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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
Acknowledgement is made of receipt of Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO-1449) filed 7/20/2023. An initialed copy is attached to this Office Action.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-8, 12-15, and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin, Jaemin (KR 20200115772), hereinafter ‘772 in view of Tang, Biao (CN 106773013), hereinafter ‘013.
Regarding claim 1, ‘772 discloses a display device (DM, display module) (paragraph 060) comprising: a substrate (BL, base) comprising a first island pattern (IA, island part), a second island pattern (IA, island part) (paragraphs 0106 and 0107) (Examiner notes that the island parts IA are located in 4 unit parts UNP1, UNP2, UNP3, UNP4), and a bridge pattern (HA , hinge part) connecting the first island pattern (IA, island part) and the second island pattern (IA, island part) (paragraphs 0106 and 0107 and figures 8 and 9); a first pixel electrode (AE, anode electrode) above the first island pattern (IA, island part) (paragraphs 0183 and 0184), and having an area that is greater than an area of the first island pattern (figure 8 shows 4 island parts in the base layer BL and the anode electrode AE covers the length of the base layer BL and therefore would have a great area that the first island part); a second pixel electrode (CE, cathode electrode) above the second island pattern (IA, island part) (paragraphs 0183 and 0184) (Examiner notes that pixel electrodes can function as either an anode or cathode electrode); a display layer (ECP, encapsulation layer) above the first pixel electrode (AE, anode electrode) and the second pixel electrode (CE, cathode electrode) (paragraph 0189 and figure 8), and configured to display an image (IM, displayed image) (paragraph 0055).
‘772 does not disclose a common electrode above the display layer.
‘772 and ‘013 are related as display devices.
‘013 discloses a common electrode (2’, second electrode) above the display layer (6’, hydrophobic insulating layer; 7’, pixel wall; 8’, non-polar solution; 9’, immiscible polar liquid) (paragraph 5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of ‘772 with the common electrode of ‘013 for the purpose of creating an electric field through individual pixels.
Regarding claim 2, ‘772 discloses wherein the first pixel electrode (AE, anode electrode) is above a portion of the bridge pattern (HA, hinge part) (figure 11 shows the hinge part HA is in the base BL and the anode electrode is above the base BL).
Regarding claim 3, ‘772 discloses wherein the second pixel electrode (CE, cathode electrode) is above another portion of the bridge pattern (HA, hinge part) (figure 11 shows the hinge part HA is in the base BL and the cathode electrode is above the base BL).
Regarding claim 4, ‘013 discloses wherein the first pixel electrode, the second pixel electrode, and the common electrode comprise carbon nanotubes, carbon nanoballs, or silver nanowires (paragraph 16 discloses silver nanowires).
Regarding claim 5, ‘013 discloses further comprising a partition wall (3; sealant), between the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode (paragraph 5).
Regarding claim 6, ‘013 discloses wherein the partition wall overlaps the bridge pattern, and does not overlap the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode (paragraph 5).
Regarding claim 7, ‘772 discloses wherein the first pixel electrode overlaps the bridge pattern, and the second pixel electrode does not overlap the bridge pattern (see figure 11).
Regarding claim 8, ‘013 discloses wherein each of the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode has a hexagonal shape in plan view (paragraph 20 discloses the electrode is in the shape of a hexagon).
Regarding claim 12, ‘772 discloses wherein the display layer comprises light-emitting diode elements (OLED), some of the light-emitting diode elements being above the first pixel electrode, and others of the light-emitting diode elements being above the second pixel electrode (paragraph 0187).
Regarding claim 13, ‘772 discloses wherein at least one of the some of the light-emitting diode elements overlaps the first island pattern or the bridge pattern (paragraph 0187 and figure 11).
Regarding claim 14, ‘772 discloses wherein at least one of the some of the light-emitting diode elements overlaps the second island pattern or the bridge pattern (paragraph 0187 and figure 11).
