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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: A period (.) is missing after “gate electrode”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 12, 18-22 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 12 recites the limitation "the bank" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18 recites the limitation "the organic layer" in line 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Additionally, the limitation “a plurality of opening areas in which the touch insulating film is not disposed in an area overlapping the organic layer is included” is confusing. It is not understood what is being included and to which it is being included. Since “a plurality of opening areas” is already a required limitation, the phrase “is included” can be omitted.
Claim 19 is rejected due to its dependency.
Claim 20 recites the limitation "the organic layer" in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 21-22 are rejected due to their dependency.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-4, 6-9, 11-12, and 23-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al. (U.S. Pub. 2021/0200361) [Hereafter “Park”].
Regarding claims 1, 23, and 24, Park [Figs.1-3] discloses a display apparatus, comprising:
a display substrate including an active area [DA] configured to display an image and a non-active area [NDA] enclosing the active area;
a thin film transistor [120] on the display substrate that includes a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode [Fig.2];
a light emitting diode [130] on the thin film transistor of the active area that includes a first electrode, an emission layer, and a second electrode [Fig.2];
an encapsulation unit [135] on the light emitting diode;
a touch sensor [140] on the encapsulation unit that includes a plurality of touch electrodes [144];
a touch protection layer [145] configured to cover the touch sensor;
a dam [180] configured to prevent at least a part of the encapsulation unit from flowing to the outside of the display substrate in the non-active area [Fig.3];
a crack detection unit [171] configured to detect at least one crack in the display apparatus [Para.127] [Fig.3]; and
a data line [150] [Paras.108-110] configured to supply common voltage to the light emitting diode [110-114];
a display apparatus, comprising:
a display substrate including an active area [DA] configured to display an image and a non-active area [NDA] enclosing the active area;
an organic layer [145] in the non-active area [Portions over dam structure 180, second crack stopper 170, and first crack stopper 160] configured to prevent a crack in the display apparatus; and
a crack detection unit [171] configured to detect at least one crack in the display apparatus;
a light emitting diode [130] in the active area [DA] [Fig.3];
an encapsulation layer [135] on the light emitting diode; and
a dam [180] configured to prevent at least a part of the encapsulation layer unit from flowing to the outside of the display substrate in the non-active area [Fig.3].
Regarding claims 3-4, 6-9, and 11-12, Park [Figs.1-3] discloses a display apparatus
wherein the crack detection unit [171] is on the same layer as the gate electrode [122] [Para.126];
wherein the data line [150] is on the same layer as at least one of the source electrode, the drain electrode [123,124] [Para.108] or a connection electrode which connects a thin film transistor and a light emitting diode;
wherein the dam [180] is disposed between the crack detection unit [171] and the data line [150];
further comprising:
a connection line [134]; and
a common line disposed at an end area of the connection line and including a first common line [127] and a second common line [125],
wherein the data line [150] is configured to supply the common voltage to the connection line [134] [Para.112-114];
wherein the first common line, the second common line, and the connection line [125,127,134] are connected to each other at the lower part of the dam [180];
at least one of the first common line, the second common line, or the connection line are in the same layer as the data line [125] [153 of 150];
wherein the connection line [134] is disposed to overlap at least a part of the data line [150] [Para.114];
further comprising:
a hole [118a] disposed between the bank [118] and the dam in the non-active area,
wherein the connection line [134] and at least a part of the encapsulation unit [135] are connected through the hole [Para.113].
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) 2, 5, 10, and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (U.S. Pub. 2021/0200361) in view of Jo et al. (U.S. Pub. 2020/0363905) [Hereafter “Jo”].
Regarding claim 2, Park [Figs.3-9] discloses a display apparatus wherein the touch protection layer [145] is utilized in the non-active area together with variations of a crack stopper structure [160-760] configured to prevent cracks. Park fails to explicitly disclose a separate structure wherein the display apparatus further comprising:
an organic layer in the non-active area configured to prevent the at least one crack in the display apparatus.
However, Jo [Fig.7] discloses a display apparatus further comprising:
an organic layer [178] in the non-active area configured to prevent the at least one crack in the display apparatus [Para.82].
It would have been obvious to modify Park to form the organic layer in the non-active area, configured to prevent the at least one crack in the display apparatus, as a separate organic layer as claimed. The organic layer either being a separate structure or part of the touch protection layer is configured for the same purpose of crack prevention. It would have been obvious to provide the organic layer in the non-active area configured to prevent the at least one crack in the display apparatus, since it has been held that applying a known technique to a known process in order to yield predictable results would have been obvious. Further, it would have been obvious to try one of the known methods with a reasonable expectation of success. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Regarding claims 5, 10, and 13-15, Park and Jo disclose the display apparatus
wherein the crack detection unit [171] is disposed between the dam [180] and the organic layer [Park; Portion of 145 over crack stopper 160] [Jo; 178];
wherein the organic layer [Park; Portion of 145 over crack stopper 160] [Jo; 178] configured with the same material as the touch protection layer [Discussed above];
further comprising:
a partition wall fixing unit [160; Fig.3] configured with the same material as the plurality of touch electrodes [142,144] [Paras.148-149] and configured to be in contact with bottom surfaces of the organic layer [Park; Portion of 145 over crack stopper 160] [Jo; 178];
wherein the organic layer is configured to cover a top surface and a side surface of the partition wall fixing unit [160];
wherein the partition wall fixing unit [160] is configured to be in contact with bottom surfaces and a part of side surfaces of the organic layer.
Claim(s) 16-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (U.S. Pub. 2021/0200361) in view of Jo et al. (U.S. Pub. 2020/0363905), as applied above, and further in view of Luo et al. (U.S. Pub. 2024/0160306) [Hereafter “Luo”].
Regarding claims 16-17, Park fails to explicitly disclose the display apparatus further comprising a cover layer. Having a cover layer covering the display structure is obvious for a display apparatus. Luo [Figs.1,4] discloses and makes obvious a display apparatus further comprising:
a cover layer [16] on the touch protection layer and the organic layer;
wherein a refractive index of the cover layer [16] [Para.97] is higher than a refractive index of the touch protection layer [302; Fig.4] [Para.135] [Glass cover plate 16 would typically have a higher refractive index than an organic touch protection layer 302].
It would have been obvious to provide a cover layer as claimed, since it has been held that applying a known technique to a known process in order to yield predictable results would have been obvious. Further, it would have been obvious to try one of the known methods with a reasonable expectation of success. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art is considered analogous art and discloses at least some of the claimed subject matter of the current invention.
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/BAC H AU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898