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Claims 7-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01/12/2026.
Response to Amendment
Receipt is acknowledged of applicant' s amendment filed 04/30/2026. Claims 1-6 are pending and an action on the merits is as follows.
Title has been amended; previous objection withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection based on the amendment set forth by the applicant has led to the introduction of a new reference for a new grounds of rejection.
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) 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. ( US 20220059799 A1) (Kim, hereafter) in view of Jiao et al. ( US 20230003927 A1) (Jiao, hereafter).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses (Figures 1-12 and corresponding text) a display device (1) comprising: a blue color filter layer (235, third color filter, π0236-π250) in a blue transmission region (TA3) of an upper substrate (30), and including first scattering particles (333, π276); a green color filter layer (233, second color filter) in a green transmission region (TA2) of the upper substrate (30), and including second scattering particles (353, π302); a red color filter layer (231) in a red transmission region(TA1) of the upper substrate (30); a partition wall (370) on the upper substrate(30) and defining a blue transmission opening (TA3), a green transmission opening (TA2), and a red transmission opening (TA1), which overlap the blue transmission region (TA3), the green transmission region(TA2), and the red transmission region (TA1), respectively; a color conversion layer(340) including red color conversion particles(345) and third scattering particles (343) (π282-π285), and accommodated in the red transmission opening (TA1); a light emitting element layer(OL, π174)) on a lower substrate(10) facing the upper substrate (30); and a filling material (70) between the upper substrate(30) and the lower substrate (10).
Kim fails to explicitly disclose wherein the blue color filter layer including first scattering particles dispersed within a color filter material of the blue color filter layer; the green color filter layer including second scattering particles dispersed within a color filter material of the preen color filter layer.
Jiao discloses (Figures 4A-4G) discloses wherein one of the first color filter portion (111)(RED) the second color filter portion (121) (Green), the third color filter portion (131)(Blue) and the fourth color filter portion (141) further includes a scattering material (151). For the convenience of description, a color filter portion (15) is used to represent one of the first color filter portion (111), the second color filter portion (121), the third color filter portion (131) and the fourth color filter portion (141). As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the color filter portion( 15) includes the scattering material (151). For example, the scattering material (151) may be a dispersing agent or scattering particles. In a case where the scattering material (151) is the scattering particles, the scattering particles may be used to reflect light back and forth inside the color filter portion(15) so that a light absorption and conversion efficiency of the light conversion material is improved. In a case where the scattering material (151) is the dispersing agent, the dispersing agent itself may be used as particles with a reflective function, and moreover, the dispersing agent may also disperse aggregated substances of solid or liquid particles in the color filter portion (15). In this case, by the dispersing agent itself and the particles obtained after the aggregated substances are dispersed by the dispersing agent, it may be possible to make the light reflect back and forth inside the color filter portion (15). Therefore, the light absorption and conversion efficiency of the light conversion material is greatly improved.(π78-π88).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the display device of Kim as disclosed by jiao wherein the blue color filter layer including first scattering particles dispersed within a color filter material of the blue color filter layer; the green color filter layer including second scattering particles dispersed within a color filter material of the green color filter layer the motivation to make the light reflect back and forth inside the color filter portion thus allowing the light absorption and conversion efficiency of the light conversion material is to greatly improve.
Regarding claims 2 and 3, Kim discloses the display device set forth above (see rejection claim 1). Kim fails to explicitly disclose wherein an average diameter of the second scattering particles is greater than or equal to an average diameter of the first scattering particles (Claim 2); wherein the average diameter of the first scattering particles is 480 nm or less, and the average diameter of the second scattering particles is 550 nanometers (nm) or less (Claim 3).However since Kim discloses using scattering particles (see rejection above) one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date could readily modify the display device of Kim along with the disclosure of Kim to derive, wherein an average diameter of the second scattering particles is greater than or equal to an average diameter of the first scattering particles; wherein the average diameter of the first scattering particles is 480 nm or less, and the average diameter of the second scattering particles is 550 nanometers (nm) or less , the motivation being to uniformly distribute extracted light and since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re A11er, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claims 4-5 the limitations, wherein each of the blue transmission opening and the green transmission opening defined by the partition wall is filled with the filling material (claim 4); wherein the color conversion layer is spaced apart from each of the blue transmission region and the green transmission region in a plan view (claim 5) etc do not appear to contain any additional features which define more than slight constructional changes which come within the scope of the customary (design) practice followed by persons skilled in the art, especially as the advantages thus achieved can be readily contemplated in advance. Alternatively, these limitations are not deemed patentable since the applicant’s disclosure fails to show such limitations to solve any problems or to yield any unobvious advantage that is not within the scope of the teachings applied. Therefore, such limitations would be a matter of design alternative.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date to modify the display device of Kim with the disclosure of Kim and ordinary skill to derive wherein each of the blue transmission opening and the green transmission opening defined by the partition wall is filled with the filling material; wherein the color conversion layer is spaced apart from each of the blue transmission region and the green transmission region in a plan view, the motivation being to provide a device exhibiting high-quality characteristics such as wide viewing angle, high luminance and contrast, and fast response speed, and since design matters only require routine skill.
Regarding claim 6, Kim discloses wherein the light emitting element layer(OL) includes: a blue light emitting element layer configured to emit a blue light having a peak wavelength in a range of 440 nanometers (nm) to 480 nm (π176); and a green light emitting element layer overlapping the blue light emitting element layer, and configured to emit a green light having a peak wavelength in a range of 510 nm to 550 nm (π176-π178).
EXAMINER’S AMENDMENT
Authorization for this examiner’s amendment was given in the amendment filed 04/30/2026
The application has been amended as follows:
-Please delete the current title and replace with the following “DISPLAY DEVICE HAVING PARTITION WALL BETWEEN TRANSMISSION REGIONS”--
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 TRACIE Y GREEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3104. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thursday, 10am-8pm.
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, James R Greece can be reached at (571)272-3711. 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.
TRACIE Y. GREEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2875
/TRACIE Y GREEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
Prosecution Insights