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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by NAMKUNG et al. (US Patent Appl. Pub. No. 2015/0036299 A1).
[Re claim 1] NAMKUNG discloses the display device comprising: a substrate (10) including a pixel area (DA) and a non-pixel area (periphery area) adjacent to the pixel area (see figure 1); an inorganic layer (19) disposed on the substrate; a through hole (191) defined in the inorganic layer (19) and disposed in the non-pixel area; a light emitting element (50) disposed in the pixel area on the inorganic layer (see figure 2 and paragraph [0033]-[0058]); and an organic layer (195) filing the through hole and having an upper surface positioned at substantially a same level as an upper surface of the inorganic insulating layer (19) based on a surface of the substrate (see figure 7 and paragraph [0079]).
[Re claim 2] NAMKUNG discloses the display device wherein the through hole (191) exposes at least a portion of an upper surface of the substrate (10) (see figure 2).
[Re claim 20] NAMKUNG discloses the electronic device comprising: a display device; and a power supply that provides power to the display device (see paragraph [0041]), wherein the display device includes: a substrate (10) including a pixel area (DA) and a non-pixel area (periphery area) adjacent to the pixel area (see figure 1); an inorganic layer (19) disposed on the substrate; a through hole (191) defined in the inorganic layer and disposed in the non-pixel area; a light emitting element (50) disposed in the pixel area on the inorganic layer (see figure 2 and paragraph [0033]-[0058]); and an organic layer (195) filing the through hole and having an upper surface positioned at substantially a same level as an upper surface of the inorganic insulating layer (19) based on a surface of the substrate (see figure 7 and paragraph [0079]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3-9 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.
Claim 10-19 allowed.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance: Claim 10 allowable because of the prior art, either singly or in combination, fails to anticipate or render obvious, the method, the step of simultaneously forming first and second grooves exposing an upper surface of the photoresist layer in the pixel area and an opening exposing an upper surface of the inorganic insulating layer in the non-pixel area by exposing the photoresist layer; forming a through hole overlapping the non-pixel area by etching the inorganic insulating layer corresponding to the opening; forming an organic film disposed on an entire surface of the photoresist layer to fill the first groove, the second groove, the opening, and the through hole; and forming a light emitting element in the pixel area disposed on the inorganic insulating layer.. These features in combination with the other elements of the claim are neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Claims 11-19 depend from claim 10 so they are allowable for the same reason.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYOUNG LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-1982. The examiner can normally be reached M to F, 10am to 6pm.
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/KYOUNG LEE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817