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 Species I, claim 1-18 in the reply filed on October 3, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 19-30 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse.
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) 1-5 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US 2020/0161579 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a display device comprising: a substrate (110) including light emitting areas (LA1, LA2, LA3, LA4; Fig. 28) and a peripheral area (NDA) surrounding the light emitting areas; a light emitting element layer (OL1, OL2, OL3; Fig. 27) disposed on the substrate and overlapping the light emitting areas; an encapsulation layer (170) disposed on the light emitting element layer; and a first pattern layer (70) disposed on the encapsulation layer, and including first extension parts (70b_9 extending along direction d2) extending in a first direction and first connection parts (70b_9 extending along direction d1) connecting adjacent first extension parts among the first extension parts to each other (Fig. 28).
Regarding claim 2, Kim discloses a display device wherein the first connection parts (70b_9) are spaced apart from the light emitting areas (LA1, LA2, LA3, LA4) in a plan view and disposed in the peripheral area (Fig. 28).
Regarding claim 3, Kim discloses a display device wherein the first extension parts and the first connection parts are disposed on the same layer and integrally formed (Fig. 28).
Regarding claim 4, Kim discloses a display device wherein the first connection parts extend in a second direction (d1) crossing the first direction (d2, Fig. 28).
Regarding claim 5, Kim discloses a display device further comprising: a second pattern layer (70a_9) disposed on the encapsulation layer and adjacent to the first pattern layer (70b_9).
Regarding claim 18, Kim discloses a display device wherein the first pattern layer (70b_9) is formed of at least one of an acrylic-based resin, a methacrylic-based resin, a polyisoprene-based resin, a vinyl-based resin, an epoxy-based resin, an urethane-based resin, a cellulose-based resin, a siloxane-based resin, a polyimide-based resin, a polyamide-based resin, and a perylene-based resin (¶[0224]).
Claim(s) 1-6 and 8-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Oh et al. (WO 2020/141650 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Oh discloses a display device comprising: a substrate (110) including light emitting areas (LA1, LA2, LA3, LA4; Fig. 4) and a peripheral area (NDA) surrounding the light emitting areas (Fig. 4); a light emitting element layer (OL1, OL2, OL3; Fig. 5) disposed on the substrate and overlapping the light emitting areas; an encapsulation layer (170) disposed on the light emitting element layer; and a first pattern layer (70) disposed on the encapsulation layer, and including first extension parts (70b extending along direction d2) extending in a first direction and first connection parts (70b extending along direction d1) connecting adjacent first extension parts among the first extension parts to each other (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 2, Oh discloses a display device wherein the first connection parts (70b) are spaced apart from the light emitting areas (LA1, LA2, LA3, LA4) in a plan view and disposed in the peripheral area (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 3, Oh discloses a display device wherein the first extension parts and the first connection parts are disposed on the same layer and integrally formed (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 4, Oh discloses a display device wherein the first connection parts extend in a second direction (d1) crossing the first direction (d2, Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 5, Oh discloses a display device further comprising: a second pattern layer (BM2_1, Fig. 15) disposed on the encapsulation layer and adjacent to the first pattern layer (70b, Fig. 15).
Regarding claim 6, Oh discloses a display device wherein the second pattern layer (BM2_1) includes second extension parts disposed between the first extension parts (70b) and extending in the first direction (d2) and second connection parts connecting adjacent second extension parts among the second extension parts to each other (second pattern layer BM2_1 is lattice shape, ¶[229]).
Regarding claim 8, Oh discloses a display device wherein in a plan view, the first extension parts and the second extension parts are alternately disposed (Fig. 15 shows second extension parts of second pattern layer BM2_1 is located between two adjacent first extension parts 70b).
Regarding claim 9, Oh discloses a display device wherein the second extension parts and the second connection parts are disposed on the same layer and integrally formed (second pattern layer BM2_1 is lattice shape, ¶[229]).
Regarding claim 10, Oh discloses a display device wherein the second extension parts respectively cover the first connection parts and respectively overlap the first connection parts. (BM2_1 lattice covers and overlaps with the first pattern layer 70b, Fig. 15).
Regarding claim 11, Oh discloses a display device wherein the second connection parts are respectively disposed on the first extension parts and respectively overlap the first extension parts (BM2_1 lattice covers and overlaps with the first pattern layer 70b, Fig. 15).
Regarding claim 12, Oh discloses a display device wherein the second connection parts are disposed in the peripheral area and extend in a second direction crossing the first direction (d2, ¶[229]).
Regarding claim 13, Oh discloses a display device wherein the first connection parts and the second connection parts overlap each other in the second direction (BM2_1 lattice covers and overlaps with the first pattern layer 70b, Fig. 15).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 and 14-17 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(s) 7, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 7, and specifically comprising the limitation of a height of each of the second extension parts is greater than a height of each of the first extension parts.
Regarding claim(s) 14, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 14, and specifically comprising the limitation of the first connection parts and the second connection parts are alternately disposed along the second direction.
Regarding claim(s) 15, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 15, and specifically comprising the limitation of a light absorption film covering a side surface of each of the first extension parts and the second extension parts.
Regarding claim(s) 16-17, claims(s) 16-17 is/are allowable for the reasons given in claim(s) 15 because of its/their dependency status from claim(s) 15.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lee et al. (US 2024/0298506 A1) discloses a display device including a substrate, a light emitting element in the light emitting area on the substrate, an encapsulation layer on the substrate and covering the light emitting element, a light transmission pattern on the encapsulation layer, a light control pattern on the encapsulation layer to surround a side surface of the light transmission pattern.
Jung et al. (US 2024/0057459 A1) discloses a display apparatus including a substrate, a display element is disposed on the substrate, a first organic layer is disposed on the display element and includes a plurality of first organic patterns, the plurality of first organic patterns extends in a first direction and has reverse-graded sidewalls and a plurality of first light-shielding walls is disposed on sidewalls of the plurality of first organic patterns.
Kim et al. (US 2023/0217794 A1) discloses a display device including: a substrate, a light emitting element which is on the substrate and emits light in a light emitting direction; and a side wall layer including a plurality of light control patterns arranged along the substrate, where the side wall layer is adjacent to the light emitting element in the light emitting direction of the light emitting element.
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood or implied from the texts of the references. To emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out. Each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mariceli Santiago whose telephone number is (571) 272-2464. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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/Mariceli Santiago/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2879