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 § 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 1-4, 9 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Duthaler et al. (US 2004/0155857) in view of Elliott et al. (US 2003/0085906).
Regarding claim 1, Duthaler teaches a color filter module ([0027] discloses: color filter display), arranged on a display panel, the color filter module comprising:
a color resist layer ([0144] discloses: CFA, color filter array), arranged on the display panel ([0144] teaches: electrophoretic display coated on CFA and CFA is subsequently laminated to a backplane containing pixel electrodes; considered arranged on the display panel), and comprising a plurality of color resist units ([0145] discloses: blue color strips; Examiner notes that the plurality of blue color strips are considered a plurality of color resist units),
Duthaler fails to disclose a module wherein the display panel comprises a plurality of sub-pixel regions, each of the color resist units is respectively arranged across at least two consecutive sub-pixel regions, and the color resist units form a staggered array on the display panel, wherein, among the color resist units, color resist units in each column of the staggered array are arranged to be staggered with color resist units in an adjacent column, and a projection of a first color resist unit in the each column on a reference axis is overlapped with projections of a second color resist unit and a third color resist unit in the adjacent column, and the reference axis extends along a column direction. Duthaler and Elliott are related because both disclose color filters.
Elliott teaches a module wherein the display panel comprises a plurality of sub-pixel regions (Figure 6A depicts: repeated three 21, color pixel element, each comprising a single 22, blue emitter, two 24, red emitters and two 26, blue emitters; Examiner notes that “sub-pixel region” is interpreted broadly as a spatial region within a pixel region and is not limited to a separately driven or physically separated conventional R/G/B pixel, consistent with the specification of the instant application; thus the upper and lower portions occupied by Elliott’s elongated blue element may reasonably correspond to consecutive claimed sub pixel regions, notwithstanding Elliot’s use of the conventional term “blue emitter”), each of the color resist units is respectively arranged across at least two consecutive sub-pixel regions (Figure 6A depicts: 22, blue emitter, analogous to the color resist unit, extends vertically through the full 21, pixel element, while the red and green elements occupy the respective upper/lower portions surrounding the blue element, see [0108]; thus the blue emitter is respectively arranged across at least two consecutive sub-pixel regions), and the color resist units form a staggered array on the display panel ([0109] teaches: every other column of blue emitters is staggered, or shifted by half its length),
wherein, among the color resist units, color resist units in each column of the staggered array are arranged to be staggered with color resist units in an adjacent column ([0109] teaches: every other column of blue emitters is staggered, or shifted by half its length), and
a projection of a first color resist unit in the each column on a reference axis is overlapped with projections of a second color resist unit and a third color resist unit in the adjacent column (Figure 6A depicts: 22, elongated blue emitters, arranged overlapped with projections of blue emitters in at least two adjacent columns), and the reference axis extends along a column direction (Figure 6 depicts: 22, blue emitters arranged in columns and the stagger displacement occurring along the length of the blue emitters within the column direction).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Duthaler in view of Elliott and provide a module wherein the display panel comprises a plurality of sub-pixel regions, each of the color resist units is respectively arranged across at least two consecutive sub-pixel regions, and the color resist units form a staggered array on the display panel, wherein, among the color resist units, color resist units in each column of the staggered array are arranged to be staggered with color resist units in an adjacent column, and a projection of a first color resist unit in the each column on a reference axis is overlapped with projections of a second color resist unit and a third color resist unit in the adjacent column, and the reference axis extends along a column direction. Doing so would allow for color filtering of the display output while retaining Elliotts staggered color-element arrangement, thereby providing a full-color electrophoretic display.
Regarding claim 2, the modified Duthaler discloses the color filter module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the projection of the first color resist unit on the reference axis is overlapped with a projection of a spacing region between the second color resist unit and the third color resist unit (Elliott: Figure 6A depicts: staggered 22, blue emitters, arranged so the projection is overlapped with a spacing of blue emitters in adjacent columns; Examiner notes that the same motivation to combine applied to an earlier claim, 1, also applies here, and no further analysis is required, consistent with MPEP § 2143, which permits reliance on previously articulated rationale where the combination and reasonings remain unchanged).
Regarding claim 3, the modified Duthaler discloses the color filter module as claimed in claim 2, wherein a spacing distance between the second color resist unit and the third color resist unit is greater than or equal to one-tenth of a length of a side of the sub-pixel region (Elliott: Figures 6A depicts: spacing between 22, blue emitter units is approximately 2X the length of the top side of 22, blue emitter, that is a side of the sub-pixel region; Examiner notes that the same motivation to combine applied to an earlier claim, 1, also applies here, and no further analysis is required, consistent with MPEP § 2143, which permits reliance on previously articulated rationale where the combination and reasonings remain unchanged).
