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 Group I, claims 1-15, in the reply filed on March 9, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 16-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3-4 and 6-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) & (a)(2) as being anticipated by Lin et al. (US 11,610,954).
Regarding claim 1, Lin discloses a display device (Figs. 4A-4B) comprising: a first pixel electrode (404) and a second pixel electrode (404) spaced apart from each other on a substrate; an inorganic insulating layer (126) disposed on the substrate and including a portion disposed on each of the first pixel electrode (404) and the second pixel electrode (404); residual patterns (110C) disposed between the first pixel electrode (404) and the inorganic insulating layer (126) and between the second pixel electrode (404) and the inorganic insulating layer (126); a bank structure (110) disposed on the inorganic insulating layer, wherein a first opening overlapping the first pixel electrode and a second opening overlapping the second pixel electrode are defined through the bank structure (Fig. 4A); a first light emitting layer (112) disposed on the first pixel electrode and a second light emitting layer (112) disposed on the second pixel electrode; a first common electrode (114) disposed on the first light emitting layer (112) and a second common electrode (114) disposed on the second light emitting layer; and a first encapsulation layer (116) comprising a first inorganic layer (Column 9, lines 56-59) disposed on the first common electrode in the first opening and a second inorganic layer (116) disposed on the second common electrode in the second opening, wherein the bank structure (110) comprises a first bank layer (110A) and a second bank layer (110B) disposed on the first bank layer and comprising a different metal material from the first bank layer (Column 15, lines 24-44), and the second bank layer (110b) comprises tips (109) protruding further toward than the first bank layer from side surfaces of the first bank layer defining the first opening and the second opening (Fig. 4B).
Regarding claim 3, Lin discloses a display device wherein each of the first inorganic layer (116) and the second inorganic layer (116) directly contacts the side surfaces of the first bank layer under the tips of the second bank layer (Fig. 4B).
Regarding claim 4, Lin discloses a display device wherein each of the first inorganic layer (116) and the second inorganic layer (116) directly contacts lower surfaces of the tips of the second bank layer (Fig. 4B).
Regarding claim 6, Lin discloses a display device wherein each of the first inorganic layer (116) and the second inorganic layer (116) directly contacts lower surfaces of the tips (109) of the second bank layer (110B) and partially covers side surfaces of the tips (109) defining the first opening and the second opening (Fig. 4A).
Regarding claim 7, Lin discloses a display device wherein the first inorganic layer (116) and the second inorganic layer (116) are spaced apart from each other (Fig. 4A).
Regarding claim 8, Lin discloses a display device further comprising: a capping layer (Column 9, lines 60-67) disposed between the first inorganic layer and the first common electrode and between the second inorganic layer and the second common electrode, wherein each of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer directly contacts the capping layer (Column 9, lines 60-67).
Regarding claim 9, Lin discloses a display device wherein the first bank layer comprises aluminum (Al), and the second bank layer comprises titanium (Ti) (Column 15, lines 24-44).
Regarding claim 10, Lin discloses a display device wherein the residual patterns (110C) comprise an oxide semiconductor (Column 15, lines 38-44).
Regarding claim 11, Lin discloses a display device wherein each of the first common electrode (114) and the second common electrode (114) directly contacts the side surfaces of the first bank layer (110A) defining the first opening and the second opening (Fig. 4B).
Regarding claim 12, Lin discloses a display device wherein the inorganic insulating layer (116) does not contact upper surfaces of the first pixel electrode (404) and the second pixel electrode (404), a portion of the first light emitting layer (112) is disposed between the first pixel electrode (404) and the inorganic insulating layer (116), and a portion of the second light emitting layer (112) is disposed between the second pixel electrode (404) and the inorganic insulating layer (116).
Regarding claim 13, Lin discloses a display device wherein a third opening overlapping a third pixel electrode (404) is further defined through the bank structure, and the display device further comprises: the third pixel electrode (404) spaced apart from the second pixel electrode (404) on the substrate; a third light emitting layer (112) disposed on the third pixel electrode (404); and a third common electrode (114) disposed on the third light emitting layer (112), and the first encapsulation layer (116) further comprises a third inorganic layer disposed on the third common electrode (114) in the third opening (Figs. 4A-4B).
