`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313- 1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`APPLICATION NO.
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` F ING DATE
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`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
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`
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`CONF {MATION NO.
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`11/987,852
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`12/05/2007
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`Mitsuharu Tai
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`HITA—1047
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`8184
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`06/09/2014
`7590
`123720
`MORRISMANNINGWARTIN LLP
`IP DEPARTMENT
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`1401 EYE STREET, N.W., SUITE 600
`WASHINGTON, DC 20005
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`HU, SHOUXIANG
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`ART UNIT
`2898
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`NOT *ICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`06/09/2014
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
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`MMMIPDocket @ system.f0undati0nip.c0m
`ndesanti @ mmmlaw.c0m
`dolive @ mmmlaw.c0m
`
`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 11/987,852 TAI ET AL.
`
`
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Art Unit
`Examiner
`Office Action Summary
`
`
`StatusNo SHOUXIANG HU 2898
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING DATE OF
`THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1. 136( a).
`after SIX () MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1 .704(b).
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`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
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`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 8/20/11.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|ZI This action is non-final.
`2a)|:l This action is FINAL.
`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:| Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)IZI Claim(s) 1-11 is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s) 9-11 is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`is/are allowed.
`6)I:I Claim(s)
`7)|Z| CIaim(s)_1-8is/are rejected.
`8)|:I Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)I:I Claim((s)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`hit
`:/'/\WIIW.LIsnto. ov/ atentS/init events/
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`
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`iindex.‘s or send an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
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`Application Papers
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`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)I:l The drawing(s) filed on
`is/are: a)I:I accepted or b)I:I objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
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`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`12)IXI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a)IZl All
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`b)|:l Some” c)I:l None of the:
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`1.IXI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.|:| Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
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`
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`4) I:I Other'
`2) E InformatIon DIsclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
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`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date 8/10/2011' 10/21/2012.
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`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20140516
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 11/987,852
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2898
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`The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent
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`provisions.
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 1 12
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`1.
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`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.
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph:
`The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly
`claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
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`2.
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`Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA),
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`second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly
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`claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the
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`applicant regards as the invention.
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`Claim 1 recites the subject matters of a plurality of pixels having a thin-film-
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`transistor, but fails to clarify: whether each of the plurality of pixels definitely has a thin-
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`film-transistor.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`3.
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`The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis
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`for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`Application/Control Number: 11/987,852
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2898
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`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described
`as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to
`be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been
`obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which
`said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the
`invention was made.
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`4.
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`Claims 1-8 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable
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`over applicant's admitted prior art (“AAPA”) in view of Lee (US 2006/0202947 A1); or, in
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`the alternative, over Lee in view of AAPA.
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`AAPA discloses an image display apparatus (Figs. 10A-1OC), comprising:
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`a display panel including a first insulating substrate (SUBf) where a pixel region
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`is formed by arranging a plurality of pixels each having a thin-film-transistor (TFT) in a
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`matrix form over the main face thereof and a second insulating substrate (SUBZ) which
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`is opposed and adhered to the main face of the first insulating substrate with a
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`predetermined gap;
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`a pixel driver (DR) which is provided outside of the pixel region of the first
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`insulating substrate and which drives pixels constituting the pixel region; and
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`a printed circuit board (FPCB and/or FPCA) where a display control circuit is
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`mounted to supply a signal for display to the driver,
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`wherein the image display apparatus has a plurality of light sensors (PSE) in the
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`substantially vicinity of the pixel region at the main face of the first insulating substrate.
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`Although AAPA does not expressly disclose that the plurality of light sensors can
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`be formed of films that are from a same semiconductor layer as that of the pixel TFTs
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`and they can be for sensing different wave lengths respectively, one of the ordinary skill
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`in the art, as evidenced in Lee (Figs. 1-15; also particularly see [0094], [0121]), would
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 11/987,852
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2898
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`readily recognize that a plurality of light sensors (701, 702 and/or 703) for sensing
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`different wave lengths respectively can be commonly and desirably included for
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`achieving desired and/or improved control of backlight, brightness and/or color, and that
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`the pixel TFTs (Fig. 8) and the light sensors (Figs. 4 and 10) can be commonly and/or
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`desirably formed from the same semiconductor layer (154, 150; [0121]), so as to form
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`the desired integrated structure and/or to achieve simplified process for making the
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`TFTs and the light sensors together.
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`Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art at the
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`time the invention was made to make the device of AAPA with the photo-sensors for
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`sensing different wave lengths being formed from a same semiconductor layer as that
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`of the pixel thin film transistors, per the teachings of Lee, so that a display device with
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`desired and/or improved control of backlight, brightness and/or color, and/or with
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`desired high degree of integration and/or with desired simplified process would be
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`obtained.
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`Or, in the alternative, it would also have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill
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`in the art at the time the invention was made to incorporate the art-well-known printed
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`circuit board (PCB), such as that of AAPA, into the device of Lee, so that a display
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`device with the commonly required and/or desired PCB-based input/output circuit and/or
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`control circuit can be provided therein.
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`Regarding claim 2, it is further noted that one of the ordinary skill in the art would
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`also readily recognize that the commonly required signal processing circuit can also be
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`formed from the same semiconductor layer as that of the pixel thin film transistors, so
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`Application/Control Number: 11/987,852
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2898
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`that a display device with desired further higher degree of integration and/or with
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`desired further simplified process would be obtained.
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`Regarding claim 5, it is further noted that a feedback circuit can be commonly
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`and/or desirably mounted on the printed circuit board for providing the required
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`feedback-circuit connection and/or coupling.
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`Regarding claim 7, it is noted that it is well known in the art that, as evidenced in
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`Masaaki (JP 2006-2452634; of record), the active regions/layers (i.e., the non-heavily-
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`doped n-type regions between the heavily doped p-type regions (31-33; Fig. 1) and the
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`heavily doped n-type regions (41-43), respectively, of photo/light sensors for sensing
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`different wavelengths can commonly and/or desirably have different thicknesses for
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`achieving desired sensing accuracy and/or sensitivity for each of the wave lengths.
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`Therefore, it would still have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art at the
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`time the invention was made to incorporate the art-well-known different active layer
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`thicknesses for the photo sensors, into the device collectively taught above, so that a
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`display device with the desired sensing accuracy and/or sensitivity for each of the wave
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`lengths would be obtained.
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`Regarding claim 8, it is further noted that Lee further includes the color filters
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`(730R, 730G and/or 730W).
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`Application/Control Number: 11/987,852
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2898
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`Response to Arguments
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`5.
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`Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims rejected above have been
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`considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any combined
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`teachings of the references being used in the current rejection.
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to SHOUXIANG HU whose telephone number is (571 )272—
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`1654. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to
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`5:30 PM.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Julio Maldonado can be reached on 571-272—1864. The fax phone number
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`for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571 -273-8300.
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 11/987,852
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`Page 7
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`Art Unit: 2898
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`If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or
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`access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA)
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`or 571 -272—1000.
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`/SHOUXIANG HU/
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`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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`