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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 8/16/26 has been entered. Claims 1-3,5,8,10-13,15,17 and 19 remain pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cho (KR 20140147291 A)
Regarding claim 1, Cho teaches a display panel (Fig.4-7), having a display area,
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a non-display area located on a periphery of the display area, and a cutting surface (shown by L1 in Fig.4, which is a method step previous to the above Figure 7) on a peripheral of the display panel, and further comprising: a substrate 200; a light emitting device layer 220 arranged on the substrate; and a color filter layer 130, arranged on the light emitting device layer, and comprising a light shielding layer 110 (black matrix) and a plurality of color resist units with different colors (see in Cho: The color filter 130 may be formed in red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color) embedded in the light shielding layer; wherein the light shielding layer comprises a first light shielding part disposed in the non-display area, the first light shielding part is provided with a first opening going through the first light shielding part and comprises a second side surface adjacent to the first opening, the first opening is adjacent to the cutting surface and is empty, and the second side surface is retracted toward the display area with respect to the cutting surface (see the portions below that are not occupied by the light shielding layers in the non-display area).
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Regarding claim 11, Cho teaches a display module, comprising a display panel (Fig.4-7, see rejection for claim 1 above, the same citations apply), the display panel having a display area, a non-display area located on a periphery of the display area, and a cutting surface L1 on a peripheral of the display panel; the display panel further comprising: a substrate; a light emitting device layer arranged on the substrate; and a color filter layer, arranged on the light emitting device layer, and comprising a light shielding layer and a plurality of color resist units with different colors embedded in the light shielding layer; wherein the light shielding layer comprises a first light shielding part disposed in the non- display area, the first light shielding part is provided with a first opening going through the whole first light shielding part along a thickness direction of the light shielding layer and comprises a second side surface adjacent to the first opening, the first opening is adjacent to the cutting surface and is empty, and the second side surface is retracted toward the display area with respect to the cutting surface (see rejection for claim 1 above, the same citations apply).
Claims 2 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho and further in view of Lim (KR 20190062667 A, cited previously)
Regarding claims 2 and 12, Cho teaches the invention set forth in claims 1 and 11 above but is silent regarding the included angle between the cutting surface and the substrate ranges from 100 to 120 degrees.
Lim teaches discloses in a display device: To form an inclined surface IP that is inclined with respect to the inclined surface IP. The predetermined angle alpha may be greater than 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees, or greater than 60 degrees and less than 95, therefore the angles as claimed are achieved by subtracting alpha in Lim from 180 degrees, and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to form the angle, as disclosed in Lim, in the device of Cho in order to achieve improved bonding with adhesives.
Claims 3,5,8, 13, 15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho and further in view of KR (KR 20210130896 A, cited previously); Jung (US 20200066804 A1, cited previously) and Choi (US 20230048544 A1,cited previously )
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Cho teaches a display wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of organic layers disposed on the substrate, different layers (organic light emitting layer ([0113]) and resin layer 13, [0019]) of the organic layers are at different distances from the substrate 111, and comprising a first flat layer 121 arranged on a side of the color filter layer away from the light emitting device layer and being in direct contact with the color filter layer, a second flat layer 112 disposed between the substrate and the light emitting device layer; a pixel definition layer 114 ([0100]), disposed on the second flat layer and being provided with a plurality of pixel openings; wherein the light emitting device layer 115 comprising a light emitting layer disposed in the pixel openings; and a first organic encapsulation layer (resin layer 13, [0019]) disposed between the light emitting device layer and the color filter layer.
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Cho does not teach the organic layers comprise: the first flat layer, the second flat layer; the pixel definition layer.
