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 .
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s Amendment filed on 10/14/2025. Claim 1 has been amended. Claim 8 has been added. No claims have been canceled. Currently, claims 1-8 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 10/14/2025 with respect to independent claims 1 and 8 have been considered but are moot as applied to the newly added claim limitations because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
(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 1-2 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ota et al. (US 20160063916).
Regarding claim 1, Ota teaches, in Figs. 32 and 35, an electro-optical device (100, [0195]), comprising:
a light-emitting element (45) including a first electrode (E1), a light-emitting layer (46), and a second electrode (E2) (see Fig. 32, [0096]);
a driving transistor (Tdr, [0196]) provided corresponding to the light-emitting element (45) (see Fig. 32);
a relay electrode (CA3, [0104]) electrically connected to a gate electrode (Gdr, [0104]) of the driving transistor (see Fig. 32, [0104]) and provided at a layer between the gate electrode (Gdr) and the first electrode (E1) of the light-emitting element (45) (see Fig. 32);
a power supply line (QB6, [0166]) provided at the same layer as that of the relay electrode (CA3) (see Fig. 32), extending in a first direction (horizontal) in plan view (Fig. 35), and electrically connected to the first electrode (E1) of the light-emitting element (45) (see Fig. 32); and
a conductive member (QB3, [0112]) provided between the relay electrode (CA3) and the power supply line (QB3) in plan view (see Fig. 35) and supplied with a constant potential (see Fig. 32, [0112], conductive member QB3 is electrically connected to signal line 26, which supplies a constant potential), wherein
the conductive member (QB3) does not overlap the relay electrode (CA3) and the power supply line (QB6) in plan view (see Fig. 35).
Regarding claim 2, Ota further teaches, in Fig. 32, a diffusion region (10A, [0101]) containing an impurity at a semiconductor substrate ([0101]), wherein the conductive member (QB3) is electrically connected to the diffusion region (10A) (see Fig. 32).
Regarding claim 6, Ota further teaches that the light-emitting element (45) is an organic light-emitting diode ([0234]).
Regarding claim 7, Ota teaches the electro-optical device (100) according to claim 1; and an optical system configured to display image light emitted from the electro-optical device ([0240]).
Regarding claim 8, Ota teaches, in Figs. 32 and 35, an electro-optical device (100, [0195]), comprising:
a light-emitting element (45) including a first electrode (E1), a light-emitting layer (46), and a second electrode (E2) (see Fig. 32, [0096]);
a driving transistor (Tdr, [0196]) provided corresponding to the light-emitting element (45) (see Fig. 32);
a relay electrode (CA3, [0104]) electrically connected to a gate electrode (Gdr, [0104]) of the driving transistor (see Fig. 32, [0104]) and provided at a layer between the gate electrode (Gdr) and the first electrode (E1) of the light-emitting element (45) (see Fig. 32);
a power supply line (QB6, [0166]) provided at the same layer as that of the relay electrode (CA3) (see Fig. 32), extending in a first direction (horizontal) in plan view (Fig. 35), and electrically connected to the first electrode (E1) of the light-emitting element (45) (see Fig. 32); and
a conductive member (QB3, [0112]) provided between the relay electrode (CA3) and the power supply line (QB3) in plan view (see Fig. 35) and supplied with a constant potential (see Fig. 32, [0112], conductive member QB3 is electrically connected to signal line 26, which supplies a constant potential), wherein
the conductive member (QB3) and the relay electrode (CA3) are provided outside the power supply line (QB6) in plan view (see Fig. 35).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 are 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 3, the closest art is Ota et al. (US 20160063916), which teaches an electro-optical device, but does not teach that the relay electrode is surrounded by the conductive member in plan view. Claim 4 depends from claim 3.
Regarding claim 5, the closest art is Ota et al. (US 20160063916), which teaches an electro-optical device, but does not teach that at least a part of the conductive member overlaps the gate electrode in plan view.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIKA HEERA SON whose telephone number is (703)756-4644. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 12:30-9 PM ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yara Green can be reached on 571-270-3035. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ERIKA H SON/Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/YARA B GREEN/Supervisor Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893