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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on April 23, 2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The original disclosure does not teach “light sources arranged on the substrate, each of the light sources including: light emitters including a first conductivity type semiconductor layer and a second conductivity type semiconductor layer” and “wherein the substrate includes protrusion regions on the first surface” (claim 15). Fig. 6 teaches plural light sources (200) on a circuit board (210) but the circuit board does not have protrusions. Fig. 4A and 4B teach a substrate (100) with protrusions and includes plural emitters (10a to 10c) but does not teach plural light sources, each of which includes plural emitters. The claim seems to muddle light sources (100) and light emitters (10a to 10c), and substrate (121) and circuit board (1001).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takeya et al (PG Pub 2019/0229097 A1), Kim et al (PG Pub 2011/0204387 A1), and Lee et al (PG Pub 2020/0279979 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Takeya teaches a light module comprising: a substrate (900, figs. 30A and 30B) including a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; and a light emitter arranged on the first surface of the substrate, each of the light emitters including: light emitting devices (811,813,815, figs. 29 and 30, paragraph [0425]) including a first conductivity type semiconductor layer (2110 or 2114)and a second conductivity type semiconductor layer (2114 or 2110); pads (921,923,925,930) configured to electrically connect to the light emitting devices; a light blocking layer (902) disposed on the substrate; and an adhesive layer (903) disposed on the substrate and configured to cover a region of the light blocking layer, wherein the light emitting devices include a first light emitting device having a first peak wavelength, a second light emitting device having second peak wavelength different (paragraph [0424]) from the first peak wavelength, and a third light emitting device having a third peak wavelength different (paragraph [0424]) from the second peak wavelength, wherein the pads include a first pad (930), a second pad (921), a third pad (923), and a fourth pad (925), wherein the first pad is electrically connected to the first conductivity type semiconductor layer of the first light emitting device (811, paragraph [0429]) and the first conductivity type semiconductor layer of the third light emitting device (815, paragraph [0429]), wherein the second pad is electrically connected to the second conductivity type semiconductor layer of the first light emitting device (paragraph [0429]), wherein the third pad is electrically connected to the second conductivity type semiconductor layer of the second light emitting device (813, paragraph [0429]), wherein the light blocking layer includes a window region (fig. 30B) through which light generated from at least one of the first light emitting device, the second light emitting device, or the third light emitting device passes (paragraph [0418]), and wherein the adhesive layer fills (fig. 30B) a region of the window region.
Takeya does not teach in figs. 30A and 30B that there are plural light emitters arranged on the substrate, each of the light emitters including plural light emitting devices.
Fig. 16 of Takeya teaches a plural slight emitters (four 110) arranged on the substrate (10, fig. 15, paragraph [0264]), each of the light emitters including: plural light emitting devices (three in each), for the benefit of forming large display with plurality of light emitting units 101 (paragraph [0292]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to arrange a plurality of light emitters on the substrate, each of the light emitters including plural light emitting devices, for the benefit of forming large display with plural light emitting units.
Takeya does not teach the substrate includes protrusions region on the first surface.
In the same field of endeavor, Kim teaches a substrate (151, fig. 19A) includes protrusion regions (“P1”) on the first surface for the benefit of increasing light extraction (paragraph [0068]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to make the substrate to substitute the substrate in Takeya for that in Kim to perform the same function of extracting light as set forth in KSR: Simple Substitution of One Known Element for Another To Obtain Predictable Results” KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Takeya does not teach a side surface of the first light emitting device overlaps, in a plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the second light emitting device, and a different side surface of the first light emitting device overlaps, in the plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the third light emitting device.
In the same field of endeavor, Lee teaches a side surface of the first light emitting (222, fig. 7B) device overlaps, in a plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the second light emitting device (221), and a different side surface of the first light emitting device overlaps, in the plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the third light emitting device (223), for the benefit of producing pure white light and preventing angle-dependent color variation (paragraph [0177]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to make a side surface of the first light emitting device overlap, in a plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the second light emitting device, and a different side surface of the first light emitting device overlap, in the plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the third light emitting device, for the benefit of producing pure white light and preventing angle-dependent color variation.
