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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on April 23, 2025, May 11, 2026, July 27, 2026 is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Light-Emitting Substrate With Increased Reflective Area, Backlight Module, and Display Apparatus
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 18, lines: 1-4 recite the limitation “ wherein at least one side wall of the driver chip is in contact with the corresponding first reflective portion, and/or the at least one side wall of the driver chip and the corresponding first reflective portion have a second gap therebetween.” It is unclear if the at least one side wall of the driver chips contacts the first reflective portion or if there is a gap between the side wall of the driver chips and the first reflective portion or even how both conditions can be present at the same time. For purposes of examination this will be interpreted as “wherein at least one side wall of the driver chip is in contact with the corresponding first reflective portion, or the at least one side wall of the driver chip and the corresponding first reflective portion have a second gap therebetween.”
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 12, and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Oide (US 2011/0063850).
Claim 1, Oide discloses (see annotated Fig. 2 below) a light-emitting substrate comprising: a substrate (2a, planar type bottom board, Para [0038]), a plurality of light-emitting devices (4, LEDs, Para [0044]) and a reflective layer (22, concave portions of light reflecting plate 21, Para [0074]) that are disposed on a side of the substrate (22 is disposed on top side of 2a);
wherein the reflective layer (22) has a plurality of openings (23, insertion holes, Para [0074]), the plurality of openings include a plurality of first openings (23 is a plurality of holes), and a light-emitting device (specific 4 of plurality of 4s, hereinafter “LED”) of the plurality of light-emitting devices is located in a first opening (specific 23 where LED is located, hereinafter “open1”) of the plurality of first openings (23); and
the reflective layer (22) includes a plurality of first reflective portions (p1) and a second reflective portion (p2) connecting any two adjacent first reflective portions (p2 connects adjacent p1s); a first reflective portion (specific p1 on a side of LED, hereinafter “rp1”), corresponding to the light emitting device (LED), of the plurality of first reflective portions is located on at least one side of the light-emitting device (rp1 is located on one side of LED); a thickness of the first reflective portion is less than a thickness of the second reflective portion (as can be seen below lateral thickness of p1 is less than lateral thickness of p2).
PNG
media_image1.png
734
906
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Claim 2, Oide discloses (see annotated Fig. 2 above) the light-emitting substrate according to claim 1, wherein the first reflective portion (p1) is located on two opposite sides of the light-emitting device (LED), or the first reflective portion surrounds the light-emitting device (as can be seen above p1 surrounds respective 4). Claim 3, Oide discloses (see annotated Fig. 2 above) the light-emitting substrate according to claim 2, wherein where the first reflective portion (rp1) is located on the two opposite sides of the light-emitting device (rp1 would be located on opposite sides of LED), an orthographic projection of the light-emitting device on the substrate is in a shape of a rectangle (orthographic projection of LED on 2a is rectangular shaped), and the first reflective portion is located on sides of two long sides of the rectangle (rp1 would be located on two sides of long portions of LED rectangle projection). Claim 4, Oide discloses (see annotated Fig. 2 above) the light-emitting substrate according to claim 1, wherein at least one side wall of the light-emitting device (LED) and the corresponding first reflective portion (rp1) have a first gap therebetween (as can be seen above there is a gap between 4 and p1). Claim 12, Oide discloses (see annotated Fig. 2 above) the light-emitting substrate according to claim 1, wherein the second reflective portion (p2) includes a plurality of protruding structures (p2s are a plurality of vertically protruding structures), and a protruding structure (a respective p2, hereinafter “pro”) of the plurality of protruding structures has a cambered surface on a side away from the substrate (under broadest reasonable interpretation (BRI) pro has an arch convex shaper on a top side away from 2a). Claim 28, Oide discloses (see annotated Fig. 2 above) A backlight module, comprising: the light-emitting substrate according to claim 1, and an optical film (26, diffusion surface plate, Para [0038]) disposed on a light exit side of the light-substrate (26 is disposed on the exit side of 2a).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-11, 13-17, and 19 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. NOTE: claim 18 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the 112 rejection above.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art of record, Oide (US 2011/0063850), Sun (US 2024/0160063), Deng (US 2023/0168424), Lee (US 2018/0175264), fail to disclose (by themselves or in combination) the following limitations in combination with the rest of the claim:
Regarding Claim 5, wherein a width of the first gap is less than or equal to 150 µm.
Regarding Claim 6, wherein at least one side wall of the light-emitting device is in contact with
the corresponding first reflective portion.
Regarding Claim 7 (from which claim 8 depends), an angle between the top surface and a plane where the substrate is located is an acute angle.
Regarding Claim 9 (from which claims 10-11 depend), an angle between the at least portion of the bottom surface and a plane where the substrate is located is an acute angle; the top surface parallel to or substantially parallel to the plane where the substrate is located.
Regarding Claim 13 (from which claim 14 depends), a dimension of a first protruding structure of the plurality of first protruding structures in the second direction is same as a dimension of a second protruding structure of the plurality of second protruding structures in an arrangement direction of the plurality of second protruding structures.
Regarding Claim 15, the third reflective portion surrounds the first reflective portion, and a thickness of the third reflective portion is less than the thickness of the first reflective portion.
Regarding Claim 16, a fourth reflective sub-portion located on a side of the fourth side wall; wherein a plurality of first reflective sub-portions located on a side of first side walls of light-emitting devices in a row are connected to form a one-piece structure…
Regarding Claim 17 (from which claim 18 depends), the plurality of openings further include a plurality of second openings; the driver chip is located in a second opening, and a first reflective portion, corresponding to the driver chip, of the plurality of first reflective portions is located on at least one side of the driver chip.
Regarding Claim 19, an orthographic projection of at least one driver chip on the substrate is located within an orthographic projection of the reflective layer on the substrate.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sun (US 2024/0160063) discloses (Fig. 1) a reflective member 30 with a concave shape with a gap between LEDs 20. Sun does not disclose the reflective member having multiple portions with different thicknesses.
Deng (US 2023/0168424) discloses (Fig. 9) reflective portions 130 on a substrate 110. Deng does not disclose LEDs in the openings of the reflective portions.
Lee (US 2018/0175264) discloses (Fig. 5H) with LEDs 119, reflective structures 109. Lee does not disclose multiple reflective portions with different thicknesses.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GUSTAVO G RAMALLO whose telephone number is (571)272-9227. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am - 6pm.
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, William Partridge can be reached at (571) 270-1402. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/GUSTAVO G RAMALLO/Examiner, Art Unit 2812
Prosecution Insights