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 .
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 1-4, 7, 19, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (2023/0267761) in view of Kim et al. (2022/0208060).
With respect to claim 1, Chen teaches a display device (200) comprising: a backlight unit (206, 208, and 210); a display panel (204) disposed on the backlight unit (Fig. 2) and including a first display area (display area outside of 222’ and area of display not above 224) and a second display area (222’ and area of display above 224); and a sensor (224 and 226) disposed under the second display area (Fig. 2), wherein the backlight unit includes: a light guide plate (208) disposed under the first display area and the second display area (Fig. 2); a light source (206) configured to radiate light to the light guide plate (Fig. 2); and a reflector (210) disposed between the second display area and the sensor and configured to reflect incident visible light to the second display area (Fig. 2 and paragraph 37); and an optical sheet (212 and /or 214) disposed on the backlight unit (Fig. 2).
Chen does not explicitly teach wherein the optical sheet includes an opening corresponding to the second display area (claim 1).
As for claim 1, Kim also drawn to display devices, an optical sheet includes an opening (141aa) corresponding to the second display area (TA).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to use the opening of Kim in the optical sheet of Chen, in order to allow light to more easily pass through the second display area (Fig. 6 of Kim).
As for claim 2, Chen teaches wherein light emitted from the sensor passes through the reflector (paragraph 37).
As for claim 3, Chen teaches wherein the light emitted from the sensor is emitted to an outside by passing through the display panel, reflected from an external object, and received by the sensor (Fig. 2 and paragraph 37).
As for claim 4, Chen teaches wherein the sensor includes an infrared camera (paragraph 31).
As for claim 7, Chen teaches wherein the light source is disposed on one side of the light guide plate, and the reflector is disposed on another side of the light guide plate that faces the one side of the light guide plate (Fig. 2; *note that the bottom face does face the right face, as the right face in idented into the light guide).
As for claim 19, Chen teaches wherein the reflector reflects light in a visible wavelength band and transmits light in an infrared wavelength band (paragraphs 31 and 37).
As for claim 20, Chen teaches wherein the reflector overlaps an area overlapping an opposing incident light portion of the first display area and the second display area (Fig. 2 and paragraphs 23 and 25).
Claims 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen and Kim, as is applied to claim 1 above in view of Large et al. (2021/0144313).
With respect to claims 5 and 6, Chen and Kim teach all of the claimed elements, as is discussed above, except for explicitly teaching wherein the light guide plate includes a patterned area overlapping the first display area, and a non-patterned area overlapping the second display area, and wherein the patterned area includes a pattern (claim 5); wherein the opening of the optical sheet overlaps with the non-patterned area (claim 6).
As for claim 5, Large also drawn to display devices, teaches wherein the light guide plate includes a patterned area (132 and 134) overlapping the first display area (area above 176 and 178), and a non-patterned area (130 and 136) overlapping the second display area (area above 174 and 182), and wherein the patterned area includes a pattern (Fig. 1).
As for claim 6, Large teaches wherein the opening (148 and/or 154) of the optical sheet (122) overlaps with the non-patterned area (130 and 136).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to use the non-patterned/patterned areas and holes of Large in the display device of Chen, in order to provide color separation for the sensors (paragraph 53 of Large) and for the sensors to receive more light (paragraph 42 of Large).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-18 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.
With respect to claims 8-18, the prior art does not teach or suggest wherein the light guide plate includes a sloped surface disposed on the another side of the light guide plate, and the reflector is disposed on the sloped surface; along with the other limiting elements of claims 1, 7, and 8.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Acharya et al. (2024/0053522); see: Fig. 1
Wan et al. (2022/0350983); see: Fig. 2B
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM JOSEPH CARTER whose telephone number is (571)272-0959. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm.
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/WILLIAM J CARTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875 9/29/2026
