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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) submitted on May 18, 2023 is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, “a first pad contact-hole defined therein exposing the first pad electrode of the first light-emitting element; and a second pad contact-hole defined therein exposing the first pad electrode of the second light-emitting element,” as recited in claims 10 and 15, must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). Figure 5 shows a first pad contact-hole 258a exposing the second pad electrode 249a of the first light-emitting element 250a, and a second pad contact-hole 258b exposing the second pad electrode 249b of the second light-emitting element 250b. The specification states in [00110]: “the pad contact-holes 258a and 258b may include the first pad contact-hole 258a exposing the second pad electrode 249a of the first micro-LED 250a and the second pad contact-hole 258b exposing the second pad electrode 249b of the second micro-LED 250b.” No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 4, 11, 14 and 26 are objected to because of the following informalities:
the first instance of “sub-” should be deleted (claim 4, line 2);
“are” should read “is” (claim 4, line 9 and claim 26, line 24);
“an non-broken portion” should read “a non-broken portion” (claim 4, lines 9-10);
“the second pad contact-holes” should read “the second pad contact-hole” (claim 11, line 4 and claim 14, line 6);
“included” should be deleted (claim 26, line 14).
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2018/0175268 A1 (hereinafter “Moon”).
Regarding claim 1, Moon discloses a display device (Fig. 1; [0033]) comprising:
a substrate (100; Fig. 1; [0035]);
a plurality of sub-pixels (SP; Fig. 1; [0047]) on the substrate; and
a data line (DL; Figs. 1, 2; [0040]) and a common voltage line (CL; Figs. 1, 2; [0045]) disposed on each of the plurality of sub-pixels, wherein at least one of the plurality of sub-pixels comprises:
a thin-film transistor (T2; Fig. 6; [0049]);
a first light-emitting element (D1; Fig. 4; [0066]);
a second light-emitting element (D2; Fig. 4; [0066]), wherein the second light-emitting element and the first light-emitting element are adjacent to each other and spaced from each other;
a first electrode (CE; Fig. 6; [0135]) connecting the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element to the common voltage line; and
a second electrode (AE; Figs. 3, 6; [0078], [0085] and [0132]) connecting (electrically) the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element to a drain electrode (DE; Fig. 6; [0090]) of the thin-film transistor, wherein the drain electrode is connected (indirectly physically) to the data line.
Regarding claim 3, Moon discloses the second electrode is connected in series or in parallel with the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element (see Fig. 2 showing the circuit diagram of each sub-pixel SP).
Regarding claim 4, Moon discloses responsive to one of the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element included in each of the plurality of sub-pixels is defective ([0006] and [0008]), the display device is configured to supply a current having a current amount that generates Joule-heat to the second electrode supplying the current to the defective light-emitting element so as to break a portion of the second electrode connected to the defective light-emitting element, such that the other of the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element acts as a normal light-emitting element and is electrically connected to the data line via a non-broken portion of the second electrode.
The limitation "the display device is configured to supply a current having a current amount that generates Joule-heat to the second electrode supplying the current to the defective light-emitting element so as to break a portion of the second electrode connected to the defective light-emitting element, such that the other of the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element acts as a normal light-emitting element and are electrically connected to the data line via an non-broken portion of the second electrode" has not been given patentable weight because it is considered to be intended use and/or functional language. This type of description does not affect the structure of the final device. It is respectfully noted that intended use and/or other types of functional language must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. If the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, then it meets the claim. In a claim drawn to a process of making, the intended use must result in a manipulative difference as compared to the prior art. In re Casey, 152 USPQ 235 (CCPA 1967); In re Otto, 136 USPQ 458, 459 (CCPA 1963). Note that Applicant has burden of proof in such cases, as the above case law makes clear. Furthermore, it has been held that where the claimed and prior art products are identical or substantially identical in structure or composition, or are produced by identical or substantially identical processes, a prima facie case of either anticipation or obviousness has been established. In re Best, 562 F.2d 1252, 1255, 195 USPQ 430, 433 (CCPA 1977).
Regarding claim 5, Moon discloses the common voltage line is connected (electrically and/or physically, directly or indirectly) to each of the plurality of sub-pixels emitting light of a same color.
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.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moon in view of US 2005/0140903 A1 (hereinafter “Park”).
Regarding claim 2, Moon discloses the display device of claim 1.
Moon does not disclose an auxiliary electrode line overlapping with the common voltage line.
Park teaches an auxiliary electrode line (183; Fig. 8; [0041] and [0049]) overlapping with the common voltage line (171; Fig. 8; [0041] and [0049]).
Moon and Park are analogous art because they both are directed to display devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify Moon with the specified features of Park because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to form an auxiliary electrode line overlapping with the common voltage line, as taught by Park, in order to reduce an overall resistance of the line structure along which the common voltage is transmitted.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is 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: the prior art does not teach “a reflective layer having a concave profile, wherein the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element are on the reflective layer” as recited in claim 6.
Claims 7-10, 12, 13 and 15-25 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art does not teach “a reflective layer extending through the interlayer insulating film” as recited in independent claim 7.
Claims 11 and 14 depend from claim 7 and therefore would be allowable if amended to overcome the objections set forth in this Office action.
Independent claim 26 would be allowable if amended to overcome the objections set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art does not teach “the repairing method comprises: responsive to one of the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element included in a sub-pixel among the plurality of sub-pixels is a defective light-emitting element, supplying a current having a current amount that generates Joule-heat to the second electrode of the defective light-emitting element so as to break a portion of the second electrode connected to the defective light-emitting element, such that the other of the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element acts as a normal light-emitting element and are electrically connected to the data line via a non-broken portion of the second electrode” as recited in claim 26.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER M ALBRECHT whose telephone number is (571)272-7813. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM (CT).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lynne Gurley can be reached at (571) 272-1670. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PETER M ALBRECHT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811