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 .
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 final rejection. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/27/2026 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 7-8, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al. (KR20210076477, with reference made to provided machine translation, Park).
As per claim 1, Park teaches (in figure 9) a light path control device comprising: a first substrate (first base film 21); a first electrode (first electrode 22) disposed on the first substrate; a second substrate (second base film 31) disposed on the first substrate; a second electrode (second electrode 32) disposed below the second substrate; an light conversion layer (load pattern mold 5 and spaces CS filled with load 4) disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and including a barrier part (load pattern mold 5) and a receptacle part (spaces CS filled with load 4) arranged alternately therein; an adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') disposed between the first electrode and the light conversion layer; and an insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8) interposed between the barrier part and the adhesive layer wherein the barrier part comprises an insulating resin material (UV resin) containing ionic impurities (conductivity-enhancing additive comprising quaternary ammonium cation and fluorinated imide anions) (see paragraphs 57-59 and 100) wherein at least a part of the adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') is embedded inward of the receptacle part (spaces CS filled with load 4) (see paragraph 111), wherein the insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8) is interposed between the barrier part (load pattern mold 5) and the embedded adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') on a part of the outer wall of the barrier part (portion of load pattern mold 5 covered with portion 82 of non-conductive layer 8) (see paragraph 111), and wherein the embedded adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') has a first height from the bottom surface of the barrier part, and the insulation thin film disposed on the outer wall of the barrier part (portion 82 of non-conductive layer 8) has a second height from the bottom surface of the barrier part (portion of load pattern mold 5 covered with portion 81 of non-conductive layer 8), the first height being equal to or less than the second height (see paragraph 111).
As per claim 3, Park teaches (in figure 9) that the insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8) is disposed on a region of the bottom surface (portion of load pattern mold 5 covered with portion 81 of non-conductive layer 8) and the outer wall of the barrier part (portion of load pattern mold 5 covered with portion 82 of non-conductive layer 8).
As per claim 7, Park teaches (in figure 9) that the receptacle part (spaces CS filled with load 4) comprises dispersion liquid (“oil”) and floating particles (“carbon particles”) dispersed in the dispersion liquid (see paragraph 36).
As per claim 8, Park teaches (in figure 9) that the receptacle part (spaces CS filled with load 4) is disposed to be spaced at a predetermined distance (distance from second electrode 32 to upper surface 42) apart from the second electrode (second electrode 32) in the light conversion layer (see figure 9).
As per claim 17, Park teaches (in figure 9) that the insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8) has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') (see paragraph 111).
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (KR20210076477, with reference made to provided machine translation, Park) as applied to claim 1 above and in further view of Wang (US Pub. 20210231978).
As per claim 2, Park teaches (in figure 9) that the insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8) is formed of a material having high resistance (paragraph 102).
Park does not specifically teach that the insulation thin film includes at least one of silicon nitride (SiN), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and silicon dioxide (SiO2).
However, Wang teaches that it is known to form high resistance insulation films out of silicon nitride (paragraph 88).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to form the insulation thin film out of a silicon nitride since a prima facie case of obviousness exists for the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use (see MPEP 2144.07).
Claims 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (KR20210076477, with reference made to provided machine translation, Park) in view of Rogers et al. (USP 6337761, Rogers).
As per claim 9, Park teaches (in figures 7A-7H and 9) a method of manufacturing a light path control device, the method comprising: forming a first electrode (first electrode 22) and an adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') on a first substrate (first base film 21) sequentially (figure 7e and paragraph 89); forming a second electrode (second electrode 32) on a second substrate (second base film 31) (figures 7a-7b and paragraphs 79-80); forming a light conversion layer (load pattern mold 5 and space CS); and bonding the first substrate and the second substrate while the light conversion layer is interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate (figure 7e and paragraph 89), wherein the forming the light conversion layer comprises: forming an optical curable resin layer (paragraphs 86-87) on the second substrate (figure 7c and paragraph 83-87); forming a barrier part of a tooth shape (portion of patter mold between spaces CS) and a receptacle part (spaces CS) arranged alternately with the barrier part by patterning the optical curable resin layer; forming an insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8) on the barrier part (paragraph 108-110) wherein the barrier part comprises an insulating resin material (UV resin) containing ionic impurities (conductivity-enhancing additive comprising quaternary ammonium cation and fluorinated imide anions) (see paragraphs 57-59), wherein, during the bonding, at least a part of the adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') is embedded inward of the receptacle part (spaces CS in) (see paragraph 111), wherein the insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8) is interposed between the barrier part (load pattern mold 5) and the embedded adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') on a part of the outer wall of the barrier part (portion of load pattern mold 5 covered with portion 82 of non-conductive layer 8) (see paragraph 111), and wherein the embedded adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') has a first height from the bottom surface of the barrier part, and the insulation thin film disposed on the outer wall of the barrier part (portion 82 of non-conductive layer 8) has a second height from the bottom surface of the barrier part (portion of load pattern mold 5 covered with portion 81 of non-conductive layer 8), the first height being equal to or less than the second height (see paragraph 111).
Park does not teach that forming the light conversion layer comprises: forming an optical curable resin layer on a parent substrate and removing the parent substrate.
However, Rogers teaches (in figures 5A-5D) that forming a barrier part (sealed chamber 30 comprising mechanical members 34 and enclosed cells 28) on a parent substrate, transferring to the final substrate and removing the parent substrate is a functionally equivalent method to forming the barrier part direction on the final substrate (see Col. 6 line 54- Col.7 line 4).
