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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1 and 18:
These claims recite "a base layer comprising a first area and a second area comprising a light-emitting area and a peripheral area." It is grammatically unclear whether the phrase "comprising a light-emitting area" modifies only the second area or both the first and second areas. Consequently, the subsequent limitation reciting elements "in the light-emitting area of the first area" lacks a clear antecedent basis, rendering the structural boundaries of the claim indefinite. Claims 2-17, 19 and 20 are rejected herewith by virtue of claim dependency.
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 of this title, 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, 12-13, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin et al. (US 2021/0351236, hereinafter "Shin") in view of Cok (US 2008/0165267, hereinafter "Cok").
With respect to Claim 1, Shin teaches a display device comprising:
a window (Shin: Para. [0036], [0090], first surface 110A formed by a front plate 102 / front cover 320); and
a display module below the window(Shin: Fig. 5, display panel 431 below window 320), and comprising:
a base layer comprising a first area and a second area comprising a light-emitting area and a peripheral area (Shin: Para. [0039], substrate 511 comprising a camera overlap area A1 and a normal display area A2);
a first group of light-emitting elements in the light-emitting area of the first area (Shin: Para. [0103], [0114], pixels 901 of a first group which overlap at least a portion of the camera 105 in the first area A1);
a second group of light-emitting elements in the light-emitting area of the second area (Shin: Para. [0103], [0109], normal pixels 801 of a second group which do not overlap the camera 105 in the second area A2);
a first light-sensing element between the first group of the light-emitting elements and the second group of the light-emitting elements (Shin: Para. [0041], camera 105 disposed under the camera overlap area A1. Under the Broadest Reasonable Interpretation, a sensing element whose active field of view is bounded by the perimeter separating the first and second pixel groups reads on being "between" the groups in plan view);
a first light-blocking layer defining a first opening corresponding to the first group of the light-emitting elements, a second opening corresponding to the second group of the light-emitting elements, and a third opening corresponding to the first light-sensing element (Shin: Para. [0136], a bank 1103 including a light-shielding material that partitions the electrodes and the organic light-emitting layer, providing openings for the pixels and transmission areas); and
a second light-blocking layer above the first light-blocking layer, apart from the first area in plan view, overlapping the second area, and defining a fourth opening corresponding to the second opening (Shin: Para. [0058], [0133], a black matrix BM of the color filter layer 433 disposed between the second color filters 802 in the second area A2, wherein a transmission area TA is disposed in the first area A1 where the black matrix BM is explicitly removed/apart from).
Shin fails to expressly disclose:
the first group configured to be deactivated during a first operation mode, and to be activated during a second operation mode.
However, Cok discloses:
the first group configured to be deactivated during a first operation mode, and to be activated during a second operation mode (Cok: Para. [0051], [0084]-[0085], switching partially transparent pixels to a non-emissive/off state for a portion of time to allow the capture device to capture the scene, and switching them on to emit light to display image content).
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the apparatus, as taught by Shin, to incorporate the dynamic dual-mode driving scheme, as taught by Cok, in order to actively eliminate stray light generated by the active display pixels from interfering with the image capturing, thus improving the optical clarity (Cok: Para. [0084], [0085]).
With respect to Claim 12, the combination of Shin as modified by Cok teaches the display module comprises a color filter layer covering the openings, a thin film encapsulation layer covering the light-emitting elements, and an insulating layer (Shin: Para. [0058], organic encapsulation layer 550 and color filter layer 433 disposed in the first direction z1 from the pixel layer 540).
With respect to Claim 13, the combination of Shin as modified by Cok teaches the apparatus of claim 12, further comprising an input-sensing electrode between the thin film encapsulation layer and the insulating layer (Shin: Para. [0096], Fig. 5, touch sensor layer 432 formed between the organic encapsulation layer 550 and the color filter layer 433).
With respect to Claim 18, this is the apparatus/electronic device as claimed in Claim 1. Shin teaches the display module is implemented in an electronic device 100, which includes a housing 110 coupled to the cover window 102 (Shin: Para. [0036], Fig.1-2). Therefore, Claim 18 is rendered obvious by the combination of Shin as modified by Cok as used for Claim 1.
Claims 2-10, 14, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin in view of Cok, as applied above to claims 1 and 18, and further in view of Deng (US 2024/0244912, hereinafter "Deng").
