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 .
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 1-4, 6, 8, 10-14, 16-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Baik (KR 20220036556).
Regarding claim 1, Baik discloses a display substrate, comprising a base substrate (2, figs. 1-2 and paragraph 0019) and a light emitting structure layer disposed on the base substrate (P1, P2, P3, figs. 1-2 and paragraph 0022), wherein the light emitting structure layer comprises at least one light emitting element (P1, figs. 1-2) and a composite dielectric layer located on at least one side of the at least one light emitting element (71, 72 between P1 and P2, figs. 2-3 and paragraph 0069); the at least one light emitting element comprises a support layer (4, figs. 2-3 and paragraph 0020), and an anode (5, fig. 2 and paragraph 0019), a partition layer (6, figs. 2-3 and paragraph 0019) and a light emitting functional layer (7, figs. 2-3 and paragraph 0043) disposed on the support layer, a surface of the support layer away from the base substrate is higher than a surface of the composite dielectric layer away from the base substrate (figs. 2-3), the partition layer and the anode form an accommodation groove (6, 5, fig. 2), at least a portion of the light emitting functional layer is disposed in the accommodation groove and connected with the anode (7, figs. 2-3), and at least a portion of the light emitting functional layer and the composite dielectric layer are disconnected from each other (fig. 3 and paragraph 0069).
Regarding claim 2, Baik further discloses wherein the partition layer (6, figs. 2-3) is disposed at an edge of the support layer (4, figs. 2-3), orthographic projections of the partition layer and the anode (5, figs. 2-3) on the base substrate are not overlapped with each other; or the partition layer is disposed at an edge of the anode (figs. 2-3).
Regarding claim 3, Baik further discloses wherein a distance from a surface of the light emitting functional layer (7, figs. 2-3) located in the accommodation groove away from the support layer (4, figs. 2-3) to the support layer is not greater than a distance from a surface the partition layer away from the support layer to the support layer (6, figs. 2-3).
Regarding claim 4, Baik further discloses wherein the partition layer (6, fig. 1) is in a form of a ring and is disposed around a periphery of the anode (5, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 6, Baik further discloses a pixel circuit layer (3, fig. 2 and paragraph 0020) disposed on the base substrate and a planarization layer disposed on the pixel circuit layer, wherein the light emitting structure layer is disposed on the planarization layer (fig. 2).
Regarding claim 8, Baik further discloses wherein the partition layer comprises an organic insulation material or an inorganic insulation material (6, fig. 2 and paragraph 0052).
Regarding claim 10, Baik further discloses wherein the light emitting functional layer (7, fig. 2) comprises a plurality of film layers (71, 72, 73, fig. 2); the composite dielectric layer and at least one film layer of the light emitting functional layer comprise a same material (71, 72, figs. 2-3); the composite dielectric layer and the at least one film layer of the light emitting functional layer comprising the same material are disconnected from each other at the partition layer (paragraph 0069).
Regarding claim 11, Baik further discloses wherein a plurality of the light
emitting elements are arranged at intervals to form a light emitting element group, and the composite dielectric layer is disposed between adjacent light emitting elements in the light emitting element group (figs. 1-3).
Regarding claim 12, Baik further discloses wherein the light emitting structure layer further comprises an isolation dam disposed on the base substrate, the isolation dam surrounds a periphery of the light emitting element group (outer sides 9, fig. 2), and a surface of the isolation dam away from the base substrate is higher than a surface of the partition layer away from the base substrate (9, fig. 2).
Regarding claim 13, Baik further discloses wherein the support layer and the partition layer are made of a same material as the isolation dam (4, 6, 9, fig. 2 and paragraphs 0038, 0052, 0086).
Regarding claim 14, Baik further discloses a display device, comprising the display substrate of any one of claims 1 (Abstract).
Regarding claim 16, Baik further discloses wherein the partition layer (6, figs. 2-3) is disposed at an edge of the support layer (4, figs. 2-3), orthographic projections of the partition layer and the anode (5, figs. 2-3) on the base substrate are not overlapped with each other; or the partition layer is disposed at an edge of the anode (figs. 2-3).
Regarding claim 17, Baik further discloses wherein a distance from a surface of the light emitting functional layer (7, figs. 2-3) located in the accommodation groove away from the support layer (4, figs. 2-3) to the support layer is not greater than a distance from a surface the partition layer away from the support layer to the support layer (6, figs. 2-3).
Regarding claim 18, Baik further discloses wherein the partition layer (6, fig. 1) is in a form of a ring and is disposed around a periphery of the anode (5, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 20, Baik further discloses a pixel circuit layer (3, fig. 2 and paragraph 0020) disposed on the base substrate and a planarization layer disposed on the pixel circuit layer, wherein the light emitting structure layer is disposed on the planarization layer (fig. 2).
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 5, 7, 9, 15 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baik (KR 20220036556).
Regarding claims 5, 7, 9 and 19, Baik discloses the display substrate according to claims 1, 4, 6 and 18 as mentioned above. Baik does not explicitly disclose wherein a ring width of the partition layer is less than 3.0 microns or wherein a distance from the surface of the support layer away from the base substrate to a surface the planarization layer away from the base substrate is 0.2 microns to 0.8 microns or wherein a thickness of the partition layer is 30 nm to 100 nm. However, such dimensions would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing given Baik’s disclosure since they were well within the parameters of semiconductor technology and considered common knowledge and practice.
Regarding claim 15, Baik discloses a method for manufacturing a display substrate, comprising:
forming at least one support layer (4, figs. 2-3 and paragraph 0020) and an isolation dam (9, figs. 2-3 and paragraph 0042) on a base substrate (2, figs. 1-2 and paragraph 0019);
forming an anode (5, fig. 2 and paragraph 0019) and a partition layer (6, figs. 2-3 and paragraph 0019) on the at least one support layer, wherein the
partition layer and the anode form an accommodation groove (6, 5, fig. 2);
depositing a thin film on the base substrate, wherein the thin film covers the
accommodation groove and fills outside the support layer and is located in a region defined by the isolation dam (7, figs. 2-3 and paragraphs 0043, 0069);
making the thin film located inside the accommodation groove form at least a portion
of a light emitting functional layer (7, figs. 2-3 and paragraphs 0043, 0069), wherein the light emitting functional layer is connected with the anode (figs. 2-3); and
making the thin film located outside the support layer form a composite dielectric
layer (71, 72, above W1, fig. 3), wherein an orthographic projection of the composite dielectric layer on the base substrate and an orthographic projection of at least a portion of the light emitting functional layer on the base substrate are not overlapped with each other (fig. 3), and a surface of the support layer (4, fig. 3) away from the base substrate is higher than a surface of the composite dielectric layer (71, 72, above W1, fig. 3) away from the base substrate. Baik does not explicitly disclose wherein the thin film is an ink thin film. However, given Baik’s disclosure and the state of semiconductor manufacturing at the time of filing, the most obvious deposition process would be that of an ink thin film. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to use an ink formed thin film for Baik’s functional layer.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Patent Application Publication 2019/0157607 discloses a display device with similar features.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DOUGLAS M MENZ whose telephone number is (571)272-1877. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm.
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/DOUGLAS M MENZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897 2/20/26