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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/21/2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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, 2,5,8,9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi et al. (US 20080094551 A1) (Hayashi, hereafter).
Regarding claim 1, Hayashi discloses an electronic device(Figures1-4 and corresponding text) , comprising : a light scattering switching element (Figure 1A), comprising: a first substrate (30, bottom) a second substrate (30, same number top) disposed opposite to the first substrate (30); a first light modulation layer (10) disposed between the first substrate(30) and the second substrate (30), wherein the first light modulation layer(10) comprises a liquid crystal layer of guest-host liquid crystal (π48); a first alignment layer (32,bottom )disposed between the first substrate(30,bottom )and the first light modulation layer (10)and vertically aligned; a second alignment layer(32,top) disposed between the second substrate(30, top) and the first light modulation layer(10) and vertically aligned (π39-π40); a first electrode layer(not shown (implied), electrode substrate 30, π39) disposed between the first substrate(30 bottom) and the first alignment layer(32,bottom); and a second electrode(not shown, implied, 30 electrode(top) substrate) layer disposed between the second substrate(30,top) and the second alignment layer(32, top), wherein the light scattering switching element is in a hazing state under an initial state, wherein when (π39-π47)voltage is respectively applied to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to generate a vertical electric field between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, the light scattering switching element is in a transmitting state(π39-π47).
Hayashi fails to explicitly disclose wherein the first light modulation layer comprises a positive cholesteric liquid crystal.
However, Hayashi does disclose When a chiral reagent is added, the cholesteric liquid crystal phase is formed, and the dichroic dye, which is dissolved in the nematic liquid crystal, will be spirally arranged. Therefore, it is suitable because both polarized lights can be absorbed for linear polarized lights being orthogonal to each other, and the absorbed amount of light in the colored state is increased. It is preferable that the concentration of the chiral reagent to be added is controlled so that a selective reflection band of the chiral reagent .
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date to modify the electronic device of Hayashi based on Hayashi wherein the first light modulation layer comprises a positive cholesteric liquid crystal then motivation being to provide the light modulating property can be maintained over a long period of time even when the light modulating material is used outside.
Regarding claim 2, Hayashi discloses wherein the first light modulation layer has a thickness ranging from 10 μm to 100 μm (π197).
Regarding claim 5, Hayashi fails to explicitly disclose wherein the positive cholesteric liquid crystal has a pitch ranging from 700 nm to 3000 nm.
However, Hayashi does disclose the concentration of the chiral reagent to be added is controlled so that a selective reflection band of the chiral reagent is within a near infrared region, so that a pitch of the spiral structure of the liquid crystal is shortened, light absorption efficiency of the dichroic dye increases, and color development is desirably ensured in a coloration state.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date to modify the electronic device of Hayashi based on Hayashi wherein the positive cholesteric liquid crystal has a pitch ranging from 700 nm to 3000 nm the motivation being light absorption efficiency of the dichroic dye increases, and color development is desirably ensured in a coloration state.
Regarding claim 8, Hayashi fails to explicitly disclose wherein the positive cholesteric liquid crystal comprises polymer stabilized cholesteric texture.
However, Hayashi does disclose When a chiral reagent is added, the cholesteric liquid crystal phase is formed, and the dichroic dye, which is dissolved in the nematic liquid crystal, will be spirally arranged. Therefore, it is suitable because both polarized lights can be absorbed for linear polarized lights being orthogonal to each other, and the absorbed amount of light in the colored state is increased. It is preferable that the concentration of the chiral reagent to be added is controlled so that a selective reflection band of the chiral reagent .
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date to modify the electronic device of Hayashi based on Hayashi wherein the positive cholesteric liquid crystal comprises polymer stabilized cholesteric texture.
Regarding claim 9, Hayashi discloses wherein the first light modulation layer further comprises a dye material (π143).
Regarding claim 20, Hayashi fails to explicitly disclose wherein a ratio of a thickness of the first light modulation layer to a pitch of the positive cholesteric liquid crystal is greater than or equal to 5 and less than or equal to 20; since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Claims3-4,6-7, and 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi et al. (US 20080094551 A1) (Hayashi, hereafter) in view of Gim et al. (US 20220137437 A1) (Gim, hereafter).
Regarding claims 3-4, Hayashi discloses the device set forth above (see rejection claim 1) Hayashi fails to explicitly disclose wherein the light scattering switching element has a haze value ranging from 50% to 99.5% under the initial state (claim 3);wherein the light scattering switching element has a haze value ranging from 60% to 90% under the initial state (claim 4)
`Gim discloses (Figure 1) The light modulation element may comprise a first light modulation layer and a second light modulation layer. The first light modulation layer and the second light modulation layer may be included in a state where they are disposed to overlap each other. Accordingly, light transmitted through the first light modulation layer may be incident onto the second light modulation layer, and conversely, light transmitted through the second light modulation layer may also be incident onto the first light modulation layer.; , the first light modulation layer and the second light modulation layer may each have total transmittance of 20% or less, and haze of 80% or more, in a state when a voltage is applied, for example, in a state when a voltage of 60V is applied. Using a contrast ratio, one could determine the desired parameters of each modulation layer.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date to modify the electronic device of Hayashi based on Hayashi as disclosed by Gim to derive wherein the light scattering switching element has a haze value ranging from 50% to 99.5% under the initial state ;wherein the light scattering switching element has a haze value ranging from 60% to 90% under the initial state the motivation to improve contrast ratio and thus the displayed image.
Regarding claims 6-7 and 10-11, Hayashi discloses the device set forth above (see rejection claim 1and 9) Hayashi as modified by Gim fails to explicitly disclose wherein the light scattering switching element has a haze value ranging from 0.5% to 20% and a transmittance of the light scattering switching element to light with wavelengths between 380 nm to 780 nm is between 70% to 90% when the voltage is respectively applied to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to generate the vertical electric field between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer (claims 6 and 10); wherein the light scattering switching element has a haze value ranging from 0.5% to 15% and a transmittance of the light scattering switching element to light with wavelengths between 380 nm to 780 nm is between 75% to 85% when the voltage is respectively applied to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to generate the vertical electric field between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer(Claims 7 and 11).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date to further modify the electronic device of Hayashi based on Hayashi wherein the light scattering switching element has a haze value ranging from 0.5% to 20% and a transmittance of the light scattering switching element to light with wavelengths between 380 nm to 780 nm is between 70% to 90% when the voltage is respectively applied to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to generate the vertical electric field between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer; wherein the light scattering switching element has a haze value ranging from 0.5% to 15% and a transmittance of the light scattering switching element to light with wavelengths between 380 nm to 780 nm is between 75% to 85% when the voltage is respectively applied to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to generate the vertical electric field between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer; since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 is 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. Claims 13-19 are objected to due to their dependence upon claim 12.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure can be found in the 892 and below
US 12345986 B2-Same assignee-no double patenting- Electronic Device with Switchable Modes
EP 4167024 A1-General state of the art- a light control layer containing liquid crystal molecules, and a pair of alignment layers
US 20160299275 A1-General State of the art- an optical compensation film and a method for manufacturing the same, a polarizer, a liquid crystal display panel and a display device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRACIE Y GREEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3104. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thursday, 10am-8pm.
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TRACIE Y. GREEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2875
/TRACIE Y GREEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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