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 .
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.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 4-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 09 July 2025.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I, corresponding to originally filed Claims 1-3, in the reply filed on 09 July 2025 is acknowledged.
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)(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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Roh et al. (hereinafter “Roh” US 2021 / 0390898).
As pertaining to Claim 1, Roh discloses (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 4) a display device (1000; see Page 4, Para. [0057]-[0058]), comprising:
a plurality of pixels (see (PX) in (100); and see Fig. 2) in a two-dimensional array, wherein the plurality of pixels (100, PX) includes:
a first set of pixels (PX) in a display area (see (A1) in Fig. 4 for any set of pixels); and
a second set of pixels (PX) in a non-display area (see (A2, A3) in Fig. 4 for any set of pixels outside of (A1)), wherein
the non-display area (A2, A3) is a peripheral area outside the display area (A1),
the first set of pixels (see (PX) in (A1)) is configured to display image information in the display area (A1),
the second set of pixels (see (PX) in (A2, A3)) is configured to enable emission of a black color light,
the second set of pixels (again, see (PX) in (A2, A3)) includes a first pixel (i.e., an arbitrary (PX) in (A2)) and a subset of pixels (i.e., any subset of (PX) in (A3)),
the subset of pixels (i.e., the subset of (PX) in (A3)) is on a first side (i.e., an outer side) of the first pixel (i.e., the arbitrary (PX) in (A2)),
the first set of pixels (see (PX) in (A1)) is on a second side (i.e., an inner side) of the first pixel (i.e., the arbitrary (PX) in (A2)),
the first side (i.e., the outer side) is opposite to the second side (i.e., the inner side),
the first pixel (i.e., the arbitrary (PX) in (A2)) is adjacent to the first set of pixels (see (PX) in (A1)),
the first set of pixels (see (PX) in (A1)) is associated with a first plurality of light emitting elements (see (LD) in Fig. 2),
the subset of pixels (i.e., the subset of (PX) in (A3)) is associated with a second plurality of light emitting elements (again, see (LD) in Fig. 2),
the first plurality of light emitting elements (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for (A1)) is different from the second plurality of light emitting elements (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for (A3)),
each of the first plurality of light emitting elements (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for (A1)) is connected (i.e., via (T6, T7, Ei)) to a power supply voltage (VDD),
each of the second plurality of light emitting elements (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for (A3)) is disconnected (i.e., via (T6, T7, Ei)) from the power supply voltage (VDD), and
a light emission intensity (i.e., a luminance) of the first pixel (i.e., the arbitrary (PX) in (A2)) is greater than a light emission intensity (i.e., a luminance) of each of the subset of pixels (i.e., the subset of (PX) in (A3); i.e., the light emission intensity gradually decreases from an innermost region to an outermost region of (100) in Fig. 4; thus, light emission intensity decreases from (A1) to (A2) to (A3); see Page 5, Para. [0070]-[0071] and Para. [0077]-[0079]; and Page 6 through Page 7, Para. [0101]-[0107]).
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.
Claims 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Roh in view of Lee et al. (hereinafter “Lee” US 2004 / 0017159).
As pertaining to Claim 2, Roh discloses (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 4) the first pixel (i.e., the arbitrary (PX) in (A2)) includes a light emitting element (see (LD) in Fig. 2),
the light emitting element of the first pixel (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for the arbitrary (PX) in (A2)) is different from each of the first plurality of light emitting elements (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for (A1)) and the second plurality of light emitting elements (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for (A3)),
the light emitting element of the first pixel (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for the arbitrary (PX) in (A2)) is configured to emit the black color light at the light emission intensity (i.e., the luminance) of the first pixel (again, see the arbitrary (PX) in (A2)) such that the black color light is emitted (i.e., arbitrarily) in the first set of pixels (see (PX) in (A1); and note that the first pixel is not in the first set of pixels, yet all of the pixels in (100) are configured to emit black color light),
the subset of pixels (i.e., any subset of (PX) in (A3)) includes a second pixel (i.e., any arbitrary pixel (PX) on an inner region of (A3)), and a third pixel (i.e., any other arbitrary pixel (PX) on an outer region of (A3)) different from the second pixel (i.e., the arbitrary pixel (PX) on the inner region of (A3)),
the second pixel (i.e., the arbitrary pixel (PX) on an inner region of (A3)) is adjacent to the first pixel (i.e., the arbitrary (PX) in (A2)),
the third pixel (i.e., the other arbitrary pixel (PX) on an outer region of (A3)) is adjacent to the second pixel (i.e., the arbitrary pixel (PX) on the inner region of (A3)) on a side (i.e., an outer side) opposite the first pixel (i.e., the arbitrary (PX) in (A2)),
the second pixel (i.e., the arbitrary pixel (PX) on an inner region of (A3)) includes a light emitting element (see (LD) in Fig. 2),
the third pixel (i.e., the other arbitrary pixel (PX) on an outer region of (A3)) includes a light emitting element (see (LD) in Fig. 2),
the second plurality of light emitting elements (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for (A3)) includes each of the light emitting element of the second pixel (i.e., the arbitrary pixel (PX) on an inner region of (A3)) and the light emitting element of the third pixel (i.e., the other arbitrary pixel (PX) on an outer region of (A3); again, see Page 5, Para. [0070]-[0071] and Para. [0077]-[0079]; and Page 6 through Page 7, Para. [0101]-[0107]).
