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
Claims 10 and 20 are withdrawn. Applicant elects Species 3 (Fig. 6), drawn to claims 1-9 and 11-19 with traverse as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 12/09/2025 is acknowledge, However, the examiner is not persuaded as the Species listed do not relate to a single general inventive concept under PCT Rule 13.1. because they lack the same or corresponding special technical features for the following reasons: they are not novel over prior art, Kim et al. 20230374646, in the rejection below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-9 and 11-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1-3, 5, 8, 11-13, 15, and 18 recite multiple “the metal barrier part” lack antecedent basis. As such the claim is unclear and indefinite.
Claims 1, 3-5, 11 and 13-15 last line recites “the insulation part” lack antecedent basis. As such the claim is unclear and indefinite.
Claim 5 recites “the organic insulation layer comprises at least one insulation part covering a corresponding side of the metal barrier part” is unclear and indefinite if this recitation is the same “the organic insulation layer comprises at least one insulation part covering a corresponding side of the metal barrier part” recited in claim 1. As such the claim is unclear and indefinite.
Claim 15 recites “the organic insulation layer comprises at least one insulation part covering a corresponding side of the metal barrier part” is unclear and indefinite if this recitation is the same “the organic insulation layer comprises at least one insulation part covering a corresponding side of the metal barrier part” recited in claim 11. As such the claim is unclear and indefinite.
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)(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 1-9 and 11 -19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. 20230374646.
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Regarding claims 1 and 11, figs. 1-3 and 5-7 of Kim discloses an electronic device, comprising a functional component 70 (fig. 2) and a display panel (fig. 1), the display panel comprising a functional area OA, a display area DA and a transition area MA located between the functional area and the display area, and the functional component corresponding to the functional area of the display area, wherein the display panel further comprises:
a substrate 100;
an inorganic insulation layer (par [0133] - first barrier layer 101, the second barrier layer 103, the buffer layer 201, the gate insulating layer 203) disposed on a side of the substrate;
a first metal layer (212 – par [0136] and 110 – par [0144]) disposed on a side of the inorganic insulation layer away from the substrate, the first metal layer comprising at least one metal barrier part (212 part) disposed in the transition area MA, at least one side of the metal barrier part (top side of 212) being provided with a disconnection structure (PT region in 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G);
an organic insulation layer (209, 210 and portion of 320 in the 1G/2G/3/G/4G) disposed on a side of the first metal layer away from the substrate, the organic insulation layer comprising at least one insulation part (part in fig. 7) disposed in the transition area (MA region – fig. 7) and covering corresponding one side of the metal barrier part (see fig. 7);
a light emitting layer (222b/a/c) disposed on a side of the organic insulation layer away from the substrate, covering the display area DA and extending to the transition area MA (figs. 6-7), and disconnected at the disconnection structure of the metal barrier part (see fig. 7 showing disconnected at the PT and 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G); and
a first electrode layer 223 disposed on a side of the light emitting layer away from the substrate, covering the display area DA and extending to the transition area MA, and disconnected at the disconnection structure of the metal barrier part (see fig. 7 showing disconnected at the PT and 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G);
wherein the first electrode layer 23 located at one side of the metal barrier part is electrically connected to the metal barrier part (see fig. 7 showing 223 directly connected which means electrically connected to 222c/a which is electrically connected to 212), and the first electrode layer 223 located at another one side (bottom side at the bottom of the groove) of the metal barrier part is insulated with the metal barrier part through the insulation part.
Regarding claim 2 and 12, fig. 7 of Kim discloses wherein the first metal layer comprises a plurality of metal barrier parts disposed in the transition area, wherein one side of at least one of the metal barrier parts is provided with the disconnection structure (gap at PT and groove location), and another side of the one of the metal barrier parts is covered by a corresponding insulation part.
Regarding claims 3 and 13, fig. 7 of Kim discloses wherein one side of at least one of the metal barrier parts (part under PW1) close to the display area is provided with the disconnection structure, one side of the one of the metal barrier parts close to the functional area is covered by the corresponding insulation part, the one of the metal barrier parts is electrically connected with the first electrode layer close to the display area at the disconnection structure, and the one of the metal barrier parts is insulated with the first electrode layer close to the functional area through the insulation part.
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Regarding claims 4 and 14, figs. 7 of Kim discloses wherein the first metal layer comprises a first metal barrier part and a second metal barrier part adjacent to each other disposed in the transition area, and the first metal barrier part is disposed between the second metal barrier part and the display area; one side of the first metal barrier part close to the display area is provided with the disconnection structure (one disconnected end), and one side of the second metal barrier part close to the functional area is provided with the disconnection structure (other disconnected end);
one side of the first metal barrier part close to the functional area and one side of the second metal barrier part close to the display area are covered simultaneously by the insulation part;
the light emitting layer is disconnected at the disconnection structure which is disposed at the side of the first metal barrier part close to the display area, and is disconnected at the disconnection structure which is disposed at the side of the second metal barrier part close to the functional area, and the light emitting layer is continuously disposed between the side of the first metal barrier part close to the display area and the side of the second metal barrier part close to the functional area; and
the first electrode layer is disconnected at the disconnection structure which is disposed at the side of the first metal barrier part close to the display area, and is disconnected at the disconnection structure which is disposed at the side of the second metal barrier part close to the functional area, a first electrode layer located at the side of the first metal barrier part close to the display area is electrically connected to the first metal barrier part, and a first electrode layer located at the side of the second metal barrier part close to the functional area is electrically connected to the second metal barrier part.
Regarding claims 5 and 15, fig. 7 of Kim discloses wherein the display panel further comprises a barrier wall PW2 disposed in the transition area and disposed on a side of the inorganic insulation layer away from the substrate; the transition area comprises a first subarea located between the barrier wall and the display area and a second subarea located between the barrier wall and the functional area; and the organic insulation layer comprises at least one insulation part covering a corresponding side of the metal barrier part, and the insulation part is disposed in the first subarea and/or the second subarea.
Regarding claims 6 and 16, fig. 7 of Kim discloses wherein the first metal barrier part and the second metal barrier part are disposed in the first subarea; and a same voltage is applied to the first metal barrier part and the first electrode layer, and no voltage is applied to the second metal barrier part (as the second metal barrier is disconnected from that in fig. 6 where 223 has voltage applied).
Regarding claims 7 and 17, fig. 7 of Kim discloses wherein a number of insulation parts (3 parts) is less than or equal to a number of metal barrier parts (more than 3).
Regarding claims 8 and 18, fig. 7 of Kim discloses wherein the metal barrier part comprises a first metal sublayer (bottom flat part), a second metal sublayer (vertical part of 212) and a third metal sublayer (top flat part on 209) stacked sequentially, a material of the second metal sublayer is different (to a degree) from a material of the third metal sublayer, and a width of the second metal sublayer is smaller than a width of the third metal sublayer.
Regarding claims 9 and 19, fig. 7 of Kim discloses wherein the display panel further comprises a first planarization layer 210, a pixel definition layer and a support layer (spacer above 211 in fig. 6) stacked sequentially on the first metal layer, and the organic insulation layer is formed by at least one of the first planarization layer 210, the pixel definition layer and the support layer.
Conclusion
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/VONGSAVANH SENGDARA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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