Regarding claim 2, Takeya teaches the light module of claim 1, wherein the first pad (930, fig. 30A) includes a region overlapped with the first light emitting device (811) and the second light emitting device (813, paragraph [0429]).
Regarding claim 3, Takeya teaches the light module of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is formed of a light transmissive layer (paragraph [0418]).
Regarding claim 4, Takeya teaches the light module of claim 3, wherein the adhesive layer includes a diffuser (paragraph [0423]).
Regarding claim 5, Takeya teaches the light module of claim 1, further comprising a surface layer (55b, fig. 29B, paragraphs [0425][0399][0080][0090][0316]) disposed between the substrate and at least one of the first light emitting device, the second light emitting device, or the third light emitting device.
Regarding claim 6, Takeya teaches the light module of claim 1, further comprising a layer (909, fig. 30A) covering a region of the pads.
Takeya does not explicitly teach the layer is an insulation layer.
It would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to make layer 909 an insulating layer for the known benefit of avoiding shorting layers 930, 921, 923, and 925 and to provide proper bias to the light emitting devices to turn them on/off.
Regarding claim 7, Takeya teaches the light module of claim 6, wherein the insulation layer is disposed between the first pad and the second pad (fig. 30A).
Regarding claim 10, Takeya in view of Kim teaches (see claim 1) a light module comprising: a substrate including a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; and light sources (see light emitters in claim 1) arranged on the first surface of the substrate, each of the light sources including: light emitters including a first conductivity type semiconductor layer and a second conductivity type semiconductor layer; pads configured to electrically connect to the light emitters; a light blocking layer disposed on the substrate; and an adhesive layer disposed on the substrate and configured to cover a region of the light blocking layer, wherein the light emitters include a first light emitter configured to emit a first light of a first color, a second light emitter configured to emit a second light of a second color different from the first color, and a third light emitter configured to emit a third light of a third color different from the second color, wherein the pads include a first pad (930), a second pad (925), a third pad (923), and a fourth pad (921), wherein the first pad is electrically connected to the first conductivity type semiconductor layer of the first light emitter and the first conductivity type semiconductor layer of the third light emitter, wherein the second pad is electrically connected to the second conductivity type semiconductor layer of the third light emitter, wherein the third pad is electrically connected to the second conductivity type semiconductor layer of the second light emitter, wherein the light blocking layer includes a window region through which at least one of the first light, the second light, or the third light passes, wherein the adhesive layer is disposed on the window region, and wherein the substrate includes protrusion regions on the first surface (PR, fig. 30B), and wherein the second surface of the substrate is substantially flat.
Takeya does not teach a side surface of the first light emitting device overlaps, in a plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the second light emitting device, and a different side surface of the first light emitting device overlaps, in the plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the third light emitting device.
In the same field of endeavor, Lee teaches a side surface of the first light emitting (222, fig. 7B) device overlaps, in a plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the second light emitting device (221), and a different side surface of the first light emitting device overlaps, in the plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the third light emitting device (223), for the benefit of producing pure white light and preventing angle-dependent color variation (paragraph [0177]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to make a side surface of the first light emitting device overlap, in a plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the second light emitting device, and a different side surface of the first light emitting device overlap, in the plan view, with a majority of a side surface of the third light emitting device, for the benefit of producing pure white light and preventing angle-dependent color variation.
Regarding claim 11, Takeya teaches the light module of claim 10, wherein the first pad includes a region overlapped with the first light emitter and the second light emitter (fig. 30A).
Regarding claim 12, Takeya teaches the light module of claim 10, wherein the adhesive layer includes a diffuser (paragraph [0422]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed April 23, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive because the currently cited reference, Lee et al, teaches the amended features. See rejection above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FEIFEI YEUNG LOPEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-1882. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8am to 4pm EST.
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, Dale Page can be reached on 571 270 7877. 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.
/FEIFEI YEUNG LOPEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899
Prosecution Insights