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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/12/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claims 1-4, 8-14 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park (US 2021/0202609).
Regarding claim 1, Park teaches a display panel in fig. 9, wherein the display panel comprises a plurality of first spacer layers (refer to 151/152) extending in a first direction (refer to x-axis) and a plurality of second spacer layers (refer to 261/262/263) extending in a second direction (refer to y-axis), the first spacer layers (refer to 151/152) and the second spacer layers (refer to 261/262/263) define a plurality of sub-pixel units (refer to SP1/SP2/SP3/SP4/SP5/SP6), the plurality of second spacer layers (refer to 261/262/263) are configured to separate the sub-pixel units of different colors (see par. 49 and 94), and the first direction (refer to x-axis) is perpendicular to the second direction (refer to y-axis); and wherein a protrusion (refer to left protrusion D or right protrusion C in fig. 9; see par. 95) is formed on at least one of the plurality of second spacer layers, and the protrusion (refer to left protrusion D; see par. 95 and fig. 9) is protruded in one of the sub-pixel units (see par. 95).
Regarding claim 2, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches the plurality of first spacer layers (151/152) are configured to separate the plurality of sub-pixel units (SP3/SP6) located in a same row (refer to row direction that is notated below); the plurality of sub-pixel units (SP3/ SP6) located in the same row (refer to row direction that is notated below) have a same color (see par. 49 and 94); and colors corresponding to the plurality of sub-pixel units (SP1/SP2/SP3 or SP4/SP5/SP6) located in a same column (refer to column direction that is notated below) are arranged cyclically (NOTE: SP1/SP2/SP3 or SP4/SP5/SP6 are cyclically arranged in an order of RGB see pars. 49 and 94).
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Regarding claim 3, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches each of the first spacer layers is located between adjacent ones of the sub-pixel units in the same row (NOTE: for instance layer 152 is between SP3 and SP6), and each of the second spacer layers is located between adjacent ones of the sub-pixel units in the same column (NOTE: for instance layer 262 is between SP1 and SP2); the plurality of first spacer layers (151/152) form a first channel in the display panel (NOTE: a first channel is interpreted as a region formed between layer 151 and 152 extending in the column direction as notated below), the plurality of second spacer layers (261/262/263) form a second channel (NOTE: a second channel is interpreted as a region formed between 261 and 262 or 262 and 263) in the display panel, and a protruding direction of the protrusion (refer to protrusion D and E extending toward to direction of column direction) is same as an extending direction of the first channel (see notation below).
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Regarding claim 4, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches the protrusion (refer to protrusion C/D/E) is formed on all of the second spacer layers (261/262/263) (see fig. 9).
Regarding claim 8, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches the first spacer layers (151/152) are made of a hydrophilic material (par. 64), and the second spacer layers (261/262/263) are made of a hydrophobic material (see par. 65).
Regarding claim 9, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches the protrusion is semicircular, semi-elliptical or rectangular (see fig. 9’s below).
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Regarding claim 10, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches a groove (refer to groove of each SP1/SP2/SP3/SP4/SP5/SP6) is formed inside each of the sub-pixel units (see fig. 9), and a shape of the groove and a shape of the protrusion are matched with each other (NOTE: the protrusion D is matched at each groove at SP1/SP2/SP3).
Regarding claim 11, Park teaches a display device in fig. 1 and 9, wherein the display device comprises the display panel (see fig. 1) according to claim 1 (see claim 1’s rejection); the display panel (see fig. 1) comprises a plurality of first spacer layers (151/152 in fig. 9) extending in a first direction (refer to x direction) and a plurality of second spacer layers (261/262/263) extending in a second direction (refer to y direction), the first spacer layers and the second spacer layers (refer to 151/152 and 261/262/263) define a plurality of sub-pixel units (SP1/SP2/SP3/SP4/SP5/SP6), the plurality of second spacer layers (261/262/263) are configured to separate the sub-pixel units of different colors (see pars. 49 and 94), and the first direction (refer to x axis direction) is perpendicular to the second direction (refer to y-axis direction); and wherein a protrusion (refer to D protrusion) is formed on at least one of the plurality of second spacer layers (refer to 262), and the protrusion is protruded in one of the sub-pixel units (refer to SP1) (see par. 95).
Regarding claim 12, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches the plurality of first spacer layers (151/152) are configured to separate the plurality of sub-pixel units (SP3/SP6) located in a same row (refer to row direction that is notated below); the plurality of sub-pixel units (SP3/SP6) located in the same row have a same color (see pars. 49 and 94); and colors corresponding to the plurality of sub-pixel units (SP1/SP2/SP3 or SP4/SP5/SP6) located in a same column are arranged cyclically (NOTE: SP1/SP2/SP3 or SP4/SP5/SP6 are cyclically arranged in an order of RGB see pars. 49 and 94).
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Regarding claim 13, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches each of the first spacer layers is located between adjacent ones of the sub-pixel units in the same row (NOTE: for instance layer 152 is between SP3 and SP6), and each of the second spacer layers is located between adjacent ones of the sub-pixel units in the same column (NOTE: for instance layer 262 is between SP1 and SP2); the plurality of first spacer layers (151/152) form a first channel in the display panel (NOTE: a first channel is interpreted as a region formed between layer 151 and 152 extending in the column direction as notated below), the plurality of second spacer layers (261/262/263) form a second channel (NOTE: a second channel is interpreted as a region formed between 261 and 262 or 262 and 263) in the display panel, and a protruding direction of the protrusion (refer to protrusion D and E extending toward to direction of column direction) is same as an extending direction of the first channel (see notation below).
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Regarding claim 14, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches the protrusion (refer to protrusion C/D/E) is formed on all of the second spacer layers (261/262/263) (see fig. 9).
Regarding claim 18, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches the first spacer layers (151/152) are made of a hydrophilic material, and the second spacer layers (261/262/263) are made of a hydrophobic material (see pars. 64-65).
Regarding claim 19, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches the protrusion is semicircular, semi-elliptical or rectangular.
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Regarding claim 20, Park teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention for the same reasons set forth above. Besides, Park teaches a groove (refer to a groove at each SP1/SP2/SP3) is formed inside each of the sub-pixel units, and a shape of the groove (refer to groove at SP1/SP2/SP3) and a shape of the protrusion (refer to protrusion D) are matched with each other (see fig. 9).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is 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, since the prior art of record and considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure does not teach or suggest “each of the second spacer layers comprises a protruding portion and a flat portion, the protruding portion is protruded in each of the sub-pixel units, and the flat portion is connected to the second channel” in combination of all of the limitations of claim 5. Claims 6-7 include all of the limitations of claim 5.
Claim 15 is 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, since the prior art of record and considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure does not teach or suggest “each of the second spacer layers comprises a protruding portion and a flat portion, the protruding portion is protruded in each of the sub-pixel units, and the flat portion is connected to the second channel” in combination of all of the limitations of claim 15. Claims 16-17 include all of the limitations of claim 15.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Niki Tram Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-5526. The examiner can normally be reached on 6:00am-4:00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Steven Loke can be reached on (703)872-9306. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NIKI H NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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