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, which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/19/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 6/26/2023. These drawings are considered acceptable by Examiner.
America Invents Act
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 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.
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.
1. Claim(s) 1-2, 4-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0206960)
Regarding Claim 1, Lee et al., teaches a display device comprising: a first display substrate (100, “a first substrate,” ¶ [0030] - ¶ [0040]; see at least Fig. 4) including first, second, and third light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,); a second display substrate (700) including a non-display region (NDA) and a display region (DA) including first, second, and third pixel regions (R, G, B, “in each pixel,” ¶ [0071]) respectively corresponding to the first, second, and third light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,); and a sealing member (900) overlapping the non-display region (NDA) in a plan view and between the first display substrate (100) and the second display substrate (700), wherein the second display substrate (700) includes: a base layer (of 700); first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) on a surface of the base layer (of 700) and respectively overlapping the first, second, and third pixel regions; at least one dam pattern (1100) on the surface of the base layer (of 700) and overlapping the non-display region (NDA) in the plan view; an organic layer (600, “an organic material,” ¶ [0049]) below the first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c), a first inorganic layer (500, “inorganic material,” ¶ [0082]) below the organic layer (600) and overlapping the non-display region (NDA) and the display region; a division pattern (300) below the first inorganic layer (500) and having first, second, and third openings (spacings between respective 300) respectively corresponding to the first, second, and third pixel regions; first, second, and third light control patterns (400) inside the first, second, and third openings (spacings between respective 300), respectively; and a second inorganic layer (240) below the division pattern (300) and the first, second, and third light control patterns (400) and overlapping the non-display region (NDA) and the display region, and the sealing member (900) overlaps the first inorganic layer (500) and the second inorganic layer (240, “an inorganic material,” ¶ [0065]) in the non-display region (NDA) and non-overlaps the organic layer (600), and is farther from the display region than the at least one dam pattern (1100) in the plan view (where portions of 900 are farther from the DA than 1100).
Regarding Claim 2, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the at least one dam pattern (1100) comprises first to n-th dam pattern (1100) (where n is a natural number of 2 or greater) arranged to have gradually larger spaces between adjacent dam pattern (1100) as a distance from the display region increases, and at least one of the first to n-th dam patterns (1100) has a closed line shape (“The width in each of the lower barrier pattern 1000 and the upper barrier pattern 1100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure may be gradually decreased,” ¶ [0100]).
Regarding Claim 4, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the at least one dam pattern (1100) comprises first to n-th dam patterns (1100) (where n is a natural number of 2 or greater) arranged to have gradually larger spaces (“The width in each of the lower barrier pattern 1000 and the upper barrier pattern 1100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure may be gradually decreased,” ¶ [0100]) between adjacent dam patterns (1100) as a distance from the display region increases, and any one of the first to n-th dam pattern (1100) comprises a first layer (1100a), a second layer (1100b) below the first layer (1100a), and a third layer (1100c) below the second layer (1100b), and the first layer (1100a) comprises the same material as any one of the first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) (same material, ¶ [0085]), the second layer (1100b) comprises the same material as another one of the first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) (¶ [0085]), and the third layer (1100c) comprises the same material as the other one of the first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) (¶ [0085]).
Regarding Claim 5, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 4, wherein the second layer (1100b) surrounds a side surface of the first layer (1100a), and the third layer (1100c) surrounds a side surface of the second layer (1100b).
Regarding Claim 6, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 4, wherein the first layer (1100a) has a width greater than or equal to a width of the second layer (1100b), and the third layer (1100c) has a width less than or equal to the width of the second layer (1100b).
Regarding Claim 7, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the at least one dam pattern (1100) comprises first to n-th dam patterns (1100) (where n is a natural number of 2 or greater) arranged to have gradually larger spaces (“The width in each of the lower barrier pattern 1000 and the upper barrier pattern 1100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure may be gradually decreased,” ¶ [0100]) between adjacent dam patterns (1100) as a distance from the display region increases, and the organic layer (600) overlaps the first dam pattern (1100), and an edge of the organic layer (600) is positioned between adjacent dam patterns (1100) among the second to n-th dam patterns (1100).
Regarding Claim 8, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the display region further comprises a peripheral region between the first, second, and third pixel regions (of EL, G, R, B), and at least two or more color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) among the first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) overlap in the peripheral region.
Regarding Claim 9, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, and third light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,) is configured to generate blue source light (blue emission, ¶ [0042]), first and second filter openings (spacings between respective 300) respectively corresponding to the first and second pixel regions are defined in the third color filter, and the third color filter overlaps the third pixel region, and the third color filter is a blue color filter (850c, “may be a blue color filter,” ¶ [0052]).
Regarding Claim 10, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 9, wherein the first and second light control patterns (400) comprise a base resin and quantum dots mixed with the base resin (QD, quantum dot, ¶ [0072]), and the third light control pattern comprises a base resin without quantum dots (¶ [0072], optional).
