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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Title
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. (see MPEP § 606.01).
This may result in slightly longer titles, but the loss in brevity of title will be more than offset by the gain in its informative value in indexing, classifying, searching, etc.
The following title is suggested:
“Display device including light emitting diode with quantum dot layer on a stretchable lower substrate”.
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.
Claims 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 16, the claim recites the limitation “the second portion” in line(s) 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because the parent claim 14 never recites "a second portion," but the claim 15 recites "the first electrode includes a second portion". While seemingly minor, the change in terminology creates ambiguity as to whether these are the same structures. For the purpose of examination, the dependency of the claim 16 is treated as the claim 15 instead of the claim 14. Thus, the examiner recommends amending to “The display device of claim [[14]] 15” to overcome the rejection.
Regarding claim 17, because of the dependency on claim 16, the claim is also rejected for the reasons set forth above with respect to claim 16.
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.
Claims 1-3, 5-6 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi (US 20200381474).
Regarding claim 1. Fig 5A and Fig 6 (a portion view of Fig 5A) of Choi disclose A display device, comprising:
a lower substrate (Fig 5A, [0132]: BS2);
a plurality of lower plate patterns (Fig 5A: EC) disposed on the lower substrate;
a plurality of pixels (Fig 5A: PXA1/PXA2/PXA3) disposed on the plurality of lower plate patterns, each of the plurality of pixels including a plurality of light emitting diodes (LD1 in PXA1, LD2 in PXA2, LD3 in PXA3); and
a quantum dot layer disposed in at least one of the plurality of light emitting diodes (Fig 6, [0160]).
Regarding claim 2. Choi discloses The display device according to claim 1,
wherein each of the light emitting diodes of the plurality of light emitting diodes includes a first electrode (Fig 6, [0158]: E1), a first semiconductor layer (Fig 6, [0158]: SCP), an emission layer (Fig 6, [0160]: AL is a layer that emits light), a second semiconductor layer (Fig 6, [0158]: SCN), and a second electrode (Fig 6, [0158]: E2),
wherein each of the light emitting diodes is a vertical light emitting diodes in which the first electrode and the second electrode are disposed in a vertical direction (Fig 5A/Fig 6: the LED has vertical stack, which means all layers on top of one another. Thus, being vertical LED), and
wherein the quantum dot layer is disposed between the first electrode and the first semiconductor layer [0160].
Regarding claim 3. Choi discloses The display device according to claim 2,
wherein each of the light emitting diodes further includes a passivation layer (Fig 7, [0170]: ILS) which covers side surfaces of the first semiconductor layer, the emission layer, the second semiconductor layer, and the quantum dot layer (Fig 5A, see also Fig 7 for detail label of ILS).
Regarding claim 5. Choi discloses The display device according to claim 2, further comprising:
an upper substrate (Fig 5A: BS1) which is opposite to the lower substrate and is stretchable (Fig 14, [0201]);
an upper plate pattern (FM) disposed below the upper substrate (Fig 5A); and
a plurality of conductive patterns ([0142]: PE1/PE2/PE3) which is disposed below the upper plate pattern (Fig 5A) and is electrically connected to the second electrode (Fig 5A, [0190]).
Regarding claim 6. Choi discloses The display device according to claim 5, further comprising:
a plurality of upper line patterns (Fig 5B: the vertical via line under PE in L4) disposed below the upper substrate; and
a plurality of upper connection lines (OE) which is disposed below the plurality of upper line patterns and electrically connects the plurality of conductive patterns (Fig 5B).
Regarding claim 14. Fig 5A and Fig 6 (a portion view of Fig 5A) of Choi disclose
a substrate (Fig 5A, [0132]: BS2);
a plurality of plate patterns (Fig 5A: EC) disposed on the substrate;
a plurality of pixels (Fig 5A: PXA1/PXA2/PXA3) on the plurality of plate patterns, each pixel of the plurality of pixels including a light emitting diode (LD1 in PXA1, LD2 in PXA2, LD3 in PXA3), the light emitting diode including:
a first electrode (Fig 6, [0158]: E1);
a quantum dot layer [0160] adjacent to the first electrode;
a first semiconductor layer a first semiconductor layer (Fig 6, [0158]: SCP) on the first electrode;
an emission layer (Fig 6, [0160]: AL is a layer that emits light) on the first semiconductor layer; and
a second electrode (Fig 6, [0158]: E2) on the emission layer.