Regarding claim 4, the modified Duthaler discloses the color filter module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first color resist unit, the second color resist unit, and the third color resist unit form a repeating unit, and the staggered array is formed by a plurality of repeating units in staggered arrangement (Elliott: Figure 6A depicts: 22, blue emitters, form a repeating unit, and the staggered array is formed by multiple of the 22, blue emitter repeating units in the arrangement; Examiner notes that the same motivation to combine applied to an earlier claim, 1, also applies here, and no further analysis is required, consistent with MPEP § 2143, which permits reliance on previously articulated rationale where the combination and reasonings remain unchanged).
Regarding claim 7, the modified Duthaler discloses the color filter module as claimed in claim 1, wherein shapes of the color resist units are rectangular (Figure 6 depicts: color of resist units are rectangles).
Regarding claim 9, the modified Duthaler discloses the color filter module as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the color resist units displays a specific color ([0108] discloses: 22, blue emitter; Examiner notes that the resist units are blue, specifically).
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Duthaler et al. (US 2004/0155857) in view of Elliott et al. (US 2003/0085906), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Wang (US 2019/0361291).
Regarding claim 5, the modified Duthaler discloses the color filter module as claimed in claim 1.
Duthaler fails to disclose a module wherein the first color resist unit, the second color resist unit, and the third color resist unit are of different colors. Duthaler and Wang are related because both disclose filter modules.
Wang teaches a module wherein the first color resist unit, the second color resist unit, and the third color resist unit are of different colors ([0003] teaches: color resist units including, red color, green color and blue color).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Duthaler in view of Wang and provide a module wherein the first color resist unit, the second color resist unit, and the third color resist unit are of different colors. Doing so would allow for Doing so would allow for improved color mixing, thereby improving full color display performance.
Regarding claim 6, the modified Duthaler discloses the color filter module as claimed in claim 1.
Duthaler fails to disclose a module wherein the first color resist unit, the second color resist unit, and the third color resist unit are respectively red, green, and blue. Duthaler and Wang are related because both disclose filter modules.
Wang teaches a module wherein the first color resist unit, the second color resist unit, and the third color resist unit are respectively red, green, and blue ([0003] teaches: color resist units including, red color, green color and blue color).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Duthaler in view of Wang and provide a module wherein the first color resist unit, the second color resist unit, and the third color resist unit are respectively red, green, and blue. Doing so would allow for improved color mixing, thereby improving full color display performance.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Duthaler et al. (US 2004/0155857) in view of Elliott et al. (US 2003/0085906), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Kwon et al. (US 2015/0138626).
Regarding claim 8, the modified Duthaler discloses the color filter module as claimed in claim 1.
Duthaler fails to disclose a module wherein an area of each of the color resist units is smaller than a sum of areas of the at least two sub-pixel regions across which the each of the color resist units is arranged. Duthaler and Kwon are related because both disclose color filters.
Kwon teaches a module wherein an area of each of the color resist units is smaller than a sum of areas of the at least two sub-pixel regions across which the each of the color resist units is arranged ([0096-0097] teaches: each RGB filter pattern has the same length as the pixel region P and a smaller width than the pixel region P, see Figure 15B; thereby teaching a color resist unit having an area smaller than the corresponding underlying pixel region).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Duthaler in view of Kwon and provide a module wherein an area of each of the color resist units is smaller than a sum of areas of the at least two sub-pixel regions across which the each of the color resist units is arranged. Doing so would allow for to prevent mixing between different colors of adjacent color filter patterns and lowering of the color purity (Kwon: 0097), thereby improving the overall performance of the filter module.
Compact Prosecution
Applicant is advised that further limiting the claims to a specific structural relationship between the color resist units and the underlying sub-pixel regions, beyond merely spanning multiple sub-pixel regions, may distinguish the claims over the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Yuan (US 2022/0293693) and Jin (US 2018/0226021) both disclose relevant optical systems but fails to disclose proper color resist placements.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to John Sipes whose telephone number is (703)756-1372. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 4:30-9:30/12:30-7:30 (CT).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Bumsuk Won can be reached at (571) 272-2713. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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John Sipes
Examiner
Art Unit 2872
/J.C.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/BUMSUK WON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872
Prosecution Insights