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 without traverse of Specie I, claims 1-9, in the reply filed on December 11, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “at least one dummy electrode spaced apart from each other.” At least one is understood to include one. One electrode cannot be spaced apart from itself. For the purpose of the current Office Action, it is understood to mean “at least two dummy electrodes spaced apart from each other.”
Claims 6 and 7 recite “the at least one dummy electrode” as being apart from the first and second dummy electrodes: “the at least one dummy electrode is disposed between the first dummy electrode and the third dummy electrode.” However, claim 5 recites them to be parts of the first and second dummy electrodes.
Regarding claim 7, Kang teaches the display device of claim 5, wherein the at least one dummy electrode (CE overlapping IET2, figs. 16 and 17) is farther spaced apart from the third dummy electrode than the first dummy electrode in a plan view.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang et al (WO2020/166774), English translation is found in US PG Pub 20220149079 A1, Lee et al (PG Pub 2021/0217739 A1), and Kang et al (WO2020/256265), English translation is found in US PG Pub 20220352244 A1, hereafter Kang244.
Regarding claim 1, Kang teaches a display device (fig. 4) comprising: a first pixel (one of the plural pixels PXLs) including a first emission area (areas with emitters LD, figs. 5-18); a second pixel (another one of the plural pixels PXLs) including a second emission area (areas with emitters LD, figs. 5-18) spaced apart from the first emission area in a second direction (horizontal or vertical); wherein each of the first pixel and the second pixel includes: at least one dummy electrode (CE1, CE2, CE3, and/or CE4, fig. 16) spaced apart from each other in a first direction (DR1, fig. 16) intersecting the second direction (DR2) and extending in the second direction; light emitting elements (LD) disposed between the at least one dummy electrode in an emission area; a first pixel electrode (ET2, fig. 5A, paragraph [0169]) electrically connected to a first driving power source (VSS) and first ends of the light emitting elements (fig. 5A); and a second pixel electrode (IET1, fig. 16) electrically connected to a second driving power source (T1) and second ends of the light emitting elements (LD), the first pixel electrode of the first pixel extends from the first emission area to the non-emission area (areas without LD), the first pixel electrode of the first pixel is electrically connected to one of the at least one dummy electrode of the first pixel (fig. 18), and the first pixel electrode of the second pixel is electrically connected to the at least one dummy electrode (any one of the CE1 to CE4, fig. 16).
Kang does not teach a bank defining a non-emission area between the first emission area and the second emission area.
In the same field of endeavor, Lee teaches a bank (BNK, figs. 6 and 7A) defining a non-emission area between the first emission area (sub-pixel SPX1 or pixel PXL) and the second emission area (another sub-pixel SPX2 or SPX3, or another pixel not shown in fig. 6), for the benefit of preventing crosstalk by avoiding color mixing (paragraph [0235]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a bank defining a non-emission area between the first emission area and the second emission area, for the benefit of preventing crosstalk by avoiding color mixing.
Kang does not teach the first pixel electrode of the second pixel is electrically connected to the first driving power source (the same first driving power source that is connected to the first pixel electrode of the first pixel).
In the same field of endeavor, Kang244 teaches pixel electrodes (ET2, fig. 16) of the first and second pixels (six pixels shown in fig. 16) is electrically connected to the first driving power source (VSS) through CNL (paragraph [0209]), for the known benefit of providing a compact circuit by sharing a single VSS source among plural pixels, eliminating a need for plural VSS sources.
Thus, it would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to electrically connect the first pixel electrode of the second pixel to the first driving power source, for the known benefit of providing a compact circuit by sharing a single VSS source among plural pixels, eliminating a need for plural VSS sources.
Regarding claim 3, Kang244 teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the at least one dummy electrode (CE overlapping ET4 in lower left pixel, figs. 16 and 11A, for examples) of the second pixel is spaced apart from the at least one dummy electrode (CE overlapping ET4 in upper left pixel, fig. 16) of the first pixel in the second direction in the non-emission area, and the at least one dummy electrode of the second pixel is not electrically connected to the at least one dummy electrode of the first pixel (figs. 16 and 11A).
Regarding claim 5, Kang teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the at least one dummy electrode of the first pixel further includes: a first dummy electrode (CE4, fig. 17A) overlapping the first pixel electrode (ET2, figs. 16 and 17) of the first pixel in a plan view; and a third dummy electrode (another CE electrode, figs. 16-18) spaced apart from the first dummy electrode in the first direction and overlapping the second pixel electrode (ET1, figs. 16-18) of the first pixel in a plan view.
Regarding claim 6, Kang teaches the display device of claim 5, wherein the at least one dummy electrode (CE overlapping IET2, figs. 16 and 17) is disposed between the first dummy electrode and the third dummy electrode in a plan view.
Regarding claim 7, Kang teaches the display device of claim 5, wherein the at least one dummy electrode (CE overlapping IET2, figs. 16 and 17) is farther spaced apart from the third dummy electrode than the first dummy electrode in a plan view.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FEIFEI YEUNG LOPEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-1882. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8am to 4pm EST.
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/FEIFEI YEUNG LOPEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899