DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after 16 March 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s reply filed on 11 June 2026.
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 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) 11, 13, 16, 17 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (U.S. Pub. 2020/0075820) in view of Tu et al. (U.S. Pub. 2015/0295154).
Claims 11, 16, 17 and 19: Han et al. discloses a display module, in Fig. 3 and in paragraphs 58, 59 and 67, comprising:
a substrate (42);
a plurality of cells (51, 52 and 53) disposed on the substrate (42) and comprising:
a first group (50) including at least three cells (51, 52 and 53) arranged along a first direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 3); and
a second group (50) including at least three cells (51, 52 and 53) arranged along the first direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 3);
wherein:
the second group (50) is disposed adjacent to the first group (50) in the first direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 3);
a distance between the first group (50) and the second group (50) along the first direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 3) is greater than a width (width of 51, 52 or 53 in the horizontal direction in Fig. 3) of any one of the cells (51, 52 and 53) of the first group (50) or the second group (50) in the first direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 3); and
a space between the first group (50) and the second group (50) separated by the distance does not include any other cells.
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Han et al. appears not to explicitly disclose a light shield surrounding the first group and the second group,
wherein the light shield comprises an insulative material,
wherein the light shield has opening exposing one surface of each of the cells,
wherein one surface of each of the cells facing away from the substrate is coplanar with one surface of the light shield facing away from the substrate, and
wherein the light shield is in direct contact with a side surface of at least one cell of the plurality of cells.
Tu et al., however, in Fig. 3F and in paragraphs 46 and 47, discloses a light shield (290) the first group (101 and 240a on the left) and the second group (101 and 240a in the middle),
wherein the light shield (290) comprises an insulative material (polymer),
wherein the light shield (290) has opening exposing one surface (lower surfaces of 101 and 240a) of each of the cells (101 and 240a on the left, and 101 and 240a in the middle),
wherein one surface (upper surfaces of 240a) of each of the cells (101 and 240a on the left, and 101 and 240a in the middle) facing away from the substrate (23) is coplanar with one surface (upper surface of 290) of the light shield (290) facing away from the substrate (23), and
wherein the light shield (290) is in direct contact with a side surface (side surface of 240a) of at least one cell (101 and 240a on the left) of the plurality of cells (101 and 240a on the left, and 101 and 240a in the middle) in order to prevent crosstalk with adjacent groups.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing of the invention to modify Han et al. with the disclosure of Tu et al. to have made a light shield surrounding the first group and the second group,
wherein the light shield comprises an insulative material,
wherein the light shield has opening exposing one surface of each of the cells,
wherein one surface of each of the cells facing away from the substrate is coplanar with one surface of the light shield facing away from the substrate, and
wherein the light shield is in direct contact with a side surface of at least one cell of the plurality of cells in order to prevent crosstalk with adjacent groups (paragraph 46 of Tu et al.).
Claim 13: Han et al. in view of Tu et al. discloses the display module of claim 11 and Han er al., in Fig. 4 and in paragraph 58, further discloses a plurality of pads (44a and 44b) disposed between the substrate (42) and one of the cells (52), at least a portion (outer portions of 44a and 44b) of each pad (44a and 44b) not overlapping with the one of the cells (52).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. in view of Tu et al. as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Lee et al. (U.S. Pub. 2019/0053347).
Claim 12: Han et al. in view of Tu et al. discloses the display module of claim 11.
Han et al. in view of Tu et al. appears not to explicitly disclose wherein each of the cells comprises a first light emitting part configured to emit a first light, a second light emitting part configured to emit a second light, and a third light emitting part configured to emit a third light, and the first, second and third light emitting parts are vertically stacked one over another.
Lee et al, however, in Fig. 2A and in paragraphs 17 and 46, discloses each of the cells (200) comprises a first light emitting part (210) configured to emit a first light, a second light emitting part (220) configured to emit a second light, and a third light emitting part (230) configured to emit a third light, and the first, second and third light emitting parts (210, 220 and 230, respectively) are vertically stacked one over another in order to increase pixel density and color accuracy.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing of the invention to modify Han et al. in view of Tu et al. with the disclosure of Lee et al. to have made each of the cells comprises a first light emitting part configured to emit a first light, a second light emitting part configured to emit a second light, and a third light emitting part configured to emit a third light, and the first, second and third light emitting parts are vertically stacked one over another in order to increase pixel density and color accuracy (paragraph 17 of Lee et al.).
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. in view of Tu et al. as applied to claim 17 above, and further in view of Akimoto et al. (U.S. Pub. 2011/0297998).
Claim 18: Han et al. in view of Tu et al. discloses the display module of claim 17.
Han et al. in view of Tu et al. appears not to explicitly disclose bonding parts filling the openings, and disposed between the cells and the substrate,
wherein the light shield is disposed between the bonding parts and the substrate
Akimoto et al, however in Fig. 1 and paragraph 15, discloses bonding parts (14) filling the openings (opening in 18 for 14), and disposed between the cells (15) and the substrate (25).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing of the invention to modify Han et al. in view of Tu et al. with the disclosure of Akimoto et al. to have made bonding parts filling the openings, and disposed between the cells and the substrate in order to protect the surrounding elements.
Since Akimoto et al. disclose the bonding parts are only formed adjacent the cells, Han et al. in view of Akimoto et al. would disclose wherein the light shield is disposed between the bonding parts and the substrate.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11 June 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant appears to contend Tu et al. fails to disclose or suggest the light shield is in direct contact with a side surface of at least one cell of the plurality of cells.
Examiner notes that Tu et al., in Fig. 3F, discloses the light shield (290) is in direct contact with a side surface (side surface of 240a) of at least one cell (101 and 240a) of the plurality of cells.
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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/J.L/ Examiner, Art Unit 2815 /JOSHUA BENITEZ ROSARIO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2815
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