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 § 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 1-5 and 8-13, 16, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1, lines 11-13 recites “a first emission control transistor configured to control the at least two first light emitting unit” and “wherein the third sub-pixel comprises…a third emission control transistor configured to control the at least two first light emitting units”. However, it is not clear that both “a first emission control transistor configured to control the at least two first light emitting units” and also “a first emission control transistor configured to control the at least two first light emitting units” can control two first light emitting units since applicant disclosure (e.g., Figs.2-4) shows only one transistor can be control two light emitting units. It appears that “a third emission control transistor configured to control the at least two first light emitting units” is a typographical error. For examination on merits, the Examiner will assume “the at least two first light emitting units” is “the at least one third light emitting unit
Claim 8 recites “…the second conversion layer is configured to convert the light with the first wavelength to light with a third wavelength and simultaneously the at least two second light emitting units … However, it is not clear from the disclosure that is the conversion simultaneously the two second light emitting units ” The Applicant pointed to Fig. 3 and paragraph 27 of the specification for support. However, Fig. 3 and paragraph 27 merely show that the light can be converted from one wavelength to a different wavelength but there are no mentioning of “simultaneously” configured to convert the light. It is unclear which two things are being done simultaneously.
Claims 3-5, 9-13, 16 and 19-20 are rejected as being dependent on rejected base claims.
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.
Claims 1 and 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2022/0336523 to Hsieh et al. (Hsieh) and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2010/0283776 A1 to Park et al. (Park).
As to claim 1, Hsieh discloses a display device (100) (Figs. 1, 3-5B, Par. 19), comprising: a circuit substrate (330) (Figs. 1, 3-5B, Par. 28); and a plurality of pixels (110, 510A, 510B), disposed on the circuit substrate (330) (Figs. 1, 3-5B, Par. 28), and electrically connected to the circuit substrate (330)(Figs. 1, 3-5B, Par. 28), wherein each of the plurality of pixels (110, 510A, 510B) comprises a first sub-pixel (120R, DR1, DR2), a second sub- pixel (120G, DG), and a third sub-pixel (120B, DB) (Figs. 1, 3-5B, Par. 21), the first sub-pixel comprises at least two first light emitting units (DR1, DR2) connected in series (Figs. 1, 3-5B, Par. 21), a first driving transistor (T1), configured to control the at least two first light emitting units (DR1, DR2)(Figs. 1, 3-5B, Par. 21), wherein the second sub-pixel (120G, DG) comprises at least one second light emitting unit (DG), a second driving transistor (T1 of DG) (Figs. 1, 3-5B, Par. 21), configured to control the at least one second light emitting unit (DG) (Figs. 1, 3-5, Par. 21), wherein the third sub-pixel comprises at least one third light emitting unit (DB), a third driving transistor (T1 of DB), configured to control the at least third light emitting units (Figs. 1, 3-5B, Par. 21), wherein the number of the at least two first light emitting units (DR1, DR2) of the first sub-pixel (120R, DR1, DR2) is greater than the number of the at least one second light emitting unit (DG) of the second sub-pixel (120G, DG) (Figs. 1, 3-5B, Pars. 27, 47) and the number of the at least two first light emitting units (DR1, DR2) of the first sub-pixel (120R, DR1, DR2) is greater than the number of the at least one third light emitting unit (DB) of the third sub-pixel (120B, DB) (Figs. 1, 3-5B, Pars. 27, 47), wherein the at least two first light emitting units (DR1, DR2) are electrically connected to a first reference voltage (VSS2) (Fig. 5B, Pars. 47-48, see also Par. 49), the at least one second light emitting unit (DG) and the at least one third light emitting unit (DB) are electrically connected to a second reference voltage (VSS1) (Fig. 5B, Pars. 47-48, see also Par. 49), the first reference voltage (VSS2, e.g. 0V) is lower than the second reference voltage (VSS1, e.g. 2V) (Fig. 5B, Par. 48), wherein the second sub-pixel (120G, DG) and the third sub-pixel (120B, DB) are operated at a lower power supply voltage (e.g. 3V) compared to another power supply voltage (e.g. 5V) of the first sub-pixel (Fig. 5B, Par. 48), wherein the first sub-pixel (120R, DR1, DR2), the second sub-pixel(120G, DG), and the third sub-pixel (120B, DB) are different colors (Figs. 1, 3-5, Par. 21).
Hsieh does not expressly disclose a first data scan transistor, and a first emission control transistor; a second data scan transistor, and a second emission control transistor; a third data scan transistor, and a third emission control transistor.
