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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6-10, 15-16, 23-27, and 32-33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20240219799 A1 (XIA; Yu et al.)
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Per claim 1, Xia teaches a light controlling panel [200], comprising: a first electrode [207] and a second electrode that face each other [202]; and a dielectric layer [212, see paragraph 0006: “he electrically charged pigment particles and the liquid are not encapsulated within microcapsules but instead are retained within a plurality of cavities formed within a carrier medium, typically a polymeric film”] and charged particles between the first electrode and the second electrode [222], wherein the dielectric layer includes one or more grooves [215], and the dielectric layer has a dielectric pattern between adjacent grooves of the one or more grooves [217 and 212 walls] and a plurality of spacers protruding toward the second electrode on a portion of a top surface of the dielectric pattern [walls 212].
Per claim 16, Xia teaches a transparent display device [see paragraph 0003: “Particle-based electrophoretic displays, in which a plurality of electrically charged pigment particles move through a suspending fluid under the influence of an electric field, have been the subject of intense research and development for a number of years. Such displays can have attributes of good brightness and contrast, wide viewing angles, state bistability, and low power consumption when compared with liquid crystal displays”], comprising: a transparent display panel including a transmissive area through which external light is transmitted and a non-transmissive area that includes a plurality of pixels [see paragraph 0019: “Although electrophoretic media are often opaque (since, for example, in many electrophoretic media, the particles substantially block transmission of visible light through the display) and operate in a reflective mode, many electrophoretic displays can be made to operate in a so-called “shutter mode” in which one display state is substantially opaque and one is light-transmissive. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,130,774 and 6,172,798, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,872,552; 6,144,361; 6,271,823; 6,225,971; and 6,184,856. Dielectrophoretic displays, which are similar to electrophoretic displays but rely upon variations in electric field strength, can operate in a similar mode; see U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,346. Other types of electro-optic displays may also be capable of operating in shutter mode”]; a first electrode [207] and a second electrode that face each other [202]; and a dielectric layer [212] and charged particles between the first electrode and the second electrode [222], wherein the dielectric layer includes one or more grooves [215], and the dielectric layer has a dielectric pattern between adjacent grooves of the one or more grooves [217] and a plurality of spacers protruding toward the second electrode on a portion of a top surface of the dielectric pattern [see the above figures].
Per claim 2, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 1, wherein the first electrode is divided into a plurality of unit electrodes, and wherein each of the plurality of unit electrodes is driven separately [inherent to the controllable display described, see paragraph 0079: “When the electrophoretic medium is contained within a microcell, as is preferred in electrophoretic displays, the geometries of the induced flows are affected by the shape of the particular microcell used. For example, in the simplest case of two parallel electrodes, it was shown that, using an appropriate electric field strength and AC frequency, the flow can adopt a roll structure with periodic spacing that corresponds to the width of the gap between the electrodes.”]
Per claim 3, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 2, wherein the plurality of unit electrodes are applied with different magnitudes of voltage [see paragraph 0079: “When the electrophoretic medium is contained within a microcell, as is preferred in electrophoretic displays, the geometries of the induced flows are affected by the shape of the particular microcell used. For example, in the simplest case of two parallel electrodes, it was shown that, using an appropriate electric field strength and AC frequency, the flow can adopt a roll structure with periodic spacing that corresponds to the width of the gap between the electrodes.”]
Per claims 6 and 23, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 1, wherein: a spacer of the plurality of spacers has a top surface that is flat [see figure 2A]; and a light blocking layer is coated on the top surface of the spacer [see figure 13, 1311].
Per claims 7 and 24, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 1, wherein the dielectric pattern, a spacer of the plurality of spacers, and a groove of the one or more grooves are integrally formed [see figures 2A and 13].
Per claims 8 and 25, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 1, wherein a groove of the one or more grooves is between at least two spacers of the plurality of spacers [see figures 2A and 13].
Per claims 9 and 26, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 1, wherein: the first electrode and the second electrode are transparent electrodes [see paragraph 0081: “ first light transmissive electrode layer 202, a microcell layer 203 comprising a plurality or microcells 204 and a sealing layer 206, second light transmissive electrode layer 207”] and the first electrode or the second electrode overlaps the one or more grooves [see figures 2A and 13].
Per claims 10 and 27, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 1, wherein the first electrode comprises a plurality of block electrodes that are divided into a plurality of blocks, and each block of the plurality of blocks is individually driven [see paragraph 0079: “When the electrophoretic medium is contained within a microcell, as is preferred in electrophoretic displays, the geometries of the induced flows are affected by the shape of the particular microcell used. For example, in the simplest case of two parallel electrodes, it was shown that, using an appropriate electric field strength and AC frequency, the flow can adopt a roll structure with periodic spacing that corresponds to the width of the gap between the electrodes.”]
