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 .
Claims 1-22 are present for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 01/13/2025, 03/06/2025 and 08/22/2025, respectively, are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-4, 10-15, 21, 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)(2) as being anticipated by Telfer et al (US 2020/0242993), hereinafter as Telfer.
RE claim 1, Telfer discloses that a method of driving an electrophoretic display layer to color states having improved a* and/or b* values, the electrophoretic display layer being disposed between a viewing surface including a light-transmissive electrode and a second surface on an opposite side of the display layer from the viewing surface, the second surface including a driving electrode (see sections [0030], [0031]; i.e., each layer is provided with electrodes that serve to concentrate or disperse the colored particles on a pixel-by-pixel basis, so that each of the three layers requires a layer of thin-film transistors, TFTs, two of the three layers of TFTs are substantially transparent, and a light-transmissive counter-electrode), the displayer layer including an electrophoretic medium comprising a fluid and first, second, third and fourth types of particles dispersed in the fluid (see sections [0089] – [0094]; i.e., a color electrophoretic display comprises a fluid, a plurality of first, second, third and fourth particles dispersed in the fluid), wherein the first, second, third and fourth types of particles have respectively first, second, third, and fourth optical characteristics different from one another (see section [0037]; i.e., a full color display using only a single electrophoretic layer but capable of white, black, the three subtractive primary colors, - cyan, magenta and yellow –, and the three additive primary colors, - red, green and blue-, at every pixel of the display), the first and third types of particles having charges of a first polarity and the second and fourth types of particles having charges of a second polarity opposite the first polarity, wherein the first type of particles has a greater charge magnitude than the third type of particles, and the second type of particles has a greater charge magnitude than the fourth type of particles (see section [0089]; i.e., the first and second particles bearing charges of opposite polarity, as well as that a plurality of third particles dispersed in the fluid, the third particles bearing charges of the same polarities as the first particles and a plurality of fourth particles bearing charges of the same polarity as the second particles; figures 4A-4C further disclosing that the different electric fields are applied to separate the particles. It is therefore implicit that four types of particles have different levels of charge), the method comprising the following steps in order: (a) applying a pre-push voltage pulse of the first polarity and a given amplitude to the display layer for a first period of time to promote separation of the first and third types of particles (see figure 22B; i.e., a driving waveform including a pre-pulse of 10v before driving); and (b) applying a series of push-pull voltage pulses to the display layer for a second period of time to drive the display layer to a color state of the third type of particles at the viewing side, the push-pull voltage pulses alternating between the first polarity and the second polarity and having amplitudes greater than the given amplitude of the pre-push voltage pulse (see figure 22B; i.e., alternating pulses after the pre-pulse at the amplitude higher than the pre-pulse; also see section [0305]; i.e., these waveforms can be applied to all pixels, including third types of particles).
RE claim 12, Telfer discloses that a method of driving an electrophoretic display layer to color states having improved a* and/or b* values, the electrophoretic display layer being disposed between a viewing surface including a light-transmissive electrode and a second surface on an opposite side of the display layer from the viewing surface, the second surface including a driving electrode (see sections [0030], [0031]; i.e., each layer is provided with electrodes that servo to concentrate or disperse the colored particles on a pixel-by-pixel basis, so that each of the three layers requires a layer of thin-film transistors, TFTs, two of the three layers of TFTs are substantially transparent, and a light-transmissive counter-electrode), the display layer including an electrophoretic medium comprising a fluid and first, second, and third types of particles dispersed in the fluid (see section [0089]; i.e., a color electrophoretic display comprises a fluid, a plurality of first, second and third particles dispersed in the fluid), wherein the first, second, and third types of particles have respectively first, second, and third optical characteristics different from one another (see section [0037]; i.e., a full color display using only a single electrophoretic layer but capable of white, black, the three subtractive primary colors, namely, cyan, magenta, yellow; and the three additive primary colors, namely, red, green and blue), the first and third types of particles having charges of a first polarity and the second type of particles having charges of a second polarity opposite the first polarity, wherein the first type of particles has a greater charge magnitude than the third type of particles (see section [0089]; i.e., the first and second particles bearing charges of opposite polarity; and as well as a plurality of third particles dispersed in the fluid, the third particles bearing charges of the same polarity as the first particles; see also figures 4A-4C, the different electric fields are applied to separate the particles. It is therefore implicit that three types of particles have a different levels of charges), the method comprising the following steps in order: (a) applying a pre-charge voltage pulse of the first polarity and a given amplitude to the display layer for a first period of time to promote separation of the first and third types of particles (see figure 22B; i.e., a driving waveform including a pre-pulse of 10V before driving); and (b) applying a series of push-pull voltage pulses to the display layer for a second period of time to drive the display layer to a color state of the third type of particles at the viewing side, the push-pull voltage pulses alternating between the first polarity and the second polarity and having amplitudes greater than the given amplitude of the pre-push voltage pulse (see figure 22B; i.e., alternating pulses after the pre-pulse at the amplitude higher than the pre-pulse; also see section [0305]; i.e., these waveforms can be applied to all pixels, including third type of particles).
