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 Species A (fig. 3, claims 1-3, 5-14 and 16-20) in the reply filed on 4-6-2026 is acknowledged.
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, 5-14, and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jeon (US 2021/0202630).
[claim 1] An electroluminescent display device (figs. 24, 25), comprising: a substrate (100, fig. 24) including an active area (EA, fig. 24) and a non-active area (CA, fig. 24) surrounding the active area; a planarization layer (102, fig. 24, [0545], 101d and 106a may also be part of the planarization layer fig. 24,25) over the substrate; an anode (PE, fig. 24, [0544]) on the planarization layer; an organic layer (ED, fig. 24, [0550]) on the anode and absent at a laser ablation area in the non-active area (no ED in the LPP region, fig. 24, [0708]) to surround the active area, a portion of the organic layer disposed outside the laser ablation area (ED on dam 105, fig. 25) ; a cathode (CE, fig. 25, [0554]) on the organic layer and absent at the laser ablation area (CE is not present in LPP, fig. 25), a portion of the cathode disposed outside the laser ablation area (CE is on dam 105, fig. 25); an encapsulation substrate (108, fig. 24, [0593]) above the substrate; and a dam (105, fig. 25, ]0560]) at the laser ablation area between the substrate and the encapsulation substrate (fig. 24).
[claim 2] The electroluminescent display device of claim 1, wherein the organic layer is in the active area and the non-active area except for the laser ablation area (fig. 24, 25), and wherein the cathode is in the active area and the non-active area except for the laser ablation area (fig. 24, 25].
[claim 3] The electroluminescent display device of claim 1, further comprising a trench (upside down trench formed in 101d by DL, fig. 25) through the planarization layer at the laser ablation area (fig. 25).
[claim 5] The electroluminescent display device of claim 3, wherein the trench is disposed in a direction parallel to an edge of the substrate in the non-active area (fig. 25).
[claim 6] The electroluminescent display device of claim 5, wherein the trench is disposed in the direction parallel to a boundary between the active area and the non-active area (fig. 25).
[claim 7] The electroluminescent display device of claim 3, further comprising a bank (403, 107b fig. 25) disposed on the planarization layer adjacent to the trench (fig. 25).
[claim 8] The electroluminescent display device of claim 7, wherein the bank includes first and second bank portions disposed on opposite sides of the trench (fig. 25).
[claim 9] The electroluminescent display device of claim 7, further comprising an additional trench (upside down trench filled in by dam 105, ED, and CE, fig. 25) through the planarization layer at an edge of the laser ablation area, and an additional bank (layer directly above 105 in fig. 25) adjacent to the additional trench, wherein the organic layer is on the additional bank and in the additional trench (fig. 25), the organic layer being absent at portions of the additional trench within the laser ablation area (fig. 25).
[claim 10] The electroluminescent display device of claim 9, wherein the cathode is disposed in the additional trench (fig. 25), the cathode being absent at the portions of the additional trench within the laser ablation area (fig. 25).
[claim 11] The electroluminescent display device of claim 1, wherein the laser ablation area is an area from which the cathode and the organic layer are removed by irradiating a laser to a portion of the upper side of the non-active area [0708].
[claim 12] The electroluminescent display device of claim 3, further including a passivation layer (109,111, fig. 25) over the cathode, wherein the passivation layer extends to an end portion of the substrate in the non-active area (fig. 25), and wherein the passivation layer is in the trench (111 is in the trench, fig. 25).
[claim 13] The electroluminescent display device of claim 5, wherein the laser ablation area is spaced apart an edge of the substrate (fig. 24).
[claim 14] The electroluminescent display device of claim 1, wherein the dam surrounds the active area on a plane view (fig. 2A/2B/2C/2D).
[claim 16] An electroluminescent display device (figs. 24, 25), comprising: a substrate (100, fig. 24) including an active area (EA, fig. 24) and a non-active area (CA, fig. 24) surrounding the active area; an anode (PE, fig. 24, [0544]) over the substrate in at least the active area; an organic layer (ED, fig. 24, [0550]) on the anode in at least the active area; and a cathode (CE, fig. 24) on the organic layer in at least the active area; wherein a laser ablation area (LPP, fig. 25) is defined in the non-active area to surround the active area, wherein each of the organic layer and the cathode are absent in the laser ablation area (CE and ED are absent from LPP, fig. 25), and wherein at least one of the organic layer and the cathode is disposed in the non-active area outside of the laser ablation area (in the dam area 105, fig. 25).
[claim 17] The electroluminescent display device of claim 16, wherein the organic layer is in the active area and the non-active area except for the laser ablation area (fig. 24, 25), and wherein the cathode is in the active area and the non-active area except for the laser ablation area (fig. 24,25).
[claim 18] The electroluminescent display device of claim 16, wherein the laser ablation area is an area from which the cathode and the organic layer are removed by irradiating a laser to a portion of the upper side of the non-active area [0708].
[claim 19] An electroluminescent display device (figs. 24, 25), comprising: a substrate (100, fig. 24) including an active area (EA, fig. 24) and a non-active area (CA, fig. 24) surrounding the active area; an anode (PE, fig. 24, [0544]) on the substrate in at least the active area; an organic layer (ED, fig. 24, [0550]) on the anode, the organic layer being divided into a first portion at least in the active area (fig. 24), and a second portion in the non-active area (fig. 25); a cathode (CE, fig. 25, [0554]) on the organic layer and is divided into two portions in the active area and in the non-active area (fig. 24, 25), respectively, and a dam (105, fig. 24,25) disposed in a laser ablation area (LPP, fig. 24, 25) which is disposed between the first and second portions of the organic layer (fig. 24, 25).
[claim 20] The electroluminescent display device of claim 19, wherein the organic layer is in the active area and the non-active area except for the laser ablation area (fig. 24, 25), and wherein the cathode is in the active area and the non-active area except for the laser ablation area (fig. 24, 25).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMAR MOVVA whose telephone number is (571)272-9009. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM.
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/AMAR MOVVA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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