Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/197,593

DISPLAY APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
May 15, 2023
Examiner
SOWARD, IDA M
Art Unit
2898
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
93%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
2y 4m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 93% — above average
93%
Career Allow Rate
1226 granted / 1316 resolved
+25.2% vs TC avg
Moderate +5% lift
Without
With
+5.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
48 currently pending
Career history
1364
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
33.6%
-6.4% vs TC avg
§102
35.2%
-4.8% vs TC avg
§112
30.2%
-9.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1316 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . This Office Action is in response to the Applicant’s amendment filed December 11, 2025. Drawings The objection to the drawings has been withdrawn due to the amendment filed. Specification The objection to the title of the invention has been withdrawn due to the amendment filed. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 1, 7 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. In regard to claim 1, It is not understood how a portion of the power supply line covers a portion of the power supply line (See lines 11-13). In regard to claim 7, It is not understood how a portion of the power supply line covers a portion of the power supply line (See page 5, lines 7-9). In regard to claim 14, which claim element covers a portion of the conductive line? Is it the first inorganic encapsulation layer or the second inorganic encapsulation layer (See page 7, lines 6-8). In regard to claims 1 and 7, it is not understood what claim element extends to the peripheral area and covers the portion of the power supply line. In regard to claims 1 and 7, the statement “wherein a portion of the power supply line overlaps the dam, the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the second inorganic encapsulation layer extend to the peripheral area and cover the portion of the power supply line, and an edge of the portion of the power supply line overlaps at least one conductive layer on the second inorganic encapsulation layer” is confusing and run together. For instance, it is not understood what claim element extends to the peripheral area and covers the portion of the power supply line; it is not understood how the edge of the portion of the power supply line overlaps at least one conductive layer on the second inorganic encapsulation layer; and it is not understood how the edge of the portion of the conductive line in the peripheral area overlaps at least one conductive layer on the second inorganic encapsulation layer. All interpreted from multiple angle to provide a more comprehensive search. Claims 2-6 and 12 are rejected as being dependent upon rejected claim 1. Claims 8-11 are rejected as being dependent upon rejected claim 7. Claims 15-16 and 18-23 are rejected as being dependent upon rejected claim 14. Allowable Subject Matter As best understood, claims 1-12, 14-16 and 18-23 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see page 3, filed December 11, 2025, with respect to 35 U.S.C. 102(a) have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of 1-2, 12 and 14-16 has been withdrawn. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following patents are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to display devices: Gwon et al. (US 11,114,510 B2) Jeong et al. (EP 3460622 A2) Kim et al. (US 2021/0200358 A1) Lee et al. (EP 3477443 B1) Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IDA M SOWARD whose telephone number is (571)272-1845. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, 7am to 5:30pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Leonard Chang can be reached on 571-570-3691. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. IMS February 18, 2026 /IDA M SOWARD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 15, 2023
Application Filed
Sep 09, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Dec 11, 2025
Response Filed
Feb 18, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12604638
DISPLAY SUBSTRATE, DISPLAY MOTHER BOARD AND DISPLAY APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12598979
Dual Contact and Power Rail for High Performance Standard Cells
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12598917
ADVANCED MRAM DEVICE STRUCTURE HAVING HYPERBOLOID SHAPE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12598894
DISPLAY DEVICE INCLUDING PASSIVATION LAYER
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12588384
DISPLAY BASE PLATE INCLUDING MAIN AND AUXILIARY SPACERS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
93%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+5.4%)
2y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1316 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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