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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I, claims 1-20, in the reply filed on December 18, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 21-31 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites “the extension portion comprises a portion of the first-second color filter, which protrudes outward in a first direction than the first-first color filter, and a portion of the first-second color filter, which protrudes outward in a second direction crossing the first direction than the first-third color filter”, which renders the claims indefinite. The recitations attempt to compare how much the corresponding color filter protrudes outwardly, but it raises the issue of ambiguity since it could be interpreted as less than, more than or equal than, without any stated clarification.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chung et al. (US 2021/0066648 A1, of record).
Regarding claim 1, Chung discloses an electronic device comprising: a display panel comprising a first area (A2) comprising a plurality of transmission areas (TA) and an element area (PA2), a second area (A1) spaced apart from the first area, and a boundary area (Fig. 2) defined between the first area and the second area, the display panel comprising: a division layer (320) in which a plurality of first division openings (PA2) is defined in the first area and a plurality of second division openings (PA1) is defined in the second area; a plurality of first color filters (310) comprising a first-first color filter, a first-second color filter, and a first-third color filter (Figs. 11 and 13, (¶[0098]), which are arranged in each of the plurality of first division openings; and a plurality of second color filters (310) corresponding to the plurality of second division openings in a one-to-one correspondence (¶[0098]).
Regarding claim 2, Chung discloses an electronic device wherein a plurality of transmission openings (TA) is defined in the division layer in the first area, and each of the plurality of first division openings is defined between four transmission openings among the plurality of transmission openings (Fig. 11).
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 7, 10 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cho et al. (US 2022/0093708 A1, of record).
Regarding claim 1, Cho discloses an electronic device comprising: a display panel comprising a first area (DA2) comprising a plurality of transmission areas (TA) and an element area (OLED, Figs. 13-14), a second area (DA1) spaced apart from the first area, and a boundary area (Fig. 3H, area between first area DA2 and second area DA1) defined between the first area and the second area, the display panel comprising: a division layer (610) in which a plurality of first division openings (610H, Fig. 13) is defined in the first area (DA2) and a plurality of second division openings (610H, Fig. 12) is defined in the second area (DA1); a plurality of first color filters comprising a first-first color filter (621), a first-second color filter (622), and a first-third color filter (623), which are arranged in each of the plurality of first division openings (Fig. 13); and a plurality of second color filters (621, 622, 623, Fig. 12)) corresponding to the plurality of second division openings (610H) in a one-to-one correspondence (Fig. 12).
Regarding claim 2, Cho discloses an electronic device wherein a plurality of transmission openings (TA) is defined in the division layer in the first area, and each of the plurality of first division openings is defined between four transmission openings among the plurality of transmission openings (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 3, Cho discloses an electronic device wherein the first-second color filter (622) comprises an overlapping portion overlapping one first division opening (610H) among the plurality of first division openings and an extension portion extending from the overlapping portion (Fig. 14, first-second color filter 622 extends over the division layer 612).
Regarding claim 5, Cho discloses an electronic device wherein the extension portion (622) extends from the overlapping portion to an area between two transmission areas (TA) adjacent to each other among the plurality of transmission areas (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 7, Cho discloses an electronic device wherein a portion of the division layer has a shape corresponding to a shape of the extension portion in the first area (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 10, Cho discloses an electronic device wherein the first-first color filter (621) comprises a first overlapping portion overlapping one first division opening (610H) among the plurality of first division openings and a first extension portion extending from the first overlapping portion (first-first color filter 621 extends over the division layer 611), the first-second color filter (622) comprises a second overlapping portion overlapping the one first division opening (610H) and a second extension portion extending from the second overlapping portion (first-second color filter 622 extends over the division layer 612), and the first-third color filter (623) comprises a third overlapping portion overlapping the one first division opening (610H) and a third extension portion extending from the third overlapping portion (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 11, Cho discloses an electronic device wherein the first extension portion (621, border areas overlapping adjacent division layer) extends to an area between two transmission areas (TA) adjacent to each other among the plurality of transmission areas (Fig. 13), the second extension portion (622, border areas overlapping adjacent division layer) extends to an area between two transmission areas adjacent to each other among the plurality of transmission areas (Fig. 13), and the third extension portion (623, border areas overlapping adjacent division layer) extends to an area between two transmission areas adjacent to each other among the plurality of transmission areas (Fig. 13).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 8-9 and 12-20 are 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim(s) 6, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 6, and specifically comprising the limitation of the extension portion surrounds the first-first color filter and the first-third color filter.
