The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wu et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2024/0306457, hereinafter referred to as Wu).
As to claim 1, Wu teaches 1. A display panel, comprising: a substrate; a first metal layer [101 in Fig. 1] disposed on the substrate, wherein the first metal layer comprises a plurality of data lines extending along a first direction, and the data lines are located in a display area of the display panel; a second metal layer [102 in Fig. 1] disposed on a side of the first metal layer away from the substrate, wherein the second metal layer comprises a plurality of fan-out lines, the fan-out lines are located in the display area, and one of the fan-out lines is electrically connected to one of the data lines; and an anode layer [106 in Fig. 3] disposed on a side of the second metal layer away from the substrate, wherein the anode layer comprises a plurality of anodes disposed separately from each other; wherein the fan-out line comprises a first fan-out segment extending along a second direction and a second fan-out segment extending along the first direction, wherein the first fan-out segment is connected to the second fan-out segment, an orthographic projection of the first fan-out segment on the anode layer does not overlap with the anode, and an angle between the first direction and the second direction is greater than 0o and less than or equal to 90 o. [¶0089]
As to claim 2, Wu teaches 2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the display panel comprises a binding terminal located on one side of the display area, the display area comprises a functional routing area and a fan-out routing area, and the fan-out routing area is located in the display area close to one end of the binding terminal; wherein the fan-out lines are located in the fan-out routing area, the first fan-out segment is connected to the data lines through a plurality of first vias, the first vias are located on a boundary line between the fan-out routing area and the functional routing area, and one end of the second fan-out segment away from the first fan-out segment coincides with a boundary of the display area. [Fig.1]
As to claim 3, Wu teaches 3. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein the fan-out routing area comprises a first routing area and a second routing area, and the functional routing area comprises a first functional area and a second functional area; wherein the first routing area is located on both sides of the second routing area, the first fan-out segment is located in the first routing area, the second fan-out segment is located in the second routing area, and an inflection point of the first fan-out segment and the second fan-out segment is located on a boundary line between the first routing area and the second routing area; wherein the first functional area is located on a side of the first routing area away from the binding terminal, the second functional area is located on a side of the first routing area close to the binding terminal, a boundary line between the second functional area and the first routing area extends along the second direction, and a boundary line between the second functional area and the second routing area extends along the first direction. [Fig.1]
As to claim 4, Wu teaches 4. The display panel according to claim 3, wherein the first fan-out segment comprises a plurality of first segments and second segments alternately arranged with each other, the first segments are connected to the second segments, and one of the second segments is arranged correspondingly to one of the anodes; wherein the first segment is a straight line, an extension line of the first segment intersects the anode, and an orthographic projection of the second segment on the anode layer is arranged on a periphery of the anode. [Fig.1 and 2]
As to claim 5, Wu teaches 5. The display panel according to claim 4, wherein a projection of the second segment on the anode layer is spaced apart from the anode, and a shape of the second segment is the same as a sharp of a part of an outer contour of the anode. [Fig.5]
As to claim 6, Wu teaches 6. The display panel according to claim 5, wherein an extension line of the first segment passes through a geometric center of the anode. [Fig.3 and 4]
As to claim 7, Wu teaches 7. The display panel according to claim 6, wherein one end of the first fan- out segment away from the second fan-out segment is electrically connected to the data line through the first via, an orthographic projection of the first via connected to one of adjacent two first fan-out segments on the second metal layer overlaps with the second segment, and an orthographic projection of the first via connected to the other of adjacent two first fan-out segments on the second metal layer is spaced apart from the first segment. [Fig.1~4]
As to claim 8, Wu teaches 8. The display panel according to claim 6, wherein the second metal layer further comprises a plurality of first functional lines extending along the second direction, the first functional lines are located in the first functional area, one of the first fan-out segments corresponds to and is disposed separately from one of the first functional lines, a shape of the first functional lines is the same as a shape of the first fan-out segments, and one of the first functional lines is partially collinear with one of the first fan-out segments. [Fig.3~4]
