DETAILED 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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/22/2025 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Marti et al. (US 20100208029 A1) in view of Park et al. (US 20200266368 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Marti discloses a display device (fig. 4) comprising:
a display surface (fig. 1G, 402 of fig. 4, [0031] FIG. 1G is a perspective illustration of a sphere-based display component 114 that also provides a partial enclosure to the user but has more interior display surface 116 than any of the other configurations. In this configuration, the bottom of the sphere is cut away horizontally to allow the user to place display component 114 essentially over her head. The extended horizontal FOV may be over 270 degrees and the extended vertical FOV is greater than any of the others shown. The user may be able to turn around and face the other side of interior display surface 116),
a light-emitting element ([0029] The material of the display component may be a self-emitting or actively emitting display material, such as OLED, LCD or any other known self-emitting material),
wherein the display surface is set on a user’s head (FIG. 1G, 402 and 404 of fig. 4, [0028] discloses the configuration of the display surface, [0031] discloses FIG. 1G is a perspective illustration of a sphere-based display component 114 that also provides a partial enclosure to the user but has more interior display surface 116 than any of the other configurations. In this configuration, the bottom of the sphere is cut away horizontally to allow the user to place display component 114 essentially over her head. The extended horizontal FOV may be over 270 degrees and the extended vertical FOV is greater than any of the others shown. The user may be able to turn around and face the other side of interior display surface 116),
wherein the display device
wherein when a user's neck is moved, the display device is configured not to change an image in according to a direction of the user's neck ([0031 and 0033] the user may be able to turn around and face the other side of interior display surface, [0038] the user 404 looks at an inner display surface area 406 shown approximately by lines 408 (for reference, the entire inner display surface is 407). The area delimited by lines 408 may be referred to as a stand-by or starting FOV of display component 402; it is the area user 404 sees when looking straight ahead at display component 402 under normal circumstances. User 404 may move her head and see more of inner display surface area 407).
It is noted that Marti is silent about a flexible substrate and the light-emitting element sandwiched between the flexible substrate and the display surface.
Park teaches a flexible substrate (SUB of fig. 5, [0058] the substrate SUB may be a flexible substrate including a flexible polymer material such as polyimide or the like) and
the light-emitting element (Light Emitting Layer of fig. 4) sandwiched between the flexible substrate (SUB of fig. 5) and the display surface (200 and 300 of fig. 5, [0040] the display device 10 may include a first surface and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface and the display device 10 may be a double-sided display device in which images can be seen from and displayed at both the first surface and the second surface; [0037] discloses the double-sided display device is a head mount display; [0138] suggests that many variation and modifications can be made).
Taking the teachings of Marti and Park together as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the flexible substrate and the arrangement of the light-emitting element of Park into the display surface of Marti to provide the bendable, rollable, or foldable double-sided display device ([0058] of Park).
Regarding claim 2, Marti and Park teach the display device according to claim 1, Marti further teaches wherein at least part of the display surface has a band shape, a cylindrical shape, or a hemispherical shape (figs. 1A-1L, 2A-2C, and 3A-3D, shapes of the display surface).
Regarding claim 3, Marti and Park teach the display device according to claim 1 Marti further teaches a first sensor portion sensing a user's head on the user's side of the display device (704 and 706 of fig. 7, [0046] the cameras, 704 and 706, for capturing the user’s head).
Regarding claim 4, Marti and Park teach the display device according to claim 1 Marti further teaches a second sensor portion sensing user's surroundings on a side opposite to the user's side of the display device (602 of fig. 6A, and 614 of figs. 6B and 6C, [0042-0043]).
Regarding claim 5, Marti and Park teach the display device according to claim 1 Marti further teaches one display surface obtained by combining a plurality of display panels (figs. 1G and 1J).
Regarding claim 6, Marti and Park teach the display device according to claim 1, Marti further teaches wherein the display surface is placed on the front side and also on a side surface of the user's visual field (618 of fig. 6C and 608 of fig. 6B, [0043-0044]).