Regarding Claim 11, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 9, wherein each of the first, second, and third light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,) comprises a first electrode (E1), a second electrode (E2) on the first electrode, and an emission layer (EL) between the first electrode (E1) and the second electrode (E2), and the emission layer (EL) of the first light emitting element, the emission layer (EL) of the second light emitting element, and the emission layer (EL) of the third light emitting element have a single-body shape (shape, as depicted in Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 12, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the organic layer (600) has a lower refractive index than the first inorganic layer (500).
Regarding Claim 13, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the organic layer (600) comprises a synthetic resin and porogen or hollow silica, which is mixed with the synthetic resin (material, ¶ [0048]).
Regarding Claim 14, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, further comprising a filling material filling a gap between the first display substrate (100) and the second display substrate (700).
Regarding Claim 15, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein at least one trench pattern (via pattern 1100) is defined on the surface of the base layer (of 700), the at least one trench pattern overlaps the non-display region (NDA) in the plan view, and the organic layer (600) is inside the at least one trench pattern.
Regarding Claim 16, Lee et al., teaches to display device comprising: a first display substrate (100) including a plurality of light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,); a second display substrate (700) including a non-display region (NDA) and a display region including a plurality of pixel regions respectively corresponding to the plurality of light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,); and a sealing member (900) overlapping the non-display region (NDA) in a plan view and between the first display substrate (100) and the second display substrate (700) so as to maintain a gap between the first display substrate (100) and the second display substrate (700), wherein the second display substrate (700) includes: a base layer (of 700); a plurality of color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) on a surface of the base layer (of 700) and overlapping each of the plurality of pixel regions; a plurality of organic patterns (830, “formed of an organic material”) each below the plurality of color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) and spaced apart from each other; an inorganic layer below the plurality of organic patterns (830) and overlapping the non-display region (NDA) and the display region; a division pattern (300) below the inorganic layer (870) and having a plurality of openings (spacings between respective 300) respectively corresponding to the plurality of pixel regions; and a quantum dot pattern (QD, ¶ [0072]) in a corresponding one of the plurality of openings (spacings between respective 300), the sealing member (900) overlaps the inorganic layer (870) in the non-display region (NDA) and non-overlaps the plurality of organic patterns (830), and each of the organic patterns (830) has a lower refractive index than the inorganic layer (870, based up refractive indices of the materials of 830 and 870).
Regarding Claim 17, Lee et al., teaches a display device comprising: a first display substrate (100) including first, second, and third light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,); a second display substrate (700) including a non-display region (NDA) and a display region (DA) including first, second, and third pixel regions respectively corresponding to the first, second, and third light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,); and a sealing member (900) overlapping the non-display region (NDA) in a plan view and between the first display substrate (100) and the second display substrate (700), wherein the second display substrate (700) includes: a base layer (of 700) overlapping the non-display region (NDA) in the plan view and having first to n-th trench patterns (1100c, 1100b, 1100a) (where n is a natural number of 2 or greater) defined on a lower surface thereof so as to have gradually larger spaces between adjacent trench patterns as a distance from the display region increases (“The width in each of the lower barrier pattern 1000 and the upper barrier pattern 1100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure may be gradually decreased,” ¶ [0100]); first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) on the lower surface of the base layer (of 700) and respectively overlapping the first, second, and third pixel regions; an organic layer (600) below the first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c), a first inorganic layer (500) below the organic layer (600) and overlapping the non-display region (NDA) and the display region; a division pattern (300) below the first inorganic layer (500) and having first, second, and third openings (spacings between respective 300) respectively corresponding to the first, second, and third pixel regions; first, second, and third light control patterns (400) inside the first, second, and third openings (spacings between respective 300), respectively; and a second inorganic layer (240) below the division pattern (300) and the first, second, and third light control patterns (400) and overlapping the non-display region (NDA) and the display region, and the sealing member (900) overlaps the first inorganic layer (500) and the second inorganic layer (240) in the non-display region (NDA) and non-overlaps the organic layer (600), and is farther from the display region than the n-th trench pattern (1100) in the plan view.
Regarding Claim 18, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first to n-th trench patterns (1100) has a closed line shape.
Regarding Claim 19, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 17, wherein the organic layer (600) overlaps the first trench pattern (of 1100), and an edge of the organic layer (600) is positioned within the second to n-th trench patterns (of 1100).
Regarding Claim 20, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 17, wherein each of the first to n-th trench patterns comprises a bottom surface (of 1100a), and a first side surface and a second side surface that connect the bottom surface and the lower surface of the base layer (of 700), respectively, and a distance between the first side surface and the second side surface increases from the lower surface of the base layer (of 700) towards the bottom surface (1100a).
