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 .
Response to Amendment
Receipt of the Amendment, filed on November 29, 2024, is acknowledged.
Cancellation of claim 12 has been entered.
Claims 1-11 and 13-21 are pending in the instant application.
Substitute Specification, filed November 29, 2024, has been entered.
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) 1-5, 7, 8, 14, 15 and 17-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang (WO 2020/220792 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Huang discloses a color conversion substrate (Fig. 1), comprising: a substrate (190); a color conversion layer (112) located on a side of the substrate, wherein the color conversion layer includes a first color conversion portion (112), and the first color conversion portion (112) is configured to convert first color light incident on the first color conversion portion into second color light (Page 7, lines 17-23); and a cholesteric liquid crystal layer (140, Page 10, lines 12-17), wherein the cholesteric liquid crystal layer includes a first cholesteric liquid crystal unit (140) located between the substrate (190) and the first color conversion portion (112), and the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit (140) is configured to reflect unconverted light in the first color light back to the first color conversion portion (Page 9, lines 18-20).
Regarding claim 2, Huang discloses a color conversion substrate wherein the color conversion layer further includes a second color conversion portion (122) arranged in a first direction with the first color conversion portion (112), the first direction intersects with a thickness direction of the substrate (190), and the second color conversion portion (122) is configured to convert first color light incident on the second color conversion portion into third color light; and the cholesteric liquid crystal layer (140) further includes a second cholesteric liquid crystal unit (140) located between the substrate (190) and the second color conversion portion (122), and the second cholesteric liquid crystal unit (140) is configured to reflect unconverted light in the first color light back to the second color conversion portion.
Regarding claim 3, Huang discloses a color conversion substrate wherein cholesteric liquid crystals in the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit and the second cholesteric liquid crystal unit are in a planar state (Page 10, lines 4-9, i.e., the liquid crystal selectively reflects circularly polarized light).
Regarding claim 4, Huang discloses a color conversion substrate further comprising a light-transmitting portion (340, Fig. 6) arranged in a first direction with the color conversion layer, wherein the first direction intersects with a thickness direction of the substrate, and the first color light passes through the light-transmitting portion; and the cholesteric liquid crystal layer (340) further includes a third cholesteric liquid crystal unit located between the substrate and the light-transmitting portion, and the third cholesteric liquid crystal unit (340) is configured to scatter a part of the first color light passing through the light-transmitting portion that near a front viewing angle toward a large viewing angle toward a large viewing angle direction (Page 15, lines 19-26).
Regarding claim 5, Huang discloses a color conversion substrate wherein cholesteric liquid crystals in the third cholesteric liquid crystal unit are in a focal conic state (Page 15, lines 19-26, i.e., the liquid crystal selectively scatters light increasing the viewing angles of the color sub-pixel units).
Regarding claim 7, Huang discloses a color conversion substrate wherein a pitch of liquid crystal molecules in the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit is greater than or equal to 270 nm and less than or equal to 310 nm (Page 10, lines 12-17); a pitch of liquid crystal molecules in the second cholesteric liquid crystal unit is greater than or equal to 270 nm and less than or equal to 310 nm (Page 10, lines 12-17).
Regarding claim 8, Huang discloses a color conversion substrate wherein the first color light is blue light; a central reflection wavelength of the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit is greater than or equal to 450 nm and less than or equal to 470 nm (Page 1, lines 24-25); a central reflection wavelength of the second cholesteric liquid crystal unit is greater than or equal to 450 nm and less than or equal to 470 nm (Page 1, lines 24-25).
Regarding claim 14, Huang discloses a color conversion substrate wherein a material of the first color conversion portion includes a first quantum dot material (Page 7, lines 24-27); a material of the second color conversion portion includes a second quantum dot material (Page 13, lines 16-20).
Regarding claim 15, Huang discloses a color conversion substrate further comprising a barrier pattern (180), wherein the barrier pattern includes a plurality of first openings; the first color conversion portion and the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit are located in a first opening (Fig. 1); the second color conversion portion and the second cholesteric liquid crystal unit are located in another first opening (Fig. 1); the light-transmitting portion and the third cholesteric liquid crystal unit are located in yet another first opening (Figs. 1 & 6).