KR discloses the display panel that comprises a plurality of organic layers disposed on the substrate (See in KR: For example, the base substrate 103 may be one of a film substrate and a plastic substrate including a polymer organic material; OR The semiconductor layer CH may include amorphous silicon, poly silicon, or an organic semiconductor OR The pixel defining layer 115 may include an organic material or an inorganic material OR organic emission layer 122 OR The encapsulation layer 116 includes at least one inorganic layer and at least one organic layer OR The third touch insulating layer 133 may include an organic material), and comprising a first side surface adjacent to the cutting surface (right side vertical margin of 150 in KR); wherein the first side surface is inwardly recessed (the arrow area below) relative to the cutting surface;
a second flat layer disposed between the substrate (114 in KR: the via layer 114 may include a material such as acrylic or polyimide) and the light emitting device layer (122 in KR); a pixel definition layer 115 (in KR), disposed on the second flat layer and being provided with a plurality of pixel openings; wherein the light emitting device layer comprising a light emitting layer disposed in the pixel openings; and a first organic encapsulation layer 133 (The third touch insulating layer 133 may include an organic material. In KR) disposed between the light emitting device layer 122 (KR) and the color filter layer (161_R in KR)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the material, as disclosed in KR, in the device of Cho in order to achieve robust protection from external elements.
Cho in view of KR does not teach: the organic layers comprise: the color filter layer.
Jung discloses: [0125] The color filter CF may be formed of an organic insulating material and [0126] In an embodiment, the organic material of the color filter CF and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to use an organic pigment for the color filter, in the device of Cho in view of KR, from the teachings of Jung, in order to achieve precise control of color characteristics.
Cho in view of KR and Jung does not teach: wherein the first side surface of the first flat layer is inwardly recessed relative to the cutting surface. Choi teaches in Fig.5 and 27, the passivation layer PTL covering the color filter CF1 and away from the substrate, that has the first side surface inwardly recessed relative to the side vertical surface, in the non-display area NEA (see arrows below):
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and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the shape as disclosed in Choi , in the device of Cho in view of KR and Jung, in order to use the recess in the display area for color filters.
Regarding claims 5 and 15, Cho in view of KR , Jung and Choi teaches a display panel, wherein the first flat layer is the via layer 114 (in KR) may include a material such as acrylic or polyimide (wherein acrylic-based materials are widely used as adhesives in OLED displays) AND the second flat layer is a transparent thermosetting resin adhesive, but does not explicitly teach: a material of the first flat layer is provided with the same organic material as the second flat layer. However acrylic based materials for the first flat layer are widely used as adhesives while the second flat layer is also a resin adhesive. Therefore; it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the same material for both the layers as claimed, in order to achieve easy manufacturing.
Regarding claims 8 and 17, Cho in view of KR. Jung and Choi teaches the light shielding layer further comprises a second light shielding part disposed in the display area (140 in both sides of 161_G) and disposed on a side of the first light shielding part away from the cutting surface, but does not teach a thickness of the second light shielding part is greater than a thickness of the first light shielding part.
However, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the thickness variation as claimed, in the device of Cho in view of KR and Jung in order to reduce light leaking between the pixels in the display area.
Claims 10 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho in view of KR, Jung and Choi and further in view of Kim (CN 100405138 C,cited previously)
Regarding claims 10 and 19, Cho in view of KR, Jung and Choi teaches the invention set forth in claims 1 and 11 above but is silent regarding a thickness of the first flat layer is less than or equal to a thickness of the second light shielding part.
Kim teaches a thin layer of flattening film 230 in Fig. 3 whereas the light shielding layer is 210, and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to reduce the thickness of the flattening layer as compared to the light shielding layer, by routine experimentation, in the device of Cho in view of KR, Jung and Choi, in order to achieve an optimize thin display device.
Other art
Other prior art that teach the limitations of claim 1 are:
KR 20170133582 as shown by arrows below:
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US 20180061638 A1: wherein 56 is the member to be peeled as shown below:
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Response to Arguments
The arguments filed by the Applicant on 8/16/26 is acknowledged and are moot in light of new grounds of rejection.
Other prior art that teach the limitations of claim 1 are:
KR 20170133582 as shown by arrows below:
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US 20180061638 A1: wherein 56 is the member to be peeled and also please see arrows below:
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Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Fatima Farokhrooz whose telephone number is (571)-272-6043. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday- Friday, 9 am - 5 pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s Supervisor, James Greece can be reached on (571) 272-3711.
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/Fatima N Farokhrooz/
Examiner, Art Unit 2875
Prosecution Insights