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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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) 1-6,13,14,17,20,21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Jiao et al., (Jiao) CN 110349513.
Regarding claim 1, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel, comprising: a base substrate (2)[0043]; a light-emitting layer (1)[0043] disposed on the base substrate (1) and configured to emit light towards a side of the light-emitting layer in a first direction; and a first lens layer (4)[0043] disposed on the base substrate (1) and located on the side of the light-emitting layer in the first direction, wherein the first lens (4) layer comprises N lenses for converging the light; wherein each lens (4 has stepped shaped lenses) has M layers of lens regions arranged in a stepped shape from bottom to top, each layer of lens region is arranged along a circumference of the lens within a predetermined angle range (see FIG. 1,3,4), each of the M layers of lens regions has a curvature and the curvatures of the M layers of lens regions gradually increase from bottom to top of the lens (first and second step-shape), where N and M are greater than or equal to 1(first and second step-shape).
Regarding claim 2, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel wherein each of the M layers of lens regions (4) has a height and the heights of the M layers of lens regions gradually increase from bottom to top of the lens (first step portion has a height less than the second step portion) [0046].
Regarding claim 3, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel, wherein each of the M layers of lens regions (4) has a slope and the slopes of the M layers of lens regions gradually decrease from bottom to top of the lens (see FIG. 4).
Regarding claim 4, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel, wherein each of the M layers of lens regions (4) has a refractive index and the refractive indexes of the M layers of lens regions gradually decrease from bottom to top of the lens (the curve width on the bottom is lower than the top, thus the refractive index will also decrease).
Regarding claim 5, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel, wherein a difference between refractive indexes of every adjacent two of the M layers (4, the step portions) of lens regions gradually increases from bottom to top of the lens.
Regarding claim 6, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel, wherein in a case that M is greater than or equal to 2, layers of lens regions (4) within a same angle range are configured to change a light output direction of a part of the light in sequence from bottom to top of the lens (the curve of the different step portion will change the light output).
Regarding claim 13, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel, wherein a top of a top one of the M layers of lens regions comprises an arc-shaped surface protruding (both portion of the step-shape area) along the first direction, and the top layer of lens region is the lens region closest to a light output side of the lens [0046].
Regarding claim 14, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel, wherein a projection of at least one of the M layers (4) of lens regions on a first plane comprises a line segment, and the first plane is parallel to the first direction [0046].
Regarding claim 17, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel wherein: the each lens comprises a micro lens (4)[0063], and the N lenses are configured to form a micro lens array [0063]; and/or the display panel comprises a micro-display panel [0012,0033].
Regarding claim 20, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel wherein each of the M layers of lens regions (4) has a projection length and the projection lengths of the M layers of lens regions gradually increase from bottom to top of the lens (step portion of 4 increases), the projection length is a length of a side edge of each layer of lens region in a first plane, the side edge extends from bottom to top of the layer of lens region, and the first plane is parallel to the first direction (see FIG. 4)[0061].
Regarding claim 21, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display device comprising a display panel [0033].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 7,8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jiao as applied to claims 1-6,13,14,17,20,21, and further in view of Hinata et al., (Hinata) US 2022/0131112.
Regarding claims 7,8, Jiao discloses and shows in FIG. 1,3,4, a display panel.
Jiao differs from the claimed invention because he does not explicitly disclose a device wherein the display panel further comprises a color film layer located between the light-emitting layer and the first lens layer; wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of filters located in the color film layer, wherein the color film layer comprises a plurality of overlapping regions, and in at least one overlapping region, an orthographic projection of one of adjacent two filters on the base substrate at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the other one of the adjacent two filters on the base substrate; wherein the display panel further comprises a first interval located between two adjacent lenses; wherein an orthographic projection of the first interval on the base substrate at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the at least one overlapping region on the base substrate; wherein a width of the first interval is smaller than a height of a bottom layer of lens region in the lens adjacent to the first interval, wherein the bottom layer of lens region is the lens region farthest away from a light output side of the lens.
Hinata discloses and shows in FIG. 7,13, a device wherein the display panel further comprises a color film layer (15)[0057] located between the light-emitting layer and the first lens layer (17)[0057]; wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of filters (inside 15) located in the color film layer, wherein the color film layer comprises a plurality of overlapping regions (between 15), and in at least one overlapping region, an orthographic projection of one of adjacent two filters on the base substrate at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the other one of the adjacent two filters (15r, 15g) on the base substrate (8); wherein the display panel further comprises a first interval located between two adjacent lenses (space between 17); wherein an orthographic projection of the first interval on the base substrate (8) at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the at least one overlapping region on the base substrate (8); wherein a width of the first interval width between the lens) is smaller than a height of a bottom layer of lens region (lens 17 is larger) in the lens adjacent to the first interval, wherein the bottom layer of lens region is the lens region farthest away from a light output side of the lens.
Hinata is evidence that ordinary workers skilled in the art would find reasons, suggestions or motivations to modify the device of Jiao. Therefore, at the time the invention was made; It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of Hinata in the device of Jiao because it will provide a light with high color purity [0004].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-12,15,16,18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARC-ANTHONY ARMAND whose telephone number is (571)272-5178. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-5pm.
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MARC - ANTHONY ARMAND
Examiner
Art Unit 2813
/MARC-ANTHONY ARMAND/Examiner, Art Unit 2813
/SUE A PURVIS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893