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 (Fig. 6) (Claims 1-6 and 11-19 in the reply filed on 11/21/2025 is acknowledged.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 11-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. 20220077271.
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Regarding claim 1, figs. 1, 8A and 9 of Lee discloses a display panel comprising: a substrate including a main display area FDA and a corner area (fig. 8A) extending from a corner of the main display area (see fig. 1 showing extending from dotted region which is FDA), wherein the corner area includes a first corner area (fig. 8A region to the right of solid line) and a second corner area (fig. 8A region of dotted line), the first corner area is adjacent to the main display area, and the second corner area is outside the first corner area;
a first input line (as labeled by examiner above – fig. 8A) arranged in the first corner area;
a second input line (as labeled by examiner above) arranged in the second corner area (see fig. 8A);
a third input line LWL2 connecting the first input line to the second input line;
a first pixel circuit PC3 and a first display element OLED3 connected to the first pixel circuit, each arranged in the first corner area;
a second pixel circuit PC2 and a second display element OLED2 connected to the second pixel circuit, each arranged in the second corner area; and
a driving circuit CWLa arranged in the second corner area (see fig. 8A CWLa in dotted region), connected (physically connected as the applicant did not specify what type of connection but just connected) to the second input line, and configured to supply electrical signals to the first pixel circuit and the second pixel circuit.
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Regarding claim 17, figs. 1, 8A and 9 A display panel including a first display area (FDA,SDA1,SD4,SDA3,SDA2) and a second display area (MDA/CDA), wherein the first display area includes a central area FDA, a first area SDA4, and a second area SDA1, the first area is adjacent to the central area in a first direction, and the second area is adjacent to the central area in a second direction crossing the first direction, and the second display area includes a corner area between the first area and the second area, the corner area includes a first corner area and a second corner area,
the first corner area is adjacent to the first display area (fig. 8A region to the right of solid line), and the second corner area is outside the first corner area (fig. 8A region of dotted line),
the display panel comprises:
a first input line (LDL1/DL1/CWL) arranged in a peripheral area (see fig. 8A CWL is connected to GDC and the side portion connected to GDC is peripheral in fig. 7A) and the first corner area (LDL1 in MDA which is part of first corner area), the peripheral area being outside the first area (see fig. 7A);
a second input line UDL1 (see par [0207] UDL1 may be arranged in the corner display area CDA and fig. 8A extending into dotted region) arranged in the second corner area (see fig. 8A showing DL1/UDL1 extends to dotted region);
a third input line (contact line in the contact hole - the first upper data line UDL1 may be connected to the first lower data line LDL1 through a contact hole – see par [0207])) connecting the first input line to the second input line;
a first driving circuit GDC (fig. 7A) arranged in the peripheral area, connected to the first input line, and configured to supply electrical signals to a pixel circuit in the first display area; and
a second driving circuit (PC1 – see fig. 9 in dotted area) arranged in the second corner area, connected to the second input line (DL/UDL1), and configured to supply electrical signals to a pixel circuit in the first corner area, and a pixel circuit in the second corner area (see fig. 8A showing DL connected to 3 PC which are those dotted square).
Regarding claim 2, figs. 7A-7B of Lee discloses wherein the second corner area includes a plurality of extension areas apart from each other, each of the plurality of extension areas is divided into a first extension area and a second extension area, and the driving circuit is arranged in the first extension area.
Regarding claim 3, fig. 7A-7B of Lee discloses wherein the first extension area is between the first corner area and the second extension area.
Regarding claim 11, fig. 9 of Lee discloses wherein a plurality of second display elements are arranged in the extension area, and pixel electrodes of some of the plurality of second display elements arranged in the first extension area are electrically connected to each other.
Regarding claim 12, fig. 8A of Lee discloses wherein the first input line is disposed in a same layer as the second input line and disposed in a layer different from the third input line.
Regarding claim 13, fig. 8A of Lee discloses wherein the first display element overlaps the first input line.
Regarding claim 14, fig. 8A of Lee discloses wherein the second display element overlaps the driving circuit.
Regarding claim 15, fig. 8A of Lee discloses wherein the second display element overlaps the second input line.
Regarding claim 16, fig. 9 of Lee discloses wherein a plurality of first display elements are arranged in the first corner area, and pixel electrodes of some of the plurality of first display elements arranged in the first corner area are electrically connected to each other.
Regarding claim 18, fig. 8A of Lee discloses wherein the second corner area includes a plurality of extension areas (extension of DL1/DL2/DL3 each of which extension area) apart from each other, each of the plurality of extension areas is divided into a first extension area and a second extension area, and the second driving circuit is arranged in the first extension area.
Regarding claim 19, fig. 8A of Lee discloses wherein the first extension area is between the first corner area and the second extension area (extension of DL1/DL2/DL3 each of which extension area runs across the dotted area and the solid area).
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 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.
Claims 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee.
Regarding claims 4-5, Lee discloses claim 3, but do not disclose wherein a resolution of the first extension area is less than a resolution of the first corner area and is equal to a resolution of the second extension area.; wherein a resolution of the main display area is equal to the resolution of the first corner area.
However, it would have been obvious to form a display panel wherein a resolution of the first extension area is less than a resolution of the first corner area and is equal to a resolution of the second extension area; and wherein a resolution of the main display area is equal to the resolution of the first corner area in order to produce as many allowable to be make the most of surface area.
Regarding claim 6, it would have been obvious to form display panel of Lee comprising wherein an arrangement of the first display element in the first corner area is the same as an arrangement of a display element in the main display area and the same as or different from an arrangement of the second display element in the extension area in order to use the same process of fabrication.
Conclusion
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/VONGSAVANH SENGDARA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893