Park discloses a first data scan transistor (M2) (Fig. 2, Pars. 37, 40) and a first emission control transistor (M3b) configured to control the at least first light emitting units (OLEDR2)(see 110ij of Fig. 2, Pars. 37, 40), the second sub-pixel (110i(j+1)) comprises a second data scan transistor (M2 of 110i(j+1)) (Fig. 2, Pars. 37, 40) and a second emission control transistor (M3b of 110i(j+1) configured to control the at least one second light emitting unit (OLEDG2) (Fig. 2, Pars. 37, 40).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Hsieh with the teaching of Park to control pixel luminance thereby provide an improved display device as suggested by Park (Par. 8).
As to claim 3, Hsieh discloses each of the at least two first light emitting units (DR1, DR2) is a red light emitting unit (Figs. 1, 3-5B , Par. 21).
As to claim 4, Hsieh discloses each of the at least one second light emitting unit is a green light emitting unit (DG) (Figs. 1, 3-5B , Par. 21).
As to claim 5, Hsieh as modified discloses the first sub-pixel (120R, DR1, DR2) and the second sub-pixel (120G, DG) are further electrically connected to a third reference voltage (VDD) (Fig. 5B, Par. 48), and the third reference voltage (VDD, e.g. 5V) is higher than the first reference voltage (VSS2, e.g. 0V) and the second reference voltage (VSS1, e.g. 2V) (Fig. 5B, Par. 48).
Claims 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2007/0216610 to Smith, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2020/0013766 A1 to Kim et al. (Kim), and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2022/0336523 to Hsieh et al. (Hsieh).
As to claim 8, Smith discloses a display device (Fig. 4, Par. 39), comprising: a circuit substrate (Figs. 1, 3a-4, Pars. 7, 15, 39); and a plurality of pixels (300, 400) (Figs. 2-4, Par.7, 15, 39), disposed on the circuit substrate (Figs. 1, 3a-4, Pars. 7, 15, 39), and electrically connected to the circuit substrate (Figs. 1, 3a-4, Pars. 7, 15, 39), wherein each of the plurality of pixels (300, 400) comprises a first sub-pixel (402a), a second sub-pixel (402b), and a third sub-pixel (402c) (Fig. 4, Par. 39), the first sub-pixel (402a) comprises at least one first light emitting units (402aa, 402ab) (Fig. 4, Par. 39), the second sub-pixel (402b) comprises at least two second light emitting unit (402b) connected in series (Fig. 4, Pars. 29, 39), the third sub-pixel comprises at least one third light emitting unit (402c) (Fig. 4, Par. 39), wherein the number of the at least one first light emitting units of the first sub-pixel (402a) is less than the number of the at least two second light emitting unit of the second sub-pixel (402b) (Fig. 4, Pars. 29, 39, e.g. at least one of said red, green and blue sub-pixels comprising two or more series connected organic light emitting diodes), wherein the first sub-pixel (402a) is a red sub-pixel (Fig. 4, Pars. 29, 39), and the second sub-pixel (402b) is a green sub-pixel (Fig. 4, Pars. 29, 39).
Smith does not expressly disclose a first light conversion layer and a second light conversion layer, wherein the first light conversion layer is configured to convert light with a first wavelength to light with a second wavelength, the second conversion layer is configured to convert the light with the first wavelength to light with a third wavelength, and simultaneously the at least two second light emitting units, the second wavelength is different from the third wavelength,
Kim discloses a first light conversion layer (CF1) and a second light conversion layer (Cf2) (Fig. 10, Pars. 168, 185, 187, 192), wherein the first light conversion layer (CF1) is configured to convert light with a first wavelength to light with a second wavelength (Fig. 10, Pars. 168), the second conversion layer (CF2) is configured to convert the light with the first wavelength to light with a third wavelength (Fig. 10, Pars. 168, 192, 209), and simultaneously the at least two second light emitting units (Fig. 10, Pars. 168, 192, 209) and the second wavelength is different from the third wavelength (Fig. 10, Par. 209).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Smith with the teaching of Kim to enhance optical efficiency and simplify manufacturing process as suggested by Kim (Par. 4).
Smith does not expressly disclose the number of at least one third light emitting unit of the third sub-pixel is less than the number of the at least two second light emitting units of the second sub-pixel, wherein the at least one first light emitting unit and the at least one third light emitting unit are electrically connected to a second reference voltage, wherein the first sub-pixel and the third sub-pixel are operated at the lower power supply voltage compared to the power supply voltage of the second sub-pixel, the first reference voltage is lower than the second reference voltage,
However, Smith discloses one or more of the sub-pixel groups in the pixel 110 includes two series-connected LEDs (Par. 23).