As to claim 9, Wu teaches 9. The display panel according to claim 8, wherein the second metal layer further comprises a plurality of second functional lines extending along the second direction, the second functional lines are located in the second routing area, one of the first fan-out segments corresponds to and is disposed separately from one of the second functional lines, a shape of the second functional lines is the same as a shape of the first fan-out segments, the second functional line comprises a plurality of first functional segments separately disposed from each other, one of the first functional segments corresponds to one of the anodes, and one of the second functional lines is partially collinear with one of the first fan-out segments. [Fig.3~5]
As to claim 10, Wu teaches 10. The display panel according to claim 9, wherein the second metal layer further comprises a plurality of third functional lines extending along the first direction, the third functional lines are located in the functional routing area and the first routing area, and one of the second fan-out segments corresponds to and is disposed separately from one of the third functional lines; wherein the third functional line comprises a plurality of second functional segments disposed separately from each other, the second functional segments are located between any two adjacent first fan-out segments, and one of the third functional lines is collinear with one of the second fan-out segments. [Fig.3~5]
As to claim 11, Wu teaches 11. The display panel according to claim 10, wherein a length of any third functional line located in the first routing area is shorter than a length of any third functional line located in the functional routing area. [Fig.3~5]
As to claim 12, Wu teaches 12. The display panel according to claim 10, wherein the display panel comprises a constant-voltage high-level signal, and at least one of the first functional line and the third functional line is connected to the constant-voltage high-level signal. [¶0084]
As to claim 13, Wu teaches 13. The display panel according to claim 10, wherein at least one second fan-out segment intersects with the first functional segments distributed along the first direction, and at least two second fan-out segments are located between two adjacent first functional segments. [Fig.3~5]
As to claim 14, Wu teaches 14. The display panel according to claim 6, wherein the second metal layer further comprises a plurality of first functional branch lines extending along the second direction, the first functional branch lines are located in the second functional area, a shape of the first functional branch lines is the same as a shape of the first fan-out segments, and a distance between two adjacent first functional branch lines in the first direction is the same as a distance between two adjacent first fan-out segments in the first direction. [Fig.3~5]
As to claim 15, Wu teaches 15. The display panel according to claim 5, wherein an inflection point of the first fan-out segment and the second fan-out segment is located on the first segment or on the second segment. [Fig.1~2]
As to claim 1, Wu teaches 16. The display panel according to claim 4, wherein the display panel comprises a plurality of sub-pixels distributed in an array, and an orthographic projection of an extension line of the first segment on the anode layer intersects the anodes of the sub- pixels of the same color. [¶0083]
As to claim 17, Wu teaches 17. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of driving transistors distributed in an array, and the driving transistor comprises: an active part disposed on the substrate; a gate disposed on a side of the active part away from the substrate; a source and a drain disposed on a side of the gate away from the substrate; wherein the source and the drain are located on the first metal layer, and the source and the drain are electrically connected to the anode through a second via. [¶0086]
As to claim 18, Wu teaches 18. The display panel according to claim 17, wherein the display panel further comprises an anode reset line extending along the second direction, the anode reset line is disposed on the same layer as the gate, and an orthographic projection of the first fan- out segment on the substrate partially overlaps an orthographic projection of the anode reset line on the substrate. [Fig.3~5]
As to claim 19, Wu teaches 19. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the second fan-out segment is a straight line, in a direction close to a center line of the display panel along both sides of the display panel in the second direction, a length of the second fan-out segment increases gradually. [Fig.1~2]
As to claim 20, Wu teaches 20. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the first metal layer further comprises first voltage signal lines parallel to and spaced from the data lines, and at least a part of an orthographic projection of the second fan-out segment on the first metal layer overlaps a part of the data lines and/or a part of the first voltage signal lines. [Fig.1~5]
Conclusion
Claims 1-20 are rejected as explained above.
The prior art made of record in the PTO-892 form and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAEHWAN OH whose telephone number is (571) 270-5800. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 9:00 AM-5:00PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Zandra Smith can be reached on 571-272-2429. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAEHWAN OH/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899