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 with traverse of Species II drawn to claims 1-2, 8-15 and 17-24 in the reply filed on 06/15/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the Fan reference fails to teach “an array substrate having a display region and a bonding region, does not disclose or suggest bonding electrodes, a conductive adhesive, and their respective locations, nor does Fan et al. disclose or suggest the dimensional relationships between the insulating layer and the bonding electrodes”. This is not found persuasive because the Fan reference is not required to teach every single limitation of the claimed invention. Instead, to determine lack of unity of invention, what is required is to present prior art(s) that discloses the technical feature of the claimed invention.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 17-18 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu [US PGPUB 20200258875] in view of Wang et al. [US PGPUB 20200006209] (hereinafter Wang).
Regarding claim 17, Hu teaches a light-emitting substrate, having a display region (see annotated Fig. 6), the display region including display unit regions (Fig. 6), a display unit region including a light-emitting zone (Fig. 6) and a driving zone (Fig. 6);
the light-emitting substrate comprising:
a substrate (120, Fig. 6; wherein layer 120 is structural capable of being referred to as a substrate based on its support of structures or components attached to it);
a first metal layer (Fig. 6, layer of structure 112, see Fig. 27, Para 106) disposed on a side of a first surface of the substrate and including a plurality of first signal lines located in the display region (Fig. 6), wherein at least one first signal line passes through the light-emitting zone (annotated Fig. 6), and the plurality of first signal lines do not pass through the driving zone (annotated Fig. 6);
a first insulating layer (114, Para 106), disposed on a side of the first metal layer away from the substrate (no clearly shown, however, it is noted that Hu teaches that the insulating layer 114 is a plurality of insulating layers);
a second metal layer (layer of contact pads 118, Para 106), disposed away from the first metal layer and including a plurality of second signal lines located in the display region (Fig. 6);
light-emitting device groups (102, Para 107), disposed on a side of the second metal layer away from the substrate (Fig. 6), wherein a light-emitting device group is located in the light-emitting zone and electrically connected to the second metal layer (see annotated Fig. 6), and an orthographic projection of the light- emitting device group on the substrate is within an orthographic projection of a portion of the at least one first signal line passing through the light-emitting zone on the substrate (see annotated Fig. 6);
driving chips (310, Para 114), disposed on the side of the second metal layer away from the substrate (see annotated Fig. 6), wherein a driving chip is located in the driving zone and electrically connected to the second metal layer (see annotated Fig. 6), and the driving chip is electrically connected to the light-emitting device group (Para 90-93); and
prop structures (104, Fig. 6), wherein a prop structure is disposed between the driving chip and the substrate and located in the driving zone (see annotated Fig. 6), and the prop structure is configured to increase a distance between the driving chip and the substrate (Fig. 6).
Hu does not explicitly disclose that the second metal layer is disposed on a side of the first insulating layer away from the first metal layer.
Referring to the invention of Wang, Wang discloses an exemplary structure of a RDL structure (56/60/62/66/68, Fig. 12); wherein the RDL structure comprises:
a first metal layer (60, Para 34, Fig. 12);
a first insulating layer formed over the first metal layer (62, Para 35, Fig. 12); and
a second metal layer (66, Para 36, Fig. 12), formed over the first insulating layer.
In view of such teaching by Wang, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the invention of Hu comprise the teachings of Wang at least based on the rationale of relying on teachings, suggestions, or motivation in the prior art that would have led one of ordinary skill to modify the prior art reference or to combine prior art reference teachings to arrive at the claimed invention (MPEP 2143.I.G).
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Annotated Fig. 6
Regarding claim 18, Hu teaches a light-emitting substrate wherein the light-emitting device group includes a plurality of light-emitting devices, and the light-emitting devices are mini light-emitting diodes or micro light-emitting diodes (Para 141).
Regarding claim 23, Hu teaches a display apparatus, comprising the light-emitting substrate according to claim 17 (Para 3).