Regarding claim 17, Huang discloses a manufacturing method of a color conversion substrate, comprising: providing a substrate (551, Fig. 10B); forming a cholesteric liquid crystal layer (540) on a side of the substrate; the cholesteric liquid crystal layer including a first cholesteric liquid crystal unit (513); forming a color conversion layer (512) on a side of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer away from the substrate; the color conversion layer (512) including a first color conversion portion located on a side of the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit away from the substrate; wherein the first color conversion portion (512) is configured to convert first color light incident on the first color conversion portion into second color light (Page 7, lines 17-23); the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit is configured to reflect unconverted light in the first color light back to the first color conversion portion (Page 9, lines 18-20).
Regarding claim 18, Huang discloses a manufacturing method (Figs. 1, 6 & 10B) wherein the color conversion substrate further includes a light-transmitting portion (532) arranged in a first direction with the color conversion layer, the first direction intersects with a thickness direction of the substrate, and the first color light is able to pass through the light-transmitting portion; the color conversion layer further includes a second color conversion portion (522) arranged in the first direction with the first color conversion portion, and the second color conversion portion (522) is configured to convert first color light incident on the second color conversion portion into third color light; and forming the cholesteric liquid crystal layer (540) on the side of the substrate includes: forming an initial cholesteric liquid crystal layer (540) on the side of the substrate, the initial cholesteric liquid crystal layer including a first initial cholesteric liquid crystal unit, a second initial cholesteric liquid crystal unit and a third initial cholesteric liquid crystal unit (340, Fig. 6); forming the first initial cholesteric liquid crystal unit into a first cholesteric liquid crystal unit, and forming the second initial cholesteric liquid crystal unit into a second cholesteric liquid crystal unit (Fig. 6); the second cholesteric liquid crystal unit being located between the substrate and the second color conversion portion (312, Fig. 6); and the second cholesteric liquid crystal unit being configured to reflect unconverted light in the first color light back to the second color conversion portion (Page 7, lines 17-23); and forming the third initial cholesteric liquid crystal unit into a third cholesteric liquid crystal unit; the third cholesteric liquid crystal unit being located between the substrate and the light-transmitting portion (301, Fig. 6), and the third cholesteric liquid crystal unit being configured to scatter a part of the first color light passing through the light-transmitting portion that near a front viewing angle toward a large viewing angle direction (Page 15, lines 19-26).
Regarding claim 19, Huang discloses a display panel comprising: the color conversion substrate (190) and a light-emitting substrate (150), wherein the light-emitting substrate (150) is opposite to the color conversion substrate (190), and the light-emitting substrate is configured to emit the first color light (Page 18, lines 9-15).
Regarding claim 20, Huang discloses a display panel wherein the light-emitting substrate includes any one of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) light-emitting substrate, a light-emitting diode (LED) light-emitting substrate, a micro LED light-emitting substrate or a mini LED light-emitting substrate (Page 18, lines 9-15).
Regarding claim 21, Huang discloses a display panel wherein the light-emitting substrate is an OLED light-emitting substrate, and the OLED light- emitting substrate includes a cathode (1111) and an anode (1113) disposed opposite to each other, and at least two light-emitting units (111, 121, Figs. 1 & 4) disposed between the cathode and the anode; and a light-emitting unit of the at least two light-emitting units includes a light-emitting layer (1112), and the light-emitting layer (1112) is configured to emit the first color light to the color conversion substrate (Page 18, lines 9-15).
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(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang (WO 2020/220792 A1) in view of Pan (CN 111308785 A).
Regarding claim 10, Huang fails to exemplify an alignment layer located between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the substrate, wherein the alignment layer includes a first alignment portion, a second alignment portion and a third alignment portion that are arranged in the first direction; the first alignment portion is configured to align liquid crystal molecules in the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit; the second alignment portion is configured to align liquid crystal molecules in the second cholesteric liquid crystal unit; and the third alignment portion is configured to align liquid crystal molecules in the third cholesteric liquid crystal unit.
Pan discloses a color conversion substrate (Fig. 1), comprising: a substrate (10); a color conversion layer (43) located on a side of the substrate, wherein the color conversion layer includes a first color conversion portion (43), and the first color conversion portion (43) is configured to convert first color light incident on the first color conversion portion into second color light (¶[0028]); and a cholesteric liquid crystal layer (51), wherein the cholesteric liquid crystal layer includes a first cholesteric liquid crystal unit (51) located between the substrate (10) and the first color conversion portion (43), and the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit (51) is configured to reflect unconverted light in the first color light back to the first color conversion portion (¶[0028]), and further comprising an alignment layer (60) located between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer (51) and the substrate (10) configured to align the liquid crystal molecules in the cholesteric liquid crystal units. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling of the claimed invention to incorporate the alignment layer disclosed by Pan in the color conversion substrate of Huang in order to align the liquid crystal molecules in the cholesteric liquid crystal units.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang (WO 2020/220792 A1).
