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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, “an area of an orthographic projection of the part area of the first wiring regarded as the first electrode on the substrate is greater than an area of an orthographic projection of the other part of the first wiring on the substrate,” as recited in claim 1, must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the first wiring” should read “the wiring” (lines 8, 9-10 and 11). Appropriate correction is required.
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 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2020/0119244 A1 (hereinafter “Kwon-2020”).
Regarding claim 1, Kwon-2020 discloses an array baseplate, comprising:
a substrate (110; Fig. 4; [0056]);
a drive unit (130, 140, 150; Figs. 3, 4; [0074]) disposed on one side (bottom side) of the substrate; and
a light-emitting unit (PX; Fig. 1; [0054]) comprising at least one light-emitting subunit (120; Fig. 4; [0056]) and disposed on a side (top side) of the substrate away from the drive unit, wherein the light-emitting unit is electrically connected to the drive unit through a wiring (121P, CP1; Fig. 4; [0105]-[0107]) penetrating the substrate, and at least part area (a bottom surface of first semiconductor layer 121; Fig. 4; [0059]) of each light-emitting subunit is in direct contact with the substrate; and
the each light-emitting subunit comprises a first electrode (121P; Fig. 4; [0064]), a part area (121P; Fig. 4; [0064]) of the first wiring is regarded as the first electrode, and an area of an orthographic projection of the part area of the first wiring regarded as the first electrode on the substrate is greater than an area of an orthographic projection of the other part (CP1; Fig. 4; [0105]-[0107]) of the first wiring on the substrate (Fig. 2, which is a top (plan) view, shows the area of the first pad electrode 121P is greater than the area of the first connection unit CP1).
Regarding claim 2, Kwon-2020 discloses the array baseplate comprises a first wiring (121P, CP1; Fig. 4; [0105]-[0107]) and a second wiring (123P, CP2; Fig. 4; [0105]-[0107]), the light-emitting subunit comprises an epitaxial layer (121, 122, 123; Fig. 4; [0059] and [0116]-[0117]); the first wiring and the second wiring are electrically connected to the epitaxial layer, and the first wiring and the second wiring are electrically connected to the drive unit ([0105]-[0108]);
wherein, at least part area (a bottom surface of first semiconductor layer 121; Fig. 4; [0059]) of the epitaxial layer is in direct contact with the substrate.
Regarding claim 4, Kwon-2020 discloses at least part area (CP1; Fig. 4; [0105]-[0106]) of at least one wiring (121P, CP1) of the first wiring and the second wiring passes through the substrate and extends to the side of the substrate disposing the drive unit, and is electrically connected to the drive unit.
Regarding claim 5, Kwon-2020 discloses the light-emitting unit comprises one light-emitting subunit (120; Fig. 4; [0056]), the substrate is provided with a first through hole (VH (right); Fig. 4; [0105]) and a second through hole (VH (left); Fig. 4; [0105]), at least part area (CP1) of the first wiring is located in the first through hole, and at least part area (CP2) of the second wiring is located in the second through hole ([0106]).
Regarding claim 6, Kwon-2020 discloses the first wiring is located in the first through hole (Fig. 4), a part area (123P) of the second wiring is located on a side (top side) of the epitaxial layer away from the substrate, and the other part area (CP2) of the second wiring is located in the second through hole (Fig. 4).
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) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon-2020 in view of US 2022/0020812 A1 (hereinafter “Kwon-2022”).
Regarding claim 10, Kwon-2020 discloses the array baseplate according to claim 1.
Kwon-2020 does not disclose a material of the substrate comprises silicon.
Kwon-2022 teaches a material of the substrate (110; Fig. 3A; [0048]) comprises silicon.
Kwon-2020 and Kwon-2022 are analogous art because they both are directed to display devices including light emitting diodes (LEDs) and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify Kwon-2020 with the specified features of Kwon-2022 because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to select a material of the substrate to comprise silicon, as taught by Kwon-2022, in order to leverage the ubiquity and technological maturity of silicon as a substrate material.
Furthermore, it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 277 F.2d 197, 125 USPQ 416 (CCPA 1960). MPEP 2144.07.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed March 13, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on pages 9-10: “Kwon-2020 only discloses the first pad electrode 121P, but fails to disclose the content about the orthographic projection of the first pad electrode 121P, thus a person skilled in the art does not know how to set the orthographic projection of the first pad electrode 121P based on Kwon-2020. However, in claim 1 of the present application, an area of an orthographic projection of the part area of the first wiring regarded as the first electrode on the substrate is greater than an area of an orthographic projection of the other part of the first wiring on the substrate, which is not taught by Kwon-2020. Kwon-2022 is also silent about this distinguishing feature. In summary, none of the cited reference documents discloses the limitations of amended claim 1. Therefore, claim 1 is patentable.”
In response, Fig. 2 of Kwon-2020 shows a top (plan) view of one pixel comprising three sub-pixels SPR (red), SPG (green), and SPB (blue). Kwon-2020 explains: “FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a single pixel on the upper surface of the substrate of a display device according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure” ([0056], lines 1-3). As shown in Fig. 2 of Kwon-2020, the area of the first pad electrode 121P is greater than the area of the first connection unit CP1. In other words, the area of the rectangle corresponding to the first pad electrode 121P is greater than the area of the rectangle corresponding to the first connection unit CP1 when viewed from above. Because Fig. 2 is a top view of a single pixel on the upper surface of the substrate 110, Fig. 2 therefore discloses an area of an orthographic projection of the first pad electrode 121P on the substrate is greater than an area of an orthographic projection of the first connection unit CP1 on the substrate. In the current rejection of claim 1, the first pad electrode 121P has been mapped to “a first electrode” and “a part area of the first wiring is regarded as the first electrode” as claimed. The first connection unit CP1 has been mapped to “the other part of the first wiring” as claimed. Therefore, it is respectfully submitted that Fig. 2 of Kwon-2020 discloses “an area of an orthographic projection of the part area of the first wiring regarded as the first electrode on the substrate is greater than an area of an orthographic projection of the other part of the first wiring on the substrate” as recited in claim 1. Accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kwon-2020 is maintained.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 PETER M ALBRECHT whose telephone number is (571)272-7813. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM (CT).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lynne Gurley can be reached at (571) 272-1670. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PETER M ALBRECHT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811
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