Regarding claim(s) 8, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 8, and specifically comprising the limitation of an additional color filter having a color identical to a color of the first-second color filter, and the additional color filter is disposed in an area between two transmission areas adjacent to each other among the plurality of transmission areas.
Regarding claim(s) 9, claims(s) 9 is/are allowable for the reasons given in claim(s) 8 because of its/their dependency status from claim(s) 8.
Regarding claim(s) 12, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 12, and specifically comprising the limitation of a first additional division opening defined in an area overlapping the first extension portion, a second additional division opening defined in an area overlapping the second extension portion, and a third additional division opening defined in an area overlapping the third extension portion are defined in the division layer.
Regarding claim(s) 13, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 13, and specifically comprising the limitation of a plurality of third division openings and a plurality of fourth division openings, which are defined in the boundary area, are defined in the division layer, each of the plurality of third division openings has a shape identical to a shape of each of the plurality of first division openings, and each of the plurality of fourth division openings has a shape identical to a shape of each of the plurality of second division openings.
Regarding claim(s) 14-18, claims(s) 14-18 is/are allowable for the reasons given in claim(s) 13 because of its/their dependency status from claim(s) 13.
Regarding claim(s) 19, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 19, and specifically comprising the limitation of the second-first color filter has a size greater than a size of the second-third color filter, and the first pixel definition opening has a size smaller than a size of the third pixel definition opening.
Regarding claim(s) 20, claims(s) 20 is/are allowable for the reasons given in claim(s) 19 because of its/their dependency status from claim(s) 19.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Choi et al. (US 11,849,605 B2) discloses a display device including a main display area in which main display elements are arranged and a component area in which auxiliary display elements and a transmission area are arranged, the display device including: a first pixel-defining layer arranged in the main display area, the first pixel-defining being between first pixel electrodes of the main display elements; a second pixel-defining layer arranged in the component area, the second pixel-defining layer being between second pixel electrodes of the auxiliary display elements; a black matrix arranged on the main display elements, the black matrix being around emission areas of the main display elements; and color filters arranged on the main display elements and the auxiliary display elements, the color filters being arranged to correspond to the emission areas of the main display elements and emission areas of the auxiliary display elements.
Lee et al. (US 2022/0399405 A1) discloses a display panel including a plurality of emission areas disposed in a first display area and a second display area at least partially surrounded by the first display area, a transmission area disposed between two adjacent emission areas in the second display area, an encapsulation layer is disposed on the emission areas, a light blocking layer having a plurality of opening portions overlapping the emission areas, and a plurality of color filters overlapping the emission areas.
Im et al. (US 20210359012 A1) discloses a display device including a display unit including first emissive regions displaying a first color, second emissive regions displaying a second color, and third emissive regions displaying a third color; and an anti-reflection unit overlapping the display unit and including first color filters overlapping the first emissive regions, second color filters overlapping the second emissive regions, and third color filters overlapping the third emissive regions, wherein in a plan view, a ratio of an area of the first emissive regions, an area of the second emissive regions, and an area of the third emissive regions and a ratio of an area of the first color filters, an area of the second color filters, and an area of the third color filters are different.
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood or implied from the texts of the references. To emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out. Each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mariceli Santiago whose telephone number is (571) 272-2464. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jessica Han, can be reached on (571) 272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Mariceli Santiago/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2879
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