Hsieh further discloses the number of at least one third light emitting unit of the third sub-pixel is less than the number of the at least two second light emitting units of the second sub-pixel (Figs. 2A-2B, Pars. 23-24, 27), wherein the at least one first light emitting unit and the at least one third light emitting unit are electrically connected to a second reference voltage (VSS1, e.g. 2V) (Fig. 5B, Par. 48, e.g. the sub-pixels with the same number of light emitting units are connected to the same second reference voltage VSS1), wherein the first sub-pixel (120R, D1) and the third sub-pixel (120B, DB) are operated at the lower power supply voltage (e.g. 3V) compared to the power supply voltage of the second sub-pixel (120G, DG1, DG2, e.g. 5V) (Fig. 5B, Par. 48, e.g. the sub-pixels with one light emitting unit operates at 3V, and sub-pixel with two light emitting unit in series operates at 5V), the first reference voltage (VSS2, e.g. 0V) is lower than the second reference voltage (VSS1, e.g. 2V) (Fig. 5B, Par. 48),
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Smith with the teaching of Hsieh to reduce power consumption thereby enhance power efficiency as suggested by Hsieh (Par. 27).
Claims 9-13, 16, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2007/0216610 to Smith, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2020/0013766 A1 to Kim et al. (Kim), and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2022/0336523 to Hsieh et al. (Hsieh); in view U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2023/0309346 to Kubota.
As to claim 9, Smith does not expressly disclose the second wavelength is longer than the third wavelength.
Kubota discloses the second wavelength is longer than the third wavelength (Kubota’s Fig. 27F, Par. 545, e.g. converting blue light to red or green using color conversion layer. Blue has shorter wavelength than red or green).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Smith with the teaching of Kubota to exhibit a desired color as suggested by Kubota (Par. 74).
As to claim 10, Smith does not expressly disclose the light with the first wavelength is blue light.
Kubota discloses the light with the first wavelength is blue light (Fig. 27F, Par. 545, e.g. converting blue light to red or green using color conversion layer. Blue has shorter wavelength than red or green).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Smith with the teaching of Kubota to exhibit a desired color as suggested by Kubota (Par. 74).
As to claim 11, the light with the second wavelength is red light.
Kubota discloses the light with the second wavelength is red light (Fig. 27F, Par. 545, e.g. converting blue light to red or green using color conversion layer. Blue has shorter wavelength than red or green).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Smith with the teaching of Kubota to exhibit a desired color as suggested by Kubota (Par. 74).
As to claim 12, Smith does not expressly disclose the light with the third wavelength is green light.
Kubota discloses the light with the third wavelength is green light (Fig. 27F, Par. 545, e.g. converting blue light to green using color conversion layer. Blue has shorter wavelength than green).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Smith with the teaching of Kubota to exhibit a desired color as suggested by Kubota (Par. 74).
As to claim 13, Smith as modified discloses the second wavelength is shorter than the third wavelength (Fig. 27F, Par. 545, e.g. converting blue light to red or green using color conversion layer. Blue has shorter wavelength than red or green. Therefore, second wavelength is green and third wavelength is red).
As to claim 16, Smith as modified discloses the first sub-pixel (402a) and the second sub-pixel (402b) are further electrically connected to a third reference voltage (Smith’s Vsupply, Hsieh’s VDD) (Smith’s Figs. 3a-4, Pars. 14, 25), and the third reference voltage(Hsieh’s VDD, e.g. 5V) is higher than the first reference voltage (Hsieh’s VSS2, e.g. 0V) and the second reference voltage (Hsieh’s VSS1, e.g. 2V)(Hsieh’s Fig. 5B, Par. 48). See claim 8 motivation above.
As to claim 19, Smith does not expressly disclose the at least one first light emitting unit and the at least two second lights emitting unit are the same color light emitting unit.
Kubota discloses the at least one first light emitting unit and the at least two second lights emitting unit are the same color light emitting unit (Fig. 27F, Par. 545).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Smith with the teaching of Kubota to exhibit a desired color as suggested by Kubota (Par. 74).
As to claim 20, Smith does not expressly disclose each of the at least one first light emitting unit and the at least two second light emitting unit is a blue light emitting unit.
Kubota discloses each of the at least one first light emitting unit and the at least two second light emitting unit is a blue light emitting unit (Fig. 27F, Par. 545). .
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Smith with the teaching of Kubota to exhibit a desired color as suggested by Kubota (Par. 74).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-5, 8-13, 16, and 19-20 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Examiner notes that the new claim elements are now addressed by reference Hsieh as necessitated by amendments. Please see above for full basis of rejection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2020/0258938 A1 to Chai et al. teaches a display with pixels comprising light emitting units in series.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/JARURAT SUTEERAWONGSA/Examiner, Art Unit 2623
/CHANH D NGUYEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2623
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