Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/391,652

LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE STRUCTURE AND DISPLAY APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Dec 21, 2023
Examiner
DAGNEW, MEKONNEN D
Art Unit
2638
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Playnitride Display Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allow Rate
604 granted / 728 resolved
+21.0% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+15.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
757
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.5%
-35.5% vs TC avg
§103
63.7%
+23.7% vs TC avg
§102
21.5%
-18.5% vs TC avg
§112
6.3%
-33.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 728 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 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. Claim s 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU et al. (US 20230007967 A1; hereafter) in view of Hussell et al. (US 20150282260 A1; hereafter Hussell). As of Claim 1 : LIU teaches a light-emitting device structure (¶0025 and note FIGS. 1 and 2 ) , comprising: at least one light-emitting device, each of the at least one light-emitting device comprising a first-type semiconductor layer (¶0027 and note The epitaxial structure 20 has an epitaxial surface opposite to the substrate surface 100 a and includes three light emitting units, i.e., a first light emitting unit 201 , a second light emitting unit 202 and a third light emitting unit 203 that are spacedly and sequentially disposed on the substrate surface 100 a ) , a light-emitting layer, and a second-type semiconductor layer (¶0028 and note each of the first, second and third light emitting units 201 , 202 , 203 includes a first semiconductor layer 211 , an active layer 212 and a second semiconductor layer 213 that are sequentially formed) , wherein the light-emitting layer is located between the first-type semiconductor layer and the second-type semiconductor layer, and the second-type semiconductor layer has a light-emitting surface (¶ ¶0029 ) ; and a reflective wall (¶ 0035 and note light- refl ecting insulating layer, and is configured to refl ect light emitted from the first, second and third light emitting units 201 , 202 , 203 toward the substrate 100 , so that the refl ected light can emit from a light-exiting surface of the substrate 100 opposite to the substrate surface 100 a and a side surface of the substrate 100 interconnecting the substrate surface 100 a and the light-exiting surface ) , comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion surrounds a side wall of the second-type semiconductor layer of each of the at least one light-emitting device and exposes the light-emitting surface of each of the at least one light-emitting device (¶ 0042-0044 and note) , the second portion is disposed on a surface of the first portion, and a connection portion between the second portion and the first portion is separated from the light-emitting surface by a distance (¶¶0027,0033,0051,0056) . Hussell is a similar or analogous system to the claimed invention as evidenced Hussell teaches solid state emitters generate light through the recombination of electronic carriers (electrons and holes) in a light emitting layer or region of an LED chip. LED chips have significantly longer lifetimes and a greater luminous efficiency than conventional incandescent and fluorescent light sources that would have prompted a predictable variation of LIU by applying Hussell ’s known principal of a reflective retaining wall (¶¶0105,0116 and note LED segments or chips (e.g., 14 and 34 , FIG. 4) provided within a portion of reflective retaining member 42 , such as a wall, dam or dispensed retention material. Emission area 32 includes one or more LED segments (e.g., 14 , FIGS. 4) provided below an optical element 44 . That is, in this view, LED segments (e.g., 14 , FIG. 4) and underlying traces (e.g., 38 , FIG. 4) which are visible in FIG. 4, are not visible in FIG. 5 as each can be provided below portions of optical element 44 and/or reflective retaining member 42 . Notably, retaining member 42 can, but does not have to, comprise a phosphoric or lumiphoric material for further affecting or tuning light output.) In view of the motivations such as reducing an amount of light impinging upon electrical components, such as driver chip 22 as di s clsoed in ¶0116 of Hussell thereby improving efficiency and optical properties thereof and one of ordinary skill in the art would have implemented the claimed variation of the prior art system of LIU . Therefore, the claimed invention would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. As of Claim 2 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches the first portion of the reflective retaining wall is electrically connected to the second-type semiconductor layer ( Hussell ¶¶0105,0116) . As of Claim 3 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches the second portion and the surface of the first portion of the reflective retaining wall and the light-emitting surface of each of the at least one light-emitting device define an accommodating space ( LIU ¶¶0040,0044) , and a first orthographic projection area of the accommodating space on a horizontal plane is greater than a second orthographic projection area of the light-emitting surface on the horizontal plane ( LIU ¶¶0026,0029) . As of Claim 4 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches a color conversion material, disposed within the accommodating space ( Hussell ¶¶0044,0051) . As of Claim 5 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches the at least one light-emitting device is a plurality of light-emitting devices, the first portion between adjacent two of the light-emitting devices has a first maximum width, the second portion has a second maximum width, and the second maximum width is less than the first maximum width ( LIU ¶¶0027,0032) . As of Claim 6 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches the second portion has a height, and a ratio of the height to the first maximum width is between 1 and 4 ( LIU ¶¶0027,0032,0044). As of Claim 7 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches a material of the first portion and a material of the second portion are different metal materials ( LIU ¶¶0030-0032) . As of Claim 8 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches a conductivity of the first portion is greater than a conductivity of the second portion ( Hussell ¶¶0111,0112) . As of Claim 9 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches a reflectivity of