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.
Claims 1, 2, 4-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okita (USPN 2021/0026172).
With regard to claim 1,
Okita discloses a display device, comprising: a substrate (10) ; a plurality of scan lines (GL) disposed on the substrate and extending along a first direction (X) respectively; a plurality of data lines (SL) disposed on the substrate and extending along a second direction (Y) respectively, wherein the plurality of scan lines and the plurality of data lines cross each other at a plurality of crossing positions and form a plurality of sub-pixel regions (SPX), and one of the plurality of sub-pixel regions has a sub-pixel width (see figs); and a plurality of spacers (1,2,3,4) disposed on a portion of the plurality of crossing positions and arranged in a plurality of rows in the second direction (see fig. 4), wherein the plurality of spacers comprise: arranged along the first a plurality of nth row spacers direction; and a plurality of n+1th row spacers arranged along the first direction; wherein the plurality of nth row spacers and the plurality of n+1th row spacers are staggered in the second direction (see fig. 4), wherein a first pitch is included between adjacent two of the plurality of spacers in one of the plurality of rows in the first direction, and the first pitch is 2-12 times the sub-pixel width (see fig. 4).
With regard to claim 2,
Okita discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of spacers further comprises a plurality of n+2th row spacers arranged along the first direction (see fig. 4), the plurality of nth row spacers comprise a first spacer, the plurality of n+1th row spacers comprise a second spacer adjacent to the first spacer, the plurality of n+2th row spacers comprise a third spacer adjacent to the second spacer, a first distance is included between the first spacer and the second spacer in the first direction, a second distance is included between the second spacer and the third spacer in the first direction, and the first distance is the same as the second distance (See fig. 4).
With regard to claim 4,
Okita discloses the display device of claim 2, wherein the first distance is less than half of the first pitch (see fig. 4).
With regard to claim 5,
Okita discloses the display device of claim 1, further comprising a light shielding layer (21) disposed on the substrate, wherein the light shielding layer comprises a plurality of light shielding patterns, and in a normal direction of the display device, the plurality of light shielding patterns overlap the plurality of spacers respectively (see fig. 1).
With regard to claim 6,
Okita discloses the display device of claim 5, wherein a second pitch is included between adjacent two of the plurality of light shielding patterns in the first direction, and the second pitch is the same as the first pitch (arbitrary pattern definition, see fig. 1).
With regard to claim 7,
Okita discloses the display device of claim 5, wherein a second pitch is included between adjacent two of the plurality of light shielding patterns in the first direction, and the second pitch is less than the first pitch (arbitrary pattern definition, see fig. 1).
With regard to claim 8,
Okita discloses the display device of claim 7, wherein the first pitch is an integer multiple of the second pitch (arbitrary pattern definition, see fig. 1).
With regard to claim 9,
Okita discloses the display device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of spacers comprises a main spacer (e.g. 2A) and a sub spacer (e.g., 1A), a size of the main spacer is greater than a size of the sub spacer (see fig. 3), the plurality of light shielding patterns comprises a first light shielding pattern (of 21) corresponding to the main spacer and a second light shielding pattern (of 21) corresponding to the sub spacer (see fig. 1), and in a top view direction of the display device, a size of the first light shielding pattern is the same as a size of the second light shielding pattern (see fig. 1).
With regard to claim 10,
Okita discloses the display device of claim 5, wherein the light shielding layer comprises a black matrix layer (21).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okita (as above).
With regard to claim 3,
Okita discloses the display device of claim 2. While Okita does not disclose wherein the first distance is half of the first pitch, such a pixel configuration was well known to and widely used by those of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to the same to try to optimize color reproduction.
Claims 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okita (as above), in view of Tseng et al. (USPN 2020/0249514).
With regard to claim 11,
Okita discloses the display device of claim 1. While Okita does not disclose opposite spacers, Tseng et al. do disclose an analogous device further comprising a plurality of opposite spacers (104) disposed on the substrate, wherein in a normal direction of the display device, the plurality of opposite spacers overlap the plurality of spacers (108) respectively (see fig. 2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to incorporate this concept of Tseng et al. into the device of Okita in order to try to improve spacing and alignment
With regard to claim 12,
Tseng et al. disclose the display device of claim 11, wherein in the normal direction of the display device, an area of one of the plurality of opposite spacers (104) is greater than an area of one of the plurality of spacers (108) to which the one of the plurality of opposite spacers corresponds (see fig. 2). The obviousness of the incorporation of this concept of Tseng et al. into the device of Okita was addressed in the rejection of claim 11.
With regard to claim 13,
Tseng et al. disclose the display device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of spacers (108) and the plurality of opposite spacers (104) are linear in a top view of the display device (see fig. 1), an included angle is included between one of the plurality of spacers and one of the plurality of opposite spacers to which the one of the plurality of spacers corresponds, and the included angle is an obtuse angle (see fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the prior art does not disclose nor render obvious, in combination with the other limitations of the claims, a display device having first, second, third, and fourth spacers arranged as claimed where the respective first, second, and third distances are different from each other. Claims 14, 18 are therefore allowed. Claims 15-17, 19-20 are allowed due to their dependence upon claim 14 or 18.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USPN 2020/0326576, 2023/0324752, 2013/0155367, 2016/0370632, 2022/0123264, CN108922919.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christopher Raabe whose telephone number is (571)272-8434. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 0530-1430.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James R Greece can be reached at (571)272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER M RAABE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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