DETAILED ACTION
Examiner’s Note
The prior arts cited in PTO-892 but not used in the current rejection are related to the claimed novelty.
Applicant is reminded that the Examiner is entitled to give the broadest reasonable interpretation to the language of the claims. Furthermore, the Examiner is not limited to Applicants' definition which is not specifically set forth in the claims. See MPEP 2111, 2123, 2125, 2141.02 VI, and 2182.
Examiner has cited particular paragraphs, columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner. See MPEP 2141.02 VI.
In the case of amending the claimed invention, Applicant is respectfully requested to indicate the portion(s) of the specification which dictate(s) the structure relied on for proper interpretation and also to verify and ascertain the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of species C, reflected in claims 1-2, 5-12 and 15-20 in the reply filed on 02/09/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 3-4 and 13-14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142 (b), as being drawn to the nonelected group.
According to the above election by the applicant, elected claims 4-10 depend on withdrawn claim 3 and elected claims 15-20 depend on withdrawn claim 13.
For examination purpose, the dependence of the elected claims 4-10 and 15-20 will be considered as dependent to the closest elected intermediate dependent claim as below:
replace ‘claim 3’ in line 1 of claims 5-6 by ‘claim 2’, and
replace ‘claim 13’ in line 1 of claims 15-16 by ‘claim 12’.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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 factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-2 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (US 20220115473 A1, hereinafter Han‘473) in view of Luo et al. (US 20240160306 A1, hereinafter Luo‘306).
Regarding independent claim 1, Han‘473 teaches, “An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel (fig. 1-20; ¶ [0075] - ¶ [0143]), comprising:
a substrate (10, fig. 16);
a driving circuit layer (11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 101, 102, 103 etc.), disposed on the substrate (10) and comprising a first inorganic layer (11, 13, 15, 16, ¶ [0077]) having a plurality of inorganic film layers;
a light-emitting functional layer (23, 24, 25, 26), disposed on a side of the driving circuit layer away from the substrate (10);
an encapsulation layer (27), disposed on a side of the light-emitting functional layer (23, 24, 25, 26) away from the driving circuit layer (11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 101, 102, 103 etc.); and
a touching layer (‘a touch layer or touch panel’, ¶ [0114]), disposed on a side of the encapsulation layer (27) away from the light-emitting functional layer (23, 24, 25, 26) ((and comprising a second inorganic layer having one or more inorganic film layers));
wherein the OLED display panel comprises a display area (310) and a non-display area (320, 330, 400), the non-display area comprises a cutting area (400) disposed at a side of the display area (310);
(a sum of a number of the inorganic film layers of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer in the cutting area is less than a sum of a number of the inorganic film layers of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer in the display area.)
Han‘473 mentions the element ‘touching layer’ in ¶ [0114], but may not be explicit upon the provision, wherein
a touching layer .. comprising a second inorganic layer having one or more inorganic film layers;
a sum of a number of the inorganic film layers of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer in the cutting area is less than a sum of a number of the inorganic film layers of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer in the display area.
However, Luo‘306 of the same assignee teaches a similar device, wherein
a touching layer (31, fig. 4) comprising a second inorganic layer having one or more inorganic film layers (buffer layer, ¶ [0135] and 301);
Han‘473 and Luo‘306 are analogous art because they both are directed to display panel and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify Han‘473 with the features of Luo‘306 because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to combine the teachings of Han‘473 and Luo‘306 to include inorganic layers in the touching layer according to the teachings of Luo‘306 as this is conventional in the similar devices to insulate and protect the conductive elements.
Now modifying Han‘473 with Luo‘306, the below limitataion is also being taught:
a sum (zero) of a number of the inorganic film layers of the first inorganic layer (none of inorganic film layers 11, 13, 15, 16, fig. 16, Han‘473 ) and the second inorganic layer (none of buffer layer and 301 in fig. 4, Luo‘306) in the cutting area (400, fig. 16, Han‘473) is less than a sum (4 + 2 =6) of a number of the inorganic film layers (11, 13, 15, 16, fig. 16, Han‘473) of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer (buffer layer and 301 in fig. 4, Luo‘306) in the display area.
