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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 and 5-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Wang et al. (US 10,627,694).
Regarding independent claim 1, Wang et al. (‘694) teaches in figures 1, 6, and throughout the text, a display device, comprising: a display (100) including a display panel (190) in which a plurality of pixels (figure 6, 610-670) is arranged, and a decorative member (no number, cover lens column 6, lines 36-37) disposed on one of a display surface side and a rear surface (110) side of the display panel; and a color changer (140, 150, 160, 170) that emits illumination light from the rear surface side of the display on the display panel and the decorative member, wherein each pixel of the plurality of pixels includes a pixel display region that emits display light, and a transmission region that transmits light, and the color changer emits, in accordance with a color of a design of the decorative member to be presented to an observer, the illumination light of a predetermined color on the display panel and the decorative member.
Regarding dependent claim 2, Wang et al. (‘694) teaches the decorative member (cover/lens) is disposed on the display surface side of the display panel, and transparently displays a display element to be displayed on the display panel.
Regarding dependent claim 3, Wang et al. (‘694) teaches a controller (730) that controls a color of the display element to be displayed on the display panel, wherein the controller controls the color of the display element through the decorative member to a complementary color of the color of the design of the decorative member to be presented to the observer.
Regarding claim 5, Wang et al. (‘694) teaches each of the display panel and the color changer includes a terminal region in which a terminal (not shown) that connects to outside is disposed, the decorative member includes a light blocker (175) that blocks external light, and when viewed planarly, the terminal region of the display panel, the terminal region of the color changer, and the light blocker of the decorative member overlap.
Regarding dependent claim 6, Wang et al. (‘694) teaches the display panel includes a light-transmitting substrate in which the plurality of pixels is arranged, and that includes a wiring (not shown but connected to electrodes (120, 130) that drives the plurality of pixels.
Regarding dependent claim 7, Wang et al. (‘694) teaches each pixel of the plurality of pixels includes a light emitting element in the pixel display region.
Regarding dependent claim 8, Wang et al. (‘694) teaches the light emitting element is a micro LED element (column 3, lines 16-19).
Regarding dependent claim 9, Wang et al. (‘694) teaches the micro LED element includes an LED chip (150, 160, 170) that emits light, an electrode (120) that connects to the wiring, and a light blocking film (175) that covers a side surface of the LED chip.
Regarding dependent claim 10, Wang et al. (‘694) teaches the light-transmitting substrate includes a light blocking layer in a region in which the micro LED element is mounted.
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US 10,627,694), of record, in view of Zhang et al. (US 12,461,394).
Regarding claim 4, Wang et al. (‘694) teaches the claimed limitations including a controller that controls an amount of the illumination light that the color changer emits on the display panel and the decorative member, wherein the display panel includes a displayable region in which the plurality of pixels is arranged and in which the display element is displayed, and a frame region surrounding the displayable region, and the controller controls, in accordance with a brightness through the decorative member of the region, of the displayable region of the display panel, not displaying the display element, an amount of the illumination light that the color changer emits on the non-display region of the decorative member.
Wang does not teach the decorative member includes, when viewed planarly, a display region that overlaps the displayable region of the display panel and a non-display region that overlaps the frame region of the display panel.
Further regarding claim 4, Zhang et al. (‘394) teaches in figures 1, 2, and the corresponding text, a display panel and device comprised of, in part, a decorative member (300) includes, when viewed planarly, a display region (AA) that overlaps the displayable region of the display panel and a non-display region (NA) that overlaps the frame region (110) of the display panel, for the purpose of preventing the interference phenomenon of Newton’s rings.
Hence, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the decorative member in the display structure of Zhang in the display of Wang for the purpose of preventing the interference phenomenon of Newton’s rings.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH L WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-2465. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 6:30 AM- 5:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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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JOSEPH L. WILLIAMS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2875
/JOSEPH L WILLIAMS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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