Regarding claim 13, Huang fails to exemplify wherein a thickness of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer is greater than or equal to 2 µm and less than or equal to 6 µm. One skilled in the art would have reasonably contemplate optimizing the thickness of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer within the claimed range in order to customize reflection for a desired wavelength, as an obvious matter of design engineering. 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. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide a thickness of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer being greater than or equal to 2 µm and less than or equal to 6 µm in order to customize reflection for a desired wavelength, since optimization of workable ranges is considered within the skill of the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 9, 11 and 16 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:
Regarding claim(s) 6, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 6, and specifically comprising the limitation of the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit includes a first chiral liquid crystal unit and a second chiral liquid crystal unit that are stacked; a helical direction of liquid crystal molecules in the first chiral liquid crystal unit is opposite to a helical direction of liquid crystal molecules in the second chiral liquid crystal unit; and/or the cholesteric liquid crystal layer further includes a second cholesteric liquid crystal unit, the second cholesteric liquid crystal unit includes a third chiral liquid crystal unit and a fourth chiral liquid crystal unit that are stacked; a helical direction of liquid crystal molecules in the third chiral liquid crystal unit is opposite to a helical direction of liquid crystal molecules in the fourth chiral liquid crystal unit.
Regarding claim(s) 9, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 9, and specifically comprising the limitation of a full width at half maxima of a transmission spectrum of the first cholesteric liquid crystal unit is greater than or equal to 70 nm and less than or equal to 100 nm; a full width at half maxima of a transmission spectrum of the second cholesteric liquid crystal unit is greater than or equal to 70 nm and less than or equal to 100 nm.
Regarding claim(s) 11, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 11, and specifically comprising the limitation of haze of the third cholesteric liquid crystal unit is greater than or equal to 3% and less than or equal to 8% and/or a transmittance of the third cholesteric liquid crystal unit to light in a first wavelength band is greater than or equal to 90%; minimum wavelength of the first wavelength band is 450 nm, and maximum wavelength of the first wavelength band is 470 nm.
Regarding claim(s) 16, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 16, and specifically comprising the limitation of a light-blocking layer located between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the substrate, wherein the light-blocking layer includes: a light-absorbing pattern including a plurality of second openings, the plurality of second openings being directly opposite to the plurality of first openings; and a plurality of color filter portions located on a side of the substrate proximate to the cholesteric liquid crystal layer; a color filter portion of the plurality of color filter portions is disposed in a second opening of the plurality of second openings; the plurality of color filter portions include a first color filter portion directly opposite to the first color conversion portion, a second color filter portion directly opposite to the second color conversion portion, and a third color filter portion directly opposite to the light-transmitting portion.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Jo et al. (KR 20190136737 A) discloses a display comprising a cholesteric liquid crystal layer for selectively reflecting blue light disposed between a scattering layer and a light emitting diode corresponding to a blue subpixel region.
Liu et al. (US 2017/0138568 A1) discloses a wavelength converting composition including: a plurality of first cholesteric liquid crystal flakes (CLCFs); a plurality of first quantum dots; and a resin, wherein the first CLCFs and the first quantum dots are dispersed in the resin, and wherein when first light passes the wavelength converting composition, the first quantum dots are excited by the first light and emit second light having a wavelength different from a wavelength of the first light, and the second light is reflected by the first CLCFs a number of times to increase a gain.
Jeon et al. (KR 20210012419 A) discloses an organic light-emitting display device comprising a first to a third subpixel to emit light of a first to a third color, respectively, the first to third subpixels each including a cholesteric liquid crystal layer, the cholesteric liquid crystal layer including cholesteric liquid crystal particles, the cholesteric liquid crystal particles improve light-emitting efficiency by recycling light emitted by an organic light-emitting diode.
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood or implied from the texts of the references. To emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out. Each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mariceli Santiago whose telephone number is (571) 272-2464. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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/Mariceli Santiago/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2879
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