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (US 20200381474) in view of Chen (US 20200274039).
Regarding claim 4. Choi discloses The display device according to claim 3. But Choi does not disclose an outer surface of the quantum dot layer is covered by the first electrode, the first semiconductor layer.
However, Fig 15 of Chen discloses an outer surface of the quantum dot layer 310 [0049]: made of quantum dots) is covered by the first electrode 138-1, the first semiconductor layer 136 (refer to the middle portion 310).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Choi’s device to have Chen’s structure for the purpose of providing enhanced light conversion efficiency and color uniformity with quantum dot based scattering layer [0049].
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (US 20200381474) in view of Kim (US 20180166643).
Regarding claim 7. Choi discloses The display device according to claim 1,
wherein each of the light emitting diodes includes a first electrode (E1), a first semiconductor layer (SCP), an emission layer (AL), a second semiconductor layer (SCN), and a second electrode (E2) (Fig 6).
But Choi does not disclose wherein each of the light emitting diodes is a horizontal light emitting diodes in which the first electrode and the second electrode are disposed in a horizontal direction and the quantum dot layer is disposed between upper surfaces of the first electrode and the second electrode and lower surfaces of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer.
However, Fig 5 of Kim discloses a horizontal light emitting diodes in which the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 are disposed in a horizontal direction and the quantum dot layer 252/250 [0092] is disposed between upper surfaces of the first electrode and the second electrode and lower surfaces of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer 264.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Choi’s device to have the Kim’s horizontal LED structure for the purpose of providing enhanced brightness of the quantum light emitting with reduced light loss.
Regarding claim 8. Choi in view of Kim discloses The display device according to claim 7, Choi discloses wherein each of the light emitting diodes further includes a passivation layer (ILS) which covers side surfaces of the first semiconductor layer, the emission layer, the second semiconductor layer, and the quantum dot layer (Fig 7).
Regarding claim 9. Choi in view of Kim discloses The display device according to claim 8, Fig 5A of Choi discloses wherein an outer surface of the quantum dot layer is covered by the first electrode (E1), the first semiconductor layer (SCP), the emission layer (AL), the second semiconductor layer (SCN), the second electrode (E2), and the passivation layer ([0144]: EP).
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (US 20200381474) in view of Hu (US 20180321558).
Regarding claim 10. Choi discloses The display device according to claim 1. But Choi does not disclose wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes includes:
a first light emitting diode configured to emit light with a first wavelength;
a second light emitting diode configured to emit light with a second wavelength;
a third light emitting diode configured to emit light with a third wavelength; and
wherein the first wavelength is longer than the second wavelength and the second wavelength is longer than the third wavelength.
However, Fig 2 of Hu discloses the plurality of light emitting diodes includes:
a first light emitting diode 104 configured to emit light with a first wavelength ([0044]: red);
a second light emitting diode 106 configured to emit light with a second wavelength ([0044]: green);
a third light emitting diode 102 configured to emit light with a third wavelength ([0044]: blue); and
wherein the first wavelength is longer than the second wavelength and the second wavelength is longer than the third wavelength (wavelength: red>green>blue).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Choi’s device structure to have the Hu’s separate red, green, and blue (RGB) LEDs for the purpose of providing significantly higher peak brightness, superior color accuracy, and wider color gamut coverage. Further, individual R, G, and B diodes, displays can produce cleaner, more vibrant colors, achieve higher contrast with deeper blacks, and eliminate the yellow-tinged, washed-out whites associated with blue-LED/phosphor setup.
Regarding claim 11. Choi in view of Hu discloses The display device according to claim 10, Hu discloses further comprising: a distributed Bragg reflector 112 [0038] which is disposed on the first light emitting diode and the second light emitting diode to reflect light with the third wavelength and transmit light with the first wavelength and the second wavelength.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Choi’s device tor have the Hu’s DBR structure for the purpose of enhancing light extraction efficiency, increasing brightness, improving color purity (via narrower emission spectra), and reducing color crosstalk and angular, color-shifting issues.
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (US 20200381474) in view of Hu (US 20180321558), and further in view of He (US 20170229429).
