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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/04/2025 was filed after the mailing date of the Non-Final Office Action on 09/02/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
Acknowledgment is made of the amendment filed 12/02/2025, in which: claims 1 and 14 are amended; claim 2 is cancelled; claims 11-12 and 18 stand withdrawn; and the rejection of the claims are traversed. Claims 1, 3-10, 13-17, and 19-20 are currently pending an Office action on the merits as follows.
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.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claims 1, 6-8, 10, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (KR Publication 20160006520/Machine Translation Document 01/14/2026).
Regarding independent claim 1, Lee teaches a light emitting display device (fig. 7a), comprising:
a substrate (210);
a transistor (DT) overlapping the substrate;
a first insulating layer (215c) overlapping the transistor;
a second insulating layer (215d) overlapping the first insulating layer;
a pixel electrode (218) directly contacting the second insulating layer and electrically connected to the transistor (fig. 7a);
a conductive member (225) having a lower surface facing the second insulating layer and directly contacting the second insulating layer (fig. 7a);
a third insulating layer (215e) overlapping the second insulating layer, comprising a hole (see figure below), and comprising an opening (see figure below), wherein the hole extends to the pixel electrode (fig. 7a), and wherein the opening extends to the conductive member and has an undercut structure (G) in the third insulating layer; and
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a light emitting material layer (230) overlapping the pixel electrode inside the hole, overlapping the third insulating layer, and having a discontinuity inside the opening (fig. 7a).
Regarding dependent claim 6, Lee teaches the light emitting display device of claim 1, further comprising:
a common electrode material layer (fig. 7a, 228) overlapping each of the light material layer and the third insulating layer, wherein the common electrode material layer has a gap inside the opening (fig. 7a).
Regarding dependent claim 7, Lee teaches the light emitting display device of claim 6, wherein the common electrode material layer includes a disconnected portion (fig. 7b, 228 right side) disposed inside the opening and overlapping the conductive member (fig. 7b, disconnected portion of 228 overlaps with 225 in G).
Regarding dependent claim 8, Lee teaches the light emitting display device of claim 1, wherein the conductive member includes a transparent conductive oxide layer (machine translation, page 12 paragraphs 3-4).
Regarding dependent claim 10, Lee teaches the light emitting display device of claim 1, wherein the conductive member is made of a same material as the pixel electrode in a same process (machine translation, page 12 paragraph 4).
Regarding dependent claim 13, Lee teaches the light emitting display device of claim 1, wherein the light emitting material layer includes a hole transport layer (fig. 1, 32), an electron transport layer (36), and a light emitting layer (35) disposed between the hole transport layer and the electron transport layer and overlapping the pixel electrode (18 which corresponds to 218 of fig. 7a).
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Seo (US Publication 20210066418).
Regarding dependent claim 3, Lee teaches the light emitting display device of claim 1.
Lee does not teach wherein a first section of the opening is positioned between a second section of the opening and a third section of the opening in a depth direction of the opening and is narrower than each of the second section of the opening and the third section of the opening.
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Seo teaches wherein a first section of the opening is positioned between a second section of the opening and a third section of the opening in a depth direction of the opening and is narrower than each of the second section of the opening and the third section of the opening (see figure below).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the light emitting display device of Lee and the first, second, and third sections of Seo in order to “have a certain opening space that penetrates the pixel-defining layer 113 and the second planarization layer 111, so that a thin-film encapsulation layer 400 that will be described below may be fixed to a back plane” (Seo paragraph 0095).
Claims 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Heo (KR Publication 20170124070/Machine Translation Document 01/28/2025).
Regarding dependent claim 4, Lee teaches the light emitting display device of claim 1.
Lee does not teach wherein the light emitting material layer comprises a charge generating layer, and wherein the charge generating layer is partially positioned inside the opening and exposes the conductive member inside the opening.
Heo teaches wherein the light emitting material layer comprises a charge generating layer (machine translation, page 15 paragraph 12), and
wherein the charge generating layer is partially positioned inside the opening and exposes the conductive member inside the opening (fig. 5, conductive member 130 exposed at opening 1800b).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the light emitting display device of Lee and the charge generation layer of Heo in order to prevent side leakage current (Heo machine translation, page 17 paragraph 2).
Regarding dependent claim 5, Lee further teaches the light emitting display device of claim 4, wherein the charge generating layer includes a disconnected portion disposed inside the opening and overlapping the conductive member (fig. 7a, disconnected portion of 228 which contains charge generating layer of Heo overlaps with 225 in G).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Seon et al. (EP Publication 3754711).
Regarding dependent claim 9, Lee teaches the light emitting display device of claim 1.
Lee does not teach wherein the conductive member includes a first transparent conductive oxide layer, a metal layer, and a second transparent conductive oxide layer that are sequentially stacked, and wherein at least one of the first transparent conductive oxide layer and the second transparent conductive oxide layer directly contacts the second insulating layer.
