DETAILED ACTION
This Action is responsive to the submission filed on 12/15/2025.
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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to 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.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after Allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/15/2025 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1, 18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheong (US 2011/0249214), in view of Yamazaki (US 2024/0107861).
Regarding claim 1, Cheong (see, e.g., FIG. 2A, FIG. 3) discloses a display device comprising:
a substrate 10 (Para 0032, Para 0033);
a light-emitting element 50 disposed on the substrate 10 (Para 0032, Para 0033); and
a light control pattern 100, including an inclined outer side surface 105A, 105B and defining an air layer 111 having a thickness which is variable, e.g., varied thickness (Para 0032, Para 0033, Para 0040),
Although Cheong shows substantial features of the claimed invention, Cheong fails to expressly teach a capping layer disposed on the light-emitting element, a light control pattern disposed on the capping layer.
Yamazaki (see, e.g., FIG. 1) teaches a capping layer 33 disposed on the light-emitting element 20 for the purpose of preventing the diffusion of impurities thereby increasing the reliability of the display device (Para 0110, Para 0111, Para 0115, Para 0116).
The combination of Cheong (see, e.g., FIG. 2A, FIG. 3) / Yamazaki (see, e.g., FIG. 1) teaches the light control pattern 100 (as taught by Cheong) disposed on the capping layer 33 (as taught by Yamazaki).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the capping layer as described by Yamazaki to the light emitting element of Cheong for the purpose of preventing the diffusion of impurities thereby increasing the reliability of the display device (Para 0115).
Regarding claim 18, Cheong (see, e.g., FIG. 2A, FIG. 3) teaches the display device of claim 1, further comprising: an encapsulation substrate 180 disposed on the light control pattern 100 (Para 0045).
Regarding claim 20, Cheong (see, e.g., FIG. 2A, FIG. 3) teaches the display device of claim 18, further comprising: a sealing member 130 disposed between the substrate 10 and the encapsulation substrate 180 (Para 0044, Para 0045).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheong (US 2011/0249214), in view of Yamazaki (US 2024/0107861), and further in view of Barrows (US 2015/0097951).
Regarding claim 19, although Cheong/Yamazaki show substantial features of the claimed invention, Cheong/Yamazaki fail to expressly teach the display device of claim 18, wherein the encapsulation substrate includes glass.
Barrows (see, e.g., FIG. 1C) teaches the encapsulation substrate 171 includes glass for the purpose of selecting an optically transparent material for the optical sheet (Para 0087).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the material of the encapsulation substrate of Cheong/Yamazaki to include glass as described by Barrows for the purpose of selecting an optically transparent material for the optical sheet (Para 0087).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-17 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTONIO CRITE whose telephone number is (571) 270-5267. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 10:00 am - 6:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kretelia Graham can be reached at (571) 272-5055. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANTONIO B CRITE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817