Roh does not explicitly disclose that an anode of the light emitting element of the third pixel (i.e., the other arbitrary pixel (PX) on an outer region of (A3)) is connected, through a first resistor, to an anode of the light emitting element of the second pixel (i.e., the arbitrary pixel (PX) on an outer region of (A3)).
However, in the same field of endeavor, Lee discloses (see Fig. 2) a display device comprising pixels (see (20, 22)) arranged in a pixel array, wherein adjacent light emitting elements (i.e., see (204, 206)) of adjacent pixels (20, 22) are arranged such that an anode of a light emitting element (204) of a first pixel (20) is connected to an anode of a light emitting element (206) of an adjacent second pixel (22) through a resistor (24; see Page 2, Para. [0021]) in order to prevent electrostatic discharge from damaging individual pixels in the pixel array to thereby reduce point defects in the display device (see Page 1, Para. [0010] and Page 3, Para. [0025]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Roh with the teachings of Lee, such that an anode of the light emitting element of the third pixel (i.e., the other arbitrary pixel (PX) on an outer region of (A3)) is connected, through a first resistor, to an anode of the light emitting element of the adjacent or neighboring second pixel (i.e., the arbitrary pixel (PX) on an outer region of (A3)), as suggested by Lee, in order to prevent electrostatic discharge from damaging individual pixels in the pixel array to thereby reduce point defects in the display device.
As pertaining to Claim 3, the combined teachings of Roh and Lee disclose (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 of Roh in combination with Fig. 2 of Lee) that the anode of the light emitting element (see (LD) of Roh and (204, 206) of Lee) of the second pixel (i.e., the arbitrary pixel (PX) on an inner region of (A3) of Roh; and see (20, 22) of Lee) is connected, through a second resistor (see (24) of Lee), to an anode of the light emitting element (again, see (LD) of Roh and (204, 206) of Lee) of the first pixel (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for the arbitrary (PX) in (A2) of Roh; and see (20, 22) of Lee), and
the first resistor is different from the second resistor (again, see (24) of Lee; and see Page 1, Para. [0010] and Page 3, Para. [0025] of Lee; and note that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that the anode of the light emitting element of the second pixel is connected, through a second resistor that is different from the first resistor, to an anode of the light emitting element of the adjacent or neighboring first pixel, as suggested by Lee, in order to prevent electrostatic discharge from damaging individual pixels in the pixel array to thereby reduce point defects in the display device.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 17 October 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant has argued that none of the references relied upon by the examiner in the prior Office Action, namely Roh and Lee, teach or fairly suggest the combination of features newly recited in pending Claims 1-3. Specifically, the applicant has asserted that the teachings of Roh and Lee fail to provide for the newly claimed “subset of pixels” with “each of the first plurality of light emitting elements” being “connected to a power supply voltage” and “each of the second plurality of light emitting elements” being “disconnected from the power supply voltage” (see Remarks at Page 9). The examiner respectfully disagrees. Firstly, the examiner respectfully points out that the claimed invention is directed to the originally filed Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4, all of the plurality of light emitting elements (L, LA, LB, LC, LD) are configured to be connected to and/or disconnected from a power supply voltage (Vccp) via a transistor (Tdr). In this regard, Roh plainly provides for each of the first plurality of light emitting elements (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for (A1)) being connected (i.e., via (T6, T7, Ei)) to a power supply voltage (VDD), and each of the second plurality of light emitting elements (see (LD) in Fig. 2 for (A3)) being disconnected (i.e., via (T6, T7, Ei)) from the power supply voltage (VDD). Respectfully, there is nothing recited in the pending claims that would distinguish the claimed invention from the teachings of Roh and Lee. Therefore, the rejection of Claims 1-3 is maintained.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sung et al. (US 2014 / 0133046), corresponding to Sung et al. (US 8,911,097), and Hino et al. (US 2013 / 0342927) disclose display devices in which intensity of light is gradually decreased from an innermost circumference to an outermost circumference of a display panel.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON M MANDEVILLE whose telephone number is (571)270-3136. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 7:30AM-4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chanh Nguyen can be reached at 571-272-7772. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON M MANDEVILLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2623