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 .
Response to Amendment
Receipt of the Amendment, filed on October 23, 2023, is acknowledged.
Claims 1-20 are pending in the instant application.
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, 3-6, 18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu (US 2019/0237707 A1, of record).
Regarding claim 1, Liu discloses a display panel, comprising: a substrate (100), a light-emitting layer (200) located at a side of the substrate, and an encapsulation layer (300) located at a side of the light-emitting layer facing away from the substrate; the light-emitting layer comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements (210, 220, 230), and the encapsulation layer comprises a cut-off filter film layer (500); wherein the plurality of the light-emitting elements generate emitted light of at least two colors (¶[0028]); wherein, the cut-off filter film layer (500) comprises a plurality of filter areas (510, 520, 530), and one filter area filters the emitted light of one color (¶[0033]), so that a wavelength range of the emitted light transmitting through the filter area is narrower than that of emergent light (¶s[0054-0059]).
Regarding claim 3, Liu discloses a display panel wherein the orthogonal projection of the cut-off filter film layer (500, layer includes the plurality of filter areas and spacing regions between areas) on the substrate covers the substrate completely (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 4, Liu discloses a display panel wherein the orthogonal projections of the plurality of filter areas (510, 520, 530) on the substrate do not overlap with each other (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 5, Liu discloses a display panel wherein the orthographic projection of one of the plurality of filter areas (510, 520, 530) on the substrate covers the orthographic projection of at least one of the plurality of light-emitting elements (210, 220, 230) generating a same color on the substrate, to make the filter area filters the emitted light emitted by the light-emitting elements that covered by the filter area (¶s[0028,0033]).
Regarding claim 6, Liu discloses a display panel wherein a space exists between orthographic projections of the two adjacent filter areas (510, 520) on the substrate (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 18, Liu discloses a display panel wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements (210, 220, 230) comprise a light-emitting element that emits blue light, a light-emitting element that emits green light and a light-emitting element that emits red light (¶[0033]).
Regarding claim 20, Liu discloses a display device, comprising the display panel (Fig. 1).
Claim(s) 1, 3-12, 14 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US 2020/0144444 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a display panel, comprising: a substrate (not shown), a light-emitting layer (50/70) located at a side of the substrate, and an encapsulation layer (150) located at a side of the light-emitting layer facing away from the substrate; the light-emitting layer comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements (50C, 50A, 50B), and the encapsulation layer comprises a cut-off filter film layer (100); wherein the plurality of the light-emitting elements generate emitted light of at least two colors (L1, L2, ¶[0026]); wherein, the cut-off filter film layer (100) comprises a plurality of filter areas (100A, 100B), and one filter area filters the emitted light of one color (¶[0032], Figs. 3-4), so that a wavelength range of the emitted light transmitting through the filter area is narrower than that of emergent light (Figs. 3-4).
Regarding claim 3, Kim discloses a display panel wherein the orthogonal projection of the cut-off filter film layer (100) on the substrate covers the substrate completely (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4, Kim discloses a display panel wherein the orthogonal projections of the plurality of filter areas (100A, 100B) on the substrate do not overlap with each other (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, Kim discloses a display panel wherein the orthographic projection of one of the plurality of filter areas (100A, 100B) on the substrate covers the orthographic projection of at least one of the plurality of light-emitting elements (50A, 50B) generating a same color on the substrate, to make the filter area filters the emitted light emitted by the light-emitting elements that covered by the filter area (Figs. 3-4, ¶s[0035-0036]).
Regarding claim 6, Kim discloses a display panel wherein a space exists between orthographic projections of the two adjacent filter areas (100A, 100B) on the substrate (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 7, Kim discloses a display panel wherein the cut-off filter film layer (50) comprises a plurality of sub-film layers (110, 120) disposed in a stacking manner (Fig. 2), and every two adjacent sub-film layers have refractive indexes of different magnitudes (¶[0028]).
Regarding claim 8, Kim discloses a display panel wherein in the two adjacent sub-film layers, a refractive index of one sub-film layers is larger than 2 (¶[0028], refractive index of TiO2), and a refractive index of the other sub-film layer is less than 2 (¶[0028], refractive index of SiO2).
Regarding claim 9, Kim discloses a display panel wherein in the two adjacent sub-film layers, the film material of one sub-film layers comprises at least one of Ta2O5, TiO3, TiO2 and ZrO2, and the film material of the other sub-film layer comprises at least one of SiO2, MgF2, CeF3, Al2O3 and Y2O3 (¶[0028]).
Regarding claim 10, Kim discloses a display panel wherein the cut-off filter film layer comprises a first film layer material (110) and a second film layer material (120) with different refractive indexes, wherein one sub-film layer (110) in every two adjacent sub-films is the first film layer material, and the other sub-film layer (120) in every two adjacent sub-films is the second film layer material (¶[0028]).
