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/Restriction
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I drawn to claims 1-17 in the reply filed on 5/7/26 is acknowledged. Claims 18-20 are withdrawn from consideration.
Claim Objection
Claims 2,6-8,11-13 and 17 are objected 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.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
For claims 2,6-8, 11-13 and 17, the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests the limitation of “wherein the inspection pattern is disposed between at least two of the regions of the light blocking film, the at least two regions being aligned along the first direction’ (for claim 2) ; wherein the inspection pattern contains the same material as the light transmitting film (for claim 6); wherein in a second direction different from the first direction, a width of the inspection pattern is equal to a width of each of the regions of the light blocking film (for claim 7), wherein a length of the inspection pattern in the first direction is greater than a width of the inspection pattern in a second direction different from the first direction (for claim 8) ;wherein the display area comprises an emission area configured to emit the light, and the inspection pattern does not overlap the emission area (for claim 11); wherein the regions of the light blocking film comprises a plurality of regions that are separate from each other in a second direction different from the first direction, the inspection pattern comprises a plurality of sub-inspection patterns, and the plurality of sub-inspection patterns each overlap, in the first direction, the plurality of regions of the light blocking film (for claim 12); the display device, further comprising a plurality of pixels in which the plurality of light emitting elements are respectively disposed, the inspection pattern comprises a first inspection pattern and a second inspection pattern, and the first inspection pattern and the second inspection pattern are disposed between the pixels adjacent to each other (for claim 13) and wherein a thickness of the inspection pattern is equal to a thickness of the light blocking film region (for claim 17).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1,3-5 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Cho (US 20220149108 A1)
Regarding claim 1, Cho discloses a display device (at least Fig.4 and 5) comprising: a substrate 311; a light emitting element layer 313 disposed on the substrate, and comprising a plurality of light emitting elements ([0069]) ; and a light control layer 430 disposed on the light emitting element layer, and comprising a light transmitting film 431 and a light blocking film 432 ([0119]) , wherein the light control layer further comprises an inspection pattern 432-U (the curved dips in the light blocking film) that overlaps the light blocking film in a first direction, and the inspection pattern extends in the first direction which is the same direction as an extension direction of regions of the light blocking film.
Regarding claim 3, Cho discloses a display device (at least Fig.4 and 5), wherein regions of the light transmitting film and the regions of the light blocking film are disposed alternately in a second direction different from the first direction (drawings and rejection of claim 1 above).
Regarding claim 4, Cho discloses a display device (at least Fig.4 and 5), wherein the inspection pattern is disposed between regions of the light transmitting films that are adjacent in the second direction (drawings and rejection of claim 1 above).
Regarding claim 5, Cho discloses a display device (at least Fig.4 and 5), wherein the regions of the light transmitting film disposed on opposite sides of the inspection pattern are connected to each other by the inspection pattern, and the regions of the light transmitting films disposed on the opposite sides of the inspection pattern are physically coupled with the inspection pattern to form a single component (from the drawings of Cho, wherein the claimed elements are adjacently located).
Regarding claim 9, Cho discloses a display device (at least Fig.4 and 5), wherein a thickness of the inspection pattern is equal to a thickness of the light transmitting film (from Figure 5).
Regarding claim 10, Cho discloses a display device (at least Fig.4 and 5), wherein the substrate comprises a display area where the plurality of light emitting elements are disposed, and a non-display area disposed on at least one side of the display area, and the inspection pattern is disposed in the display area (from Fig.3, elements 300 and 400).
Claims 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by
Xu (CN 104238815 A)
Regarding claim 15, Xu teaches a display device (at least Fig.1-4) comprising: a substrate; a light emitting element layer disposed on the substrate, and comprising a plurality of light emitting elements ([0034]); and a light control layer (11 and 12) disposed on the light emitting element layer, and comprising a first light transmitting film 12 ([0036]) region, a light blocking film region 11 ([0035]), and a second light transmitting film region, the first light transmitting film region, the light blocking film region, and the second light transmitting film region disposed alternately in a first direction (Fig.1, wherein the light control layer further comprises an inspection pattern disposed between the first light transmitting film region and the second light transmitting film region in the first direction, the light blocking film region comprises a first light blocking film segment and a second light blocking film segment that are adjacent in a second direction different from the first direction, and the inspection pattern is disposed between the first light blocking film segment and the second light blocking film segment in the second direction (see the gaps : isolated sub-shielding layer 111 between 11 in Fig.2).
Regarding claim 16, Xu teaches a display device (at least Fig.1-4), wherein the first light blocking film segment, the second light blocking film segment, and the inspection pattern extend in the second direction (from Drawing 2).
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.
Claims 1 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Misaki (US 20120287357 A1) in view of Oh (US 20230217748 A1)
Regarding claim 1, Misaki teaches a display device (Fig.1 and 2) comprising: a substrate 101 ([0085]); a light emitting element layer (from the teachings of [0102] and [0215]) disposed on the substrate, and comprising a plurality of light emitting elements (well known in the art within the light emitting layer disclosed in [0215] of Misaki); and a light control layer 103 and 104 (Fig.2) disposed on the light emitting element layer, and comprising a light transmitting film 103 (glass substrate) and a light blocking film 13, wherein the light control layer further comprises an inspection pattern 12 that overlaps the light blocking film 13 in a first direction, and the inspection pattern extends in the first direction which is the same direction as an extension direction of regions of the light blocking film.
Misaki teaches a liquid crystal panel and a color filter but does not explicitly teach a light emitting layer, while Oh teaches a light emitting layer DP-OLED ([0079]) and light control layer OSL ([0050]) on top of it. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date the application was filed, to use the light emitting layer in the device of Misaki in order to provide backlighting to the liquid crystal panel.
Regarding claim 14, Misaki in view of Oh teaches a display device (Fig.1 and 2 of Misaki), wherein in a second direction different from the first direction, a width of regions of the light transmitting film is greater than a width of the regions of the light blocking film (from the shape and width of the light transmitting film in the Figures of Misaki).
Other art
US 20200168844, CN 111244320, CN 113130538 A
CN 104238815 A, CN 101246285 A
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Fatima Farokhrooz whose telephone number is (571)-272-6043. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday- Friday, 9 am - 5 pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s Supervisor, James Greece can be reached on (571) 272-3711.
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/Fatima N Farokhrooz/
Examiner, Art Unit 2875
Prosecution Insights