Claims 19 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung et al. [US PGPUB 20230006120] in view of Hong et al. [US PGPUB 20150144940], and in view of Lee et al. [US PGPUB 20180138214] (hereinafter Jung, Hong, and Lee respectively).
Regarding claim 19, Jung teaches a light-emitting substrate, having a display region (AA, Para 72) and a peripheral region outside the display region (NAA, Para 72), the peripheral region including a cut-off region (Fig. 4A/B, region where TL/TP ends as it extends away from the display region);
the light-emitting substrate comprising:
a substrate (S4a, Para 69, Fig. 4A);
a first contact layer (gate electrode 220, Para, Fig. 6), disposed on a side of a first surface of the substrate (Fig. 6);
a first insulating layer (115, Para 103), disposed on a side of the first metal layer away from the substrate (Fig. 6);
a second contact layer (TL/TP, Para 94), disposed on a side of the first insulating layer away from the first metal layer (Fig. 6) and including a plurality of test connection lines (TL, Para 94, Fig. 4A/B), wherein ends of the plurality of test connection lines are located in the display region (Fig. 6), and other ends of the plurality of test connection lines extends to the cut-off region and are flush with a border of the cut-off region away from the display region (Fig. 4A/B).
Jung does not specifically disclose that the first contact layer and the second contact are metal layers; and
a protection structure, configured to prevent the plurality of test connection lines from being short-connected.
However, it is noted Jung discloses that the test connection lines are spaced from one another (Fig. 4A/B) –wherein such spacing as known in the art is to isolate test connection lines from one another so as to be able to test different unique regions/components of the device.
Referring to the invention of Hung, Hung teaches wherein gate electrodes, test lines, and test pads of a display device could be formed of various materials to include metal (Para 61/124).
In view of such teaching by Hung, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the invention of Jung comprise the teachings of Hung at least based on the rationale of using known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way using (MPEP 2143.I.C).
Referring to the invention of Lee, Lee teaches isolating test lines and test pads from one another in a display device, wherein other than physical spacing the test lines and test pads, protection structure such as material 140 is provided between the test lines and test pads (Fig. 5). More explicitly, Lee discloses that third spacer 173 is disposed on the test pad portions 511, 512, 513 and 514 and the test line portions 521, 522, 523 and 524 such that a short circuit that may occur between the common electrode CE and respective ones of the test pad portions 511, 512, 513 and 514 and the test line portions 521, 522, 523 and 524 may be substantially prevented (Para 106).
In view of such teaching by Lee, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the invention of Jung comprise the teachings of Lee at least based on the rationale of relying on teachings, suggestions, well-known knowledge of the art, or motivation in the prior art that would have led one of ordinary skill to modify the prior art reference or to combine prior art reference teachings to arrive at the claimed invention (MPEP 2143.I.G), wherein the teaching of Lee helps prevent short-circuiting in the device.
Regarding claim 24, Jung teaches a display apparatus (1, Para 46), comprising the light-emitting substrate according to claim 19.
Allowable Subject Matter
Elected claims 1-2, 8-15 and 20-22 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 1-2, 8-15 and 20-22 are allowed because all prior arts of record and related prior arts not of record either singularly or in combination fail to anticipate or render obvious a light-emitting substrate, having a display region and a bonding region disposed on a side of the display region, the bonding region extending along a first direction; the light-emitting substrate comprising:
wherein a ratio of a dimension of an edge portion of the first insulating layer in a second direction to a dimension of a first bonding electrode in the second direction is greater than or equal to one fifth (1/5) and less than or equal to a half (1/2), the edge portion of the first insulating layer is a portion, located between the border of the plurality of first bonding electrodes facing the selected side edge and the selected side edge, of the first insulating layer, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. (as claimed in claim 1), in combination with the rest of claim limitations as claimed and defined by the Applicant.
In view of the allowability of claim 1, non-elected claims drawn to non-elected Species are considered allowed.
Conclusion
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/ISMAIL A MUSE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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