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 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 03/11/2026 has been entered.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements submitted on 03/11/2026, 04/09/2026, 05/30/2026 have been considered by the Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Response to Arguments
Examiner has considered the newly filed IDS references filed on 03/11/2026, 03/11/2026, 04/09/2026, and 05/30/2026. Upon further search and consideration, a new ground of rejection is made in view of Nichol et al. (US 2011/0227487 A1 herein Nichol.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nichol et al. (US 2011/0227487 A1 herein Nichol.
Regarding claim 1, Nichol teaches a portable electronic device (read as mobile phone displays, mobile devices, electronic device displays; portable device such as an electronic book) (Nichol – [0554], [0595]) comprising:
a display (read as mobile phone displays) (Nichol – [0554]); and
an enclosure including a cover assembly comprising a unitary cover member (read as housing, protective cover) (Nichol – [0303]) comprising:
a substrate region formed from a first glass-based material and having a first refractive index (read as cladding layers may be a substrate for an optical component such as a polarizer, liquid crystal material, increased scratch resistance, provide additional functionality; cladding layer may be an adhesive, such as a low refractive index silicone adhesive which is optically coupled to another element of the device; cladding layer is an adhesive that bonds the lightguide or lightguide region to a component such as a substrate (glass or polymer)) (Nichol – [0255]); and
a surface region adjacent to the substrate region and defining an exterior surface of the unitary cover member (read as external housing) (Nichol – [0225], [0236], [0295]), the surface region comprising:
a matrix formed from a second glass-based material and having a second refractive index (read as passive matrix display, active matrix display; core material of the lightguide has a high refractive index and the cladding material has a low refractive index) (Nichol – [0255], [0332]-[0333], [0444], [0463]); and
an array of features within the matrix and having a third refractive index that is different than the first refractive index (Nichol – [0255]), the substrate region and the surface region configured to produce a reflected color that varies as a function of viewing angle (read as light extraction feature has a small passive region and a larger active region disposed to change from substantially clear to substantially transmissive diffuse such that when used in conjunction with the light redirecting element, the display can be changed from a narrow viewing angle display to a larger viewing angle display through the application or removal of voltage or current from the electro-optical region or material (Nichol – [0460], [0484], [0646]).
Regarding claim 2 as applied to claim 1, Nichol further teaches wherein: the array of features comprises an array of pores; and an average refractive index of the surface region is less than the first refractive index (read as comprises an adhesive or solid light transmitting material with an average refractive index less than that of the first lightguide layer 3020 and the second lightguide layer 3201) (Nichol – [0647]).
Regarding claim 3 as applied to claim 2, Nichol further teaches wherein the pores of the array of pores have an average size ranging from 1 nm to 20 nm (Nichol – [0145]).
Regarding claim 4 as applied to claim 1, Nichol further teaches wherein the array of features comprises an array of ceramic crystals (read as ceramic element) (Nichol – [0300]).
Regarding claim 5 as applied to claim 1, Nichol further teaches further comprising a rear-facing camera assembly, wherein: the unitary cover member is positioned over the rear-facing camera assembly (Nichol – [0518]); and the cover assembly further comprises a polymer-based coating disposed over an interior surface of the unitary cover member (Nichol – [0255], [0269]).
Regarding claim 6 as applied to claim 5, Nichol further teaches wherein: a first portion of the unitary cover member positioned over the rear-facing camera assembly is thicker than a second portion of the unitary cover member surrounding the first portion; and the surface region is located in the second portion of the unitary cover member (read as thicker lightguide film) (Nichol – [0209], [0231], [0240], [0401], [0500]).
Regarding claim 7 as applied to claim 1, Nichol further teaches wherein: the unitary cover member is a front cover member (read as the front housing region) (Nichol – [0236]); the front cover member defines a window portion positioned over the display; and the surface region is located in a peripheral portion of the front cover member that surrounds the window portion (read as light input window, window optically coupled to the input surface is optically coupled using a light transmitting optical adhesive to one or more selected from the group: an optical window, etc.) (Nichol – [0155], [0160], [0164]).
Regarding claim 8, Nichol teaches an electronic device (read as mobile phone displays, mobile devices, electronic device displays; portable device such as an electronic book) (Nichol – [0554], [0595]) comprising:
an enclosure (read as housing, protective cover) (Nichol – [0303]) comprising:
a housing assembly (read as housing, protective cover) (Nichol – [0303]); and
a rear cover assembly coupled to the housing assembly, defining a rear surface of the electronic device (read as rear portion/housing) (Nichol – [0300]), and including:
a cover member (read as protective cover) (Nichol – [0302]-[0303]) comprising:
a first layer defined by a first glass-based material having a first index of refraction (read as cladding layers may be a substrate for an optical component such as a polarizer, liquid crystal material, increased scratch resistance, provide additional functionality; cladding layer may be an adhesive, such as a low refractive index silicone adhesive which is optically coupled to another element of the device; cladding layer is an adhesive that bonds the lightguide or lightguide region to a component such as a substrate (glass or polymer)) (Nichol – [0255]); and
a second layer defining an exterior surface of the cover member, defined by a second glass-based material, and having a second index of refraction that is less than the first index of refraction (read as passive matrix display, active matrix display; core material of the lightguide has a high refractive index and the cladding material has a low refractive index) (Nichol – [0255], [0332]-[0333], [0444], [0463]), the first layer and the second layer surface and the substrate layers configured to produce an iridescent optical effect along the exterior surface of the electronic device (read as prismatic structures; prismatic lens, prismatic film; prismatic elements) (Nichol – [0219], [0291]-[0292]); and
a polymer-based coating disposed over an interior surface of the cover member, the polymer-based coating configured to reflect at least a portion of light transmitted through the cover member (read as polymer film) (Nichol – [0200], [0255], [0269]); and
an internal electronic component positioned within the enclosure and below the first layer and the second layer of the cover member (read as circuit board physically coupled to the flexible connector) (Nichol – [0148], [0506]).
