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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Amendment, received 2/10/2026, has been entered.
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 13 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Han et al. (US Pub. No. 2022/0067340 A1), hereafter referred to as Han.
As to claim 1, Han discloses a display substrate (fig 39; [0053]), comprising:
a substrate (fig 39, SUBS);
a photosensitive device (fig 39, OPD sensor S in AP4) located on the substrate (SUBS);
a reflective structure (TS; [0264] and CAT), located on a side of the photosensitive device (OPD in region AP4) away from the substrate (SUBS) and surrounding the photosensitive device (OPD in region AP4) in a direction parallel to the substrate (SUBS), wherein the reflective structure (TS) comprises a first surface facing the photosensitive device (bottom surface), a second surface facing away from the photosensitive device (top surface), and a side surface connecting the first surface and the second surface (TS with side surface connecting the top and bottom surfaces); and
a light processing portion (BLS) located on at least one of the first surface and the side surface of the reflective structure (BLS is on the bottom surface), and a light reflectivity of the light processing portion is smaller than a light reflectivity of the reflective structure ([0275]).
As to claim 2, Han discloses the display substrate of claim 1 (paragraphs above),
a light emitting device (fig 39, in region AP3) for display ([0271]), which is located on the substrate (SUBS) and spaced apart from the photosensitive device (in region AP4) along a direction parallel to the substrate (SUBS), wherein the light emitting device (in region AP3) comprises a first conductive layer (anode AND), a light emitting layer (EL) and a second conductive layer (CAT) sequentially disposed in a direction away from the substrate (vertical direction away from SUBS), wherein the reflective structure (outer portion of CAT and TS) comprises a first reflective structure (outer portion of CAT), and the second conductive layer (CAT) comprises the first reflective structure (outer portion of CAT), the light processing portion (BLS) comprises a first light processing portion (BNK) located on a first surface of the first reflective structure (bottom surface of CAT), wherein the first surface of the first reflective structure faces the photosensitive device (bottom surface of CAT faces OPD sensor S in AP4).
As to claim 3, Han discloses the display substrate of claim 2 (paragraphs above),
a pixel defining layer (portion of BNK adjacent to pixel openings) on the substrate (SUBS), the pixel defining layer having a first opening for defining the photosensitive device (portion of BNK with opening for AP4) and a second opening for defining the light emitting device portion of BNK with opening for AP3).
As to claim 13, Han discloses the display substrate of claim 2 (paragraphs above),
wherein the reflective structure (CAT and TS) further comprises a second reflective structure (TS), the second reflective structure is located on a side of the first reflective structure (top of CAT) away from the substrate (SUBS), the light processing portion (BLS and BNK) further comprises a second light processing portion (BLS) located on a first surface (bottom surface) of the second reflective structure (TS), wherein the first surface of the second reflective structure faces the photosensitive device (bottom surface of TS faces OPD sensor S in AP4).
As to claim 20, Han discloses a display device ([0283]), comprising the display substrate of claim 1 (paragraphs above).
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) 4-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han in view of Li et al. (CN212257459U, pub. 2020-12-29), hereafter referred to as Li.
As to claim 4, Han discloses the display substrate of claim 3 (paragraphs above),
wherein the second conductive layer (CAT) continuously covers the pixel defining layer (BNK adjacent to pixel opening) and the photosensitive device (portion in AP4).
Han does not disclose the material of the second conductive layer.
Nonetheless, Li discloses wherein a material of a second conductive layer (fig 2, ITO layer 13) comprises a transparent conductive material (Indium tin oxide ITO is transparent).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use ITO as the second conductive layer of Han as taught by Li since this provides good electrical connection to the diodes while providing light emission efficiency for the display device.
As to claim 5, Han in view of Li disclose the display substrate of claim 4 (paragraphs above),
Han further discloses wherein the first reflective structure comprises a portion where a vertical projection of the second conductive layer on the substrate overlaps with a vertical projection of the pixel defining layer on the substrate (fig 39, CAT vertically projects and overlaps PDL BNK).
