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, which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 9/6/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/14/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 9/6/2024. These drawings are considered acceptable by Examiner.
America Invents Act
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 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.
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.
1. Claim(s) 1-6, 8-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0093834 A1) as cited by Applicant(s).
Regarding Claim 1, Lin et al., teaches a display device, comprising: a driving substrate (5200, see at least Figs. 5B & 9 & 69C); a plurality of light-emitting elements (5111), electrically connected to the driving substrate (5200); a seed layer (5215 per pixel, SOUT), disposed on the driving substrate (5200) and located between the light-emitting elements (5111 [Wingdings font/0xE0] 5111A); a metal layer (BM, 4000f), disposed on the seed layer (5215 per pixel, SOUT), wherein the metal layer (BM, 4000f) surrounds each of the light-emitting elements (5111); and an insulating layer, surrounding each of the light-emitting elements (5111) and contacting the metal layer (BM, 4000f [Wingdings font/0xE0] “the sealing materials 4000f may include heat conducting particles, such as metal particles,” ¶ [1202]) and a sidewall of each of the light-emitting elements (5111) respectively.
Regarding Claim 2, Lin et al., teaches the display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a first electrode (5111PE), disposed between the light-emitting elements (5111) and the driving substrate (5200); a second electrode (5111N), disposed on a light-emitting surface of the light-emitting elements (5111) and electrically connected to the light-emitting surface; and a protective layer (lower surface of 5312), disposed on the second electrode (5111N) and the metal layer (BM, 4000f).
Regarding Claim 3, Lin et al., teaches the display device according to claim 2, further comprising: a color filter layer (910F), disposed on the protective layer (lower surface of 5312) and overlapping each of the light-emitting elements (5111), and the metal layer (BM, 4000f) surrounding the color filter layer (910F).
Regarding Claim 4, Lin et al., teaches the display device according to claim 3, further comprising: an optical microstructure (910C), disposed on the color filter layer (910F) and overlapping the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting elements (5111).
Regarding Claim 5, Lin et al., teaches the display device according to claim 4, wherein the optical microstructure (910C) contacts the color filter layer (910F) and the protective layer (lower surface of 5312).
Regarding Claim 6, Lin et al., teaches the display device according to claim 3, wherein the metal layer (BM, 4000f) further surrounds a portion of the second electrode (5111N).
Regarding Claim 8, Lin et al., teaches the display device according to claim 4, wherein the color filter layer (910F) further comprises: a yellow filter layer (yellow, color correction, ¶ [1204], ¶ [1211]), a red filter layer (910R), a green filter layer (910G), and a blue filter layer (910B), wherein the light-emitting elements (5111) are blue micro light-emitting diodes (a blue or ultraviolet light emitting element, ¶ [1210]) and comprise a first light-emitting element, a second light-emitting element and a third light-emitting element, the red filter layer is disposed on the first light-emitting element, the green filter layer is disposed on the second light-emitting element, the blue filter layer is disposed on the third light-emitting element, and the yellow filter layer is disposed on the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element (respectively).
Regarding Claim 9, Lin et al., teaches the display device according to claim 1, wherein a color of a light emitted by the light-emitting elements (5111) are substantially the same [same or different, ¶ [0664]].
Regarding Claim 10, Lin et al., teaches the display device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the metal layer (BM, 4000f) further contacts the driving substrate (5200).
Regarding Claim 11, Lin et al., teaches the display device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode (5111PE, reflective in order to emit towards light-emitting active layer) is a reflective electrode and the second electrode (5111N) is a transparent electrode (in order to emit upwards).
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 of this title, 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.
2. Claim(s) 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Lin et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0093834 A1).
Regarding Claim 7, Lin teaches the claimed invention (see rejection in the claim above) except for the specific limitation of the ratio of h/w of the metal layer.
However, Examiner reasonably contemplates that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify a ratio of a height and a width of the metal layer (BM, 4000f) is greater than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 4, since optimization of workable ranges is considered within the skill of the art as it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. It has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Further, one of ordinary skill in the art would entertain the idea of providing a ratio of a height and a width of the metal layer (BM, 4000f) is greater than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 4 in order to dramatically improve contrast of the display during operation of the device.
Other Prior Art Cited
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0350199 A1 to Sang et al., teaches a seed layer on a substrate.
Examiner's Note
The Examiner cites particular figures, paragraphs, columns and line numbers in the reference(s), as applied to the claims above. Although the particular citations are representative teachings and are applied to specific limitations within the claims, other passages, internally cited references, and figures may also apply. In preparing a response, it is respectfully requested that the Applicant fully consider the references, in their entirety, as potentially disclosing or teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as fully consider the context of the passage as taught by the reference(s) or as disclosed by the Examiner.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner H. Featherly whose telephone number is 571-272-8654. The examiner can normally be reached on M-. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Greece can be reached on 571-272-3711.
The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-272-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only.
For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/H. Featherly/
Examiner Featherly
Art Unit 2875 Patent Examiner
/JAMES R GREECE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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