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 I, claims 1-14, in the reply filed on 8/6/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 15-22 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 8/6/2026.
Drawings
Figure 1 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the limitations “(1-1)th unit pixel area”, “(1-2)th unit pixel area”, “(2-1)th unit pixel area”, “(3-1)th unit pixel area”, “(3-2)th unit pixel area”, “(4-1)th unit pixel area” in claims 10-12, must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
The preamble of the claim is suggested to be changed to “A display panel, comprising:” for clarity.
The first limitation of the claim is suggested to be changed to “unit pixel areas arranged in a first direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction” for clarity.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitations: "in the second unit pixel area, the first emission area, the second emission area, and the third emission …, in the third unit pixel area, the first emission area, the second emission area, and the third emission area …, in the fourth unit pixel area, the first emission area, the second emission area, and the third emission area …" in lines 17-24. There is insufficient antecedent basis in these limitations in the claim. For examination purposes, a first emission area, a second emission area and a third emission area are considered as corresponding to the first display element, the second display element, and the third display element, respectively, in each of the unit pixel areas.
In claim 2, it is not clear whether “the first emission area” refers to the first emission are of the first unit pixel area, the second unit pixel area, the third unit pixel area, or the fourth unit pixel area of claim 1.
In claim 2, it is not clear whether “the second emission area” refers to the second emission are of the first unit pixel area, the second unit pixel area, the third unit pixel area, or the fourth unit pixel area of claim 1.
In claim 2, it is not clear whether “the third emission area” refers to the third emission are of the first unit pixel area, the second unit pixel area, the third unit pixel area, or the fourth unit pixel area of claim 1.
The term “substantially” in claim 4 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “substantially” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. The limitation “wherein the size of the first emission area and the size of the second emission area are substantially equal to each other” of the claim has been rendered indefinite by the use of the term “substantially”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the objection(s), and the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record, Nakamura (US 2020/0235174), discloses a display panel comprising: unit pixel areas arranged in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein a first display element emitting light of a first color, a second display element emitting light of a second color, and a third display element emitting light of a third color are arranged in each of the unit pixel areas, the unit pixel areas comprise: a first unit pixel area and a second unit pixel area alternately arranged in the first direction, and a third unit pixel area and a fourth unit pixel area respectively adjacent to the first unit pixel area and the second unit pixel area in the second direction, in the first unit pixel area, a first emission area corresponding to the first display element, a second emission area corresponding to the second display element, and a third emission area corresponding to the third display element are arranged in a first arrangement pattern such that virtual lines connecting respective centers of the first, second, and third emission areas form a triangle, in the second unit pixel area, the first emission area, the second emission area, and the third emission area are arranged in a second arrangement pattern, which is top-bottom symmetrical to the first arrangement pattern, in the third unit pixel area, the first emission area, the second emission area, and the third emission area are arranged in a third arrangement pattern, in the fourth unit pixel area, the first emission area, the second emission area, and the third emission area are arranged in a fourth arrangement pattern, and each of the first emission area, the second emission area, and the third emission area has a closed curve shape. See Nakamura, FIG. 3, and paragraphs [0039]-[0049]. The prior art of records, individually or in combination, do not disclose nor teach “a third arrangement pattern, which is left-right symmetrical to the first arrangement pattern; a fourth arrangement pattern, which is top-bottom symmetrical to the third arrangement pattern” in combination with other limitations as recited in claim 1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHIH TSUN A CHOU whose telephone number is (408)918-7583. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-16:00 Arizona Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lynne Gurley can be reached at (571) 272-1670. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHIH TSUN A CHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811
