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
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.
Claim(s) 1, 6, and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (2015/0219310 Hereinafter Lee).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses A wavelength conversion module, comprising:
a substrate (110, Fig. 11), having a surface;
a barrier wall structural layer (141, Fig. 11), disposed on the surface and defining a plurality of recesses (where 131 is located, Fig. 11);
a plurality of wavelength conversion layers (131, Fig. 11), wherein each of the wavelength conversion layers is correspondingly disposed in one of the recesses (Fig. 11); and
a plurality of quantum dot particles, disposed in the wavelength conversion layers (Paragraph 0095); and
a plurality of fluorescent particles, disposed in the wavelength conversion layers, wherein the fluorescent particles comprise phosphors (Paragraph 0089).
Regarding claim 6, Lee discloses a cover plate (120, Fig. 11), wherein the wavelength conversion layers are disposed between the substrate and the cover plate (Fig. 11).
Regarding claim 7, Lee discloses a light source (320, Fig. 1), configured to generate an excitation beam; and
a wavelength conversion module (100/101, Figs. 1 and 11), disposed on a transmission path of the excitation beam and comprising:
a substrate (110, Fig. 11), having a surface;
a barrier wall structural layer (141, Fig. 11), disposed on the surface and defining a plurality of recesses (where 131 is located, Fig. 11);
a plurality of wavelength conversion layers (131, Fig. 11), wherein each of the wavelength conversion layers is correspondingly disposed in one of the recesses (Fig. 11); and
a plurality of quantum dot particles, disposed in the wavelength conversion layers (Paragraph 0095).
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.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (2015/0219310 Hereinafter Lee) in view of Lee et al. (US 2017/0074485 Hereinafter Lee’485).
Regarding claim 4, Lee fails to teach the quantum dot particles are further disposed in the barrier wall structural layer.
Lee’485 teaches the quantum dot particles (Quantum dots, Paragraph 0040) are further disposed in the barrier wall (502, Fig. 5, Paragraph 0040) structural layer.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date to have included having the quantum dot particles of Lee in the barrier wall of Lee as taught by Lee’485, in order to provide additional conversion elements and provide a desired lighting effect for a given application.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (2015/0219310 Hereinafter Lee) in view of Cho et al. (US 2015/0219311 Hereinafter Cho).
Regarding claim 5, Lee fails to teach a plurality of light-scattering particles, wherein the light-scattering particles are disposed in the barrier wall structural layer and/or the wavelength conversion layers.
Cho teaches a plurality of light-scattering particles (740a, Fig. 4), wherein the light-scattering particles (740a or 730a, Fig. 4, Specifically 740 is glass providing a different refractive index and 730a is quantum dots which absorb light and emit the light in a new color from a different point thereby providing scattering) are disposed in the barrier wall structural layer and/or the wavelength conversion layers (Paragraph 0100).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date to have included having the scattering particles of Cho in the wavelength conversion layers of Lee, in order to provide scattered light that is more easily converted by the wavelength conversion layer and to provide a more even light distribution.
Claim(s) 8, and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho et al. (US 2015/0219311 Hereinafter Cho) in view of Lee et al. (2015/0219310 Hereinafter Lee).
Regarding claim 8, Cho teaches a manufacturing method for a wavelength conversion module, the method comprising steps of:
disposing a first curable adhesive (740b/744C, Figs. 4 and 17) on a substrate (710, Fig. 4) and curing (Paragraph 0109) the first curable adhesive to form a barrier wall structural layer, wherein the barrier wall structural layer defines a plurality of recesses (the recesses being where 730/734, Figs. 4 or 17 are located); and
mixing a plurality of quantum dot particles (730A, Fig. 4) into a plurality of second curable adhesives (730b, Fig. 4), correspondingly filling each of the second curable adhesives in one of the recesses (Fig. 17), disposing a cover plate (720, Fig. 4) on a side of the barrier wall structural layer facing away from the substrate (Fig. 4 in view of 17), and curing the
second curable adhesives to form a plurality of wavelength conversion layers (Paragraph 0109).
Cho fails to teach phosphor.
Lee teaches wherein before the step of filling the second curable adhesives (131, Fig. 11) in the recesses, the manufacturinq method further comprises a step of: addinq a plurality of fluorescent particles (phosphor, Paragraphs 0089-0090) to the second curable adhesives; and
wherein the fluorescent particles comprise phosphors (Paragraphs 0089-0090).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date to have included the phosphor of Lee to the second cureable adhesives in the recesses of Cho, in order to provide an alternative conversion member which provides a different wavelength distribution as desired for a given application.
Regarding claim 11, Cho teaches before the step of filling the second curable adhesives in the recesses, the manufacturing method further comprises a step of: adding a plurality of fluorescent particles (730A, Fig. 4) to the second curable adhesives.
Regarding claim 12, Cho teaches before the step of disposing the first curable adhesive on the substrate, the manufacturing method further comprises a step of: adding a plurality of light-scattering particles to the first curable adhesive (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 13, Cho teaches before the step of filling the second curable adhesives in the recesses, the manufacturing method further comprises a step of: adding a plurality of light-scattering particles (730a is quantum dots which absorb light and emit the light in a new color from a different point thereby providing scattering) to the second curable adhesives.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8 at the top, filed 11/05/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 7 under 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Lee et al. (2015/0219310 Hereinafter Lee).
Conclusion
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/ERIC T EIDE/ Examiner, Art Unit 2875