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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment and remarks received on 01 July 2026 have been entered.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2 and 4-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Park (US 2016/0197313).
Regarding independent claim 1, Park teaches a display device comprising a substrate (Fig. 1, Element 100; ¶ [0036]); a pixel circuit driving portion (Fig. 1, Element TFT; ¶ [0038]) on the substrate; an organic layer (Fig. 1, Element 170; ¶ [0051]) that covers the pixel circuit driving portion; a light emitting element (Fig. 1, Element 250RGB; ¶ [0052]) on the organic layer and including an anode (Fig. 1, Element 210RGB; ¶ [0036]); and a separator (Fig. 1, Element 180; ¶ [0054]) including a reverse tapered side on the organic layer, wherein a width of a bottom surface of the separator is equal to a distance between adjacent anodes (Fig. 1), and upper surfaces of the adjacent anodes are not covered by the separator (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 2, Park teaches the organic layer comprising a contact hole connecting the pixel circuit driving portion and the anode (¶ [0053]), and the light emitting element overlaps the contact hole in a plan view (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4, Park teaches the anode having a step at a periphery of the contact hole (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, Park teaches an anode connection line that is covered by the organic layer, and connects the anode and the pixel circuit driving portion (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 6, Park teaches an inorganic insulation layer (¶ [0051]; insulator 170 may include a stack of an inorganic and organic insulating layers) that is only on the reverse tapered side of the separator.
Regarding claim 7, Park teaches the light emitting element comprising a middle layer (Fig. 1, Element 220RGB; ¶ [0052]) on the anode and includes an emission layer (¶ [0055]), and a cathode (Fig. 1, Element 230; ¶ [0052]), wherein the middle layer is not on the reverse tapered side of the separator and is separated based on the separator, and the cathode is also on the reverse tapered side of the separator and is connected to each other on both sides of the separator (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8, Park teaches a portion of the middle layer is on an upper surface of the separator (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 9, Park teaches a capping layer (Fig. 1, Element 300; ¶ [0077]) on the cathode, wherein the capping layer is not on the reverse tapered side of the separator and is separated based on the separator (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 10, Park teaches the anode between the reverse tapered side of the separator and the inorganic insulation layer (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 11, Park teaches the light emitting element comprising a middle layer (Fig. 1, Element 220RGB; ¶ [0052]) on the anode and includes an emission layer (¶ [0055]), and a cathode (Fig. 1, Element 230; ¶ [0052]), wherein the middle layer is not on the reverse tapered side of the separator and is separated based on the separator, and the cathode is also on the reverse tapered side of the separator and is connected to each other on both sides of the separator (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 12, Park teaches a portion of the middle layer is on an upper surface of the separator (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13, Park teaches a top protective layer that is between the anode on the reverse tapered side of the separator and the inorganic insulation layer (¶ [0053]; anode may be multi-layered).
Regarding claim 14, Park teaches an upper protective layer (Fig. 1, Element 150; ¶ [0047]) having a lower height than the anode and the inorganic insulation layer on the reverse tapered side of the separator.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park (US 2016/0197313) in view of Lee (US 2022/0208904).
Regarding claim 3, Park teaches the limitations of claim 2 discussed earlier but fails to exemplify the separator and the contact hole not overlapping in the plan view.
Lee teaches a display device comprising a separator (Fig. 3, Element 140; ¶ [0036]) and a contact hole (Fig. 3; ¶ [0048]) not overlapping in the plan view, the separator being provided for improving impact resistance (¶ [0010]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the display device of Park with the structure taught by Lee for improving impact resistance.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-18 are allowed.
Claims 19-20 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 independent claim 15, applicant has perfected the claim for foreign priority and presented a statement of common ownership, thereby eliminating Kang (US 2024/0298499) as prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2). Thus, the prior art of record neither shows or suggests a display device comprising, in addition to other limitations of the claim, a pixel definition layer covering a part of an anode; and a separator on the pixel definition layer, and including a reverse tapered side, wherein an organic layer comprises a contact hole connecting a pixel circuit driving portion and the anode, and the pixel definition layer and the separator do not overlap the contact hole in a plan view.
Due to their dependencies upon independent claim 15, claims 16-18 are also allowed.
Regarding claim 19, the prior art of record neither shows or suggests a display device comprising, in addition to other limitations of the claim, a first passivation layer and a second passivation layer respectively between the organic layer and the first anode and between the organic layer and the second anode, wherein a tip is formed at an end of the second passivation layer, and the end of the second passivation layer overlaps the contact hole in the plan view.
Due to its dependency upon claim 19, claim 20 is also allowable.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01 July 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s argument that Park does not teach upper surfaces of adjacent anodes not covered by the separator, the Examiner notes that Fig. 1 of Park appears to show the separator (180) covering edge portions of adjacent anodes (e.g., 210G and 210B). However, the central portions of the adjacent anodes are not covered by the separator. Thus, Park teaches upper surfaces of the adjacent anodes not covered by the separator, as discussed earlier in this Office Action. The Examiner also notes that applicant’s Fig. 5 shows upper portions of the separator covering part of the upper surface of the anodes.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kevin Quarterman whose telephone number is (571)272-2461. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm.
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, James Greece can be reached at (571) 272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Kevin Quarterman/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875 5 September 2026
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