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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 18 November 2025 was filed after the mailing date of the Office Communication on 13 August 2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
The Office acknowledges receipt on 13 November 2025 of Applicants’ amendments in which claims 1, 5, 6, 8, 19, and 20 are amended, claims 7, 9-14, and 21 are cancelled, and claims 22-29 are newly added.
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 19 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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1 and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Cho et al. (US20110156015A1).
Regarding claim 1, Cho teaches in Fig. 3 a display apparatus, comprising:
a display panel (10, 20) {¶0091};
a front member (40/42) disposed on the display panel (10, 20) {¶0091, 0093};
a light absorption layer (52) disposed inside the front member (40/42) {¶0091}; and
a black matrix (62) disposed on the light absorption layer (52) and inside the front member (40/42) {¶0091}.
Regarding claim 2, Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 1, and Cho further teaches wherein the front member (40/42) protects the display panel (10, 20), and the light absorption layer (52) absorbs an external light incident on the display apparatus {¶0094, 0099}.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 6, and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Park et al. (US20170373281A1).
Regarding claim 1, Park teaches in Figs. 1 and 2 a display apparatus, comprising:
a display panel (100) {¶0029};
a front member (200) disposed on the display panel (100) {¶0029};
a light absorption layer (500) disposed inside the front member (200) {¶0046}; and
a black matrix (400) disposed on the light absorption layer (500) and inside the front member (200) {¶0048; 400 may be black ink}.
Regarding claim 2, Park teaches the display apparatus of claim 1, and Park further teaches wherein the front member (200) protects the display panel (100), and the light absorption layer (500) absorbs an external light incident on the display apparatus {¶0037, 0046}.
Regarding claim 6, Park teaches the display apparatus of claim 1, and Park further teaches wherein the front member (200) further includes:
a front glass (150/300) disposed on the display panel (100) and below the black matrix (400) and the light absorption layer (500) {¶0038, 0071};
a protective film (340) disposed on the front glass (150/300) and the black matrix (400) {¶0042}; and
a coating layer (350) disposed on the protective film (340) {¶0043}.
Regarding claim 8, Song teaches the display apparatus of claim 6, and Park further teaches wherein the front member (200) further includes:
a second adhesive (360) between the black matrix (400) and the light absorption layer (500) {¶0050}, and
wherein the light absorption layer (500) is disposed on an upper surface of the front glass (150/300) and below the second adhesive (360) {Fig. 2}.
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(s) 1-3, 5, and 15-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song et al. (KR20210069254A), English translation enclosed, in view of Cho et al. (US20110156015A1).
Regarding claim 1, Song teaches in Fig. 1a a display apparatus, comprising:
a display panel (110/{102, 104}/{110, touch panel}) {¶0062};
a front member (120, 140, and/or BM) disposed on the display panel (110/{102, 104}/{110, touch panel}) {¶0044, 0049};
a light absorption layer (144) disposed inside the front member (120, 140, and/or BM) {¶0049}.
Song does not necessarily teach a black matrix disposed on the light absorption layer and inside the front member.
In an analogous art, Cho teaches in Fig. 3 and paragraph [0094] a black matrix (62) disposed on a light absorption layer (52) and inside a front member (30, 40, 52, 62). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus based on the teachings of Cho – such that a black matrix disposed on the light absorption layer and inside the front member – to selectively absorb light. Cho ¶0094. Moreover, all the claimed elements (e.g., black matrix, light absorption layer, front member) were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods (e.g., as taught by Cho) with no change in their respective functions, and the combination yielding nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art. MPEP §2143(I)(A). Furthermore, [t]he selection of a known … [structure] based on its suitability for its intended use [is] … prima facie obviousness. MPEP §2144.07.
Regarding claim 2, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 1, and Song further teaches wherein the front member (120, 140, and/or BM) protects the display panel (110), and the light absorption layer (144) absorbs an external light incident on the display apparatus {¶0046, 0052}.
Regarding claim 3, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 1, and Song further teaches wherein the light absorption layer (144) is formed of a black resin {¶0052}, or has a thickness of about 2 μm to 3 μm {unselected alternative of Markush group}.
Regarding claim 5, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 1, and Song further teaches further comprising:
a first adhesive (106, 108) disposed between the display panel (102, 104) and the front member (120, 140, and/or BM) {¶0068; 106, 108 may include multiple layers of which one is epoxy}.
Regarding claim 15, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 1, and Song further teaches wherein the display panel (110) includes:
a thin film transistor (a TFT of 104) disposed on a substrate (102) {¶0062};
a light emitting element (RPXL/GPXL/BPXL) disposed on the thin film transistor (a TFT of 104) {¶0060};
an encapsulation layer (106) disposed on the light emitting element (RPXL/GPXL/BPXL) {¶0062}; and
a color filter layer (layer of RCF, GCF, BCF) disposed on the encapsulation layer (106) {¶0044}.