Regarding claim 11, Kim discloses a display panel wherein the first film material comprises Ta2O5, and the second film material comprises SiO2 (¶[0028]).
Regarding claim 12, Kim discloses a display panel wherein a number of the plurality of sub-film layers (110/120) is larger than or equal to 9 and less than or equal to 16 (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 14, Kim discloses a display panel wherein the different sub-film layers have different thicknesses (¶[0029]).
Regarding claim 20, Kim discloses a display device, comprising the display panel (¶[0003]).
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, 13, 15 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2020/0144444 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Kim fails to exemplify wherein the wavelength range of the emergent light of every color transmitting through the cut-off filter layer is a range in which a difference from the central wavelength of the emitted light of this color is less than or equal to 15 nm. One skilled in that art would have reasonably contemplate optimizing a difference between the wavelength range of the emergent light of every color transmitting through the cut-off filter layer from the central wavelength of the emitted light of this color within the claimed ranges in order to improve the color purity of the emergent light, as an obvious matter of design engineering. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling of the claimed invention to optimize a difference of the wavelength range of the emergent light of every color transmitting through the cut-off filter layer from the central wavelength of the emitted light of this color being less than or equal to 15 nm, in order to improve the color purity of the emergent light.
Regarding claims 13 and 15, Kim discloses a display panel wherein in every two colors of emitted light, a number of the sub-film layers in the filter area corresponding to the emitted light with a longer wavelength is different than a number of the sub-film layers in the filter area corresponding to the emitted light with a shorter wavelength (¶[0030]), but fails to exemplify wherein the number of the sub-film layers in the filter area corresponding to the emitted light with a longer wavelength is larger than a number of the sub-film layers in the filter area corresponding to the emitted light with a shorter wavelength. One skilled in the art would reasonably contemplate providing a larger number of the sub-film layers in the filter area corresponding to the emitted light with a longer wavelength than the sub-film layers in the filter area corresponding to the emitted light with a shorter wavelength in order to adjust the wavelength band of light passing through the multi-layered filter as desired, as an obvious matter of design engineering.
Regarding claim 19, Kim discloses a display panel wherein the light-emitting element is a light-emitting diode, but fails to sate the light emitting diode being submillimeter. One of ordinary skills in the art would have reasonably contemplate the use of submillimeter light-emitting elements, in order to provide smaller emissive elements requiring less power known for their higher contrast and brightness, as an obvious matter if design engineering. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling of the claimed invention to use submillimeter light-emitting elements in the display panel of Kim in order to provide smaller emissive elements requiring less power known for their higher contrast and brightness.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim(s) 16, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 16, and specifically comprising the limitation of the encapsulation layer further comprises a composite adhesive layer located at a side of the light-emitting layer facing away from the substrate, and the cut-off filter film layer is located between the composite adhesive layer and the light-emitting layer, or located at a side of the composite adhesive layer facing away from the light-emitting layer.
Regarding claim(s) 17, claims(s) 17 is/are allowable for the reasons given in claim(s) 16 because of its/their dependency status from claim(s) 16.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yuan (CN 108735788 A) discloses a display panel comprising: a first substrate, a plurality of pixels located above the first substrate arranged in an array, each pixel comprising a plurality of sub-pixels of different colors; an interference filter, for transmitting a narrow wavelength band of a corresponding sub-pixel of the same color.
Wang (CN 114914284 A) discloses a display substrate comprising a substrate, and a light emitting structure layer sequentially on the substrate, a packaging structure layer and a cut-off filter layer, wherein the light emitting structure layer comprises a plurality of red light emitting interval component, green light emitting component and blue light emitting component, the cut-off filter layer comprises a plurality of first cut-off filter unit, a second cut-off filter unit and a third cut-off filter unit, the first cut-off filter unit is corresponding to the red light emitting component is set to only let through red light; the second cut-off filter unit is corresponding to the green light emitting component is set to only let through the green light; the third cut-off filter unit is corresponding to the blue light emitting component set to only let through blue light.
Sato et al. (US 2021/0098656 A1) discloses a light emitting device including: a light emitting element having a light emission peak wavelength in a range of 380 nm or more and 470 nm or less, and a wavelength conversion member disposed on a light emission side of the light emitting device and comprising: a fluorescent material layer containing a fluorescent material excited by light emitted from the light emitting device, having a light emission peak wavelength in a range of 500 nm or more and 780 nm or less, and a band-pass filter layer disposed on a light emission side of the fluorescent material layer.
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood or implied from the texts of the references. To emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out. Each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mariceli Santiago whose telephone number is (571) 272-2464. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James R. Greece, can be reached on (571) 272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Mariceli Santiago/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2879
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