Therefore, because these two methods were art-recognized equivalents before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the barrier part on a parent substrate before transferring to final substrates.
As per claim 18, Park teaches (in figure 9) that the insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8) has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') (see paragraph 111).
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (KR20210076477, with reference made to provided machine translation, Park) and Rogers et al. (USP 6337761, Rogers) as applied to claim 9 above and in further view of Fujii et al. (USP 5676804, Fujii).
As per claim 10, Park does not teach that forming the insulation thin film comprises: sputtering firstly by injecting a liquid or gas as a material of the insulation thin film from a bottom while the light conversion layer is tilted to one side; and sputtering secondly by injecting the liquid or gas as the material of the insulation thin film from the bottom while the light conversion layer is tilted to an opposite side.
However, Fujii teaches (in figure 4) forming a thin film (4) on an inclined surface structure (2) by sputtering firstly by injecting a liquid or gas as a material of the thin film from the bottom while the inclined structure is tilted to one side (when a first side is tilted towards 41); and sputtering secondly by injecting the liquid or gas as the material of the insulation thin film from the bottom while the light conversion layer is tilted to the opposite side (when a second side is tilted towards 41 after rotation) in order to ensure that both side of the inclined surfaces are covered (see Col. 10 lines 7-26).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Park to coat the insulation thin film by sputtering as suggested by Fujii in order to ensure that both side of the inclined surfaces are covered.
As per claim 11, Park in view of Fujii teaches that the insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8 in Park formed in the manner suggested by Fujii) is formed on a region of a bottom surface and one outer wall of the barrier part after the first sputtering (first portions facing target when one side of the inclined surfaces faces the target), and an opposite region at the bottom surface and an opposite outer wall of the barrier part after the second sputtering (second portions facing target when the opposite side of the inclined surfaces faces the target).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (KR20210076477, with reference made to provided machine translation, Park), Rogers et al. (USP 6337761, Rogers) and Fujii et al. (USP 5676804, Fujii) as applied to claim 10 above and in further view of Wang (US Pub. 20210231978).
As per claim 12, Park teaches (in figure 9) that the insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8) is formed of a material having high resistance (paragraph 102).
Park does not specifically teach that the insulation thin film includes at least one of silicon nitride (SiN), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and silicon dioxide (SiO2).
However, Wang teaches that it is known to form high resistance insulation films out of silicon nitride (paragraph 88).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to form the insulation thin film out of a silicon nitride since a prima facie case of obviousness exists for the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use (see MPEP 2144.07).
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (KR20210076477, with reference made to provided machine translation, Park) and Rogers et al. (USP 6337761, Rogers) as applied to claim 9 above and in further view of Hara et al. (US Pub. 20210088869, Hara).
As per claim 16, Park teaches forming an injection hole (opening between first sealing layer 71 and first adhesive layer 2’) overlapping, at least a part thereof, with the receptacle part (spaces CS) after forming the first electrode (first electrode 22) and the adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2') on the first substrate; and injecting dispersion liquid (“oil” and “carbon particles” included in load 4) including floating particles (“carbon particles”) into the receptacle part through the injection hole after the bonding (see paragraphs 36 and 91 and figure 7f).
Park does not teach forming the injection hole by irradiating a laser on the first substrate after forming the first electrode.
However, Hara teaches (in figure 3) forming the injection holes (reagent inlet 24) by irradiating a laser on a first substrate (counter substrate 3) after forming a first electrode (counter electrode 23) (paragraph 34) in order to allow the first electrode to be formed over the entire surface and connected to the edge of the panel for electrical connection to the lower substrate (paragraph 40).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the injection hole via laser as suggested by Park in order to allow the first electrode to be formed over the entire surface and connected to the edge of the panel for electrical connection to the lower substrate.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/27/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s argument that Park fails to teach “wherein the embedded adhesive layer has a first height from a bottom surface of the barrier part, and the insulation thin film disposed on the outer wall of the barrier part has a second height from the bottom surface of the barrier part, the first height being equal to or less than the second height”. This argument is unpersuasive. As shown in the rejection above Park teaches in paragraph 111:
“Also, another reason for placing the inclined layer (82) on the sides (43) of the rod (4) as in FIG. 9 is that, in the process of the first adhesive layer (2') of FIG. 7e covering the space (CS) where the rod (4) is to be filled, the first adhesive layer (2') can partially penetrate into the space (CS) and come into contact with the side of the rod pattern mold (5) where the rod (4) is to be filled.
In this case, even if the load (4) is filled into the space (CS) in a subsequent process, the first adhesive layer (2') containing the conductivity-enhancing additive avoids the non-conductive layer (8) and comes into contact with the side of the load pattern mold (5), so leakage current may occur through this.
Accordingly, the light control device (1) according to the third embodiment of FIG. 9 can more reliably prevent leakage current that may occur in the second region by preventing contact between the first adhesive layer (2') and the side of the rod pattern mold (5) by placing an inclined layer (82) on at least a part of the side of the rod pattern mold (5) and the rod (4).” (underline added for emphasis)
As such, Park teaches providing the insulation thin film (non-conductive layer 8) to a height such that the embedded adhesive layer (first adhesive layer 2’ formed inside of space CS) does not contact the outer wall of the barrier part (rod pattern mold 5) and therefore teaches the argued limitation. Applicant’s argument is therefore unpersuasive and the rejection is maintained.
Conclusion
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/ALEXANDER P GROSS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871