Regarding claim 12. Choi in view of Hu discloses The display device according to claim 10. But Choi in view of Hu does not disclose wherein the first light emitting diode includes a first quantum dot layer which converts light with the third wavelength into the first wavelength and the second light emitting diode includes a second quantum dot layer which converts light with the third wavelength into the second wavelength.
However, Fig 2 of He discloses the first light emitting diode 101 (very left) includes a first quantum dot layer 102 [0039] which converts light with the third wavelength into the first wavelength ([0056]: blue to red) and the second light emitting diode 101 (middle) includes a second quantum dot layer 102 which converts light with the third wavelength into the second wavelength ([0056]: blue to green).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Choi in view of Hu’s device structure to have the He’s structure for the purpose of providing brighter, more energy-efficient displays, especially for LCD backlighting and QD-OLED technologies.
Regarding claim 13. Choi in view of Hu and He disclose The display device according to claim 12, He discloses wherein the third light emitting diode includes a transmission layer 108 [0055] with the same thickness with the first quantum dot layer and the second quantum dot layer (Fig 2).
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (US 20200381474) in view of He (US 20170229429).
Regarding claim 18. Choi discloses The display device of claim 14, comprising:
a second light emitting diode (LD2) adjacent to the light emitting diode; and
a third light emitting diode (LD3) adjacent to the second light emitting diode.
But Choi does not disclose wherein the light emitting diode includes a first quantum dot layer configured to convert light having a third wavelength into a first wavelength,
wherein the second light emitting diode includes a second quantum dot layer configured to convert light having the third wavelength into a second wavelength, and
wherein the first quantum dot layer is the quantum dot layer.
However, Fig 2 of He discloses the light emitting diode 101 (very left) includes a first quantum dot layer 102 configured to convert light having a third wavelength into a first wavelength ([0056]: blue to red),
wherein the second light emitting diode 101 (middle) includes a second quantum dot layer 103 configured to convert light having the third wavelength into a second wavelength ([0056]: blue to green), and
wherein the first quantum dot layer is the quantum dot layer [0056].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Choi’s device structure to have the He’s structure for the purpose of providing brighter, more energy-efficient displays, especially for LCD backlighting and QD-OLED technologies.
Claims 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (US 20200381474) in view of Chung (US 20180351035).
Regarding claim 19. Choi discloses The display device of claim 14. But Choi does not disclose comprising:
a reflector on the light emitting diode and the second light emitting diode,
wherein the reflector overlaps the light emitting diode and the second light emitting diode from a plan view.
However, Fig 11 of Chung discloses a reflector ([0113]: FT11, which reflect blue wavelength) on the light emitting diode (LE10 in SP2) and the second light emitting diode (LE10 in SP3), wherein the reflector overlaps the light emitting diode and the second light emitting diode from a plan view.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Choi’s device structure to have the Chung’s structure for the purpose of providing enhanced efficiency and brightness by redirecting wasted light towards the viewer, significantly reducing energy consumption and enhancing visual performance by improving uniformity, minimizing hotspots, controlling light spread to reduce glare, and boosting color contrast.
Regarding claim 20. Choi in view of Chung discloses The display device of claim 19, Chung discloses wherein the reflector is spaced apart from the third light emitting diode (Fig 11),
wherein the reflector does not overlap with the third light emitting diode (LE10 in SP1) from a plan view (Fig 11).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 15 is 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 (regarding the claims 16-17, if overcome the 112(b) rejection, these claims would be allowable).
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 15. Choi (US 20200381474) discloses The display device of claim 14, Choi discloses wherein the first electrode includes a first portion (right edge portion of E1), and a second portion (left edge portion of E1). And Fig 2 of Sato (US 20150333102, provided in the IDS on 10/31/24) discloses an inclined portion (104b), wherein the inclined portion is between the first portion (the upper 104) and the second portion (bottom 104), wherein the inclined portion has a first inclined surface and the first portion has a first surface (Fig 2).
However, the cited prior art of record does not teach or fairly suggest, along with the other claimed features, “the quantum dot layer is adjacent to and in contact with the first surface of the first portion and the first inclined surface of the inclined portion”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Changhyun Yi whose telephone number is (571)270-7799. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 8A-4P.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Davienne Monbleau can be reached on 571-272-1945. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Changhyun Yi/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812