As to claim 6, Han in view of Li disclose the display substrate of claim 5 (paragraphs above),
Han further discloses wherein the first light processing portion is located between the reflective structure and the pixel defining layer (portion of BNK and BLS are between TS and PDL BNK).
As to claim 7, Han in view of Li disclose the display substrate of claim 6 (paragraphs above),
Han further discloses wherein the first light processing portion at least partially covers a top surface of the pixel defining layer away from the substrate (fig 39, upper portion of BNK overlaps the lower portion of BNK which is considered to be the PDL).
As to claim 8, Han in view of Li disclose the display substrate of claim 7 (paragraphs above),
Han further discloses wherein the first light processing portion covers an entire top surface of the pixel defining layer (fig 39, upper portion of BNK covers entire top surface of lower portion of BNK considered to be the PDL).
As to claim 9, Han in view of Li disclose the display substrate of claim 7 (paragraphs above),
Li further discloses wherein a first light processing portion covers only an edge portion of the top surface of a pixel defining layer adjacent to an opening (fig 2, first light processing portion 16 only covering edge portions of top surface of PDL 12 adjacent to opening for the photosensitive detecting units 15).
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 light processing portions of Li on the edges of the openings of Han since this will improve the funneling effect of the light from and to the photosensitive elements.
As to claim 10, Han in view of Li disclose the display substrate of claim 9 (paragraphs above),
Han in view of Li do not explicitly disclose wherein a size of the first light processing portion in a direction parallel to the substrate is 3 micrometers.
Nonetheless, the skilled artisan would know too that the size of the light processing portion in a direction parallel to the substrate would impact the light blocking capacity of the barrier layer. The specific claimed size, absent any criticality, is only considered to be the “optimum” size that a person having ordinary skill in the art would have been able to determine using routine experimentation based, among other things, on the desired encapsulation thicknesses and cover plate materials, etc., (see Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA(1980)), and since neither non-obvious nor unexpected results, i.e. results which are different in kind and not in degree from the results of the prior art, will be obtained. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to form the size of the first light processing portion in a direction parallel to the substrate as 3 micrometers.
As to claim 11, Han in view of Li disclose the display substrate of claim 5 (paragraphs above),
Han further discloses wherein the first light processing portion comprises a portion of the pixel defining layer adjacent to the photosensitive device (fig 39, portion of BNK adjacent AP4 considered to be PDL).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han in view of Li and further in view of Kim et al. (US Pub. No. 2019/0027547 A1), hereafter referred to as Kim.
As to claim 12, Han in view of Li disclose the display substrate of claim 11 (paragraphs above),
Han in view of Li do not disclose wherein the portion of the pixel defining layer comprises a light-absorbing material, and a portion of the pixel defining layer not adjacent to the photosensitive device comprises a transparent material.
Nonetheless, Kim discloses a display device (fig 4, display panel DP) wherein a portion of a pixel defining layer (PDL including OBL) adjacent to an opening comprises a light-absorbing material (OBL; [0072]), and a portion of the pixel defining layer not adjacent to the opening comprises a transparent material ([0070]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to incorporate the OBL of Kim as part of the PDL of Han in view of Li since this will provide suitable light blocking properties for the display while also simplifying manufacture of the display.
Claim(s) 14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han in view of Lu (US Pub. No. 2021/0334504 A1).
As to claim 14, Han discloses the display substrate of claim 13 (paragraphs above).
Han does not disclose wherein the light processing portion further comprises a third light processing portion located on a side surface of the second reflective structure adjacent to the photosensitive device, wherein the side surface of the second reflective structure connects a first surface and a second surface of the second reflective structure.
