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 § 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(s) 1, 2, 24, 27, and 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bao et al. (US 2022/0310978 which is the English translation of WO 2022/020992) in view of Jang et al. (US 2020/0176657).
Bao et al disclose a base substrate (BS), a driving circuit layer (TFT)[0066]( Kim et al. (US 2023/236787) paragraph [0078] disclose a driving circuit may be implemented as a TFT) on the base substrate, a light-emitting device layer (EL)(fig. 2) on a side of the driving circuit layer away from the base substrate, an encapsulation layer (CVD1, CVD2)[0066] on a side of the light-emitting device layer away from the base substrate, and a gray planarization layer (OAL)(fig. 2)[0054, 0055 describe the OAL as having a light transmittance of 50-55% at a specified wavelength, e.g., from 400 nm to 780 nm)(the examiner understands the grey planarization layer is described in paragraph [0072] as having a transmittance of the 50-60% in the wavelength range of 480nm-510nm and 560nm-590nm) on a side of the encapsulation layer away from the base substrate.
Bao et al fails to disclose the display panel is provided with a main display region, a sensor region and a light-transmitting display region, the main display region at least partially surrounds the sensor region and the light-transmitting display region, and the gray planarization layer is in the main display region, the sensor region and the light-transmitting display region.
Jang et al. disclose the display panel is provided with a main display region (NAA), a sensor region (SA1) and a light-transmitting display region (AA), the main display region at least partially surrounds the sensor region and the light-transmitting display region (fig.1B).
The combination of Bao et al. and Jang et al. would result in the gray planarization layer is in the main display region, the sensor region and the light-transmitting display region.(Bao et al. disclose the gray planarization layer covering the entire display panel in fig. 2)
The prior art included each element claimed, although not necessarily in a single prior art reference, with the only difference between the claimed invention and the prior art being the lack of actual combination of the elements in a single prior art reference.
One of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods (using the grey planarization layer), and that in combination, each element merely performs the same function as it does separately.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable ( the black adhesive layer OAL can effectively eliminate the color separation caused by the aperture diffraction and an extremely low haze level can be achieved using the black adhesive layer [Bao 0061]).
Regarding claim 2, Bao et al disclose a black matrix (BM) layer on a side of the encapsulation layer away from the base substrate, wherein the gray planarization layer (OAL) is on a side of the black matrix layer away from the base substrate.
Regarding claim 24, Bao et al disclose a black matrix layer (BM), on a side of the encapsulation layer away from the base substrate, and comprising a plurality of light-shielding patterns (fig. 2), and a transparent insulating layer (OC2), on a side of the black matrix layer away from the base substrate (fig. 2), and comprising a plurality of covering patterns (has a pattern above BM), wherein the plurality of covering patterns respectively cover the plurality of light-shielding patterns, wherein the gray planarization layer (OAL) is on a side of the transparent insulating layer away from the base substrate (fig. 2).
Regarding claim 27, Bao et al disclose a light transmittance of the gray planarization layer ranges from 50% to 60% [0072].
Regarding claim 30, Bao et al disclose display panel [title].
Claim(s) 31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bao et al. (US 2022/0310978 which is the English translation of WO 2022/020992) in view of Jang et al. (US 2020/0176657).
Bao et al disclose providing a base substrate (BS), forming a driving circuit layer (TFT)[0066]( Kim et al. (US 2023/236787) paragraph [0078] disclose a driving circuit may be implemented as a TFT) on the base substrate, forming a light-emitting device layer (EL)(fig. 2) on a side of the driving circuit layer away from the base substrate, forming an encapsulation layer (CVD1, CVD2)[0066] on a side of the light-emitting device layer away from the base substrate, and forming a gray planarization layer (OAL)(fig. 2)[0054, 0055 describe the OAL as having a light transmittance of 50-55% at a specified wavelength, e.g., from 400 nm to 780 nm)(the examiner understands the grey planarization layer is described in paragraph [0072] as having a transmittance of the 50-60% in the wavelength range of 480nm-510nm and 560nm-590nm) on a side of the encapsulation layer away from the base substrate.
