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
Claims 10-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species B, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made of Species A without traverse in the reply filed on 07/07/2026. Applicant identifies claims 18-19 as generic which is incorrect since claim 18 requires the openwork opening between first color sub-pixels and second color sub-pixels in the first pixel column and alternately arranged in the second direction, therefore claim 18 is directed to Species B, Figures 13-18 with openwork openings in the D2 direction. Claim 19, conversely, places the openwork openings between the first pixel columns and second pixel columns and is directed to Species A, Figures 8-12 with openwork openings in the D3 direction, and examined for patentability herein.
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.
(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.
Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2025/0261517 A1 to Wang et al., “Wang”.
Regarding claim 1, Wang discloses a display panel (e.g. FIG. 5A,5B,6), comprising:
a substrate (110, ¶ [0088]-[0090]), and a display layer (e.g. 160, ¶ [0154]) and a black matrix layer (140, ¶ [0134]-[0135]) sequentially arranged on a same side of the substrate, wherein: the display layer includes a pixel definition layer (120, ¶ [0131],[0132]);
the pixel definition layer defines a plurality of pixel openings (e.g. 121, ¶ [0136]);
in a first direction (light emission direction), the plurality of pixel openings (121) pass through the pixel definition layer (140);
the first direction (light emission direction) is perpendicular to a plane where the substrate (110) is located;
the black matrix layer (140, ¶ [0134],[0135],0140],[0143],[0144]) includes a matrix opening (141) that overlaps with a pixel opening (121) of the plurality of pixel openings in the first direction and a light-shielding member (rest of 140) that does not overlap with the pixel opening (121) in the first direction;
the light-shielding member includes an openwork opening (142, ¶ [0134],[0140]-[0147]); and
the matrix opening (141) and the openwork opening (142) are both located in a display area of the display panel.
Regarding claim 2, Wang discloses the display panel according to claim 1, and Wang further discloses (FIG. 5A,5B) a touch layer (170, ¶ [0206]) located between the display layer and the black matrix layer (“may be disposed between the black matrix 140 and the pixel defining layer 120” ¶ [0206]); wherein: the touch layer (FIG. 18,19 touch layer 170) includes a plurality of touch electrodes (lines 171, ¶ [0208],[0209]), and the touch electrodes include a plurality of electrically connected metal line segments (connections among lines 171);
in the first direction (light emission direction), orthographic projections of the metal line segments (171) on the plane where the substrate is located do not overlap with orthographic projections of the pixel opening (touch lines 171 are formed around pixel openings red 1211, blue 1212, and green 1213), the matrix opening and the openwork opening (122) on the plane; and the orthographic projections of the metal line segments (171) on the substrate is located within an orthographic projection of the light-shielding member on the substrate (since light-shielding member 140 in FIG. 7 only includes openings 141 for pixels and openings 142 for photosensitive regions and covers all other regions including regions with the touch lines 171).
Claims 1,3,19,20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2021/0375969 A1 to WU et al. “Wu”.
Regarding claims 1 and 20, Wu discloses (claim 1) a display panel (FIG. 4,5) and (claim 20) a display device comprising a display panel (FIG. 4,5), comprising:
a substrate (2, ¶ [0047]), and a display layer (3) and a black matrix layer (7, ¶ [0048]) sequentially arranged on a same side of the substrate, wherein: the display layer includes a pixel definition layer (insulator on left and right sides of 5);
the pixel definition layer defines a plurality of pixel openings (filled with light-emitting layer 5);
in a first direction (i.e. the light-emission direction), the plurality of pixel openings (filled with 5) pass through the pixel definition layer;
the first direction is perpendicular to a plane where the substrate is located; the black matrix layer (7) includes a matrix opening (openings 14) that overlaps with a pixel opening of the plurality of pixel openings in the first direction and a light-shielding member (7) that does not overlap with the pixel opening in the first direction;
the light-shielding member includes an openwork opening (8, ¶ [0048]-[0058]); and
the matrix opening (14) and the openwork opening (8) are both located in a display area of the display panel.
Regarding claim 3, Wu discloses the display panel according to claim 1, and Wu further discloses wherein the light-shielding member (7) comprises (e.g. FIG. 4): first light-shielding members and second light-shielding members that are intersectingly arranged (portions of 7 with column shapes and row shapes respectively in Examiner-annotated figure below), wherein: the first light-shielding members extend in a second direction and are arranged in a third direction; the second light-shielding members extend in the third direction and are arranged in the second direction; and the second direction and the third direction intersect each other; and the openwork opening (8) is located in the first light-shielding member and/or the second light-shielding member.
PNG
media_image1.png
870
753
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 19, Wu discloses the display panel according to claim 1, and Wu further discloses (FIG. 16) comprising: a plurality of first pixel columns and a plurality of second pixel columns alternately arranged in a second direction (left-right axis, see Examiner-annotated figure below); wherein: the plurality of first pixel columns include first color sub-pixels (20) and second color sub-pixels (19) arranged in a third direction;
the plurality of second pixel columns include third color sub-pixels (18) arranged in the third direction; the second direction intersects with the third direction; and an orthographic projection of at least a portion of the openwork opening (see Examiner-annotated figure below) on the substrate is located between the pixel openings corresponding to the plurality of first pixel columns and pixel openings corresponding to the plurality of second pixel columns.
Examiner’s Note: language of “including” is interpreted as open-ended (MPEP 2111.03) and may include additional elements such as additional color sub-pixels.
PNG
media_image2.png
936
756
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-9 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:
Prior art generally teaches forming displays with openings in a black matrix or light shielding material for example in Wang as discussed above.
Prior art e.g. US 2021/0375969 A1 to WU et al. teaches openwork openings (8) as discussed above but teaches away from including the openwork openings (5’) adjacent to or between sides of the pixel openings (4’, ¶ [0044],[0045]).
Therefore, prior at fails to reasonably teach or suggest at least one first openwork opening located at the first light-shielding member and including two sides extending in the second direction, wherein the first light-shielding member includes a first side and a second side oppositely disposed in the third direction and extending in the second direction, and at least one of the two sides of the first openwork opening extending in the second direction is located between the first side and the second side, as claimed in claim 4 together with all of the limitations of claim 3 and claim 1. Claims 5-9 are object to as allowable insofar as they depend upon and include all of the limitations of claim 4.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2022/0367589 A1 to LENG teaches (Figure 10, Figure 11) forming openwork openings (27, ¶ [0081],[0082]) within a light-shielding layer (231);
US 2021/0408489 A1 to Tian et al. teaches (FIG. 5, FIG. 6) forming continuous openwork openings (3012, ¶ [0065]) within a light reflecting layer (301) and separately teaches (FIG. 8) adding a light absorbing layer (303, ¶ [0068]) under a light reflecting layer (301);
US 2022/0069261 A1 to TANG et al. teaches (FIG. 1) a black matrix (40) with openings (4011) for pixels and openwork openings (4012, ¶ [0073]);
US 2022/0358782 A1 to Wang et al. teaches (FIG. 2A,2B,3A) pixel openings (202/2021) in a light shielding layer (201, ¶ [0072],[0073]) and opening work openings (2011,2011A, ¶ [0106]) for fingerprint detection.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC A WARD whose telephone number is (571)270-3406. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6 ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Landau can be reached at (571)272-1731. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Eric A. Ward/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891
Prosecution Insights