Regarding Claim 21, Lee et al., teaches a display device comprising: a base layer (of 700) including a non-display region (NDA) and a display region; first, second, and third light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,) on the base layer (of 700) and overlapping the display region; a thin film encapsulation layer (lower surface of 500) sealing the first, second, and third light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,); a division pattern (300) on the thin film encapsulation layer (lower surface of 500), first, second, and third openings (spacings between respective 300) respectively corresponding to the first, second, and third light emitting elements (EL [Wingdings font/0xE0] R, G, B,) being defined in the division pattern (300); first, second, and third light control patterns (400) respectively inside the first, second, and third openings (spacings between respective 300); at least one insulating layer (500) on the division pattern (300) and the first, second, and third light control patterns (400); first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) on the at least one insulating layer (500) and respectively overlapping the first, second, and third light control patterns (400); at least one dam pattern (1100) on the thin film encapsulation layer (lower surface of 500) and overlapping the non-display region (NDA); and an organic layer (600) covering the first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) and overlapping the non-display region (NDA) and the display region, wherein an edge of the organic layer (600) is inside the at least one dam pattern (1100), and the at least one dam pattern (1100) includes the same material as at least one of the first, second, or third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) (same material, ¶ [0085]).
Regarding Claim 22, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 21, wherein the at least one insulating layer (500 [Wingdings font/0xE0] SiO2 [Wingdings font/0xE0] refractive index of ~1.46) comprises a layer having a refractive index of 1.1 to 1.5.
Regarding Claim 23, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 22, wherein the at least one insulating layer (500 [Wingdings font/0xE0] plurality of layered SiO2 [Wingdings font/0xE0] “multilayered,” ¶ [0048]) further comprises inorganic layers each below and above the layer having a refractive index of 1.1 to 1.5.
Regarding Claim 24, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 21, wherein the at least one dam pattern (1100) comprises first to n-th dam pattern (1100) (where n is a natural number of 2 or greater) arranged to have gradually larger spaces between adjacent dam pattern (1100) as a distance from the display region increases, and at least one of the first to n-th dam pattern (1100) a closed line shape (“The width in each of the lower barrier pattern 1000 and the upper barrier pattern 1100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure may be gradually decreased,” ¶ [0100]).
Regarding Claim 25, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 21, wherein the at least one dam pattern (1100) comprises first to n-th dam patterns (1100) (where n is a natural number of 2 or greater) arranged to have gradually larger spaces (“The width in each of the lower barrier pattern 1000 and the upper barrier pattern 1100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure may be gradually decreased,” ¶ [0100]) between adjacent dam patterns (1100) as a distance from the display region increases, and any one of the first to n-th dam pattern (1100) comprises a first layer (1100a), a second layer (1100b) below the first layer (1100a), and a third layer (1100c) below the second layer (1100b), and the first layer (1100a) comprises the same material as any one of the first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) (same material, ¶ [0085]), the second layer (1100b) comprises the same material as another one of the first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) (¶ [0085]), and the third layer (1100c) comprises the same material as the other one of the first, second, and third color filters (850a, 850b, 850c) (¶ [0085]).
Regarding Claim 26, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 21, wherein the first and second light control patterns (400) comprise a base resin and quantum dots (QD, ¶ [0072]), and the third light control pattern comprises a base resin.
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 of this title, 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.
2. Claim(s) 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Lee et al., in view of Wang et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2021/0135147 A1).
Regarding Claim 3, Lee et al., teaches the invention set forth above (see rejection in the corresponding claim(s) above) and further teaches the at least one dam pattern (1100) comprises first to n-th dam patterns (1100) (where n is a natural number of 2 or greater) arranged to have gradually larger spaces (as clearly depicted in Fig. 5) between adjacent dam patterns (1100) as a distance from the display region increases. However, Lee et al., is silent regarding the first dam pattern having a lower height than the n-th dam pattern.
In the same field of endeavor, Wang et al., teaches a display device with a dam pattern in the non-display region, wherein a first dam pattern (211) has a lower height than the n-th dam pattern (220, 220, as clearly depicted in Fig. 2) in order to improve the water-blocking effect while maintaining structural integrity (¶ [0031]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the first dam pattern, as disclosed by Wang, in the display of Lee et al., in order to improve the water-blocking effect while maintaining structural integrity (¶ [0031]).
Examiner's Note
The Examiner cites particular figures, paragraphs, columns and line numbers in the reference(s), as applied to the claims above. Although the particular citations are representative teachings and are applied to specific limitations within the claims, other passages, internally cited references, and figures may also apply. In preparing a response, it is respectfully requested that the Applicant fully consider the references, in their entirety, as potentially disclosing or teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as fully consider the context of the passage as taught by the reference(s) or as disclosed by the Examiner.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner Hana Featherly whose telephone number is (571)-272-8654. The examiner can normally be reached on M-R 10 AM - 2 PM. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Greece can be reached on 571-272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-272-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/Hana Featherly/
USPTO Art Unit 2875
Patent Examiner Hana Featherly
/JAMES R GREECE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875