RE claims 2 and 13, Telfer discloses that wherein the third type of particle is red (see section [0092]; i.e., the light rays incident on the first electrode 11 side are reflected by the monochromatic particles 521 as monochromatic light is a red light R).
RE claims 3 and 14, Telfer discloses that wherein the first, second, third, and fourth types of particles are black, yellow, red, and white, respectively (see figure 1 and sections [0126], [0127]; i.e., black H particle, yellow B particle, red C particle, white A particle).
RE claims 4 and 15, Telfer discloses that wherein the first polarity is positive, and the second polarity is negative (see section [0099]; i.e., the first and third particles are negatively charged and the second and fourth particles are positively charged; also see section [0166]; i.e., the polarities of the charges on all the particles can be inverted and the electrophoretic medium will still function in the same manner provided that the polarity of the waveforms used to drive the medium are similarly inverted).
RE claims 10 and 21, Telfer discloses that wherein the electrophoretic display layer is encapsulated, preferably in microcapsules of sealed microcells (see section [0165]; i.e., the electrophoretic fluid is encapsulated in microcapsules or incorporated into microcell structures that are thereafter sealed with a polymeric layer).
RE claims 11 and 22, Telfer discloses that wherein the method comprises driving a first pixel of the electrophoretic display layer using steps (a) and (b), and further comprises simultaneously driving a second pixel of the electrophoretic display layer proximate the first pixel to a color state of the first type of particles at the viewing side (see figure 24 and section [0306]; i.e., a simultaneous driving of multiple pixels).
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 5, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17, 18, 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Telfer et al (US 2020/0242993), hereinafter as Telfer.
RE claims 5 and 16, Telfer discloses the invention substantially as claimed.
However, Telfer does not specifically disclose that wherein the amplitude of the pre-push voltage pulse is between 3 to 9 Volts.
The use of mathematical formula or ranges (i.e., the amplitude of the pre-push voltage pulse is between 3 to 9 Volts) are akin to optimizing the values of a result effective variable. Therefore, determining the optimal value of a result effective variable would have been obvious and ordinarily within the skill of the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 276, 205 USPQ 215, 219 (CCPA 1980).
RE claims 6 and 17, Telfer discloses the invention substantially as claimed.
However, Telfer does not specifically disclose that wherein the amplitude of the pre-push voltage pulse is about 5 Volts.
The use of mathematical formula or ranges (i.e., the amplitude of the pre-push voltage pulse is about 5 Volts) are akin to optimizing the values of a result effective variable. Therefore, determining the optimal value of a result effective variable would have been obvious and ordinarily within the skill of the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 276, 205 USPQ 215, 219 (CCPA 1980).
RE claims 7 and 18, Telfer discloses the invention substantially as claimed.
However, Telfer does not specifically disclose that wherein the push-pull voltage pulses alternate between about 7.5 Volts and about -15 Volts.
The use of mathematical formula or ranges (i.e., the push-pull voltage pulses alternate between about 7.5 Volts and about -15 Volts) are akin to optimizing the values of a result effective variable. Therefore, determining the optimal value of a result effective variable would have been obvious and ordinarily within the skill of the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 276, 205 USPQ 215, 219 (CCPA 1980).
RE claims 8 and 19, Telfer discloses the invention substantially as claimed.
However, Telfer does not specifically disclose that wherein the first period of time is about 1 to 2 seconds.
The use of mathematical formula or ranges (i.e., the first period of time is about 1 to 2 seconds) are akin to optimizing the values of a result effective variable. Therefore, determining the optimal value of a result effective variable would have been obvious and ordinarily within the skill of the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 276, 205 USPQ 215, 219 (CCPA 1980).
Claims 9 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Telfer et al (US 2020/0242993), hereinafter as Telfer, in view of Hu et al (US 2020/0319500), hereinafter as Hu.
RE claims 9 and 20, Telfer discloses the invention substantially as claimed.
However, Telfer does not specifically disclose that wherein the pre-push voltage pulse comprises a single pulse.
From the same field of endeavor, Hu teaches that each color-resist element 5 includes electro-phoretic solution 51 located in the closed space, and electro-phoretic particles distributed in the electro-phoretic solution 51 and the electro-phoretic particles include monochromatic particles 521, white particles 522 and black particles 523 (see figure 3A and section [0090]), as well as that the pre-push voltage pulse comprises a single pulse (see figure 4D and its associated depictions). The motivation of Hu is to provide a well readable electronic display under outdoor sunlight due to its low power consumption (see section [0003]).
Telfer and Hu are combinable because they are from the same field of endeavor. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify Telfer by including the teaching from Hu in order to provide a well readable electronic display under outdoor sunlight due to its low power consumption.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Johnson et al (US 2008/0231592)
Lin et al (US 2016/0140909)
Telfer et al (USPN 11,846,863)
Crounse (USPN 12,334029)
Any inquiry concerning this communication from the examiner should be directed to FRED TZENG whose telephone number is 571-272-7565. The examiner can normally be reached on weekdays from 2:0 pm to 10:00 pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William Boddie can be reached on 571-272-0666. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are 571-273-8300 for regular communications and 571-273-7565 for After Final communications.
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/FRED TZENG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625
FFT
January 10, 2025