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 Invention I, Claims 1-19, in the reply filed on 11/13/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 20-21 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 11/13/2025.
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.
Claims 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Feng et al. (US 20210175220 A1) hereinafter “Feng”.
Regarding Claim 15, Figure 1 of Feng teaches: A display device (Paragraph 0041) comprising: a substrate (100); a pixel electrode(105) and a common electrode (107) extending in a first direction (left/right horizontally) on the substrate and spaced apart from each other in a second direction (up/down Vertically); and at least one light-emitting element (110) on the substrate and in a space between the pixel electrode and the common electrode (Figure 1), and wherein the at least one light-emitting element comprises a first contact electrode (111) in contact with the pixel electrode on a side surface (Figure 1), and a second contact electrode (113) in contact with the common electrode at one end (top vertically) of the at least one light-emitting element.
Regarding Claim 16, Figure 1 of Feng teaches: the first contact electrode (111) comprises a protrusion (1111) protruding outward (left) from the second contact electrode in the first direction (Figure 1), and wherein the pixel electrode is arranged along the protrusion (Figure 1).
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.
Claims 1-3 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Feng et al. (US 20210175220 A1) hereinafter “Feng” in view of Song et al. (US 20210111142 A1) hereinafter “Song.”
Regarding Claim 1, Figure 1 of Feng teaches: A display device (Paragraph 0041) comprising: a substrate (100); a thin-film transistor (120) on the substrate and comprising a first electrode (121) , a second electrode (122) and a semiconductor layer (123); a first insulating (106) layer on the thin-film transistor; an organic layer (102) on the first insulating layer; at least one light-emitting element (110) on the organic layer; a pixel electrode (105) on the organic layer and in contact with a side surface of the at least one light-emitting element (Figure 1); and a common electrode (107) on the at least one light-emitting element
Feng does not teach: a planarization layer on the side surface of the at least one of light-emitting element; the common electrode on the planarization layer.
Figure 2 of Song teaches: a display device (PXL) comprising: a substrate (SUB), a thin-film transistor (TFTL), a light-emitting element (LED), an organic layer (IL3), and a planarization layer (PL) on the side surface of the light-emitting element, with a common electrode (140) on the planarization layer.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have a planarization layer on the side surface of the at least one of light-emitting element and the common electrode on the planarization layer because Song teaches a planarization layer serves to prevent a step difference due to the light-emitting element (Song Paragraph 0103).
Regarding Claim 2, Figure 1 of Feng teaches: the at least one light-emitting element (!10) comprises a first contact electrode (111) on the organic layer and in contact with the pixel electrode on the side surface (Figure 1); a device rod (112) overlapping the first contact electrode; and a second contact electrode (113) overlapping the device rod and in contact with the common electrode (Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 3, Figure 1 of Feng teaches: the first contact electrode (111) comprises a protrusion (1111) protruding outward from the device rod in a first direction (left/right horizontally), wherein the pixel electrode (105) is arranged along the protrusion (Figure 1), and wherein the first direction is perpendicular to a stack direction (up/down vertically) of the device rod (112).
Regarding Claim 11, Figure 5 of Feng teaches: one or more pixel connection holes (109) penetrating through the organic layer (102) in a sub-pixel area (Figure 1; 102 and below).
Claims 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Feng et al. (US 20210175220 A1) hereinafter “Feng” in view of Song et al. (US 20210111142 A1) hereinafter “Song” and Chae et al. (US 20210126044 A1) hereinafter “Chae.”
Regarding Claim 9, the combination of Feng and Song teaches all of the limitations of the claimed invention as stated above.
Feng does not teach: the first contact electrode is a high reflectance electrode.
Figure 2A of Chae teaches: a light emitting structure (Paragraph 0153) with a contact electrode (27); wherein the first contact electrode is a high reflectance electrode (Paragraph 0158).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the first contact electrode is a high reflectance electrode because Chae teaches a contact electrode with a high reflectance improves light output efficiency of the light emitting structure (Chae Paragraph 0158).
Regarding Claim 10, the combination of Feng and Song teaches all of the limitations of the claimed invention as stated above.
Feng does not teach: the first contact electrode has a height from about 0.5 µm to about 3 µm.
Figure 2A of Chae teaches: a light emitting structure (Paragraph 0153) with a contact electrode (37) that has a thickness of 2000 Angstroms to about 2 µm (Paragraph 0164)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the first contact electrode has a height from about 0.5 µm to about 3 µm because Chae teaches a contact electrode formed with a thickness of 2000 Angstroms (0.2 µm) to about 2 µm can be used to connect to common lines (Chae Paragraph 0164-0165).
Further, in the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists, MPEP 2144.05, In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191 USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976). In the instant case, the claimed range, about 0.5 µm to about 3 µm, overlaps the range of Chae, 2000 Angstroms (0.2 µm) to about 2 µm.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-8, 12-14, 17-19 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claim 4, the prior art of record does not teach, suggest, or motivate one having ordinary skill in the art to have a first protrusion protruding outward from the device rod in a first direction, and the second sub-contact electrode comprises a second protrusion protruding outward from the device rod in the first direction, along with the limitations of Claims 2 and 1. Claims 5-8 are also objected to as they depend from and include all of the limitations of Claim 4.
Regarding Claim 12, the prior art of record does not teach, suggest, or motivate one having ordinary skill in the art to have at least a part of the first pixel connection hole or a part of the second pixel connection hole overlaps the first light-emitting element or the second light- emitting element along with the limitations of Claims 11, 2 and 1. Claims 13-14 are also objected to as they depend from and include all of the limitations of Claim 12.
Regarding Claim 17, the prior art of record does not teach, suggest, or motivate one having ordinary skill in the art to have the first sub-contact electrode comprises a first protrusion protruding outward from the second contact electrode in the first direction, and the second sub- contact electrode comprises a second protrusion protruding outward from the second contact electrode in the first direction along with the limitations of Claim 15. Claims 18-19 are also objected to as they depend from and include all of the limitations of Claim 17.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Halee Cramer whose telephone number is (571)270-1641. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:30pm.
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/HALEE CRAMER/Examiner, Art Unit 2891
/MATTHEW C LANDAU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2891