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 Species A (Fig. 1; Claims1-6 and 9-16) in the reply filed on 02/04/2026 is acknowledged.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (A1) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (CN 110120458 A; Published 08/13/2019).
Regarding Claim 1, Wang (Fig. 8) discloses a display panel, comprising:
an array substrate (a base substrate of the electroluminescent structure 1, 2, 3), wherein
the array substrate comprises a light-converting layer (light conversion layer 3 ), and the light-converting layer (3) is configured to convert other lights into red light (“the spectral full width at half maximum of the red light emitted from the light conversion layer is more than 55nm”); and
a light-emitting structure (2) disposed on the array substrate (1, 2, 3), wherein
the light-emitting structure emits white lights. (“electroluminescent structure 2 may be electroluminescent structure emitting white light.”)
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(s) 2, 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (CN 110120458 A; Published 08/13/2019) in view of Kitazawa (US 2023/0125204 A1).
Regarding Claim 2, Wang (Fig. 8) discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein
the array substrate further comprises a substrate (1); wherein
the light-converting layer (3) is doped with red light-emitting particles (“a light conversion layer 3 of material may be a quantum dot core-shell structure”), and the light-converting layer (3).
Wang further discloses the light-converting layer (3) is disposed between the substrate (1) and the light-emitting structure (3).
Wang does not explicitly disclose that a transistor layer disposed on the substrate; and the light-converting layer is disposed between the transistor layer and the light-emitting structure.
Kitazawa (Fig. 23) discloses a transistor layer disposed on the substrate; (“the substrate 4 of the display device 102 according to the present modified example includes a TFT) [0081] and the light-converting layer is disposed between the transistor layer and the light-emitting structure.
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 display panel in Wang in view of Kitazawa such that a transistor layer disposed on the substrate; and the light-converting layer is disposed between the transistor layer and the light-emitting structure in order to can individually drive pixels [0081]
Regarding Claim 12, Wang discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein
the light-emitting structure comprises a first light-emitting unit (“the first light emitting layer 21”), a second light-emitting unit (“the second light emitting layer 22”), and sequentially stacked.
Wang does not explicitly disclose a third light-emitting unit sequentially stacked; wherein
the first light-emitting unit, the second light-emitting unit, and the third light-emitting unit comprise a red light-emitting unit, a blue light-emitting unit, and a green light-emitting unit; wherein the first light-emitting unit, the second light-emitting unit, and the third light-emitting unit emit lights of different colors respectively.
Kitazawa (Fig. 8, 23) discloses a light-emitting structure comprises a first light-emitting unit (6R), a second light-emitting unit (6G), and a third light-emitting unit (6B) sequentially stacked; wherein
the first light-emitting unit, the second light-emitting unit, and the third light-emitting unit comprise a red light-emitting unit, a blue light-emitting unit, and a green light-emitting unit; [0102, 0113] wherein
the first light-emitting unit, the second light-emitting unit, and the third light-emitting unit emit lights of different colors respectively.(Red, Green, Blue).
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 display panel in Wang in view of Kitazawa such that a third light-emitting unit sequentially stacked; wherein the first light-emitting unit, the second light-emitting unit, and the third light-emitting unit comprise a red light-emitting unit, a blue light-emitting unit, and a green light-emitting unit; wherein the first light-emitting unit, the second light-emitting unit, and the third light-emitting unit emit lights of different colors respectively in order to emit white light [0067]
Claim(s) 3-6, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (CN 110120458 A; Published 08/13/2019) in view of Kitazawa (US 2023/0125204 A1) and further in view of Oikawa et al. (US 2020/0331244 A1)
Regarding Claim 3, Wang in view of Kitazawa discloses the display panel of claim 2.
Wang in view of Kitazawa does not explicitly disclose doping concentration of the red light-emitting particles in the light-converting layer ranges from 5% to 35%.
Oikawa discloses doping concentration of a red light-emitting particles in the light-converting layer ranges from 5% to 35%. (“ Wavelength conversion material 2: amino-modified silicone dispersion of quantum dot phosphor that emits red light, having CdSe core and ZnS shell (Gen 2.0 QD Concentrate, Nanosys Inc., quantum dot phosphor concentration: 8% by mass)”) [0218]
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 display panel in Wang in view of Kitazawa and Oikawa such that doping concentration of the red light-emitting particles in the light-converting layer ranges from 5% to 35% in order to have wavelength conversion material in the form of a dispersion [0088].
Regarding Claim 4, Wang in view of Kitazawa and Oikawa discloses the display panel of claim 3, wherein
each of the red light-emitting particles is in a shell-coated structure, and a shell layer of the shell-coated structure covers a core layer of the shell-coated structure .(“ , the material of the light-converting layer is CdSe/ZnS, wherein, material is CdSe core-core in the shell structure, ZnS as shell of material in core-shell structure”) Wang
Regarding Claim 5, Wang in view of Kitazawa and Oikawa discloses the display panel of claim 4, wherein
a material of the core layer comprises at least one of CdSe, CdZnSe, InP, and ZnSe. (“the material of the light-converting layer is CdSe/ZnS, wherein, material is CdSe core-core in the shell structure, ZnS as shell of material in core-shell structure”) Wang
Regarding Claim 6, Wang in view of Kitazawa and Oikawa discloses the display panel of claim 5, wherein
a material of the shell layer comprises at least one of CdS and ZnS. (“the material of the light-converting layer is CdSe/ZnS, wherein, material is CdSe core-core in the shell structure, ZnS as shell of material in core-shell structure”) Wang
Regarding Claim 11, Wang in view of Kitazawa discloses display panel of claim 2.
Wang in view of Kitazawa does not explicitly disclose a material of the light-converting layer is selected from polyimide, polymethyl methacrylate, silicone resin, and epoxy resin.
Oikawa discloses a material of the light-converting layer is selected from silicone resin,
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 display panel in Wang in view of Kitazawa and Oikawa such that a material of the light-converting layer is selected from polyimide, polymethyl methacrylate, silicone resin, and epoxy resin since the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination in Sinclair & Carroll Co. v. Interchemical Corp., 325 U.S. 327, 65 USPQ 297 (1945) (See MPEP 2144.07).
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (CN 110120458 A; Published 08/13/2019) in view of Choi et al. (US 200/0069202 A1).
Regarding Claim 9, Wang discloses display panel of claim 1,
Wang does not explicitly disclose the light-converting layer has a thickness ranging from 50 nm to 3000 nm.
Choi discloses a light-converting layer has a thickness ranging from 50 nm to 3000 nm. [0083]
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 display panel in Wang in view of Choi such that the light-converting layer has a thickness ranging from 50 nm to 3000 nm since since it has been held that the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in a prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (CN 110120458 A; Published 08/13/2019) in view of Kitazawa (US 2023/0125204 A1)and further in view of in view of Choi et al. (US 200/0069202 A1).
Regarding Claim 10, Wang in view of Kitazawa discloses display panel of claim 2.
Wang in view of Kitazawa does not explicitly disclose each of the red light-emitting particles has a particle diameter ranging from 7 nm to 8 nm.
Choi discloses each of the red light-emitting particles has a particle diameter ranging from 7 nm to 8 nm. [0083]
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 display panel in Wang in view of Choi such t the red light-emitting particles has a particle diameter ranging from 7 nm to 8 nm in order to optimize wavelength of converted light since it has been held that the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in a prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-16 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 DMITRIY YEMELYANOV whose telephone number is (571)270-7920. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9a.m.-6p.m.
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/DMITRIY YEMELYANOV/Examiner, Art Unit 2891