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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Huang (U.S. Patent No. 11,587,351).
Regarding to claim 1, Huang teaches an electronic device (Figs. 13-14 and Fig. 17) comprising:
a display comprising a plurality of pixels (Fig. 13, elements 12b; column 3, lines 66-67), the display defining a transparent region positioned between a first pixel of the plurality of pixels and a second pixel of the plurality of pixels (Fig. 13, elements 122; column 3, lines 66-67);
an image sensor positioned underneath the display, the image sensor aligned with the transparent region defined by the display (Fig. 13, Fig. 17, element 2; column 7, lines 40-42); and
an optic positioned on the display and over the transparent region defined by the display, the optic configured to direct external light into the transparent region of the display (Fig. 13, Fig. 17, array of elements 141; column 4, lines 9-10).
Regarding to claim 2, Huang teaches the transparent region comprises an aperture extending from the image sensor to a top portion of the display along a vertical direction (Fig. 17, column 11, lines 2-5).
Regarding to claim 3, Huang teaches the plurality of pixels are arranged in a plurality of rows, and wherein the first pixel and the second pixel are next to one another in a first row of the plurality of rows (Fig. 14).
Regarding to claim 4, Huang teaches the optic comprises a lens having a diameter of less than 1 millimeter (column 10, lines 25-28, the diameter of the hole is in the range of 100 microns (0.1 millimeters). The lens size is slightly larger than the hole, thus its diameter is much less than 1 millimeter).
Regarding to claim 5, Huang teaches the optic is disposed on a top portion of the display (Fig. 13).
Regarding to claim 6, Huang teaches the top portion of the display comprises a thin film encapsulation layer (Fig. 13, the layer on top of the OLEDs 12 and surrounds lenses 141).
Regarding to claim 7, Huang teaches shape of the optic corresponds to a dome (Fig. 13, inversed dome).
Regarding to claim 8, Huang teaches a cross-sectional shape of the optic corresponds to a triangle (Fig. 17).
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Regarding to claim 9, Huang teaches a plurality of additional optics disposed on the display, each of the plurality of additional optics positioned over a corresponding pixel of the plurality of pixels (Fig. 17, elements 51).
Regarding to claim 10, Huang teaches the optic positioned over the transparent region of the display has a first shape; and one or more of the plurality of additional optics has a second shape that is different from the first shape (Fig. 17, the optic 141 and the additional optic 51 have different shapes).
Regarding to claim 11, Huang teaches one or more of the additional optics comprises a lens having a diameter of less than 1 millimeter ((column 10, lines 25-28, the diameter of the hole is in the range of 100 microns (0.1 millimeters). The lens size is slightly larger than the hole, thus its diameter is much less than 1 millimeter)).
Regarding to claim 12, Huang teaches the optic positioned over the transparent region and the plurality of additional optics are integrally formed as a monolithic structure (Fig. 17).
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 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang (U.S. Patent No. 11,587,351) in view of Lee et al. (U.S. Patent No. 10,339,354).
Regarding to claim 13, Huang teaches a computer device (Figs. 13-14 and Fig. 17) comprising:
a display comprising a plurality of pixels (Fig. 13, elements 12b; column 3, lines 66-67), the display defining a transparent region positioned between a first pixel of the plurality of pixels and a second pixel of the plurality of pixels (Fig. 13, elements 122; column 3, lines 66-67);
an image sensor positioned underneath the display, the image sensor aligned with the transparent region defined by the display (Fig. 13, Fig. 17, element 2; column 7, lines 40-42); and
an optic positioned on the display and over the transparent region defined by the display, the optic configured to direct external light into the transparent region of the display (Fig. 13, Fig. 17, array of elements 141; column 4, lines 9-10).
The device disclosed by Huang is for obtaining fingerprint image (Fig. 13).
Huang does not disclose a wearable computing device comprising a housing, a first band coupled to the housing at a first location, a second band coupled to the housing at a second location, the second band couplable to the first band.
Lee discloses a wearable computing device comprising a housing, a first band coupled to the housing at a first location, a second band coupled to the housing at a second location, the second band couplable to the first band (Fig. 4; column 8, lines 7-10), and the wearable computing device is for obtaining fingerprint image (Fig. 5, column 8, lines 36-43). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Huang in view of Lee to implement the fingerprint image disclosed by Huang into a wearable computing device comprising a housing, a first band coupled to the housing at a first location, and a second band coupled to the housing at a second location, the second band couplable to the first band, in order to make the fingerprint image device useful for more applications.
Regarding to claim 14, Huang teaches the plurality of pixels are arranged in a plurality of rows, and wherein the first pixel and the second pixel are next to one another in a first row of the plurality of rows (Fig. 14).
Regarding to claim 15, Huang teaches the optic is disposed on a top portion of the display (Fig. 13).
Regarding to claim 16, Huang teaches the top portion of the display comprises a thin film encapsulation layer (Fig. 13, the layer on top of the OLEDs 12 surrounds lens 141).
Regarding to claim 17, Huang teaches a plurality of additional optics disposed on the display, each of the plurality of additional optics positioned over a corresponding pixel of the plurality of pixels (Fig. 17, elements 51).
Regarding to claim 18, Huang teaches one or more of the additional optics comprises a lens having a diameter of less than 1 millimeter ((column 10, lines 25-28, the diameter of the hole is in the range of 100 microns (0.1 millimeters). The lens size is slightly larger than the hole, thus its diameter is much less than 1 millimeter)).
Regarding to claim 19, Huang teaches the optic positioned over the transparent region and the plurality of additional optics are integrally formed as a monolithic structure (Fig. 17).
Regarding to claim 20, Liu teaches the transparent region comprises an aperture defined between the image sensor and a top portion of the display (Fig. 17).
Pertinent Art
For the benefits of the Applicant, US-10503947-B2, US-10176355-B2, US-10122899-B2 US-8094129-B2, US-8649001-B2, US-20220406838-A1, US-10825875-B2, US-8254641-B2, US-11522024-B2, US-11495647-B2, US-20220319225-A1, US-8665357-B2, and US-10410037-B2, are on the record as being pertinent to significant disclosure through some but not all claimed features of the defined invention. In particular, these references to fail disclose the combination of limitations including “wearable computing device comprising a housing, a first band coupled to the housing at a first location, a second band coupled to the housing at a second location, the second band couplable to the first band, an image sensor positioned underneath the display, the image sensor aligned with the transparent region defined by the display; and an optic positioned on the display and over the transparent region defined by the display, the optic configured to direct external light into the transparent region of the display.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VU A VU whose telephone number is (571)270-7467. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:00AM - 5:00PM.
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/VU A VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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