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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention II in the reply filed on 1/5/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 13-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim, and election was made without traverse in the amendment filed on 10/31/2022.
Therefore, claims 1-12 have been fully considered in examination.
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 1-12 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 “maintaining an operation temperature of the second heater to redeposit the ink onto the substrate.” The term “redeposit the ink” is indefinite because the specification defines “ink” as a liquid solution or colloidal state, yet by the time the redeposit the step is performed, the ink has been dried and vaporized – it no longer exists in liquid form. It is therefore unclear what material is being “redeposited.”
Claims 2-12 are also rejected being dependent on rejected claim 1.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US20150325817A1), and further in view of Kim503 (KR20110017503A).
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches a method of manufacturing a display device (Para [0038], manufacturing an organic light emitting display device), comprising:
discharging an ink onto a substrate (Fig. 5A, discharge the ink on the substrate 30);
drying the discharged ink (Fig. 5A, drying the ink on the substrate 30);
disposing a first heater below the substrate (Fig. 5A, first temperature adjustment portion 200_2 below the substrate 30) and disposing a second heater above the substrate (second temperature adjustment portion 300_2 above the substrate 30);
operating both the first heater and the second heater (Fig. 5A, temperature control of both source portions 200 and 300 indicating simultaneous operation of tow thermal regions); and
reducing an operation temperature of the first heater while maintaining an operation temperature of the second heater to redeposit the ink onto the substrate (Fig. 5A, generating vapor from a heated source and controlling substrate temperature to promote condensation, thereby establishing a temperature differential corresponding to reducing a substrate-side heater while maintaining a source-side heater, resulting in redeposition).
But, Kim does not teach disposing a mask plate above the substrate.
However, Kim503 teaches disposing a mask plate above the substrate (Fig. 1, a mask 105 positioned above the substrate S).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify a method for manufacturing an organic light emitting diode display of Kim (US20150325817A1) and further integrating alternative structure of magnet plate by Kim503 (KR20110017503A). The combination of these familiar elements can improve the deflection of the substrate so that the substrate becomes flat (see translated).
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Regarding claim 2, Kim in view of Kim503 teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the discharged ink forms a light emitting layer (Fig. 5A of Kim, organic layer 20).
Regarding claim 3, Kim in view of Kim503 the method of claim 1, wherein the display device further comprises a bank disposed on the substrate, and an opening is disposed in the bank, the ink also being disposed in the opening (Fig. 3 of Kim, pixel-defining layer 40 by a predetermined distance. The pixels 10 defined on the array substrate 500 by the pixel-defining layer 40).
Regarding claim 4, Kim in view of Kim503 the method of claim 3, wherein the mask plate is disposed above the bank (Fig. 1 of Kim503, a mask 105 positioned above the substrate S, so that by using the manufacturing process of Kim503 in the method of Kim, the method would comprise the mask plate is disposed above the bank).
Regarding claim 5, Kim in view of Kim503 teaches the method of claim 4, wherein the mask plate is disposed directly on an upper surface of the bank (Fig. 1 of Kim503, a mask 105 positioned above the substrate S, so that by using the manufacturing process of Kim503 in the method of Kim, the method would comprise the mask plate is disposed directly on an upper surface of the bank).
Regarding claim 6, Kim in view of Kim503 teaches the method of claim 4, wherein the mask plate comprises a magnet to attach to the bank (Fig. 1 of Kim503, a mask 105 positioned above the substrate S to provide the mask 105 by magnetic force, so that by using the manufacturing process of Kim503 in the method of Kim, the method would comprise the mask plate comprises a magnet to attach to the bank).
Regarding claim 7, Kim in view of Kim503 teaches the method of claim 1, wherein a first light emitting layer is formed upon the drying of the discharged ink (Fig. 5A of Kim, forming an organic material layer from a solution, followed by solvent removal (drying) to form a functional organic layer on a substate).
Regarding claim 8, Kim in view of Kim503 Kim teaches in view of Kim503 teaches the method of claim 7, wherein the operating both the first heater and the second heater vaporizes the first light emitting layer (Fig. 5A of Kim, vaporized material condenses onto the substrate, redistributing or reforming an organic layer).
Regarding claim 9, Kim in view of Kim503 teaches the method of claim 8, wherein the reducing the operation temperature of the first heater forms a second light emitting layer in an opening of a bank from the vaporized light emitting material (Fig. 5A of Kim, independent temperature control of multiple region, implying adjustable thermal conditions).
Regarding claim 10, Kim in view of Kim503 teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising reducing an operation temperature of the second heater after the reducing of the operation temperature of the first heater (Fig. 5A of Kim, generating vapor from a heated source and controlling substrate temperature to promote condensation, thereby establishing a temperature differential corresponding to reducing a substrate-side heater while maintaining a source-side heater).
Regarding claim 11, Kim in view of Kim503 teaches the method of claim 10, Kim teaches the controlling temperature during processing of organic materials, including evaporation and deposition, but does not expressly disclose a maximum operation temperature of the first heater and a maximum operation temperature of the second heater are about 500 °C. Since temperature is a result-effective variable, selecting a maximum temperature of about 500 °C, would have been a matter of routine optimization. See In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (CCPA 1955).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US20150325817A1) in view of Kim503 (KR20110017503A) as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Yamazaki (US20080026501A1).
Regarding claim 12, Kim in view of Kim503 teaches the method of claim 1 respectively, the use of organic materials for forming functional layers in an OLED device.
But Kim does not teach the ink comprises a light emitting material, wherein a molecular weight of the light emitting material is less than or equal to about 10,000 atomic mass units.
However, Yamazaki teaches the ink comprises a light emitting material, wherein a molecular weight of the light emitting material is less than or equal to about 10,000 atomic mass units (Fig. 15, such organic materials include light-emitting organic compounds commonly used in OLED devices. These materials are well known to be small-molecule compounds having molecular weight significantly below 10,000 atomic mass units. Accordingly, selecting a material having a molecular weight less than or equal to about 10,000 atomic mass units would have been obvious. See In re Ahlert, 424 F.2d 1088, 1091, 165 USPQ 418, 420 (CCPA 1970)).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify a method for manufacturing an organic light emitting diode display of Kim (US20150325817A1) and further integrating alternative ink jet method of laminate structure having two or more layers by Yamazaki (US20080026501A1). The combination of these familiar elements increase the efficiency of light emission (Para [0044]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAHAE KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-1844. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Fernando Toledo can be reached on (571) 271-1867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FERNANDO L TOLEDO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897
/JAHAE KIM/Examiner, Art Unit 2897