Regarding claim 15, ‘772 discloses a display device (DM, display module) (paragraph 060) comprising: a substrate (BL, base) comprising island patterns (IA, island parts) (paragraphs 0106 and 0107) (Examiner notes that the island parts IA are located in 4 unit parts UNP1, UNP2, UNP3, UNP4), and a bridge pattern (HA , hinge part) connecting adjacent ones of the island patterns (IA, island parts) that are adjacent to each other in a first direction (paragraphs 0106 and 0107 and figures 8 and 9); a pixel electrode (AE, anode electrode) above the island patterns (IA, island parts) (paragraphs 0183 and 0184); a display layer (ECP, encapsulation layer) above the pixel electrode (AE, anode electrode) (paragraph 0189 and figure 8), and configured to display an image (IM, displayed image) (paragraph 0055).
‘772 does not disclose a common electrode above the display layer and comprising the same material as the pixel electrode.
‘013 discloses a common electrode (2’, second electrode) above the display layer (6’, hydrophobic insulating layer; 7’, pixel wall; 8’, non-polar solution; 9’, immiscible polar liquid) and comprising the same material as the pixel electrode (paragraph 5).
Regarding claim 17, ‘772 discloses wherein the display layer comprises light-emitting diode elements (OLED), wherein a first electrode of any one of the light-emitting diode elements is connected to the pixel electrode.
‘772 does not disclose wherein a second electrode of each of the light-emitting diode elements is connected to the common electrode pixel electrode.
‘013 discloses wherein a second electrode of each of the light-emitting diode elements is connected to the common electrode pixel electrode (paragraph 5).
Regarding claim 18, ‘772 discloses wherein area of the pixel electrode is larger than an area of one of the island patterns (figure 8 shows 4 island parts in the base layer BL and the anode electrode AE covers the length of the base layer BL and therefore would have a great area that the first island part).
Regarding claim 19, ‘772 discloses further comprising a signal line above the island patterns and the bridge pattern, and having a modulus that is less than a modulus of the pixel electrode (paragraphs 34, 79-80).
Regarding claim 20, ‘772 discloses further comprising a signal line above the island patterns and the bridge pattern, and having a modulus that is less than a modulus of the common electrode (paragraphs 34, 79-80).
Claim(s) 9-11 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin, Jaemin (KR 20200115772), hereinafter ‘772 in view of Tang, Biao (CN 106773013), hereinafter ‘013 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Ochi, Tetsuro (JP 2019060983), hereinafter ‘983.
Regarding claim 9, ‘772 discloses all the limitations in common with claim 1, and such is hereby incorporated.
‘772 does not disclose
‘772 and ‘983 are related as display systems.
‘983 discloses wherein the display layer comprises microcapsules (30, microcapsules) comprising at least two electrophoretic particles (34a, white particles and 34b, black particles) (paragraph 0016), some of the microcapsules being above the first pixel electrode, and others of the microcapsules being above the second pixel electrode (PE, pixel electrodes are segmented).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of ‘772 with the microcapsules of ‘983 for the purpose of dispersing the particles to display an image.
Regarding claim 10, ‘772 discloses a first island pattern (IA, island part) and a bridge pattern (HA, hinge part) in the substrate (BL, base).
‘772 does not disclose wherein at least one of the some of the microcapsules overlaps the first island pattern or the bridge pattern.
‘983 disclose wherein at least one of the some of the microcapsules (30, microcapsules) overlaps the substrate (18, array substrate) (figure 4) (Examiner notes the island patterns and bridge are in the base/substrate and the microcapsules are over the substrate and therefore the microcapsules would overlap the base).
Regarding claim 11, ‘772 discloses a second island pattern (IA, island part) and a bridge pattern (HA, hinge part) in the substrate (BL, base).
‘772 does not disclose wherein at least one of the some of the microcapsules overlaps the second island pattern or the bridge pattern.
‘983 disclose wherein at least one of the some of the microcapsules (30, microcapsules) overlaps the substrate (18, array substrate) (figure 4) (Examiner notes the island patterns and bridge are in the base/substrate and the microcapsules are over the substrate and therefore the microcapsules would overlap the base).
Regarding claim 16, ‘983 discloses wherein the display layer comprises microcapsules (30, microcapsules) above the first pixel electrode (PE, pixel electrodes are segmented) (figure 4), and comprising at least two electrophoretic particles (34a, white particles and 34b, black particles) (paragraph 0016).
Conclusion
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/BRANDI N THOMAS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872