Regarding claim 16, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 15, and Song further teaches the encapsulation layer (106) includes:
a first encapsulation layer (nth layer of 106) disposed on the light emitting element (RPXL/GPXL/BPXL) {¶0068, encapsulation unit 106 may be formed by sequentially stacking a plurality of inorganic layers and organic layers};
a second encapsulation layer (nth+1 layer of 106) disposed on the first encapsulation layer (nth layer of 106) {¶0068, encapsulation unit 106 may be formed by sequentially stacking a plurality of inorganic layers and organic layers}; and
a third encapsulation layer (nth+2 layer of 106) disposed on the second encapsulation layer (nth+1 layer of 106) {¶0068, encapsulation unit 106 may be formed by sequentially stacking a plurality of inorganic layers and organic layers}.
Regarding claim 17, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 16, and Song further teaches wherein
the first encapsulation layer (nth layer of 106) and the third encapsulation layer (nth+2 layer of 106) are formed of an inorganic material {¶0068, encapsulation unit 106 may be formed by sequentially stacking a plurality of inorganic layers and organic layers}, or
the second encapsulation layer (nth+1 layer of 106) is formed of an organic material {¶0068, encapsulation unit 106 may be formed by sequentially stacking a plurality of inorganic layers and organic layers}.
Regarding claim 18, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 15, and Song further teaches wherein the display panel (110, touch panel) further includes a touch sensor disposed on the encapsulation layer (106) {¶0021, a touch panel disposed between the flexible display panel and the external light absorbing adhesive member; a touch panel implicitly has a touch sensor}.
Regarding claim 19, Song teaches in Fig. 1 a display apparatus, comprising:
a display panel (110) including a plurality of pixels (RPXL, GPXL, BPXL) disposed on a substrate (102) {¶0044}; and
a protective module (120, 140, BM) disposed on an upper surface of the display panel (110) {¶0044},
wherein the protective module (120, 140, BM) includes:
a light absorption layer (144) disposed inside the protective module (120, 140, BM) {¶0049}, and
wherein the display panel (110) includes:
a light emitting element (light emitting element of RPXL/GPXL/BPXL) disposed on the substrate (110) {¶0060},
an encapsulation layer (106) disposed on the light emitting element (light emitting element of RPXL/GPXL/BPXL) {¶0062}, and
a color filter layer (layer of RCF, GCF, BCF) disposed on the encapsulation layer (106) {¶0044}.
Song does not necessarily teach a black matrix disposed on the light absorption layer.
Cho teaches in Fig. 3 and paragraph [0094] a black matrix (62) disposed on a light absorption layer (52). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus based on the teachings of Cho – such that a black matrix disposed on the light absorption layer and inside the front member – to selectively absorb light. Cho ¶0094. Moreover, all the claimed elements (e.g., black matrix, light absorption layer) were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods (e.g., as taught by Cho) with no change in their respective functions, and the combination yielding nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art. MPEP §2143(I)(A). Furthermore, [t]he selection of a known … [structure] based on its suitability for its intended use [is] … prima facie obviousness. MPEP §2144.07.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song as modified by Cho as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Ito et al. (US20100244073A1).
Regarding claim 4, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 1, but Song does not wherein the light absorption layer is formed of a resin containing at least one of an ultraviolet (UV) absorber and a light stabilizer {unselected alternative of Markush group}.
In an analogous art, Ito teaches in Fig. 1 and paragraph [0095] a resin (15) containing an ultraviolet (UV) absorber. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus as modified by Cho based on the teachings of Ito – such that Song’s light absorption layer is formed of a resin containing an ultraviolet (UV) absorber – to improve the … EL device in light resistance, leading to the increase of the light emission life. Ito ¶0095.
Claim(s) 20, 22-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song as modified by Cho as applied to claim 19 (for claims 20 and 27-29) and claim 1 (for claims 22-26) above, and further in view of Park.
Regarding claim 20, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 19, but Song does not teach wherein the protective module further includes:
a front glass disposed on the display panel and below the light absorption layer;
a protective film disposed on the front glass and on the black matrix; and
a coating layer disposed on the protective film.
Park teaches in Figs. 1 and 2 a protective module (200) includes: a front glass (150/300) disposed on a display panel (100) and below a light absorption layer (500) {¶0036, 0037, 0047}; a protective film (340) disposed on a front glass (150/300) {¶0042}; and a coating layer (350) disposed on the protective film (340) {¶0043}. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus as modified by Cho based on the teachings of Park – such that the protective module further includes: a front glass disposed on the display panel and below the light absorption layer; a protective film disposed on the front glass and on the black matrix; and a coating layer disposed on the protective film – to protect a touch screen panel and the display panel from external impact and/or damage, such as scratches, scuffs, etc. Park ¶0003.
Regarding claim 22, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 1, and Song further teaches further comprising:
a first adhesive (106, 108) disposed between the display panel (102, 104) and the front member (120, 140, and/or BM) {¶0068; 106, 108 may include multiple layers of which one is epoxy}.
