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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-9 in the reply filed on 2/11/26 is acknowledged.
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, 2, and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hou (US pub 20190288044).
With respect to claim 1, Hou teaches an organic light emitting display panel, comprising (see figs. 1-9, particularly fig. 7 and associated text):
a substrate 201 with a light emitting region (region under 204) and a non-light emitting region (region under 202);
a planarization layer 203 on one side of the substrate;
an auxiliary electrode 202 on the one side of the substrate same as the planarization layer and in the non-light emitting region, wherein an orthographic projection of at least part of the auxiliary electrode on the substrate and an orthographic projection of the planarization layer on the substrate do not overlap;
a first electrode 204 on a side of the planarization layer away from the substrate;
a pixel defining layer 208 on a side of the first electrode away from the substrate, wherein the pixel defining layer is provided with a pixel opening region from which the first electrode is exposed and a first through hole from which the auxiliary electrode is exposed;
an organic light emitting layer 205 on the side of the first electrode away from the substrate, wherein the organic light emitting layer covers part of the pixel defining layer, and an orthographic projection of the organic light emitting layer on the substrate and an orthographic projection of the auxiliary electrode on the substrate do not overlap;
a lap joint electrode 209 in the first through hole; and
a second electrode 206 on a side of the organic light emitting layer away from the substrate, wherein the second electrode is of a whole-layer structure, and the second electrode is coupled to the auxiliary electrode through the lap joint electrode.
With respect to claim 2, Hou teaches the planarization layer is provided with a first via hole (area where 202 occupies), and the auxiliary electrode is in the first via hole. See fig. 7 and associated text.
With respect to claim 9, Hou teaches the organic light emitting display panel. See fig. 7 and associated text.
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.
Claim(s) 7 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hou (US pub 20190288044).
With respect to claim 7, Hou teaches the first electrode is a reflective electrode (para 0073), material of the second electrode is a transparent conductive material (para 0040), but fails to teach the material of the auxiliary electrode is a metal.
However, the use of metal for auxiliary electrode is well-known in semiconductor art.
With respect to claim 8, Hou teaches the first electrode serves as an anode, and the second electrode serves as a cathode. See fig. 7 and associated text.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6 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.
Examiner’s Cited References
The cited references generally show the similar or related structure having a planarization layer, an auxiliary electrode, a first electrode, a pixel defining layer, a light emitting layer, a joint electrode, and a second electrode, where the planarization layer and auxiliary electrode are not vertically overlapped, where the light emitting layer and auxiliary electrode are not vertically overlapped, and where the joint electrode is between the auxiliary electrode and second electrode as presently claimed by applicant.
Conclusion
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LONG . PHAM
Examiner
Art Unit 2823
/LONG PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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