Per claims 15 and 32, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 1, wherein responsive to a voltage being cut off at the first electrode and the second electrode, the charged particles remain in their state for a period of time and implement a light blocking mode or a transmissive mode of the light controlling panel [see paragraph 0003: “Particle-based electrophoretic displays, in which a plurality of electrically charged pigment particles move through a suspending fluid under the influence of an electric field, have been the subject of intense research and development for a number of years. Such displays can have attributes of good brightness and contrast, wide viewing angles, state bistability, and low power consumption when compared with liquid crystal displays.]
Per claim 33, Xia teaches the transparent display device of claim 16, wherein a groove of the one or more grooves and a spacer of the plurality of spacers are in an area corresponding to the transmissive area [see the above figures].
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 4-5, 11-14, 17-19, 22, 28-31, and 35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20240219799 A1 (XIA; Yu et al.)
Per claims 4, 17, and 19, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 2, but lacks wherein the first electrode is divided into a plurality of unit electrodes, and wherein each of the plurality of unit electrodes is driven separately and the second electrode is formed as a common electrode. However, official notice is hereby taken that it would have been common knowledge to form wherein the first electrode is divided into a plurality of unit electrodes, and wherein each of the plurality of unit electrodes is driven separately and form a common electrode as single planar sheet in order to simplify manufacturing. Therefore, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Per claims 5 and 22, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 1, but lacks a spacer of the plurality of spacers has a stripe shape extending in a first direction; and a groove of the one or more grooves has a stripe shape extending in the first direction. However, official notice is hereby taken that it would have been a matter of routine skill in the art to form a spacer of the plurality of spacers has a stripe shape extending in a first direction; and a groove of the one or more grooves has a stripe shape extending in the first direction in order to simplify manufacturing. Therefore, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Per claims 11 and 28, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 10, but lacks each of the plurality of block electrodes of the first electrode includes a plurality of patterning electrodes having a patterned stripe shape. However, official notice is hereby taken that it would have been common knowledge to form each of the plurality of block electrodes of the first electrode includes a plurality of patterning electrodes having a patterned stripe shape in order to simplify manufacturing. Therefore, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Per claims 12 and 29, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 1, but lacks the first electrode includes a plurality of patterning electrodes, each of the plurality of patterning electrodes having a patterned stripe shape. However, official notice is hereby taken that it would have been common knowledge to form the first electrode includes a plurality of patterning electrodes, each of the plurality of patterning electrodes having a patterned stripe shape in order to simplify manufacturing. Therefore, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Per claims 13 and 30, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 12, but lacks a groove of the one or more grooves is in a direction that intersects the plurality of patterning electrodes. However, official notice is hereby taken that it would have been a matter of routine skill in the art to form a groove of the one or more grooves is in a direction that intersects the plurality of patterning electrodes in order to simplify manufacturing. Therefore, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Per claims 14 and 31, Xia teaches the light controlling panel of claim 13, wherein, in a light transmissive mode of the light controlling panel, the charged particles are collected in an island or a stripe shape on the plurality of patterning electrodes of the groove [see figure 3a].
Per claim 18, Xia the transparent display device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of unit electrodes are applied with different magnitudes of voltage [see paragraph 0079: “When the electrophoretic medium is contained within a microcell, as is preferred in electrophoretic displays, the geometries of the induced flows are affected by the shape of the particular microcell used. For example, in the simplest case of two parallel electrodes, it was shown that, using an appropriate electric field strength and AC frequency, the flow can adopt a roll structure with periodic spacing that corresponds to the width of the gap between the electrodes.”]
Per claim 35, Xia teaches the transparent display device of claim 16, but lacks a spacer of the plurality of spacers overlaps the plurality of pixels in the non-transmissive area. However, official notice is hereby taken that it would have been a matter of routine skill in the art to form a spacer of the plurality of spacers overlaps the plurality of pixels in the non-transmissive area in order to simplify manufacturing. Therefore, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 20-21, 34, and 36 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:
Per claim 20 and 34, Xia teaches the transparent display device of claim 16. In combination with the limitations above, the prior art does not teach the one or more grooves overlap with the non-transmissive area of the transparent display panel.
Per claim 21, Xia teaches the transparent display device of claim 16. In combination with the limitations above, the prior art does not teach wherein the non-transmissive area incudes an emission area with the plurality of pixels that emit light, and wherein, at least a portion of the one or more grooves overlap the emission area of the transparent display panel
Per claim 36, Xia teaches the transparent display device of claim 16. In combination with the limitations above, the prior art does not teach a spacer of the plurality of spacers and a groove of the one or more grooves extend in a direction that is same as a disposition direction of the plurality of pixels in the non-transmissive area.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES A DUDEK whose telephone number is (571)272-2290. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 6:30-4:30 MT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Carruth can be reached at 571-272-9791. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES A DUDEK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