Song does not teach:
a second adhesive disposed inside the front member and below the black matrix,
wherein the light absorption layer is disposed between the first and second adhesives.
Park teaches in Fig. 2 a second adhesive (360) disposed inside a front member (200) and below a black matrix (400) {¶0029, 0048, 0050}, wherein a light absorption layer (500) is disposed below the second adhesive (360) {¶0047}. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus as modified by Cho based on the teachings of Park – such that a second adhesive is disposed inside the front member and below the black matrix, wherein the light absorption layer is disposed below the second adhesive – so as to bond together the black matrix and the light absorption layer. Park ¶0050. A consequence of this modification is that Park’s light absorption layer is disposed between Song’s first adhesive and Park’s second adhesive.
Regarding claim 23, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 1, but Song does not teach wherein the front member further includes:
a front glass disposed below the black matrix and the light absorption layer.
Park teaches in Fig. 2 a front member (200) further includes a front glass (150/300) disposed below a black matrix (400) and a light absorption layer (500) {¶0038, 0048, 0071}. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus as modified by Cho based on the teachings of Park – such that the front member further includes: a front glass disposed below the black matrix and the light absorption layer – to protect a touch screen panel and the display panel from external impact and/or damage, such as scratches, scuffs, etc. Park ¶0003.
Regarding claim 24, Song as modified by Cho and Park teaches the display apparatus of claim 23, but Song does not teach wherein the front member further includes:
an adhesive disposed between the black matrix and the light absorption layer.
Park teaches in Fig. 2 a front member (200) further includes an adhesive (360) disposed between a black matrix (400) and a light absorption layer (500) {¶0047, 0048, 0050}. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus as modified by Cho and Park based on the further teachings of Park – such that the front member further includes an adhesive disposed between the black matrix and the light absorption layer – so as to bond together the black matrix and the light absorption layer. Park ¶0050.
Regarding claim 25, Song as modified by Cho and Park teaches the display apparatus of claim 24, but Song does not teach wherein
a top surface of the adhesive contacts a bottom surface of the black matrix, and
a bottom surface of the adhesive contacts a top surface of the light absorption layer.
Park teaches in Fig. 2 a top surface of an adhesive (360) contacts a bottom surface of a black matrix (400), and a bottom surface of the adhesive (360) contacts a top surface of a light absorption layer (500). {¶0047, 0048, 0050}. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus as modified by Cho and Park based on the further teachings of Park – such that a top surface of the adhesive contacts a bottom surface of the black matrix, and a bottom surface of the adhesive contacts a top surface of the light absorption layer – so as to bond together the black matrix and the light absorption layer. Park ¶0050.
Regarding claim 26, Song as modified by Cho and Park teaches the display apparatus of claim 23, but Song does not teach wherein the front member further includes:
a protective film disposed directly on the black matrix.
Cho teaches in Fig. 3 a front member (30, 40, 52, 62) further includes a protective film (30) disposed directly on a black matrix (62) {¶0094}. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus as modified by Cho and Park based on the further teachings of Cho – such that the front member further includes a protective film disposed directly on the black matrix – to protect[] the organic light emitting device 20 from external moisture and/or oxygen. Cho ¶0058.
Regarding claim 27, Song as modified by Cho teaches the display apparatus of claim 19, but Song does not teach wherein the protective module further includes:
a front glass disposed below the black matrix and the light absorption layer.
Park teaches in Fig. 2 a protective module (200) further includes a front glass (150/300) disposed below a black matrix (400) and a light absorption layer (500) {¶0038, 0048, 0071}. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus as modified by Cho based on the teachings of Park – such that the protective module further includes: a front glass disposed below the black matrix and the light absorption layer – to protect a touch screen panel and the display panel from external impact and/or damage, such as scratches, scuffs, etc. Park ¶0003.
Regarding claim 28, Song as modified by Cho and Park teaches the display apparatus of claim 27, but Song does not teach wherein the protective module further includes:
an adhesive disposed between the black matrix and the light absorption layer.
Park teaches in Fig. 2 a protective module (200) further includes an adhesive (360) disposed between a black matrix (400) and a light absorption layer (500) {¶0047, 0048, 0050}. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus as modified by Cho and Park based on the further teachings of Park – such that the protective module further includes an adhesive disposed between the black matrix and the light absorption layer – so as to bond together the black matrix and the light absorption layer. Park ¶0050.
Regarding claim 29, Song as modified by Cho and Park teaches the display apparatus of claim 27, but Song does not teach wherein the protective module further includes:
a protective film disposed directly on the black matrix.
Cho teaches in Fig. 3 a protective module (30, 40, 52, 62) further includes a protective film (30) disposed directly on a black matrix (62) {¶0094}. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Song’s display apparatus as modified by Cho and Park based on the further teachings of Cho – such that the protective module further includes a protective film disposed directly on the black matrix – to protect[] the organic light emitting device 20 from external moisture and/or oxygen. Cho ¶0058.
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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/D.W.W./Examiner, Art Unit 2891
/MATTHEW C LANDAU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2891