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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/20/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The response filed 03/20/2026 is accepted, in which, claims 1, 13-16, 18, 19, and 21 are amended. Claims 1, 15, and 21 are independent with claims 1-5, 7-19, and 21-22 awaiting an action on the merits as follows.
Drawings
Claim 15 of the disclosure limits, "the diffuser is a blanket layer that overlaps the plurality of pixels in the direction." However, there is no drawing embodiment that depicts the diffuser 84 overlapping a plurality of pixels.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the diffuser as a blanket layer that overlaps the plurality of pixels must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Response to Arguments
Regarding amended claims 1 and 15, the arguments presented by Applicant in the response are persuasive. Claims 1 and 15 are now allowable as discussed below.
Regarding claim 21, on page 15 of the response, Applicant argues,
"Yoshizawa therefore fails to show or suggest, "wherein the second inorganic passivation layer is interposed between the first inorganic passivation layer and the cathode" and "wherein the diffuser is embedded in the first inorganic passivation layer," as recited by claim 21 as presently amended."
Examiner respectfully disagrees.
The color filter 19 of Yoshizawa analogous to the so-called diffuser is embedded in inorganic layer 12 while inorganic layer 12a is a separate layer interposed between the first inorganic layer 12 in which the color filter is embedded and the cathode 15. Yoshizawa overcomes the amended claim and the rejection stands.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5 and 7-19 are allowed.
The following is an Examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
As to claim 1, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest:
A display having a plurality of pixels that emit light in a direction, the display comprising: a transparent anode; organic light-emitting diode layers formed over the transparent anode; a cathode formed over the organic light-emitting diode layers; a reflective layer that is formed underneath the transparent anode; a substrate that is interposed between the transparent anode and the reflective layer, wherein the substrate electrically isolates the transparent anode from the reflective layer and a diffuser formed over the transparent anode, wherein the diffuser is a blanket layer that overlaps the plurality of pixels in the direction. Emphasis on the underlined portion. No prior art found in the search discloses a color filter analogous to the claimed diffuser that is layered across all pixels and does not differ between wavelengths to meet the limitations of the amended diffuser of claim 1.
As to claim 15, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest:
A display comprising: an anode; organic light-emitting diode layers formed over the anode; a cathode formed over the organic light-emitting diode layers; and a diffusive layer that is formed over the cathode and that overlaps the anode, wherein the diffusive layer does not substantially change a color of light that passes through the diffusive layer. Emphasis on the underlined portion. A color filter or conversion layer is changing the color of the light that passes through it. Only prior art with transparent layers over white pixels would not change the color the light, but those layers do not diffuse the light necessarily. Inoue's color filter 210 changes the color of the light as it passes through. The claimed diffuser is not taught or suggested by the prior art.
In addition to the above, the totality of the limitations of claims 1 and 15 provide a novel display device.
As such, modification of the prior art of record can only be motivated by hindsight reasoning, or by changing the intended use and function of the prior art themselves. Therefore, it is not clear that one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention would have made the necessary modifications to the prior art of record to encompass the limitations set forth in the present application. Moreover, none of the prior arts of record, taken either alone or in combination, anticipate nor render obvious the claimed inventions. Hence, claims 1-5 and 7-19 are allowable over the prior arts of record.
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.”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue (US 20030156239 A1), in view of Lee (US 20170110518 A1), and further in view of Yoshizawa (US 20050156519 A1).
Regarding claim 21, Inoue teaches a display (90, Fig 6) comprising:
an anode (80);
organic light-emitting diode layers (88) formed over (shown over) the anode (80);
a cathode formed (86) over (shown over) the organic light-emitting diode layers (88); and
a diffuser (210, Fig 3B) formed over (shown over) the cathode (86) and overlapping (shown overlapping) the anode (80).
Inoue fails to explicitly teach first and second inorganic passivation layers formed over the cathode and overlapping the anode, wherein the second inorganic passivation layer is interposed between the first inorganic passivation layer and the cathode; and an organic planarization layer interposed between the first and second inorganic passivation layers, wherein the diffuser is embedded in the first inorganic passivation layer.
However, Lee teaches first (301B: bottom 301, Fig 2d) and second (301T: top 301) inorganic passivation layers (inorganic layers, [0034]) formed over (shown over; the cathode would be included in the OLED layer 200) the cathode and overlapping (shown overlapping) the anode; and
an organic planarization layer (302) interposed between (shown between) the first (301B) and second (301T) inorganic passivation layers.
Yoshizawa teaches the second inorganic passivation layer is interposed between (shown between, Fig 14; the color filter 19 of Yoshizawa analogous to the so-called diffuser is embedded in inorganic layer 12 while inorganic layer 12a is a separate layer interposed between the first inorganic layer 12, in which the color filter is embedded, and the cathode 15) the first inorganic passivation layer and the cathode; and the diffuser is embedded (shown embedded in inorganic layer 12, Fig 14) in the first inorganic passivation layer.
Inoue, Lee, and Yoshizawa are considered analogous to the claimed invention because all are from the same field of endeavor of semiconductor display devices. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the device of Inoue with the features of Lee and Yoshizawa to create first and second inorganic passivation layers formed over the cathode and overlapping the anode, wherein the second inorganic passivation layer is interposed between the first inorganic passivation layer and the cathode; and an organic planarization layer interposed between the first and second inorganic passivation layers, wherein the diffuser is embedded in the first inorganic passivation layer simplifying the film layer structure, reducing manufacturing costs, and improving the luminous efficiency and the display effect (Lee, [Abs]) and maintaining moisture-proofness (Yoshizawa, [0053]) in which light-emitting characteristics are not susceptible to degradation resulting from moisture (Yoshizawa, [0008]).
Regarding claim 22, the combination of Inoue, Lee, and Yoshizawa discloses the display of claim 21. Inoue teaches the diffuser (210, Fig 3B).
Lee goes on to teach wherein the diffuser is in direct contact (shown in direct contact) with the organic planarization layer (302).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Tokito (US 5780174 A) - Multi-layer mirror directly under transparent anode.
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/JEREMY DANIEL WATTS/Examiner, Art Unit 2897 /CHAD M DICKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897