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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 05/15/2026 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities:
The claim recites the limitation “wherein the plurality of micro-LEDs the connected to the channel layer through the reflective layer.” It seems that the claim should be “wherein the plurality of micro-LEDs the connected to are channel layer through the reflective layer”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Akimoto [US PGPUB 20240014354] in view of Ishiyama [US PGPUB 20190214449].
Regarding claim 10, Akimoto teaches an ultra-high pixel per inch (ppi) micro-light-emitting diode (LED) display comprising:
a micro-LED layer (layer 156 to include device 550, Fig. 27) comprising a LED (550, Para 318); and
a backplane layer (structure on layer 156 excluding layer 330, Fig. 27) comprising a switching device (103, Para 94) connected to the micro-LED layer (Fig. 27), and
a field shielding member (330, Para 319) provided between the plurality of micro-LEDs and the switching device (Fig. 27), the field shielding member configured to shield the switching device from a field applied to the switching device from the plurality of micro-LEDs during an operation of the micro-LED display (Para 319),
wherein the micro-LED layer and the backplane layer form a single body in a sequentially stacked structure (Fig. 27), and
wherein the micro-LED display comprises:
a single layer (111s, Para 105) corresponding to the switching device and separated from the LED (Fig. 27); and
a layer (110s, Para 102) provided as a contact terminal and configured to apply a voltage to the single layer (Para 105).
In the embodiment of Fig. 27, Akimoto does not specifically disclose plurality of micro-LEDs,
wherein the switching device comprises a plurality of switching devices,
the single layer is a metal layer, and
the layer is a metal layer.
However, it is noted that the embodiment of Fig. 27 of Akimoto’s invention is a subpixel of a display device (Para 313/338).
Furthermore, specifically referring to Fig. 3 of Akimoto’s invention, Akimoto depicts a structure of a display device, wherein the display device comprises plurality of subpixels (20R, 20G, and 20B, Para 17), wherein each subpixel comprises a light emitting element and wherein each subpixel has a transistor T2 connected to the light emitting device (Fig. 3).
In view of such further teaching by Akimoto, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of the embodiment of Fig. 27 with that of Fig. 3 at least based on the rationale of combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results (MPEP 2143.I.C) or relying on teachings, suggestions, or motivations in the prior art that would have led one of ordinary skill to modify the prior art reference or to combine prior art reference teachings to arrive at the claimed invention (MPEP 2143.I.G).
Referring to the invention of Ishiyama, Ishiyama teaches a source-drain electrode 135 (a structure similar to layers 110s/111s of Akimoto), when the electrode is a metallic layer (Para 42).
In view of such teaching by Ishiyama, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have layers110s/111s of Akimoto comprise a metallic material (as taught by Ishiyama) at least based on the rationale of using known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way using (MPEP 2143.I.C).
Regarding claim 11, Akimoto teaches a micro-LED display wherein the switching device comprises a channel layer (104, Para 93), and wherein the plurality of micro-LEDs are connected to one side of the channel layer (Fig. 27).
Regarding claim 12, Akimoto teaches a micro-LED display wherein reflective layer (i.e., layer 330, Para 266) is provided between the switching device and the plurality of micro-LEDs (Fig. 27), and wherein the plurality of micro-LEDs the connected to the channel layer through the reflective layer (Fig. 27).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2, 4-7, and 9 allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 1-2, 4-7, and 9 are allowed because all prior arts of record and related prior arts not of record either singularly or in combination fail to anticipate or render obvious an ultra-high pixel per inch (ppi) micro-light-emitting diode (LED) display comprising:
wherein the micro-LED display further comprises a first metal layer directly contacting the switching device, extending through the backplane layer, penetrating the field shielding member, and directly contacting an electrode layer that directly contacts at least one of the plurality of micro-LEDs,
wherein the plurality of micro-LEDs comprises at least one active micro-LED and an inactive dummy micro-LED. (as claimed in claim 1), in combination with the rest of claim limitations as claimed and defined by the Applicant.
Conclusion
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/ISMAIL A MUSE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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