Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/406,227

DISPLAY APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jan 08, 2024
Priority
Jan 09, 2023 — RE 10-2023-0003045
Examiner
SOWARD, IDA M
Art Unit
2898
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
93%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 93% — above average
93%
Career Allowance Rate
1247 granted / 1338 resolved
+25.2% vs TC avg
Moderate +6% lift
Without
With
+5.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 1m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
1370
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
48.6%
+8.6% vs TC avg
§102
28.8%
-11.2% vs TC avg
§112
21.6%
-18.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1338 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . This Office Action is in response to the application filed January 8, 2024. Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. 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. Claim 1 is 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. It is not understood how the light-blocking layer and the low reflection layer can overlap each other. Only one can be on top of the other. Claims 2-20 are rejected as being dependent upon rejected claim 1. Therefore, the claim is interpreted as the light-blocking layer is over the low reflection layer. Allowable Subject Matter As best understood, claims 1-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following patents are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to display devices: Adachi et al. (WO 2020165686 A1) Choi et al. (US 2022/0359628 A1) Chu et al. (WO 2020053692 A1) Hatsumi et al. (DE 112020000840 T5) Hatsumi et al. (US 2022/0246893 A1) Kang et al. (US 2022/0293683 A1) Kim et al. (US 2022/0285460 A1) Kubota et al. (US 2021/0066669 A1) Kubota et al. (DE 112019006497 T5). Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IDA M SOWARD whose telephone number is (571)272-1845. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, 7am to 5:30pm. 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, Leonard Chang can be reached at 571-270-3691. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. IMS March 17, 2026 /IDA M SOWARD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 08, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
May 18, 2026
Interview Requested
May 27, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
May 27, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12630418
MEMS ACOUSTIC SENSOR INCLUDING DIAPHRAGM RECESSED COMBINING PARTS
4y 1m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12635360
DISPLAY DEVICE INCLUDING CUTOUT PORTION SEPRARTING PROTRUSION PATTERNS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME
3y 5m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12622045
SEMICONDUCTOR POWER DEVICES HAVING DOPED AND SILICIDED POLYSILICON TEMPERATURE SENSORS THEREIN
3y 9m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Patent 12615950
DISPLAY MODULE INCLUDING HEAT GENERATION ELEMENT BETWEEN HEAT DISSIPATION STRUCTURES
3y 0m to grant Granted Apr 28, 2026
Patent 12615787
ISOLATOR INCLUDING ELECTRICALLY FLOATING INTERMEDIATE ELECTRODE PORTION
2y 7m to grant Granted Apr 28, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
93%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+5.5%)
2y 1m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1338 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month