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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/02/2025 has been entered.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 5-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Im et al. (US 20190115513) in view of Kim et al. (US 20180019377).
Regarding claim 5, Im disclose that a display device comprising:
a substrate 100 (Fig. 10I);
a first electrode and a second electrode 21 & 22 that extend in a direction on the substrate and are spaced apart from each other;
a first passivation layer 105 disposed on the substrate and overlapping the first electrode and the second electrode (Fig. 10I);
at least one light-emitting element 40 comprising a first semiconductor layer 440, an emissive layer 450, and a second semiconductor layer 430 sequentially stacked on each other and an insulating film 470 covering a periphery of at least the emissive layer, the at least one light emitting element 40 having ends disposed on the first electrode 410/420 and the second electrode 420/410 (Fig. 3A & 9), respectively, the first passivation layer 105 being between the at least one of the light-emitting elements and the first and second electrodes 21 & 22 (Fig. 10I);
a second insulating organic layer 81 disposed on the at least one light-emitting element 40 (Fig. 10I, para. 0188) and in contact with the leas least one light-emitting element (i. the first insulating layer can be considering as a light emitting element in Fig. 3A-D or ii. Thermally in contact with a light emitting layer).
Im fails to specify that a first organic insulating layer disposed between the first passivation layer and the at least one light-emitting element.
However, Kim suggests that a first organic insulating layer 230 disposed between the first passivation layer 210 and the at least one light-emitting element 40 (para. 0095, note: “- -one or more organic layers - -”, Fig. 8, 9G, 10G).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date of applicant(s) claimed invention was made to provide Im with a first organic insulating layer disposed between the first passivation layer and the at least one light-emitting element as taught by Kim in order to enhance prevent deviation of the bar-type LED aligned between the first and second electrodes (para. 0091) and also, the claim would have been obvious because the substitution of one know element for another would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention.
Reclaim 6, Im & Kim disclose that the first organic insulating layer 81 overlaps the at least one light-emitting element 40, and a planar size of the first organic insulating layer is larger than a planar size of the at least one light-emitting element (Im, Fig. 9 &10 I).
Reclaim 7, Im & Kim disclose that the first organic insulating layer overlaps the at least one light-emitting element in the direction (Im, Fig. 9 &10 I).
Reclaim 8, Im & Kim disclose that the first organic insulating layer 81 extends to the first passivation layer 105 and the at least one light-emitting element 40 (Im, Fig. 9 &10I).
Reclaim 9, Im & Kim disclose that the at least one light-emitting element is spaced apart from the first passivation layer (Im, Fig. 9 & 10I).
Reclaim 10, Im & Kim disclose that at least a portion of the at least one light-emitting element extends to the first passivation layer, and another portion of the at least one light-emitting element extends to the first organic insulating layer (Im, Fig. 9 &10I).
Reclaim 11, Im & Kim disclose that the second organic insulating layer 81/ 330 overlaps the first organic insulating layer 470/ 140 and the at least one light-emitting element 40 , and extends to the at least one light-emitting element (Im, Fig. 9 & 10I in view of Kim, Fig. 8, 9G, 10G).
Reclaim 12, Im & Kim disclose that the second organic insulating layer 81/ 330 continuously overlaps the at least one light-emitting element in the direction (Im, Fig. 9 &10I).
Reclaim 13, Im & Kim disclose that a width of portions of the first organic insulating layer that overlap the at least one light-emitting element is larger than a width of the second organic insulating layer in a longitudinal direction of the at least one light-emitting element (Im, Fig. 9 & 10I in view of Kim, Fig. 8, 9G, 10G).
Reclaim 14, Im & Kim disclose that a second passivation layer disposed on the second organic insulating layer, wherein the second organic insulating layer and the second passivation layer overlap each other and have a same size (Im, Fig. 9 & 10I in view of Kim, Fig. 8, 9G, 10G).
Reclaim 15, Im & Kim disclose that the first organic insulating layer and the second organic insulating layer are made of a same material (Im, Fig. 9 & 10I in view of Kim, Fig. 8, 9G, 10G).
Reclaim 16, Im & Kim disclose that a first contact electrode disposed on the first electrode and electrically contacting a first end of the at least one light-emitting element; and a second contact electrode disposed on the second electrode and electrically contacting a second end of the at least one light-emitting element (Im, Fig. 9 & 10I in view of Kim, Fig. 8, 9G, 10G).
Reclaim 17, Im & Kim disclose that a second passivation layer disposed on the second organic insulating layer, wherein the first contact electrode extends to an end of each of the second organic insulating layer and the second passivation layer, the second contact electrode extends to another end of each of the second organic insulating layer and the second passivation layer, and the first contact electrode and the second contact electrode do not extend to an upper surface of the second passivation layer (Im, Fig. 9 & 10I in view of Kim, Fig. 8, 9G, 10G).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2 & 18-20 allowed over the prior art and applicant argument filed on 6/13/2025.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
After further search and consideration, the prior art neither anticipated nor renders obvious the claimed subject matter of the instant application as a whole either taken alone or in combination.
The prior art does not teach or render obvious “- - the polymer resins are included in the ink in an amount of about 1 to about 10 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the ink and the light-emitting elements are included in the ink in an amount of about 0.01 to about 1 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the ink.” with combination of the other limitations as recited in claims 1 & 18 and also see applicant argument filed on 6/13/2025.
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.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 5-17 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SU C KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-5972. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 to 5:00.
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/SU C KIM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899