Bao et al fails to disclose the display panel is provided with a main display region, a sensor region and a light-transmitting display region, the main display region at least partially surrounds the sensor region and the light-transmitting display region, and the gray planarization layer is in the main display region, the sensor region and the light-transmitting display region.
Jang et al. disclose the display panel is provided with a main display region (NAA), a sensor region (SA1) and a light-transmitting display region (AA), the main display region at least partially surrounds the sensor region and the light-transmitting display region (fig.1B).
The combination of Bao et al. and Jang et al. would result in the gray planarization layer is in the main display region, the sensor region and the light-transmitting display region.(Bao et al. disclose the gray planarization layer covering the entire display panel in fig. 2)
The prior art included each element claimed, although not necessarily in a single prior art reference, with the only difference between the claimed invention and the prior art being the lack of actual combination of the elements in a single prior art reference.
One of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods (using the grey planarization layer), and that in combination, each element merely performs the same function as it does separately.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable( the black adhesive layer OAL can effectively eliminate the color separation caused by the aperture diffraction and an extremely low haze level can be achieved using the black adhesive layer [Bao 0061]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-12, 14, 16, 19, and 25 are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter as the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest: the main display region comprises a plurality of first sub-pixels, each of the plurality of first sub- pixels comprises a first light-emitting device in the light-emitting device layer, the sensor region comprises a plurality of second sub-pixels, each of the plurality of second sub-pixels comprises a second light-emitting device in the light-emitting device layer, the black matrix layer comprises a plurality of first light exit openings exposing first light-emitting devices in the main display region, a plurality of second light exit openings exposing second light-emitting devices in the sensor region, and a first sensor opening between the plurality of second light exit openings (claims 3-10, 12, 14, 16) in a direction perpendicular to the base substrate, a first thickness of the gray planarization layer in the main display region ranges from 2 mm to 3 mm, a second thickness of the gray planarization layer in the sensor region is higher than the first thickness by 0.2mm to 0.5 mm, a third thickness of the gray planarization layer in the light-transmitting display region is lower than the first thickness by 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm (claim 11) a touch layer, on a side of the encapsulation layer away from the base substrate, and comprising a touch wiring layer and a touch insulation layer on a side of the touch wiring layer away from the base substrate, wherein the gray planarization layer is on a side of the touch insulation layer away from the base substrate, and a black matrix layer, on a side of the gray planarization layer away from the base substrate; or the display panel further comprising: a touch layer, on a side of the encapsulation layer away from the base substrate, and comprising a touch wiring layer, wherein the touch wiring layer comprises a plurality of touch wiring lines, the gray planarization layer is on a side of the touch wiring layer away from the base substrate, and is in contact with the plurality of touch wiring lines, and a black matrix layer, on a side of the gray planarization layer away from the base substrate; or the display panel further comprising: a touch layer, on a side of the encapsulation layer away from the base substrate, and comprising a touch wiring layer, wherein the touch wiring layer comprises a plurality of touch wiring lines, and a black matrix layer, on a side of the touch wiring layer away from the base substrate, and comprising a plurality of second shielding lines that contact and cover the plurality of touch wiring lines, wherein the gray planarization layer is on a side of the black matrix layer away from the base substrate; or the display panel further comprising: a black matrix layer, on a side of the encapsulation layer away from the base substrate, and a touch layer, on a side of the black matrix layer away from the base substrate, comprising a touch wiring layer, wherein the touch wiring layer comprises a plurality of touch wiring lines; wherein the gray planarization layer is on a side of the touch wiring layer away from the base substrate (claim 19) a refractive index of the transparent insulating layer is n1, a refractive index of the gray planarization layer is n2, and n1<n2 (claim 25)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRADLEY K SMITH whose telephone number is (571)272-1884. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm.
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/BRADLEY SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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