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 .
Continued Examination under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/10/25 has been entered. Claims 1-3, 5-6 and 9-10 remain pending.
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 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang (CN 116088208 A) in view of Robinson (CN 110785694 A) and further in view of KR (KR 100924027 B1, cited previously)
Regarding claim 1, Huang teaches a backlight module (Abstract, at least Fig.1),
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comprising: a light guide assembly, comprising a plurality of overlapped first light guide plates (152,153), where each of the first light guide plates has a first bottom surface, a first light-emitting surface, and a first light-incident surface (facing light sources 120,130), the first bottom surface and the first light-emitting surface are opposite to each other, the first light-incident surface is connected between the first bottom surface and the first light-emitting surface, and the first bottom surface is provided with a plurality of first microstructures (S2 or S3);
a first light source (120 and 130), arranged next to the first light-incident surfaces of the first light guide plates;
a second light guide plate 151, arranged above the light guide assembly, wherein the second light guide plate has a second bottom surface, a second light-emitting surface, and a second light-incident surface (facing light source 151),
the second bottom surface and the second light-emitting surface are opposite to each other, the second light-incident surface is connected between the second bottom surface and the second light-emitting surface, and the second bottom surface faces the light guide assembly and is provided with a plurality of second microstructures S1;
a second light source 110, arranged next to the second light-incident surface of the second light guide plate;
and a reflective sheet 160, arranged on a side of the light guide assembly away from the second light guide plate; wherein the first microstructures (The second light guide plate may further include a plurality of second light scattering microstructures. the second surface is provided with a second near light area and a second far light area, the second near light area is closer to the second light incidence surface than the second far light area. the second concave eye structure is formed in the second far light area, the second light scattering micro-structure is located in the second near light area. The third light guide plate, for example, further comprises a plurality of third light scattering microstructures) and are arranged in a plurality rows, a row direction of the rows is perpendicular to the first light-incident surface, an extension direction of each of the first microstructures is perpendicular to the row direction, and a quantity of the first microstructures in each of the rows is plural; wherein the plurality of second microstructures.
Huang teaches microstructures but does not explicitly teach the first microstructures are prisms and the second microstructures are micro-dot protruding from or sunken into the second bottom surface.
However, use of microstructures in shapes such as prisms or dots are well known in the art, and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the shapes of prisms or microdots, for the microstructures of Huang in order to achieve the desired directionality or uniform emitting/output light.
Further, Huang does not teach a turning film, arranged between the light guide assembly and the second light guide plate.
Robinson teaches a turning film 927 (Fig.9) between light guides (901 and 48), and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use a turning film as disclosed in Robinson, in the device of Huang in order to achieve desired directionality of output light.
Huang in view of Robinson does not teach a thickness of each of the first light guide plates is less than a thickness of the second light guide plate.
KR teaches a thickness of the first light guide plate (first light guide is 50) is less than a thickness of the second light guide plate (second light guide is 54, see in claim 4 of KR: 4. The LED backlight system of claim 3, wherein the thickness of the first light guide is smaller than the thickness of the second light guide and the thickness of the second light guide is smaller than the thickness of the light guide plate) and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the thickness, from the teachings of KR in the device of Huang in view of Robinson in order to optimize the device thickness.
Regarding claim 2, Huang in view of Robinson and KR teaches a backlight module, further comprising an anti-peeping sheet, arranged between the second light guide plate and the turning film (see in Huang: Referring again to FIG. 1, the reverse prism sheet 140 can further reduce the light viewing angle, so as to improve the effect of anti-peep).
Regarding claim 3, Huang in view of Robinson and KR teaches a backlight module, wherein the backlight module is in an anti-peeping mode when the first light source is turned on, and the backlight module is in a sharing mode when the first light source and the second light source are turned on (from the teachings of Huang: Referring again to FIG. 1, the reverse prism sheet 140 can further reduce the light viewing angle, so as to improve the effect of anti-peep).
Regarding claim 5, Huang in view of Robinson and KR teaches a backlight module, wherein there is an included angle between the first light-incident surface and the second light-incident surface (because of positioning of light source 120 and130).
Claims 6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Robinson and KR and further in view of Chang (WO 2023279224, cited previously)
Regarding claim 6, Huang in view of Robinson and KR teaches the invention set forth in claim 1 above, but is silent regarding the first light-emitting surface and the second light-emitting surface of each of the first light guide plates are rectangular, the first light source faces a long edge of the first light-emitting surface of each of the first light guide plates, and the second light source faces a short edge of the second light-emitting surface.
Chang teaches a panel having a peep-proof mood wherein the first light-emitting surface and the second light-emitting surface of each of the first light guide plates are rectangular, the first light source faces a long edge of the first light-emitting surface of each of the first light guide plates, and the second light source faces a short edge of the second light-emitting surface (Fig.3) and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the arrangement, as disclosed in Chang, in the device of Huang in view of Robinson and KR in order to reduce overall thickness and make it cost effective (see in Chang for Fig.3 and 4
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)
Regarding claim 9, Huang in view of Robinson and KR teaches the invention set forth in claim 1 above, but is silent regarding the first light source comprises a plurality of first light-emitting elements, the second light source comprises a plurality of second light-emitting elements, each of the first light-emitting elements has a first length in a predetermined direction perpendicular to the first light-emitting surface, the light guide assembly has a second length in the predetermined direction, and the second length is greater than the first length.
Chang teaches a panel having a peep-proof mood wherein the first light source comprises a plurality of first light-emitting elements, the second light source comprises a plurality of second light-emitting elements, each of the first light-emitting elements has a first length in a predetermined direction perpendicular to the first light-emitting surface, the light guide assembly has a second length in the predetermined direction, and the second length is greater than the first length (see Fig.3 and 4 in Chang, the same reason to combine art as in claim 6 applies) and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the arrangement, as disclosed in Chang, in the device of Huang in view of Robinson in order to reduce overall thickness and make it cost effective
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Robinson and KR and further in view of Liu (TW M579298 U, cited previously)
Regarding claim 10, Huang in view of Robinson and KR teaches the invention set forth in claim 1 above, but is silent regarding the first bottom surface of each of the first light guide plates has a central area and a peripheral banded area, the peripheral banded area at least partially encircles the central area, the central area has the plurality of first microstructures, the peripheral banded area has a plurality of third microstructures, and the third microstructures are different from the first microstructures.
Liu teaches such a feature (Fig.2 and 3) and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the arrangement for the microstructures, from the teachings of Liu in the device of Huang in view of Robinson and KR in order to optimize the light extraction efficiency.
Response to Arguments
The arguments filed by the Applicant on 12/10/25 is acknowledged. However, they are moot in light of new grounds of rejection, for the amended claims.
Examiner notes that the only arguments made by the Applicant was due to Zhu not teaching the light source impinging light on the two lower light guides. However, this aspect is disclosed in the new prior art Huang. While Huang teaches two different light source 120 and 130, whereas these light sources can be considered as a single light source as claimed.
Further regarding the obviousness statement regarding the microstructures being prisms or micro-dots, the previous prior art Zhu as well as all other prior art cited under response to Arguments from the previous office action teach the various well-known shapes of microstructures as claimed.
Examiner further respectfully notes that the new Huang prior art also teaches the anti-peeing function that the Applicant has noted in the arguments.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Fatima Farokhrooz whose telephone number is (571)-272-6043. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday- Friday, 9 am - 5 pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s Supervisor, James Greece can be reached on (571) 272-3711.
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/Fatima N Farokhrooz/
Examiner, Art Unit 2875