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.
Claim(s) 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al. (US 11,610,954) in view of Tabatake (US 2024/0090272 A1).
Regarding claim 14, Lin discloses a display device further comprising: a second encapsulation layer (120) disposed on the bank structure (110) and the first encapsulation layer (116); wherein the first encapsulation layer (116) comprises an inorganic insulating material (Column 9, lines 56-59). Lin fails to exemplify a third encapsulation layer disposed on the second encapsulation layer, wherein the third encapsulation layer comprises an inorganic insulating material, and the second encapsulation layer comprises an organic insulating material.
Tabatake discloses a display device comprising: a first pixel electrode (LE1) and a second pixel electrode (LE2) spaced apart from each other on a substrate; an inorganic insulating layer (5, ¶[0060]) disposed on the substrate and including a portion disposed on each of the first pixel electrode (LE1) and the second pixel electrode (LE2); a bank structure (6) disposed on the inorganic insulating layer, wherein a first opening overlapping the first pixel electrode and a second opening overlapping the second pixel electrode are defined through the bank structure (Fig. 3); a first light emitting layer (OR1a) disposed on the first pixel electrode and a second light emitting layer (OR2a) disposed on the second pixel electrode; a first common electrode (UE1a) disposed on the first light emitting layer and a second common electrode (UE2a) disposed on the second light emitting layer; and a first encapsulation layer (SE) comprising a first inorganic layer (SE1, ¶[0060]) disposed on the first common electrode in the first opening and a second inorganic layer (SE2, ¶[0060]) disposed on the second common electrode in the second opening, wherein the bank structure (6) comprises a first bank layer (61) and a second bank layer (62) disposed on the first bank layer and comprising a different metal material from the first bank layer (¶[0061]), and the second bank layer (62) comprises tips (62a, 62b) protruding further toward than the first bank layer from side surfaces of the first bank layer defining the first opening and the second opening (Fig. 4), a second encapsulation layer (14) disposed on the bank structure (6) and the first encapsulation layer (SE); and a third encapsulation layer (15) disposed on the second encapsulation layer, wherein the first encapsulation layer (SE) and the third encapsulation layer (15) comprise an inorganic insulating material (¶[0060]), and the second encapsulation layer (14) comprises an organic insulating material (¶[0059), the disclosed encapsulation layers provides protection of the light emitting element from moisture and oxygen degradation. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling of the claimed invention to incorporate the encapsulation layer disclosed by Tabatake in the display device of Lin in order to provide protection of the light emitting element from moisture and oxygen degradation.
Regarding claim 15, Lin discloses a display device wherein the second encapsulation layer (120) directly contacts an upper surface of the second bank layer.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 5 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim(s) 2, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 2, and specifically comprising the limitation of each of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer does not contact an upper surface of the second bank layer.
Regarding claim(s) 5, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 5, and specifically comprising the limitation of each of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer is spaced apart from lower surfaces of the tips of the second bank layer.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Choi (US 2008/0231168 A1) discloses a display substrate including a conductive pattern, a first pixel separating portion and a second pixel separating portion extending from the pixel separating portion and disposed around the conductive pattern, a sacrificial pattern interposed between an upper surface of the conductive pattern and a lower surface of the first pixel separating portion facing the upper surface of the conductive pattern, the sacrificial pattern forms an undercut shape.
Jung (US 2023/0363211 A1) discloses a display device including an inorganic insulating layer disposed partially on a pixel electrode, a bank structure disposed on the inorganic insulating layer, light emitting layers disposed on the pixel electrodes and in openings of the bank structure, common electrodes disposed on the light emitting layers and in the openings of the bank structure, the bank structure including multiple first bank layers including different metal materials and one of the bank layers including a tip protruding from a sidewall.
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood or implied from the texts of the references. To emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out. Each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mariceli Santiago whose telephone number is (571) 272-2464. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jessica Han, can be reached on (571) 272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Mariceli Santiago/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2879
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