the second portion is greater than a reflectivity of the first portion ( Hussell ¶¶0122-0124) . As of Claim 10 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches a reflective layer, covering a surrounding surface of the second portion, wherein a reflectivity of the reflective layer is greater than a reflectivity of the reflective retaining wall ( Hussell ¶¶0124-0127) . As of Claim 11 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches an ohmic contact layer, disposed between the first portion and the second-type semiconductor layer ( Hussell ¶¶0071,0078,0095,0112) . As of Claim 12 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches the surface of the first portion is flush with the light-emitting surface ( Hussell ¶¶0075,0098) . As of Claim 13 : LIU teaches a display apparatus (¶¶0003,0004,0053) , comprising: a substrate (¶0026) ; and a plurality of light-emitting device structures (¶0027) , disposed on the substrate, each of the light-emitting device structures comprising: a light-emitting device structure (¶0025 and note FIGS. 1 and 2 ), comprising: at least one light- emitting device, each of the at least one light-emitting device comprising a first-type semiconductor layer (¶0027 and note The epitaxial structure 20 has an epitaxial surface opposite to the substrate surface 100 a and includes three light emitting units, i.e., a first light emitting unit 201 , a second light emitting unit 202 and a third light emitting unit 203 that are spacedly and sequentially disposed on the substrate surface 100 a ), a light-emitting layer, and a second-type semiconductor layer (¶0028 and note each of the first, second and third light emitting units 201 , 202 , 203 includes a first semiconductor layer 211 , an active layer 212 and a second semiconductor layer 213 that are sequentially formed), wherein the light-emitting layer is located between the first-type semiconductor layer and the second-type semiconductor layer, and the second-type semiconductor layer has a light-emitting surface (¶¶0029); and a reflective wall (¶0035 and note light- refl ecting insulating layer, and is configured to refl ect light emitted from the first, second and third light emitting units 201 , 202 , 203 toward the substrate 100 , so that the refl ected light can emit from a light-exiting surface of the substrate 100 opposite to the substrate surface 100 a and a side surface of the substrate 100 interconnecting the substrate surface 100 a and the light-exiting surface.), comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion surrounds a side wall of the second-type semiconductor layer of each of the at least one light-emitting device and exposes the light-emitting surface of each of the at least one light-emitting device (¶0042-0044 and note), the second portion is disposed on a surface of the first portion, and a connection portion between the second portion and the first portion is separated from the light-emitting surface by a distance (¶ ¶0027,0033,0051,0056 ). Hussell is a similar or analogous system to the claimed invention as evidenced Hussell teaches solid state emitters generate light through the recombination of electronic carriers (electrons and holes) in a light emitting layer or region of an LED chip. LED chips have significantly longer lifetimes and a greater luminous efficiency than conventional incandescent and fluorescent light sources that would have prompted a predictable variation of LIU by applying Hussell ’s known principal of a reflective retaining wall (¶¶0105,0116 and note LED segments or chips (e.g., 14 and 34 , FIG. 4) provided within a portion of reflective retaining member 42 , such as a wall, dam or dispensed retention material. Emission area 32 includes one or more LED segments (e.g., 14 , FIGS. 4) provided below an optical element 44 . That is, in this view, LED segments (e.g., 14 , FIG. 4) and underlying traces (e.g., 38 , FIG. 4) which are visible in FIG. 4, are not visible in FIG. 5 as each can be provided below portions of optical element 44 and/or reflective retaining member 42 . Notably, retaining member 42 can, but does not have to, comprise a phosphoric or lumiphoric material for further affecting or tuning light output.) In view of the motivations such as reducing an amount of light impinging upon electrical components, such as driver chip 22 as di s clo s ed in ¶0116 of Hussell thereby improving efficiency and optical properties thereof and one of ordinary skill in the art would have implemented the claimed variation of the prior art system of LIU . Therefore, the claimed invention would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. As of Claim 14 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches an insulating layer, disposed on the substrate, covering a part of the light-emitting device structures, and located between the first portion of the reflective retaining wall and the substrate, wherein the insulating layer further extends between the reflective retaining walls of adjacent two of the light-emitting device structures ( LIU ¶¶0034-0036), and a first outer surface of the insulating layer is flush with a second outer surface of the second portion (¶¶0105,0116 and note LED segments or chips (e.g., 14 and 34 , FIG. 4) provided within a portion of reflective retaining member 42 , such as a wall, dam or dispensed retention material. Portions of optical element 44 and/or reflective retaining member 42 . Notably, retaining member 42 can, but does not have to, comprise a phosphoric or lumiphoric material for further affecting or tuning light output.). As of Claim 15 : LIU in view of Hussell further teaches a material of the reflective retaining wall is metal, and adjacent two of the light-emitting device structures share the same reflective retaining wall ( Hussell ¶¶0105,0116) . Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Enter examiner's name" \* MERGEFORMAT MEKONNEN D DAGNEW whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-5092 . The examiner can normally be reached on FILLIN "Work schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT 8:00AM-5:00PM M-Th . Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lin Ye can be reached on 571-272-7372 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see https://ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MEKONNEN D DAGNEW/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 21, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+15.8%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 728 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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