JDETAILED 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 papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/26/2024 and 03/05/2026 has been considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-23 in the reply filed on 07/01/2026 is acknowledged. (see interview summary)
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.
Claim 1-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 20200212366 A1, ids reference) (Kim, hereafter) in view of Hasegawa et al. (US 20190235148 A1) (Hasegawa, hereafter).
Regarding claims 1 and 12,Kim discloses (Figures 1-13 and corresponding text) ( Table 3, Example 12) a third film, a fourth film, a first film, and a second film are laminated from a polarizer side; the third film, the fourth film, the first film, and the second film, from the Rin (=dx(nx-ny)) and the Rth ( =dx { (nz-(nx+ny) )/2}) thereof, can respectively be called a positive C plate, a positive A plate, a λ/4 plate, and a positive C plate; the absorption axis (0°) of a polarizer and the slow axis (0°) of the fourth film are parallel, the slow axis (0°) of the fourth film and the slow axis ( 45°) of the first film form a 45° angle; the Rth of the third film is 50 nm; and the dispersion (=R(450)/R(550)) of the first film is 0.84).
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Kim fails to explicitly disclose wherein in a case where the first positive C-plate and the positive A-plate are disposed adjacent to each other, a difference in refractive index between the first positive C-plate and the positive A-plate is 0.08 or less, and in a case where another layer is disposed between the first positive C-plate and the positive A-plate, a larger difference in refractive index of a difference in refractive index between the first positive C-plate and the other layer and a difference in refractive index between the positive A-plate and the other layer is 0.08 or less
Hasegawa discloses FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a polarizing plate with retardation layers according to one embodiment of the present invention. A polarizing plate 10 with retardation layers includes polarizer 1, a first retardation layer 2, and a second retardation layer 3 in the stated order. Polarizer 1 and the first retardation layer 2 are bonded to each other via a first adhesive layer 4, and the first retardation layer 2 and the second retardation layer 3 are bonded to each other via a second adhesive layer 5. The thickness of each of the first adhesive layer 4 and the second adhesive layer 5 is typically 6 μm or less. The difference between the average refractive index of the first adhesive layer 4 and the average refractive index of each of layers (the polarizer 1 and the first retardation layer 2) adjacent to the first adhesive layer 4 is typically less than 0.12. The difference between the average refractive index of the first adhesive layer 4 and the average refractive index of each of the adjacent layers is preferably less than 0.10, more preferably less than 0.08(π25-π29).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the device of Kim as discloses by Hasegawa wherein in a case where the first positive C-plate and the positive A-plate are disposed adjacent to each other, a difference in refractive index between the first positive C-plate and the positive A-plate is 0.08 or less, and in a case where another layer is disposed between the first positive C-plate and the positive A-plate, a larger difference in refractive index of a difference in refractive index between the first positive C-plate and the other layer and a difference in refractive index between the positive A-plate and the other layer is 0.08 or less; motivation being to suppress the unevenness of reflected light to improve visibility.
Regarding claims 2-4 and 13-15, Kim discloses a second positive C-plate(second film) on a side of the λ/4 plate(First film) opposite to the side of the polarizer(POL); Kim as modified by Hasegawa fails to explicitly disclose wherein a thickness direction retardation of the first positive C-plate at a wavelength of 550 nm is −65 to −45 nm (claim 2 and claim 13) ;wherein an in-plane retardation of the positive A-plate at a wavelength of 550 nm is 65 to 85 nm (claim 3 and 14); wherein a thickness direction retardation of the second positive C-plate at a wavelength of 550 nm is −45 to −35 nm (claims 4 and 15).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date further modify the device of Kim as disclosed by Kim wherein a thickness direction retardation of the first positive C-plate at a wavelength of 550 nm is −65 to −45 nm ;wherein an in-plane retardation of the positive A-plate at a wavelength of 550 nm is 65 to 85 nm ; wherein a thickness direction retardation of the second positive C-plate at a wavelength of 550 nm is −45 to −35 nm, the motivation being exhibit excellent omnidirectional antireflection performance and color characteristics on the side as well as the front and since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art, In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claims 5 and 16, Kim discloses (Table 3, example 12) wherein the λ/4 plate (first film) exhibits reverse wavelength dispersibility (π59).
