DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Oath/Declaration
2. The oath/declaration filed on 12/05/2023 is acceptable.
Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. The office acknowledges receipt of the following items from the applicant:
Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed on 12/05/2023.
Specification
5. The specification is objected to for the following reason: The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed (see MPEP 606.01).
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 of this title, 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.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
6. Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Luo et al., hereafter “Luo” (U.S. Patent No. 11,513,392 B1) in view of HUANG (U.S. Publication No. 2018/0373053 A1) and further in view of HAN Y (KR-20120061556-A1).
Regarding claim 1, Luo discloses a tiled display device comprising:
a plurality of display devices (38); and
an optical path control member (26) disposed on each of the plurality of display devices (38),
wherein the optical path control member (26) includes:
a first base layer (28 or 44);
a second base layer (34 or 30) disposed to be spaced apart from the first base layer (28 or 44) in a thickness direction (Y-direction);
an air layer (space) interposed between the first base layer (28 or 44) and the second base layer (34 or 30) (Fig. 2 and col. 5, line 5-col. 6, line 21).
Luo discloses the features of the claimed invention as discussed above, but does not disclose a lens disposed on the second base layer.
HUANG, however, disclose a lens (52) disposed on the second base layer (51) (Fig. 1 and para [0048]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of Luo to provide a lens disposed on the second base layer as taught by HUANG for a purpose of improving the reflectivity of the lens.
Luo and HUANG disclose the features of the claimed invention as discussed above, but does not disclose wherein a cross section of the lens corresponds to an isosceles triangle or right triangle (Fig. 2 and English Text).
HAN Y, however, disclose wherein a cross section of the lens (P1) corresponds to an isosceles triangle or right triangle
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of Luo and HUANG to provide wherein a cross section of the lens corresponds to an isosceles triangle or right triangle as taught by HAN Y for a purpose of improving the accuracy and reliability of aiming for the lens.
Regarding claim 2, Luo, HUANG and HAN Y (citations to Luo unless otherwise noted) disclose wherein the air layer has a smaller refractive index (equal 1) than at least one of the first base layer and the second base layer (34), see the resin 132 (a portion of the second base layer (34) in Fig. 15) may have a refractive index of 1.49 (col. 18, line 31).
7. Claims 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over MIZUHASHI H (WO-2020122043-A1) in view of Luo et al., hereafter “Luo” (U.S. Patent No. 11,513,392 B1) in view of HUANG (U.S. Publication No. 2018/0273053 A1) and further in view of HAN Y (KR-20120061556-A1).
Regarding claim 15, MIZUHASHI H discloses a display device comprising:
a lower substrate (21) including a display area (Ad) and a non-display area (Gd);
a thin film transistor (TFT) array layer (TFT) disposed in the display area (Ad) on the lower substrate (21);
a light emitting device layer (including a pixel electrode 25) disposed in the display area (Ad) on the TFT array layer (TFT);
a cover substrate (31) disposed to face the lower substrate (21);
a color filter layer (32) disposed between the light emitting device layer (including a pixel electrode 25) and the cover substrate (31); and
an optical path control member (36) disposed on the cover substrate (31) (Fig. 13 and English Text).
MIZUHASHI H discloses the features of the claimed invention as discussed above, but does not disclose wherein the optical path control member includes: a first base layer; a second base layer disposed to be spaced apart from the first base layer in a thickness direction; an air layer interposed between the first base layer and the second base layer; and a lens disposed on the second base layer, and wherein a cross section of the lens corresponds to an isosceles triangle or right triangle.
Luo discloses wherein the optical path control member (26) includes:
a first base layer (28 or 44);
a second base layer (34 or 30) disposed to be spaced apart from the first base layer (28 or 44) in a thickness direction (Y-direction);
an air layer (space) interposed between the first base layer (28 or 44) and the second base layer (34 or 30) (Fig. 2 and col. 5, line 5-col. 6, line 21).
MIZUHASHI H and Luo discloses the features of the claimed invention as discussed above, but does not disclose a lens disposed on the second base layer.
HUANG, however, disclose a lens (52) disposed on the second base layer (51) (Fig. 1 and para [0048]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of MIZUHASHI H and Luo to provide a lens disposed on the second base layer as taught by HUANG for a purpose of improving the reflectivity of the lens.
MIZUHASHI H, Luo and HUANG disclose the features of the claimed invention as discussed above, but does not disclose wherein a cross section of the lens corresponds to an isosceles triangle or right triangle (Fig. 2 and English Text).
HAN Y, however, disclose wherein a cross section of the lens (P1) corresponds to an isosceles triangle or right triangle
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of MIZUHASHI H, Luo and HUANG to provide wherein a cross section of the lens corresponds to an isosceles triangle or right triangle as taught by HAN Y for a purpose of improving the accuracy and reliability of aiming for the lens.
Regarding claim 16, MIZUHASHI H, Luo, HUANG and HAN Y (citations to MIZUHASHI H unless otherwise noted) disclose wherein the air layer has a smaller refractive index (equal 1) than at least one of the first base layer and the second base layer (34), see the resin 132 (a portion of the second base layer (34) in Fig. 15) may have a refractive index of 1.49 (col. 18, line 31 in Luo).
Allowable Subject Matter
8. The following is a statement of reason for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 3-14 and 17-21 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.
Cited Prior Arts
9. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
WOO (U.S. Publication No. 2016/0131945 A1) discloses a display device comprising:
a lower substrate (110) including a display area (DA) and a non-display area (NDA);
a thin film transistor (TFT) array layer (TFT) disposed in the display area (DA) on the lower substrate (110);
a light emitting device layer (including a pixel electrode PE1/PE2) disposed in the display area (DA) on the TFT array layer (TFT);
a cover substrate (210) disposed to face the lower substrate (110);
a color filter layer (CF) disposed between the light emitting device layer (including a pixel electrode PE1/PE2) and the cover substrate (210); and
an optical path control member (230) disposed on the cover substrate (210) (Fig. 5 and para [0069]-[0098]).
CHUNG et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2016/0178819 A1) discloses an optical path control member includes:
a first base layer (111);
a second base layer (201) disposed to be spaced apart from the first base layer (111) in a thickness direction (Y-direction);
an air layer (121) interposed between the first base layer (111) and the second base layer (201) (Fig. 9 and para [0054]-[0063]).
Conclusion
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Phuc T. Dang whose telephone number is 571-272-1776. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00 am-5:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Jacob Choi can be reached on 469-295-9060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PHUC T DANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897