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
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/31/23 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-4, 8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al., US 2020/0403131 in view of Li et al., Cn 114335052.
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches (at least in Figure 11) a display device comprising a substrate (SUB), a via layer (INS1) above the substrate, and comprising a protrusion (bottom half of INSP5); an insulating pattern (top half of INSP5) above the protrusion, and having a width that is greater than a width of the protrusion (see Figure 11, top half is wider than bottom half); first and second electrodes (CP1 and EL1) above the via layer, and spaced apart from each other with the protrusion and the insulating pattern therebetween (see Figure 11); a light emitting element (LD1) between the first and second electrode (see Figure 11); a first connection electrode (CNE to the left of LD1) connected to a first end of the light emitting element (see Figure 11); and a second connection electrode (CNE to the right of LD1) connected to a second end of the light emitting element (see Figure 11). Kim is silent as to an insulating layer above the protrusion, the insulating pattern and the first and second electrodes.
However, in the same field of endeavor of display devices, Li teaches (at least in Figure 4) an insulating layer (PAS1) above the via layer (VIA), and above the first and second electrodes (RME1 and RME2). Further, it was well known to those of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing that an insulating layer would protect the first and second electrodes from damage and prevent the light emitting element from damage due to unwanted electrical contacts. Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide an insulating layer on the insulating pattern and first and second electrodes of the Kim device in order to protect the electrodes and the light emitting element from damage.
Regarding claim 2, Kim and Li teach the invention as explained above regarding claim 1, and Kim further teaches the protrusion (lower half of INSP5) and the via layer (INS1) are integral ([0112 and 0284]) and wherein the protrusion protrudes toward the light emitting element ([0285]).
Regarding claim 3, Kim and Li teach the invention as explained above regarding claim 1, and Kim further teaches the protrusion and the insulating pattern overlap the light emitting element (INSP5 overlaps LD1).
Regarding claim 4, Kim and Li teach the invention as explained above regarding claim 1, and Kim further teaches a side surface of the insulating pattern protrudes outwardly more than a side surface of the protrusion (side surface of top half of INSP5 protrudes outwardly more than side surface of bottom half of INSP5).
Regarding claim 8, Kim and Li teach the invention as explained above regarding claim 1, and Kim further teaches a side surface of the protrusion is perpendicular to a surface of the via layer (side surface of INSP5 is perpendicular to via layer INS1).
Regarding claim 10, Kim and Li teach the invention as explained above regarding claim 1, and Kim further teaches the insulating pattern (top half of INSP5) and light emitting element (LD1) overlap each other (see Figure 11). Kim is silent as to the insulating layer. However, in the same field of endeavor of display devices, Li further teaches the insulating layer (PAS1 in Figure 4) is in contact with a lower surface of the light emitting element (lower surface of ED). Further, it was well known to those of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing that an insulating layer would protect the first and second electrodes from damage and prevent the light emitting element from damage due to unwanted electrical contacts. Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide an insulating layer on the insulating pattern and first and second electrodes of the Kim device in order to protect the electrodes and the light emitting element from damage.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-18 and 20 are allowed.
Claims 5-7, 9 and 19 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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art fails to teach or suggest the combined limitations of the independent claims. Specifically, the prior art fails to teach or suggest a display device comprising a via layer having a protrusion, an insulating layer above the protrusion, and the thickness of the protrusion is equal to a thickness of the first electrode or second electrode. The prior art also fails to teach or suggest a method of fabricating a display device comprising forming a protrusion under an insulating pattern by etching a via layer.
The closest prior art, Kim et al., US 2020/0403131 teaches a display device comprising a via layer having a protrusion, but fails to teach an insulating layer above the protrusion and further fails to teach the thickness of the protrusion is equal to the thickness of the first or second electrode.
Another close prior art, Li et al., CN 114335052 teaches a display device comprising a via layer and an insulating layer above the via layer and the first and second electrodes. However, Li fails to teach a protrusion in the via layer or a thickness of the protrusion is equal to the thickness of the first and second electrodes. Therefore, in view of the teaching of the prior art, it would not have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to arrive at the presently claimed device.
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.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Bae et al., US 2022/0190071 teaches a display device comprising a via layer and an insulating layer above the via layer and above the first and second electrodes, but fails to teach a protrusion in the via layer and an insulating pattern formed on the protrusion.
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MARY ELLEN BOWMAN
Examiner
Art Unit 2875
/MARY ELLEN BOWMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875