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
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.
Claim(s) 1is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kato (US 2021/0265432).
Regarding claim 1, Kato discloses a display device (Figs. 21 & 1; Paragraph [0130]) comprising a first light-emitting element (G), a second light-emitting element positioned to be adjacent to the first light-emitting element (B), a first protective layer (119 & 419 & 114 & 414; Paragraph [0050, 0077]), a second protective layer (111; Paragraph [0046]), and an insulating layer (113; Paragraph [0080]), wherein the first light-emitting element comprises a first pixel electrode (118G & 418G; Paragraph [0050]), a first EL layer (117G & 417G; Paragraph [0055]), and a common electrode (416; Paragraph [0130]), wherein the second light-emitting element comprises a second pixel electrode (118B & 418B; Paragraph [0055]), a second EL layer (117B & 417B; Paragraph [0056]), and the common electrode (416; Paragraph [0130]), wherein the first EL layer is provided over the first pixel electrode, wherein the second EL layer is provided over the second pixel electrode (Fig. 21), wherein the first protective layer comprises a region overlapping with a side surface of the first pixel electrode, a side surface of the second pixel electrode, a side surface of the first EL layer, and a side surface of the second EL layer (Fig. 21, 419 & 414 & 418 & 417), wherein the insulating layer is provided over the first protective layer (Fig. 21), wherein the second protective layer is provided over the insulating layer (Fig. 1, 111 & 113), and wherein the common electrode is provided over the first EL layer, over the second EL layer, and over the second protective layer (Fig. 21, 416 & 417).
Regarding claim 2, Kato further discloses wherein the insulating layer is provided between the first EL layer and the second EL layer (Figs. 1 & 21, 113 & 413 & 117G & 117B & 417G & 417B).
Regarding claim 7, Kato further discloses wherein the insulating layer comprises an organic material (113 & 413; Paragraph [0121])
Regarding claim 11, Kato further discloses wherein at least one of a connector or an integrated circuit (120; Paragraph [0049]).
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.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato (US 2021/0265432).
Regarding claim 12, Kato teaches the invention of claim 1, including an OLED display device. Kato is silent as to a battery, camera, speaker, or microphone. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify the invention of Kato to have the display included in a cell phone since OLED displays are common smart cell phone display screens as is known in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Kato to be included in an electronic device including a battery, camera, speaker, or microphone since these are known features of a smart cell phone with a display since OLED displays, as disclosed by Kato, are commonly used as cell phone screens.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6 and 8-10 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.
Specifically, with regard to claim 3, the requirement wherein the display device comprises a third protective layer, and wherein the third protective layer comprises a region in contact with a side surface and a bottom surface of the first protective layer is neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Claim 4 is objected to based on its dependence from claim 3.
Specifically, with regard to claim 5, the requirement wherein the first protective layer comprises a region in contact with a side surface and a bottom surface of the insulating layer, wherein the second protective layer comprises a region in contact with a top surface of the insulating layer, and wherein the first protective layer and the second protective layer each comprise nitride is neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Specifically, with regard to claim 6, the requirement wherein the first protective layer and the second protective layer each comprise at least one of silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, and hafnium nitride is neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Specifically, with regard to claim 8, the requirement wherein a common layer is provided between the first EL layer, the second EL layer, and the second protective layer, and the common electrode, and wherein the common layer comprises at least one of a hole-injection layer, a hole-transport layer, a hole-blocking layer, an electron-blocking layer, an electron- transport layer, and an electron-injection layer is neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Specifically, with regard to claim 9, the requirement wherein a space between the side surface of the first EL layer and the side surface of the second EL layer comprises a region of 1 pm or smaller is neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Claim 10 is objected to based on its dependence from claim 9.
Claims 13-19 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding independent claim 13, the references of the Prior Art of record fail to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim 13, and specifically comprising the limitation wherein a method for manufacturing comprises forming a first EL film and a first sacrificial film in sequence over the first pixel electrode and over the second pixel electrode; processing the first sacrificial film and the first EL film to form a first sacrificial layer and a first EL layer, respectively, which include a region overlapping with the first pixel electrode; forming a first protective film covering at least a side surface of the first EL layer and a side surface and a top surface of the first sacrificial layer; processing the first protective film to form a first protective layer comprising a region overlapping with the side surface of the first EL layer; forming a second EL film and a second sacrificial film in sequence over the first sacrificial layer and over the second pixel electrode; processing the second sacrificial film and the second EL film to form a second sacrificial layer and a second EL layer, respectively, which include a region overlapping with the second pixel electrode; forming a second protective film covering at least a top surface of the first sacrificial layer, a top surface and a side surface of the second sacrificial layer, a side surface of the first protective layer, and a side surface of the second EL layer; forming an insulating film over the second protective film; processing the insulating film to form an insulating layer between the first EL layer and the second EL layer; processing the second protective film to form a second protective layer between the first protective layer and the insulating layer and between the second EL layer and the insulating layer; forming a third protective film over the first sacrificial layer, over the second sacrificial layer, and over the insulating layer; processing the third protective film to form a third protective layer over the insulating layer; removing the first sacrificial layer and the second sacrificial layer; and forming a common electrode over the first EL layer, over the second EL layer, and over the third protective layer.
Regarding claims 14-19, claims 14-19 are allowable for the reasons given in claim 13 because of their dependency status from claim 13.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANNE M HINES whose telephone number is (571)272-2285. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8:00-4:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Greece, can be reached on 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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/Anne M Hines/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2879