Nonetheless, Lu discloses a similar display device with finger print sensor (fig 2, [0018], [0055]) wherein a light processing portion (51) comprises a portion located on a side surface of a second reflective structure/touch sensor line (53) adjacent to a photosensitive device (80), wherein the side surface of the second reflective structure (vertical side surface of 53) connects a first surface (bottom surface) and a second surface of the second reflective structure (top surface of 53).
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 light processing portion of Lu on the side surface of the touch sensor layer of Han since this will provide shielding to prevent the light from reaching the light-sensing sensors.
As to claim 15, Han in view of Lu disclose the display substrate of claim 14 (paragraphs above).
Han further discloses wherein the second reflective structure (TS) has an opening (AP2), wherein a vertical projection of the opening on the substrate at least partially overlaps with a vertical projection of the photosensitive device on the substrate (opening AP2 overlaps AP4 vertically).
Han does not disclose the third light processing portion.
However, Lu discloses wherein the third light processing portion is located on a sidewall of an opening (fig 2, light processing portion 51 is on sidewalls of touch sensor layer 53 of an opening for sensor 80).
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 light processing portion of Lu on the side surface of the touch sensor layer of Han since this will provide shielding to prevent the light from reaching the light-sensing sensors.
As to claim 16, Han in view of Lu disclose the display substrate of claim 15 (paragraphs above),
Han further discloses a touch electrode layer (TS) located on a side of the second conductive layer (CAT) away from the substrate (SUBS), and the second reflective structure and the touch electrode layer are disposed on a same layer ([0120]).
As to claim 17, Han in view of Lu disclose the display substrate of claim 16 (paragraphs above),
Han further discloses wherein the light processing portion further comprises a fourth light processing portion (fig 39, upper portion of BLS), the fourth light processing portion (BLS) is located on a surface of the touch electrode layer (bottom surface of TS) facing the substrate (SUBS).
Claim(s) 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han in view of Lu and further in view of Jinta (US Pub. No. 2023/0217710 A1).
As to claim 18, Han in view of Lu disclose the display substrate of claim 17 (paragraphs above),
Han further discloses a first protection layer (ENCAP) located between the first reflective structure (CAT) and the second reflective structure (TS) and a black matrix layer (fig 40, BM), a polarizing layer (fig 1, polarizing layer 18), a second protection layer (fig 1, layer 20).
Han in view of Lu does not disclose a third protection layer located on a side of the second reflective structure away from the substrate and arranged in sequence.
Nonetheless, Jinta discloses a display device that includes a stack including touch sensor layer (fig 4, 2f), a polarizing layer (2h), a second protection layer (2i) and a third protection layer (2j) arranged in sequence.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the second and third protection layers of Jinta as the second protection layer of Han in view of LU since this will improve the adhesion of the cover glass.
As to claim 19, Han in view of Lu and Jinta disclose the display substrate of claim 18 (paragraphs above),
Han further discloses wherein materials of the second light processing portion, the third light processing portion, and the fourth light processing portion are the same as that of the black matrix layer ([0283]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/10/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argued: “in Han, the light processing portion BLS is located between the reflective structures TS and CAT, not on the surface or side of the reflective structures TS or CAT. However, in the present invention, the light processing portions 162, 164, and 166 are located on at least one of the first surface and side surface of the reflective structures 142 and 144.”
Examiner disagrees because it appears that the Applicant is arguing that ‘on’ means ‘directly contacting’ instead of the ordinary meaning of ‘on’, additional intervening layers may be present therebetween. Furthermore, Han shows that BLS is on the surface as claimed according to the ordinary meaning of the word ‘on’ shown in figure 39.
Applicant argued that claims 4-20 are patentable because of their dependence from claim 1.
Examiner disagrees because claim 1 is anticipated by the Han reference.
Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2021/0375969 A1.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHAUN M CAMPBELL whose telephone number is (571)270-3830. The examiner can normally be reached on MWFS: 7:30-6pm Thurs 1-2pm.
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/SHAUN M CAMPBELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893 2/23/2026