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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
Claims 1-6, 8, 18 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2024/0065059 to Son et al..
As per claim 1, Son et al. teach a display substrate, comprising:
a base substrate (Fig. 5, 100) comprising a first display region (Fig. 3, DA2/DA3) and a second display region (Fig. 3, DA1) located on at least one side of the first display region;
a plurality of first light emitting units (Fig. 7, odd sub-pixels rows and columns) and a plurality of second light emitting units (Fig. 7, even sub-pixel rows and columns) located in the first display region; wherein a first light emitting unit of the plurality of first light emitting units comprises at least one first light emitting element, and a second light emitting unit of the plurality of second light emitting units comprises at least one second light emitting element (Fig. 7, each column comprises at least one light emitting element); the first light emitting unit of the plurality of first light emitting units is adjacent to at least one second light emitting unit of the plurality of second light emitting units (Fig. 7).
a plurality of first pixel circuits (Fig. 3, pixel circuits PC2 are located in region DA2/DA3) located in the first display region; wherein at least one first pixel circuit of the plurality of first pixel circuits is electrically connected to the at least one first light emitting element and configured to drive the at least one first light emitting element to emit light; and a plurality of second pixel circuits located in the second display region (Fig. 3, pixel circuits PC1 are located in region DA1); wherein at least one second pixel circuit of the plurality of second pixel circuits is electrically connected to the at least one second light emitting element and configured to drive the at least one second light emitting element to emit light (Figs. 3 and 4, paragraph 95, “a sub-pixel circuit PC electrically connected to a light-emitting diode ED of a display panel … The light-emitting diode ED … may correspond to the first through third light-emitting diodes ED1 through ED3 …. and the sub-pixel circuit PC …. may correspond to the first through third sub-pixel circuits PC1 through PC3”).
As per claim 2, Son et al. teach the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first light emitting units and the plurality of second light emitting units are arranged at intervals along at least one of a first direction and a second direction; and the first direction intersects the second direction (Son, Fig. 7, column subpixels repeat at every other interval).
As per claim 3, Son et al. teach the display substrate according to claim 2, wherein, in the first direction, one first light emitting unit and one second light emitting unit are arranged at intervals; and in the second direction, one first light emitting unit and one second light emitting unit are arranged at intervals (Son, Fig. 7, in orthogonal directions, columns and rows repeat at every other interval).
As per claim 4, Son et al. teach the display substrate according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of first light emitting units (Fig. 7, odd sub-pixels rows and columns) comprise: a plurality of columns of first light emitting units; each column of first light emitting units comprise a plurality of first light emitting units arranged sequentially along the second direction (Fig. 7, odd sub-pixels columns comprise Pr and Pb subpixels); the plurality of second light emitting units (Fig. 7, even sub-pixels rows and columns) comprises: a plurality of columns of second light emitting units, each column of second light emitting units comprise a plurality of second light emitting units arranged sequentially along the second direction (Fig. 7, even sub-pixels columns comprise Pg subpixels); and in the first direction, a column of first light emitting units and a column of second light emitting units are arranged at intervals (Fig. 7, in orthogonal directions, columns and rows repeat at every other interval).
As per claim 5, Son et al. teach the display substrate according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of first light emitting units (Fig. 7, odd sub-pixels rows and columns) comprise a plurality of rows of first light emitting units, each row of first light emitting units comprise a plurality of first light emitting units arranged sequentially along the first direction (Fig. 7, odd sub-pixels rows comprise Pr and Pb subpixels); the plurality of second light emitting units (Fig. 7, even sub-pixels rows and columns) comprises a plurality of rows of second light emitting units, each row of the second light emitting units comprise a plurality of second light emitting units arranged sequentially along the first direction (Fig. 7, even sub-pixels rows comprise Pg subpixels); and in the second direction, a row of first light emitting units and a row of second light emitting units are arranged at intervals (Fig. 7, in orthogonal directions, columns and rows repeat at every other interval).
As per claim 6, Son et al. teach the display substrate according to claim 2, wherein a first light emitting unit and a second light emitting unit adjacent to each other in the first direction are arranged in alignment, and a first light emitting unit and a second light emitting unit adjacent in the second direction are arranged in alignment (Fig. 7, first and second units are aligned in parallel form along row and column directions); or, a first light emitting unit and a second light emitting unit adjacent to each other in the second direction are misaligned.
As per claim 8, Son et al. teach the display substrate according claim 1, wherein a quantity of first light emitting elements comprised in at least one first light emitting unit is the same as a quantity of second light emitting elements comprised in at least one second light emitting unit (Fig. 7, there are 2 Pg subpixels for every pair of Pr and Pb subpixels).
As per claim 18, Son et al. teach the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a quantity of the first light emitting units and a quantity of the second light emitting units in the first display region is 0.8 to 1.2 (Fig. 7, there are as many first units as there are second units, each of said units comprising the same number of sub-pixels, i,e., the ratio is exactly 1).
As per claim 22, Son et al. teach a display apparatus, comprising a display substrate according to claim 1, and a sensor (Fig. 2, component 20, paragraph 60) located on a non-display side of the display substrate, wherein an orthographic projection of the sensor on the display substrate is at least partially overlapped with the first display region of the display substrate.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2024/0065059 to Son et al.; in view of US 2016/0035288 to Chu Ke.
As per claim 7, Son et al. teach the display substrate according to claim 1.