Regarding claims 6 and 17, Kim discloses (Table 3, Example 12) wherein the first positive C-plate (third film) and the positive A-plate (Fourth film) are disposed adjacent to each other.
Regarding claims 7 and 18, Kim discloses (Table 3, Example 12) wherein the λ/4 plate (First film) and the second positive C-plate (Second film) are disposed adjacent to each other.
Regarding claims 8 and 19, Kim discloses wherein any of the first positive C-plate, the positive A-plate, and the λ/4 plate is a layer formed of a liquid crystal compound (π67).
Regarding claim 9, Kim further discloses wherein the polarizer is a polarizer formed of a composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound (π19)
Regarding claims 10-11 and 20-21 Kim as modified by Hasegawa fails to explicitly disclose; an adhesion layer in at least any of a space between the polarizer and the first positive C-plate, a space between the first positive C-plate and the positive A-plate, or a space between the positive A-plate and the λ/4 plate (Claim 10 and 20); wherein a difference in refractive index between the adhesion layer and an adjacent layer is 0.08 or less (claims 11 and 21).
Hasegawa discloses (Figure 1) A polarizing plate 10 with retardation layers includes a polarizer 1, a first retardation layer 2, and a second retardation layer 3 in the stated order; he polarizer 1 and the first retardation layer 2 are bonded to each other via a first adhesive layer 4, and the first retardation layer 2 and the second retardation layer 3 are bonded to each other via a second adhesive layer 5. The thickness of each of the first adhesive layer 4 and the second adhesive layer 5 is typically 6 μm or less. The difference between the average refractive index of the first adhesive layer 4 and the average refractive index of each of layers (the polarizer 1 and the first retardation layer 2) adjacent to the first adhesive layer 4 is typically less than 0.12. The difference between the average refractive index of the first adhesive layer 4 and the average refractive index of each of the adjacent layers is preferably less than 0.10, less than 0.08.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the device of Kim as discloses by Hasegawa wherein an adhesion layer in at least any of a space between the polarizer and the first positive C-plate, a space between the first positive C-plate and the positive A-plate, or a space between the positive A-plate and the λ/4 plate ; wherein a difference in refractive index between the adhesion layer and an adjacent layer is 0.08 or less
Regarding claim 22, Kim discloses an organic electroluminescent display device (Figure 6) comprising: the circularly polarizing plate according to claim 1(see rejection claim 1).
Regarding claim 23, Kim as modified by Hasegawa fails to explicitly disclose wherein the circularly polarizing plate or the optical laminate is disposed along a curved surface of the display device However Specifically it describes in the display device in which the curved surf ace has as to the display device, it is the technical matter in which the technology applied to the side in which the organic EL display device is bent is widely known at the time when this invention files an application and the normal technical engineer is applicable without the big difficulty
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the device of Kim as modified by Hasegawa wherein the circularly polarizing plate or the optical laminate is disposed along a curved surface of the display device, since that which is well known requires just routine skill.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure can be found in 892 and below:
US 20210260851 A1 State of the art- n optical laminate that can suppress the deterioration of the optical characteristics of a retardation layer
US 20200264475 A1 State of the art- to improve the properties of an organic EL display device having such a cholesteric liquid crystal layer
US 20200264357 A1 state of the art- optical laminate film and an organic electroluminescent display device
US 20190079231 A1-State the art- optical laminate and an image display apparatus using the optical laminate
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRACIE Y GREEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3104. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thursday, 10am-8pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James R Greece can be reached at (571)272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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TRACIE Y. GREEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2875
/TRACIE Y GREEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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