Regarding claim 7, Marti and Park teach the display device according to claim 1, Marti further teaches wherein the display surface is placed on the front side and also on an upper side of the user's visual field ([0031] FIG. 1G is a perspective illustration of a sphere-based display component 114 that also provides a partial enclosure to the user but has more interior display surface 116 than any of the other configurations. In this configuration, the bottom of the sphere is cut away horizontally to allow the user to place display component 114 essentially over her head. The extended horizontal FOV may be over 270 degrees and the extended vertical FOV is greater than any of the others shown. The user may be able to turn around and face the other side of interior display surface 116, [0044] someone walking by user 612, sees images from video stream 616 on outer surface 618, thus, in a sense, "cloaking" user 612 and display component 604).
Regarding claim 10, Marti and Park teach the display device according to claim 1, Marti further discloses wherein an outside view is displayed on the display surface ([0044] FIG. 6C shows an embodiment where a video stream 616 of rear view images may be displayed using projector 615 on an outer display surface area 618 where another person 620, such as someone walking by user 612, sees images from video stream 616 on outer surface 618, thus, in a sense, "cloaking" user 612 and display component 604), and
wherein the outside view is a view of user's surroundings on a side opposite to the user's side of the display device ([0044] FIG. 6C shows an embodiment where a video stream 616 of rear view images may be displayed using projector 615 on an outer display surface area 618 where another person 620, such as someone walking by user 612, sees images from video stream 616 on outer surface 618, thus, in a sense, "cloaking" user 612 and display component 604. Cloaking is a technique that allows an object or individual to be partially or wholly invisible to parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. In this embodiment, user 612 may also be able to see video stream 616 on inner display surface 608 as well).
Regarding claim 11, Marti and Park teach the display device according to claim 1, Park further discloses wherein the light-emitting element is formed without using a metal mask (Light Emitting Layer, EML of fig. 5).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/22/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s argument that there is no teaching, suggestion, or motivation to combine the references, the examiner recognizes that obviousness may be established by combining or modifying the teachings of the prior art to produce the claimed invention where there is some teaching, suggestion, or motivation to do so found either in the references themselves or in the knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 5 USPQ2d 1596 (Fed. Cir. 1988), In re Jones, 958 F.2d 347, 21 USPQ2d 1941 (Fed. Cir. 1992), and KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
In this case, Marti teaches the display device (402 of fig. 4) that places over a user’s head (Fig. 1G, [0031]) and suggests that the display device (604 of fig. 6C) displays the images on both sides of the display (608 of fig. 6B and 618 of fig. 6C, [0043-0044]).
Marti further suggests that the display device is formed many variations (Figs. 1A-1L) and modifications are possible which remain within the concept, scope, and spirit of the invention ([0053]).
Park discloses a display device (10 of fig. 5) is a head mount display ([0037]) that would be place over a user’s head, and the display device includes a display panel (100 of fig. 5) that comprises the flexible substrate (SUB of fig. 5, [0058] the substrate SUB may be a flexible substrate including a flexible polymer material such as polyimide or the like) and the light-emitting element (Light Emitting Layer of fig. 4) sandwiched between the flexible substrate (SUB of fig. 5).
Park suggests that the display device is a double-sided display device in which images can be seen from and displayed at both the first surface and the second surface ([0040]) and many variations and modifications can be made to the embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the invention ([0138]).
In view of the teachings and suggestions of Marti and Park above, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Marti and Park to provide the bendable, rollable, or foldable doubled-side display ([0058] of Park).
The applicant further argues that none of the cited references taken singly or combined, discloses, suggests or renders obvious independent claim 1, particularly in the features such as “the display surface is set on a user’s head”.
The examiner disagrees with the applicant. It is submitted that Marti teaches the display surface is set on a user’s head (Fig. 1G, [0031]) and Park teaches the display surface is set on a user’s head (the display 10 of fig. 4, [0037] a head mount display would obviously set on over user’s head).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Reeves (US 20200257156 A1) teaches methods for assembling a display device by forcibly flexing a first component to conform to a curved surface, adhering the first component to the curved surface, forcibly flexing a second component to conform to an outer surface of the first component and adhering the second component to the first component.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUNG T VO whose telephone number is (571)272-7340. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian Pendleton can be reached at 571-272-7527. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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TUNG T. VO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2425
/TUNG T VO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2425