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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/30/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The applicant did not claim electrically insulated, and fig. 8 of Tian discloses the first signal line, the second signal line and the first electrode are insulated from each other as shown below.
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 9, 13-14, 16, and 18-19are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1 as being anticipated by WO 2021213242 A1 (US 20230137930 A1 taken as English translation – hereinafter Tian).
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Regarding claim 1, figs. 7-8 of Tian discloses a display substrate, comprising:
a base 10, a first signal line 20 ([0127] The first conductive layer 20 may include the first gate electrode T1G of the first thin film transistor T1, the second gate electrode T2G of the second thin film transistor T2, the gate line GL and a gate conductive layer 24), a second signal line 50 ([0130] The second conductive layer 50 is located on a side of the active layer 40 away from the base substrate 1. The second conductive layer 5 may include: the first source electrode T1S and the first drain electrode T1D of the first thin film transistor T1, the second source electrode T2S and the second drain electrode T2D of the second thin film transistor T2, the data line DL, the common electrode Line CL and a common electrode 80), and a first electrode (70,704,702), wherein the first signal line, the second signal line and the first electrode are located on the base and sequentially arranged in a direction away from the base, and the first signal line, the second signal line and the first electrode are insulated from each other;
orthographic projections of the first signal line and the second signal line on the base at least partially overlap with each other (see A and B overlap in fig. 8 above), an orthographic projection of the first electrode (see C in fig. 8 above) on the base partially overlaps with an overlapping region in which the orthographic projections of the first signal line and the second signal line on the base overlap with each other (see A, B and C overlap in fig. 8 above); and
an opening is provided in at least a partial region of the first electrode, with the orthographic projection thereof on the base overlaps with the overlapping region in which the orthographic projections of the first signal line and the second signal line on the base overlap with each other (see opening between 704 and 702).
Regarding claim 2, fig. 7 of Tian discloses wherein the first signal line comprises a body line GL(T2G/T1G), and the body line is spatially intersected with the second signal line; and an orthographic projection of the opening (see fig. 8 opening between 704 and 702) on the base covers a spatial intersection position at which the body line and the second signal line are spatially intersected.
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Regarding claim 4, fig. 12 of Tian disclose wherein multiple first signal lines (24 and GL) parallel to each other are provided, a distance between at least two adjacent first signal lines is smaller than a width d9 of the opening along a direction in which the two adjacent first signal lines are arranged; and the orthographic projection of the opening on the base covers orthographic projections of parts of the two adjacent first signal lines and a part of a spacing between the two adjacent first signal lines on the base.
Regarding claim 5, fig. 8 of Tian discloses wherein multiple second signal lines (50 and T2D) parallel to each other are provided, a distance between at least two adjacent second signal lines is smaller than a width of the opening (between 702/704) along s direction in which the two adjacent second signal lines are arranged; and the orthographic projection of the opening on the base covers orthographic projections of parts of the two adjacent second signal lines and a part of a spacing between the two adjacent second signal lines on the base.
Regarding claim 9, Tian discloses wherein the first signal line comprises a scanning signal line GL or a light-emitting control signal line; and (par[0198]) the second signal line comprises a data signal line DL, a power signal line 80, and a sensing signal line CL (a type of sensing signal line of OLED).
Regarding claim 13, figs. 7-8 of Tian discloses a display panel, comprising the display backplane of claim 10.
Regarding claims 16 and 18 (see rejection of claim 9), Tian discloses wherein the first signal line comprises a scanning signal line or a light-emitting control signal line; and the second signal line comprises a data signal line, a power signal line, and a sensing signal line.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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) 6-8, 14 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tian.
Regarding claims 6 and 19, Tian discloses claim 1. Figs. 4 Tian discloses wherein multiple first electrodes are provided, and the multiple first electrodes are arranged in an array; each of at least part of the first electrodes is provided with the opening; an area of the orthographic projection of the opening in the first electrode on the base is not 1/30 to 1/20 of an area of the orthographic projection of the first electrode on the base.
In Gardnerv.TEC Syst., Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 220 USPQ 777 (Fed. Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 830, 225 USPQ 232 (1984), the Federal Circuit held that, where the only difference between the prior art and the claims was a recitation of relative dimensions of the claimed device and a device having the claimed relative dimensions would not perform differently than the prior art device, the claimed device was not patentably distinct from the prior art device.
As such it would have been obvious to form a substrate of Tian comprising the opening in the first electrode on the base is 1/30 to 1/20 of an area of the orthographic projection of the first electrode on the base in order to meeting the applicant design specification.
Regarding claim 7, figs. 7-8 of Tian discloses wherein distances, each along an extending direction in which the first signal line (T2G and T1G extend as shown in fig. 7) extends, between any two openings, adjacent to each other along the extending direction in which the first signal line extends, in the first electrodes in two adjacent columns along an extending direction in which the second signal line extends, are not equal.
Regarding claim 8, figs. 7-8 of Tian discloses wherein at least one opening exposes parts of two adjacent second signal lines; and/or at least one opening exposes parts of two adjacent first signal lines.
Regarding claim 14, it would have been obvious to form substrate of Tian further comprising a light-emitting functional layer and a second electrode on the display backplane, with the light-emitting functional layer and the second electrode being sequentially arranged in a direction away from the first electrode in the display backplane, and orthographic projections of the light-emitting functional layer and the second electrode on the display backplane respectively covering the first electrode and the opening in the first electrode; wherein the second electrode is made of an opaque conductive material; or, the second electrode is made of a light-transmitting conductive material; the first electrode further comprises an opaque conductive material layer located on a side, away from the base in the display backplane, of a light-transmitting conductive material layer of the first electrode in order to form a light emitting device.
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 VONGSAVANH SENGDARA whose telephone number is (571)270-5770. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-6PM EST.
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/VONGSAVANH SENGDARA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893