With respect to Claim 2, the combination of Shin as modified by Cok teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first group of the light-emitting elements and the second group of the light-emitting elements comprise a first light-emitting element, a second light-emitting element, a third-first light-emitting element, and a third-second light emitting element (Shin: Para. [0082], first pixel R1 displaying red, second pixel G1 displaying green, and third pixel B1 displaying blue).
Shin and Cok fail to expressly disclose the specific staggered directional geometries and sub-pixel shapes recited in Claims 2-10 and 14.
However, Deng discloses:
a first light-emitting element configured to emit a first color light; a second light-emitting element spaced apart in a first direction, and configured to emit a second color light; a third-first light-emitting element configured to emit a third color light; and a third-second light-emitting element configured to emit the third color light, and spaced apart in a second direction (Deng: Para. [0108], [0109], [0140], first, second, and third sub-pixels spaced apart in first, second, and diagonal directions).
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the apparatus, as taught by Shin and Cok, to incorporate the specific staggered and diagonal sub-pixel layout geometries, as taught by Deng, in order to reduce optical diffraction and improve the imaging effect of the under-screen camera (Deng: Para. [0072], [0161]).
With respect to Claims 3-7 and 10, the combination of Shin, Cok, and Deng teaches the exact staggered diagonal geometric layouts and orientations between the first/second groups and the sensors (Deng: Para. [0182]-[0183], arranging the maximum sizes of different openings in varying directions with specific offset distances and diagonal alignments).
With respect to Claims 8-9, the combination of Shin, Cok, and Deng teaches the light-emitting elements comprise a first electrode, a second electrode, and a light-emitting pattern between the first electrode and the second electrode exposed through the pixel definition layer (Deng: Para. [0100], [0137], light emitting device 41 including an anode structure 41A, a cathode structure 41C, and a light emitting structure 41B between them, exposed by the pixel defining layer).
With respect to Claim 14, the combination of Shin, Cok, and Deng teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first opening, the second opening, the third opening, and the fourth opening have a circular shape or an oval shape (Deng: Para. [0156]-[0160], [0164], the openings having circular, elliptical, and droplet shapes).
With respect to Claims 19-20, these claims mirror the geometric sub-pixel arrangements of Claims 2 and 5 applied to the electronic device of Claim 18. Therefore, Claims 19-20 are rendered obvious by the combination of Shin, Cok, and Deng as used for Claims 2 and 5.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin in view of Cok and Deng, as applied above, and further in view of Jeong (US 2022/0123065, hereinafter "Jeong").
With respect to Claim 11, the combination of Shin, Cok and Deng teaches the apparatus of claim 10.
Shin and Cok fail to expressly disclose:
wherein the first light-sensing element is electrically connected to the second light-sensing element.
However, Jeong discloses:
multiple distinct sensing element modules disposed in the image-capturing area (Jeong: Para. [0190], both an imaging element module and an infrared sensor module 402 disposed within the same image-capturing area CA).
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the apparatus, as taught by Shin and Cok, to incorporate multiple connected sensor elements, as taught by Jeong, in order to share power and data buses when integrating supplemental sensors such as infrared arrays for face recognition and proximity detection (Jeong: Para. [0190]).
Claims 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin in view of Cok, as applied above, and further in view of Jeong.
With respect to Claims 15-17, the combination of Shin as modified by Cok teaches the apparatus of claim 1.
Shin and Cok fail to expressly disclose:
the second light-blocking layer defines a fifth opening corresponding to the third opening, comprising light-blocking patterns having a ring shape and bridge patterns.
However, Jeong discloses:
light-blocking patterns having a ring shape defining openings and bridge patterns connecting the patterns (Jeong: Para. [0077], [0084], [0183], light shield patterns BSM / light shield layer LS including circular open pores OP around transmitting portions, surrounded by a grid of interconnections).
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the apparatus, as taught by Shin and Cok, to incorporate circular shield patterns and bridges, as taught by Jeong, in order to block external light from generating an unintended photocurrent in adjacent circuit components (Jeong: Para. [0170], [0183]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRYAN EARLES whose telephone number is (571)272-4628. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday at 7:30am - 5:00pm.
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/BRYAN EARLES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625
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