Regarding independent claim 11, Han‘473 teaches, “An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display device, comprising an OLED display panel and an electronic element (¶ [0167]), wherein the OLED display panel comprises:
a substrate (10, fig. 16);
a driving circuit layer (11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 101, 102, 103 etc.), disposed on a side of the substrate (10) and comprising a first inorganic layer (11, 13, 15, 16, ¶ [0077]) having a plurality of inorganic film layers;
a light-emitting functional layer (23, 24, 25, 26), disposed on a side of the driving circuit layer away from the substrate (10);
an encapsulation layer (27), disposed on a side of the light-emitting functional layer (23, 24, 25, 26) away from the driving circuit layer (11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 101, 102, 103 etc); and
a touching layer (‘a touch layer or touch panel’, ¶ [0114]), disposed on a side of the encapsulation layer (27) away from the light-emitting functional layer (23, 24, 25, 26) ((and comprising a second inorganic layer having one or more inorganic film layers));
wherein the OLED display panel comprises a display area (310) and a non-display area (320, 330, 400), the non-display area comprises a cutting area (400) disposed at a side of the display area (310);
(a sum of a number of the inorganic film layers of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer in the cutting area is less than a sum of a number of the inorganic film layers of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer in the display area.)
Han‘473 mentions the element ‘touching layer’ in ¶ [0114], but may not be explicit upon the provision, wherein
a touching layer .. comprising a second inorganic layer having one or more inorganic film layers;
a sum of a number of the inorganic film layers of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer in the cutting area is less than a sum of a number of the inorganic film layers of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer in the display area.
However, Luo‘306 of the same assignee teaches a similar device, wherein
a the touching layer (31, fig. 4) comprising a second inorganic layer (buffer layer, ¶ [0135] and 301) having one or more inorganic film layers;
Han‘473 and Luo‘306 are analogous art because they both are directed to semiconductor devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify Han‘473 with the features of Luo‘306 because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to combine the teachings of Han‘473 and Luo‘306 to include inorganic layers in the touching layer according to the teachings of Luo‘306 as this is conventional in the similar devices to insulate and protect the conductive elements.
Now modifying Han‘473 with Luo‘306, the below limitataion is also being taught:
a sum (zero) of a number of the inorganic film layers of the first inorganic layer (none of inorganic film layers 11, 13, 15, 16, fig. 16, Han‘473 ) and the second inorganic layer (none of buffer layer and 301 in fig. 4, Luo‘306) in the cutting area (400, fig. 16, Han‘473) is less than a sum (4 + 2 =6) of a number of the inorganic film layers (11, 13, 15, 16, fig. 16, Han‘473) of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer (buffer layer and 301 in fig. 4, Luo‘306) in the display area.
Regarding claim 2, Han‘473 modified with Luo‘306 further teaches, “The OLED display panel according to claim 1, wherein in the display area (310, fig. 16, Han‘473), the first inorganic layer comprises a buffer layer (11), a first gate insulating layer (13), a second gate insulating layer (15), and an interlayer insulating layer (16);
the second inorganic layer (buffer layer, ¶ [0135] and 301, fig. 4, Luo‘306) comprises a first touching insulating layer (buffer layer, ¶ [0135]) and a second touching insulating layer (301);
In the cutting area (410, fig. 16, Han‘473), the OLED display panel comprises five or fewer film layers (zero) among the buffer layer, the first gate insulating layer, the second gate insulating layer, the interlayer insulating layer, the first touching insulating layer, and the second touching insulating layer”.
Regarding claim 12, Han‘473 modified with Luo‘306 further teaches, “The OLED display panel according to claim 11, wherein in the display area (310, fig. 16, Han‘473), the first inorganic layer comprises a buffer layer (11), a first gate insulating layer (13), a second gate insulating layer (15), and an interlayer insulating layer (16);
the second inorganic layer (buffer layer, ¶ [0135] and 301, fig. 4, Luo‘306) comprises a first touching insulating layer (buffer layer, ¶ [0135]) and a second touching insulating layer (301);
In the cutting area (410, fig. 16, Han‘473), the OLED display panel comprises five or fewer film layers (zero) among the buffer layer, the first gate insulating layer, the second gate insulating layer, the interlayer insulating layer, the first touching insulating layer, and the second touching insulating layer”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-10 and 15-20 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 dependent claim 5 and 15, the prior arts of record do not anticipate or make obvious, inter alia, the feature of: the OLED display panel further comprises a spacer column and a retaining wall disposed between the substrate and the light-emitting functional layer in the cutting area, and the retaining wall comprises the first planarization layer, the second planarization layer, the pixel definition layer, and the spacer column stacked in sequence.
Regarding dependent claim 6 and 16, the prior arts of record do not anticipate or make obvious, inter alia, the feature of: a metal pattern, disposed at one or more sides of the light-emitting functional layer in the cutting area.
Claims 7-10 are also objected as they depend on the objected claim 6 and Claims 17-20 are also objected as they depend on the objected claim 16.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMAD M HOQUE whose telephone number is (571)272-6266 and email address is mohammad.hoque@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-7PM EST.
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/MOHAMMAD M HOQUE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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