Son et al. do not teach wherein a ratio of light emitting areas of a second light emitting element and a first light emitting element emitting light of a same color is less than 1.
Chu Ke teaches wherein a ratio of light emitting areas of a second light emitting element and a first light emitting element emitting light of a same color is less than 1 (Fig. 7, paragraph 38, “the size of one of three first color sub-pixels R (red sub-pixels) is designed to be twice the size of each of the other two first color sub-pixels R, the size of one of three third color sub-pixels B (blue sub-pixels) is designed to be twice the size of each of the other two third color sub-pixels B, the size of one of three second color sub-pixels G (green sub-pixels) is designed to be twice the size of each of the other two second color sub-pixels G, and the size of one of three fourth color sub-pixels W (white sub-pixels) is designed to be twice the size of each of the other two fourth color sub-pixels W”, in other words, within a same column, and across columns, the light emitting area of certain emitting elements may have a relative ratio of 0.5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, to modify the device of Son et al., so that a ratio of light emitting areas of a second light emitting element and a first light emitting element emitting light of a same color is less than 1, such as taught by Chu Ke, for the purpose of improving brightness and resolution.
Claims 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2024/0065059 to Son et al.; in view of CN113990909A to Huang et al. (for the purpose of examination, US 2024/0212610 will be used as an equivalent English translation).
As per claim 19, Son et al. teach the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein a light transmittance of the first display region is greater than a light transmittance of the second display region (paragraph 65, “the second sub-pixel circuit PC2 is not arranged in the second display area DA2 so as to enhance the transmittance and transmissive surface area of the transmission area TA provided in the second display area DA2”).
Son et al. do not teach the display substrate further comprises a plurality of third light emitting elements and a plurality of third pixel circuits located in the second display region, wherein at least one third pixel circuit of the plurality of third pixel circuits is electrically connected to at least one third light emitting element of the plurality of third light emitting elements and is configured to drive the at least one third light emitting element to emit light; and the plurality of second pixel circuits are arranged at intervals between the plurality of third pixel circuits.
Huang et al. suggest the display substrate further comprises a plurality of third light emitting elements and a plurality of third pixel circuits located in the second display region, wherein at least one third pixel circuit of the plurality of third pixel circuits is electrically connected to at least one third light emitting element of the plurality of third light emitting elements and is configured to drive the at least one third light emitting element to emit light; and the plurality of second pixel circuits are arranged at intervals between the plurality of third pixel circuits (Fig. 14, in place circuit/light emitting elements 15/162 are arranged at intervals with the driving circuits 161 used for the off-place elements in display area 11).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, to modify the device of Son et al., by including a plurality of third light emitting elements and a plurality of third pixel circuits located in the second display region, wherein at least one third pixel circuit of the plurality of third pixel circuits is electrically connected to at least one third light emitting element of the plurality of third light emitting elements and is configured to drive the at least one third light emitting element to emit light; and the plurality of second pixel circuits are arranged at intervals between the plurality of third pixel circuits, such as taught by Huang et al., for the purpose of improving display uniformity.
As per claim 20, Son et al. teach the display substrate according to claim 1.
Son et al. do not teach wherein an orthographic projection of the at least one first pixel circuit on the base substrate is overlapped with an orthographic projection of the at least one first light emitting element on the base substrate; and the at least one second pixel circuit is electrically connected to the at least one second light emitting element via at least one conductive connection line; an orthographic projection of the at least one second pixel circuit on the base substrate is not overlapped with an orthographic projection of the at least one second light emitting element on the base substrate; wherein an orthographic projection of the at least one conductive connection line on the base substrate is overlapped with the orthographic projection of the at least one first pixel circuit on the base substrate.
Huang et al. teach wherein an orthographic projection of the at least one first pixel circuit on the base substrate is overlapped with an orthographic projection of the at least one first light emitting element on the base substrate (Fig. 52, driving circuit 14 overlaps light emitting element 131); and the at least one second pixel circuit is electrically connected to the at least one second light emitting element via at least one conductive connection line; an orthographic projection of the at least one second pixel circuit on the base substrate is not overlapped with an orthographic projection of the at least one second light emitting element on the base substrate (Fig. 52, discloses light emitting elements 132 that do not overlap with the orthographic projection of their corresponding driving circuits 161 and are connected to said driving circuits 161 via a connection line); wherein an orthographic projection of the at least one conductive connection line on the base substrate is overlapped with the orthographic projection of the at least one first pixel circuit on the base substrate (Fig. 52, connection lines overlap the circuits in the outer regions of display area 11).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, to modify the device of Son et al., so that an orthographic projection of the at least one first pixel circuit on the base substrate is overlapped with an orthographic projection of the at least one first light emitting element on the base substrate; and the at least one second pixel circuit is electrically connected to the at least one second light emitting element via at least one conductive connection line; an orthographic projection of the at least one second pixel circuit on the base substrate is not overlapped with an orthographic projection of the at least one second light emitting element on the base substrate; wherein an orthographic projection of the at least one conductive connection line on the base substrate is overlapped with the orthographic projection of the at least one first pixel circuit on the base substrate, such as taught by Huang et al., for the purpose of optimizing space utilization.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9, 10 and 12-17 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSE R SOTO LOPEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-5689. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, from 8 am - 5 pm.
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/JOSE R SOTO LOPEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622
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