectangular shaped elements having first dimensions and a second rectangle having second dimensions (see pixels Pb and Pg having different sizes within display area DA1; paragraph 0111 and Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the teaching of Kim with that of the cited prior art in order to improve display quality of light in a sensor area (see paragraph 0006 and 0145 of Kim).
Che in view of Seo, Li, and Kim does not expressly teach wherein circular shaped elements include first circular shaped elements having a first diameter and a second circle having a second diameter.
Zhou teaches a sensor under a pixel display (paragraph 0036 and Fig. 1) wherein circular shaped elements include first circular shaped elements having a first diameter and a second circle having a second diameter (see light transmissive regions 301 and sub-pixel 304 having different diameters in Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the teaching of Zhou with that of the cited prior art in order to improve the display quality and to allow “the pixels at the peripheries of the light transmissive regions to have ideal shapes, thereby increasing a display area of the display panel, improving the image quality of the display panel, and realizing a full screen;” paragraph 0029 of Zhou.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is allowed.
Claim 21 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter can be found in the Office Action of 10 June 2025.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 attached.
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 CHIAWEI A CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1707. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 12:00pm - 9:00pm EST.
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/CHIAWEI CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2637