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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show a first substrate, an active switch layer, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate, wherein the first substrate, the active switch layer, the electrophoretic layer, and the second substrate are arranged in sequence, as described in the specification. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claims 1-16, applicant has not evidenced possession of the claimed embodiments. The claim states " a first substrate, an active switch layer, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate, wherein the first substrate, the active switch layer, the electrophoretic layer, and the second substrate are arranged in sequence". The disclosure does not provide this structural configuration in the specification. Figs. 3-10 and 12 show a first substrate 110, an active switch layer 200, an electrophoretic layer 300 and a second substrate 120. However, the first substrate, the active switch layer, the electrophoretic layer, and the second substrate are not arranged in sequence. In Figs. 3-10 and 12, the electrophoretic layer 300 is disposed inside the active layer 200 (in between layers 210 and 220). Therefore, the electrophoretic layer does not come after the active layer in the sequence. The examiner request that further clarification be made to explain how the display device would achieve the sequence. For examination purposes, the examiner interprets the limitation to mean a first substrate, an active switch layer, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate, wherein the first substrate, the active switch layer, the electrophoretic layer, and the second substrate are arranged in sequence.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hage (CN Patent Number 102906637 A) teaches, as claimed in claim 1, a display panel, comprising: a first substrate, an active switch layer, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate, wherein the first substrate, the active switch layer, the electrophoretic layer, and the second substrate are arranged in sequence, wherein the electrophoretic layer is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the active switch layer is arranged on the first substrate, wherein the electrophoretic layer comprises a plurality of first microcapsules, wherein an interior of each of the plurality of first microcapsules is hollow and filled with a plurality of electrophoretic particles, wherein each of the plurality of first microcapsules is spherical, wherein the plurality of first microcapsules are arranged in a matrix.
Chopra (US Patent Publication Number 2007/0297038 A1) teaches a display panel comprising: a first substrate, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate.
Chopra (US Patent Publication Number 2007/0268556 A1) teaches a display panel comprising: a first substrate, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate.
Kambe (US 2007/0121194 A1) teaches a display panel comprising: a first substrate, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate.
Anh (US Patent Publication Number 2004/0027642 A1) teaches a display panel comprising: a first substrate, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate.
Ebisui (US Patent Publication Number 2016/0202507 A1) teaches a display panel comprising: a first substrate, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate.
Yokokawa (US Patent Publications Number 2015/0205180 A1) teaches a display panel comprising: a first substrate, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate.
Kim (KR Patent Publication Number 20100090461 A) teaches a display panel comprising: a first substrate, an electrophoretic layer, a second substrate.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOURNEY F SUMLAR whose telephone number is (571)270-0656. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4pm.
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, Ricky Mack can be reached at 571-272-2333. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JOURNEY F. SUMLAR
Examiner
Art Unit 2872
08 July 2026
/George G. King/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872