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 .
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.
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 10-12 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 enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention.
As for claim 10, one of ordinary skill in the art would be unsure how to carry out photoelectric conversion if the photoelectric conversion layer is not between an anode electrode and a cathode electrode. Please clarify in the specification and figure(s). Claims 11 and 12 do not resolve the issue.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 9, 13-15, 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Son et al. (US 2024/0324342), hereinafter as Son.
The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
As for claim 1 and similarly claim 19, Son teaches a display device (display device 10; fig. 1 and 2) comprising:
a base layer (substrate 100, barrier layer 101 and buffer layer 201; fig. 5; [0105-0107]), in which a display area (DA) and a non-display area (PA) are defined;
a circuit layer on the base layer (pixel circuit PC and light detection circuit SC are disposed on buffer layer 201; [0108]; see TFT and STFT); and
an element layer (the layer having light-emitting diode and photo diode) on the circuit layer (over TFT and STFT), and including light emitting elements (ED) and light receiving elements (PD) to correspond to the display area (ED and PD are in the light-detection area SA, which is part of the display area DA; fig. 2),
wherein the circuit layer includes:
pixel driving circuits (see TFT of pixel circuit PC; [0109]) connected to the light emitting elements (connected to ED via one set of CM1 and CM2 as shown; fig. 5);
sensor driving circuits (see STFT of light detection circuit SC; [0118]) connected to the light receiving elements (connected to PD via another set of CM1 and CM2; fig. 5);
data lines connected to the pixel driving circuits (data line DL connected to T2 of pixel circuit PC as shown; fig. 4);
read-out lines (e.g. ROL2; fig. 8; [0173]) in a first area of the display area (SSA2), and connected to, among the sensor driving circuits, a first sensor driving circuit in the first area (each ROL is connected to a respective column of light detection circuits SC; fig. 4); and
a connection line part (see below) connecting the read-out lines to a read-out circuit, and wherein the connection line part includes:
first connection lines (e.g. RBLv1) in a second area (SSA1) of the display area ([0174]); and
second connection lines (e.g. RBLh1) connecting the first connection lines to the read-out lines (connecting RBLv1 and ROL2; [0175]).
As for claim 2, Son teaches
wherein the read-out lines (e.g. ROL2; fig. 8) and the first connection lines (e.g. RBLv1) extend in a first direction (vertically), and are arranged in a second direction crossing the first direction (arranged horizontally), and wherein the second connection lines (e.g. RBLh1) extend in the second direction (extend horizontally).
As for claim 9, Son teaches
wherein the light receiving elements include: a first light receiving element in the first area; and a second light receiving element in the second area (as analyzed above regarding claim 1, since both ED and PD are in the light detection area SA and SA is within display area DA, the light receiving elements (i.e. PD) would be in both the first area SSA2 and second area SSA1).
As for claim 13, Son teaches
wherein the first light receiving element includes: a first electrode; a first photoelectric conversion layer on the first electrode; and a second electrode on the first photoelectric conversion layer, and wherein the second light receiving element includes: a third electrode; a second photoelectric conversion layer on the third electrode; and a fourth electrode on the second photoelectric conversion layer (note photoconversion layer 222b between electrodes 221 and 223; fig. 5).
As for claim 14, Son teaches
wherein the sensor driving circuits include: a first sensor driving circuit in the first area and connected to the first light receiving element; and a second sensor driving circuit in the second area and connected to the second light receiving element (note each pixel driving circuit PX is adjacent a sensor driving circuit LS, which is connected to a respective light receiving element PD; fig. 4).
As for claim 15, Son teaches
wherein the first sensor driving circuit includes: a first output transistor electrically connected to a corresponding one of the read-out lines, and wherein the second sensor driving circuit includes: a second output transistor electrically separated from a corresponding one of the first connection lines (note output transistor S-T3 connection to read-out line ROL inherently for each column of pixels; fig. 4).
As for claim 20, display device features correspond to claim 1 with Son teaching an associated electronic device such as a smartphone ([0060]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-8 and 16-18 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
None of the prior art of record teaches, inter alia,
wherein the read-out lines and the first connection lines are on a same layer, of claim 3 (note RL_P2 and V_RL being on the same layer 70; fig. 6);
a color filter layer including a light shielding pattern layer, in which a plurality of openings are defined, and a plurality of color filters overlapping the openings, on the element layer,
wherein the color filter layer further includes a dummy color filter corresponding to a light receiving element from among the light receiving elements, and the dummy color filter is not in the second area, of claim 16 (note DCF in area A1 but not area A2; fig. 13);
wherein the second area includes a (2-1)-th area and a (2-2)-th area being spaced apart from each other with the first area being interposed therebetween, of claim 17 (note first area A1 and second areas A2 on left and A2 on right of A1; fig. 5 or similarly fig. 9B); and
wherein a plurality of first areas are provided, and wherein the second area further includes (2-3)-th areas between the first areas, of claim 18 (note the two first areas A1a and three second areas A2a; fig. 9A).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TOM V SHENG whose telephone number is (571)272-7684. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:30-6:30.
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/TOM V SHENG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628