Seon teaches wherein the conductive member includes a first transparent conductive oxide layer (fig. 9F, UL1),
a metal layer (UL2, paragraph 0120, “UL2 may include a conductive oxide
such as IZO or a metal”), and
a second transparent conductive oxide layer (UL3, paragraph 0120, “the first sub-upper layer UL1 and the third sub-upper layer UL3 may include a conductive oxide such as IZO or a metal”) that are sequentially stacked, and
wherein at least one of the first transparent conductive oxide layer and the second transparent conductive oxide layer directly contacts the second insulating layer (fig. 9F, UL1-3 correspond to 215d of Lee).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the light emitting display device of Lee and the material of the conductive member of Seon in order to “reduce or prevent external impurities such as moisture around the first area from damaging display elements” (Seon paragraph 0202).
Claims 14-17 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Choi et al. (US Publication 20190181199).
Regarding independent claim 14, Lee teaches the light emitting display device (fig. 7a) comprising:
a substrate (210);
a transistor (DT) overlapping the substrate;
a first insulating layer (215c) overlapping the transistor;
a second insulating layer (215d) overlapping the first insulating layer;
a pixel electrode (218) directly contacting the second insulating layer and electrically connected to the transistor (fig. 7a);
a conductive member (225) directly contacting the second insulating layer;
a third insulating layer (215e) overlapping the second insulating layer, comprising a hole (see marked figure corresponding to claim 1), and comprising an opening (see marked figure corresponding to claim 1), wherein the hole extends to the pixel electrode, and wherein the opening extends to the conductive member (fig. 7a);
a light emitting material layer (230) overlapping the pixel electrode inside the hole, overlapping the third insulating layer, and comprising two disconnected portions that are disposed inside the opening (fig. 4) and are spaced from each other by a gap (fig. 4), and
a common electrode material layer (228) overlapping the light emitting material layer inside the hole,
wherein the pixel electrode, the light emitting material layer overlapping the pixel electrode, and the common electrode material layer form a pixel (machine translation, page 2 paragraph 9).
Lee does not teach an electronic device comprising a light emitting display device, wherein the opening forms a trench, and wherein the trench separates the pixel from an adjacent pixel and extends along an edge of the pixel.
Choi teaches an electronic device (fig. 3, 10) comprising a light emitting display device (DIS),
wherein the opening (BG) forms a trench (paragraph 0069), and
wherein the trench separates the pixel from an adjacent pixel and extends along an edge of the pixel (fig. 3, paragraph 0065).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the light emitting display device of Lee and the electronic device of Choi in order to “provide a sufficiently long path of leakage current that can flow to neighboring pixels” (Choi paragraph 0066).
Regarding dependent claim 15, Lee further teaches the electronic device of claim 14, wherein the conductive member is electrically disconnected from all transistors of the light emitting display device (fig. 7a).
Regarding dependent claim 16, Lee further teaches the electronic device of claim 14, wherein the conductive member includes a transparent conductive oxide layer (machine translation, page 12 paragraphs 3-4).
Regarding dependent claim 17, Lee further teaches the electronic device of claim 14, wherein the conductive member is made of a same material as the pixel electrode in a same process (machine translation, page 12 paragraph 4).
Regarding dependent claim 19, Lee further teaches the electronic device of claim 14, further comprising:
a common electrode material layer (fig. 7b, 228 right side) overlapping the light emitting material layer inside the hole wherein the common electrode material layer has a discontinuity inside the opening (fig. 7b, disconnected portion of 228 overlaps with 225 in G).
Regarding dependent claim 20, Lee further teaches the electronic device of claim 14, wherein the opening has an undercut structure (fig. 7a).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 3-10, 13-17, and 19-20 have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection (Amendments).
Applicant’s arguments filed 12/02/2025 have been fully considered but are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on pages 8-10 of the instant Remarks: “A trench is an opening having a length substantially longer than a width. As can be seen in Fig. 4, the opening OP is a trench. The trench OP extends along an edge of the pixel PXc… As can be seen in Fig. 3, the holes TH1 are holes not trenches. Further, the holes TH1 are situated near a center of four pixels P and a hole TH1 does not extend along an edge of a pixel P.”
However, as stated above, Choi teaches wherein the trench (fig. 3, BG) separates the pixel from an adjacent pixel and extends along an edge of the pixel (paragraph 0065).
Applicant also argues: “In the present invention, the opening OP has an undercut structure formed in the third insulating layer PDL. While the hole TH1 in Seo, which may correspond to the opening of the present invention, also has an undercut structure, this structure is formed by the side of the pixel definition layer 113 protruding beyond the side of the second insulating layer 111. That is, Seo's hole TH1 extends across both the pixel definition layer 113 and the second insulating layer 111, and the undercut structure is formed by the combination of these two different layers. In contrast, the undercut structure of the present invention is formed entirely in the third insulating layer PDL as a single layer.”
However, as stated above, Lee teaches wherein the opening extends to the conductive member and has an undercut structure (fig. 7a, G) in the third insulating layer (215e). Therefore, amended claims 1 and 14 are anticipated by Lee and Choi, and dependent claims 3-20, 13, 15-17 and 19-20 are not allowable.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GRACE Y CHA whose telephone number is (703)756-5393. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm and every other Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jacob Choi can be reached at (469) 295-9060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GRACE CHA/Examiner, Art Unit 2897
/JACOB Y CHOI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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