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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of species A and B in the reply filed on 12/30/2025 is acknowledged.
During a telephone conversation with Jimmy Y. Kwun (Reg. No. 66,490) on 1/15/2026 a provisional election was made without traverse to prosecute the invention of Species A, claims 1-12. Affirmation of this election must be made by applicant in replying to this Office action. Claims 13-42 are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention.
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 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.
Claim(s) 1 and 6-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Won et al. (US Pub. No. 2020/0194714 A1), hereafter referred to as Won.
As to claim 1, Won discloses a display device (fig 1, [0012]) comprising:
a substrate (fig 2, 101) defining a first through-hole (120) of a first hole region (120); and
a panel layer (114) on the substrate (101), and defining a second through-hole (190; [0044]) that surrounds the first hole region (120) in a plan view, the panel layer comprising:
a base layer (114/116) defining a groove (110) surrounding a second hole region (190) in a plan view, the second hole region overlapping with the second through-hole (190);
an organic light emitting layer (134; [0035], [0012]) comprising a cut part (part of 134 in groove 110) overlapping with the groove (110), and having an edge (edge of 134 defining hole 190, pointed to in annotated figure 2 below) defining a portion of the second through-hole (190); and
an inorganic encapsulation layer (142; [0037]) on the organic light emitting layer (134), and covering the groove (110), the inorganic encapsulation layer having an edge defining a portion of the second through-hole (edge of 142 pointed to in annotated fig 2 below).
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As to claim 6, Won discloses the display device of claim 1 (paragraphs above),
wherein the edge of the organic light emitting layer and the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer are aligned with each other (see annotated fig 2, above that shows the diagonal line).
As to claim 7, Won discloses the display device of claim 1 (paragraphs above),
wherein the panel layer further comprises a common electrode layer (fig 2, 136) between the inorganic encapsulation layer (142) and the organic light emitting layer (134), the common electrode layer having an edge defining a portion of the second through-hole (edge of 136 between edge of 142 and 134).
As to claim 8, Won discloses the display device of claim 7 (paragraphs above),
wherein the edge of the organic light emitting layer and the edge of the common electrode layer are aligned with each other (see annotated fig 2, above that shows the diagonal line).
As to claim 9, Won discloses the display device of claim 7 (paragraphs above),
wherein the common electrode layer comprises a cut part overlapping with the groove (part of 136 cut in the groove 110).
As to claim 10, Won discloses the display device of claim 1 (paragraphs above),
wherein the second through-hole exposes a portion of a top surface of the substrate that is adjacent to the first hole region (fig 2, top portion of substrate 101 exposed through the layer 114 and adjacent to hole 120).
As to claim 11, Won discloses the display device of claim 1 (paragraphs above),
wherein the panel layer further comprises a planarization layer (108) on at least a portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer (142), and having an edge defining a portion of the second through-hole (edge of 108 forming second hole 190).
As to claim 12, Won discloses the display device of claim 11 (paragraphs above),
wherein the edge of the planarization layer and the edge of the organic light emitting layer are aligned with each other (see annotated fig 2, above that shows the diagonal line with layer 108).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Won in view of Kim (US Pub. No. 2020/0106046 A1).
As to claim 2, Won discloses the display device of claim 1 (paragraphs above),
Won does not disclose wherein the base layer comprises:
a first inorganic barrier layer on the substrate;
an organic base layer on the first inorganic barrier layer, and defining a first opening of a portion of the groove that exposes a portion of a top surface of the first inorganic barrier layer; and
a second inorganic barrier layer on the organic base layer, and defining a second opening overlapping with the first opening to define a portion of the groove.
Nonetheless, Kim discloses wherein a base layer (fig 7D), comprises:
a first inorganic barrier layer (BI2) on a substrate;
an organic base layer (BS1) on the first inorganic barrier layer (BI2), and defining a first opening of a portion of a groove that exposes a portion of a top surface of the first inorganic barrier layer (fig 7D shows the groove with top surface of BI2 exposed); and
a second inorganic barrier layer (IL1) on the organic base layer (BS1), and defining a second opening overlapping with the first opening to define a portion of the groove (opening in IL1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the base layer of Won from the inorganic/organic stack of layers as taught by Kim since this will improve reliability of the display device by creating an improved barrier for moisture and oxygen.
As to claim 3, Won in view of Kim disclose the display device of claim 2 (paragraphs above).
Kim further disclose wherein a width of the second opening is less than a width of the first opening in a region adjacent to the second opening in a cross-sectional view (fig 7D, width of opening in IL1 is less than that of BS1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record fails to teach or suggest wherein an edge of a first inorganic barrier layer defines a portion of the second through-hole, and is aligned with the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer, as recited in claim 4 and including the limitations of intervening claims and independent claim 1. Claim 5 is allowable because of its dependence from claim 4.
Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Pub. No. 2020/0343481A1; US Pub. No. 2020/0161582A1; and US Pub. No. 2020/0067017A1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHAUN M CAMPBELL whose telephone number is (571)270-3830. The examiner can normally be reached on MWFS: 7:30-6pm Thurs 1-2pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Purvis, Sue can be reached at (571)272-1236. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHAUN M CAMPBELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893 1/19/2026