Regarding claim 9 as applied to claim 8, Nichol further teaches wherein the internal electronic component is a radio-frequency antenna assembly positioned under the first layer and the second layer of the cover member (read as multiple electronic components assembled in a device that is in itself used as a component, antenna, and electrical leads and interconnects) (Nichol – [0444]).
Regarding claim 10 as applied to claim 9, Nichol further teaches wherein the second layer has a thickness less than 1 micrometer (Nichol – [0765]).
Regarding claim 11 as applied to claim 9, Nichol further teaches wherein: the second layer comprises pores within the second glass-based material; and the first layer is substantially non-porous (read as cladding layer is an adhesive that bonds the lightguide or lightguide region to a component such as a substrate (glass or polymer)) (Nichol – [0255]).
Regarding claim 12 as applied to claim 12, Nichol further teaches wherein the pores have an average size that is less than 50 nm (Nichol – [0145]).
Regarding claim 13 as applied to claim 8, Nichol further teaches wherein: the first glass-based material is a first silicate glass material; and the second glass-based material is a second silicate glass material derived from the first silicate glass material (read as borosilicate glass) (Nichol – [0353]).
Regarding claim 14 as applied to claim 8, Nichol further teaches wherein: the first layer comprises a first set of metallic nanoparticles; the second layer comprises a second set of metallic nanoparticles; and each of the first set and the second set of metallic nanoparticles contribute to a color of the rear cover assembly (read as materials such as nanoparticles) (Nichol – [0337]).
Regarding claim 15, Nichol teaches a portable electronic device (read as mobile phone displays, mobile devices, electronic device displays; portable device such as an electronic book) (Nichol – [0554], [0595]) comprising:
a display (Nichol – [0132], [0332]);
a camera assembly (Nichol – [0518]); and
an enclosure at least partially surrounding the display (read as housing, protective cover) (Nichol – [0303]), the enclosure comprising:
a housing assembly defining a set of side surfaces of the portable electronic device (read as housing, protective cover) (Nichol – [0303]);
a front cover assembly positioned over the display and defining a front surface of the portable electronic device (read as front portion/housing) (Nichol – [0236], [0300]); and
a rear cover assembly positioned over the camera assembly and defining a rear surface of the portable electronic device (read as rear portion/housing) (Nichol – [0300]), the rear cover assembly including a cover member defining:
a substrate region defining an interior surface of the cover member, comprising a first glass-based material, and having a first internal structure (read as cladding layers may be a substrate for an optical component such as a polarizer, liquid crystal material, increased scratch resistance, provide additional functionality; cladding layer may be an adhesive, such as a low refractive index silicone adhesive which is optically coupled to another element of the device; cladding layer is an adhesive that bonds the lightguide or lightguide region to a component such as a substrate (glass or polymer)) (Nichol – [0255]); and
a surface region defining an exterior surface of the cover member (read as external housing) (Nichol – [0225], [0236], [0295]), comprising a second glass-based material, and having a second internal structure different from the first internal structure and configured to produce iridescence at the exterior surface of the cover member (read as prismatic structures; prismatic lens, prismatic film; prismatic elements) (Nichol – [0219], [0291]-[0292]).
Regarding claim 16 as applied to claim 15, Nichol further teaches further comprising a wireless charging coil, wherein: the surface region and the substrate region are positioned over the wireless charging coil; and the wireless charging coil is configured to receive wireless power from an external power supply through the cover member of the rear cover assembly (read as charging mechanism) (Nichol – [0488]).
Regarding claim 17 as applied to claim 15, Nichol further teaches wherein: the second internal structure is defined at least in part by ceramic particles in a matrix of the second glass-based material; and the ceramic particles have an index of refraction that is different from an index of refraction of the second glass-based material (read as ceramic element) (Nichol – [0300], [0417], [0444]).
Regarding claim 18 as applied to claim 15, Nichol further teaches wherein: the second internal structure is defined at least in part by the second glass-based material and a third glass-based material; and an index of refraction of the second glass-based material is different from an index of refraction of the third glass-based material (Nichol – [0255], [0335]).
Regarding claim 19 as applied to claim 18, Nichol further teaches wherein the first glass-based material is a borosilicate glass material (read as borosilicate glass) (Nichol – [0353]).
Regarding claim 20 as applied to claim 15, Nichol further teaches wherein the second internal structure defines a photonic crystal (read as photonic bandgap material) (Nichol – [0143], [0146]-[0147], [0153]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to APRIL GUZMAN GONZALES whose telephone number is (571)270-1101. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm EST.
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/APRIL G GONZALES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648
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