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 .
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 § 102
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 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) 1-6 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. US 2019/0245015.
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Lee et al. US 2019/0245015
Regarding claim 1, Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses a display panel [0030], wherein the display panel comprises:
a substrate [0038] comprising a display area DA and a peripheral area PA around the display area DA [0036];
a display element 182 [0033],[0051] disposed in the display area DA;
a thin film encapsulation layer 190 covering the display area DA [0038] and comprising a first inorganic encapsulation layer 192, an organic encapsulation layer 194, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 196 [0058]; and
a dam unit comprising a plurality of dams DM1, DM2 disposed in the peripheral area PA [0062], wherein the plurality of dams comprise an inorganic layer 172, 174, the inorganic layer 174 is at least partially disposed on a side surface of an outermost dam DM2 among the plurality of dams, and
wherein the first inorganic encapsulation layer 192 directly contacts the inorganic layer 174 on the side surface of the outermost dam DM2.
Regarding claim 2, Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein the inorganic layer 172 comprises a protrusion tip protruding toward at least one groove RC2, (annotated above G1, G2), [0096]-[0099] of a plurality of grooves disposed between the plurality of dams, Fig. 7D.
Regarding claim 3, Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses the display panel of claim 2, wherein an opposite electrode EL2 180 [0049]-[0051] of the display element 182 is disconnected by the protrusion tip 172.
Regarding claim 4, Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein the inorganic layer 174 is disposed to extend from the side surface of the outermost dam DM2 to an upper surface of the substrate 110, and the first inorganic encapsulation layer 192 covers an edge of the inorganic layer 174 disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 110.
Regarding claim 5, Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein the display panel further comprises an inorganic insulating layer 140 [0044] disposed between the substrate 110 and the display element, wherein the inorganic insulating layer 140 extends to a portion of the peripheral area PA, and the inorganic layer 174 directly contacts the inorganic insulating layer 140 in the peripheral area PA.
Regarding claim 6, Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of grooves (annotated above G1, G2), [0096]-[0099] disposed between the dam unit and an edge of the substrate in the peripheral area PA.
Regarding claim 9, Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein the substrate 110 further comprises an opening area TA disposed inside a front display area DA and a non-display area PA disposed between the opening area TA and the front display area DA, and the substrate 110 includes a first opening TH corresponding to the opening area TA, Figs. 1A-1B and 5A [0032]-[0036].
Regarding claim 10, Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses the display panel of claim 9, wherein the non-display area PA comprises a plurality of grooves (annotated above G1, G2), [0096]-[0099].
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) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Park et al. US 2021/0384465.
Regarding claim 7, Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses the display panel of claim 1 but does not expressly disclose wherein the display area DA comprises a front display area and a corner display area extending from a corner of the front display area, and at least two corner light emitting elements disposed in the corner display area are connected to a pixel circuit.
However, in analogous art, Park et al in Figs. 1-4B and [0091]-[0138] discloses display panel and a display apparatus in which a display area DA for displaying an image is extended and the DA comprises a front display area FDA and a corner display area CDA extending from a corner of the front display area FDA, and at least two corner light emitting elements PX2, PX3 disposed in the corner display area CDA are connected to a pixel circuit Fig. 4B.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Park et al. in the display panel of Lee et al. for the purpose of extending the display area for displaying an image.
Regarding claim 8, Lee et al. in view of Park et al. teaches the display panel of claim 7. Park et al. in [0091]-[0138] teaches wherein the corner display area CDA comprises a first corner display area and a second corner display area, and a driving circuit DC providing a scan signal SL is disposed in the second corner display area, and a corner light emitting element PX3 disposed in the second corner display area MDA among the at least two corner light emitting elements is disposed to overlap the driving circuit DC, Fig. 4B.
Claim(s) 11-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. US 2021/0384465 in view of Lee et al. US 2019/0245015.
Regarding claim 11, Park et al in Figs. 1-4B and [0091]-[0138] discloses a display apparatus wherein the display apparatus comprises:
a cover window CW [0096] comprising a flat portion and a curved portion curved at a corner of the flat portion [0101]; and
a display panel disposed on a surface of the cover window CW and including a substrate 100 [0123] including a display area DA overlapping the flat portion and a peripheral area PA surrounding the display area DA,
wherein the display panel comprises:
a display element OLED disposed in the display area DA;
a thin film encapsulation layer TFE [0198] Fig. 8A covering the display area DA and comprising a first inorganic encapsulation layer 310, an organic encapsulation layer 320, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 330.
Park et al. does not expressly disclose a dam unit comprising a plurality of dams DP1, DP2 disposed in the peripheral area PA, wherein the plurality of dams comprise an inorganic layer, the inorganic layer is at least partially disposed on a side surface of an outermost dam among the plurality of dams, and
wherein the first inorganic encapsulation layer directly contacts the inorganic layer on the side surface of the outermost dam.
However, in analogous art, Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses a display panel [0030] with high quality images while reducing an area of dead space of the display panel, wherein the display panel comprises:
a substrate [0038] comprising a display area DA and a peripheral area PA around the display area DA [0036];
a display element 182 [0033],[0051] disposed in the display area DA;
a thin film encapsulation layer 190 covering the display area DA [0038] and comprising a first inorganic encapsulation layer 192, an organic encapsulation layer 194, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 196 [0058]; and
a dam unit comprising a plurality of dams DM1, DM2 disposed in the peripheral area PA [0062], wherein the plurality of dams comprise an inorganic layer 172, 174, the inorganic layer 174 is at least partially disposed on a side surface of an outermost dam DM2 among the plurality of dams, and
wherein the first inorganic encapsulation layer 192 directly contacts the inorganic layer 174 on the side surface of the outermost dam DM2.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Lee et al. in the display apparatus of Park et al. for the purpose of reducing the area of dead space of the display device while displaying high quality images.
Regarding claim 12, Park et al. in view of Lee et al. teaches the display apparatus of claim 11. Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] teaches wherein the inorganic layer 172 comprises a protrusion tip protruding toward at least one groove RC2, (annotated above G1, G2) of a plurality of grooves disposed between the plurality of dams, Fig. 7D.
Regarding claim 13, Park et al. in view of Lee et al. teaches the display apparatus of claim 12. Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] teaches wherein an opposite electrode EL2 180 [0049]-[0051] of the display element 182 is disconnected by the protrusion tip 172.
Regarding claim 14, Park et al. in view of Lee et al. teaches the display apparatus of claim 11. Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] teaches wherein the inorganic layer 174 is disposed to extend from the side surface of the outermost dam DM2 to an upper surface of the substrate 110, and the first inorganic encapsulation layer 192 covers an edge of the inorganic layer 174 disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 110.
Regarding claim 15, Park et al. in view of Lee et al. teaches the display apparatus of claim 11. Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] teaches wherein the display panel further comprises an inorganic insulating layer 140 [0044] disposed between the substrate 110 and the display element, wherein the inorganic insulating layer 140 extends to a portion of the peripheral area PA, and the inorganic layer 174 directly contacts the inorganic insulating layer 140 in the peripheral area PA.
Regarding claim 16, Park et al. in view of Lee et al. teaches the display apparatus of claim 11. Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] teaches wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of grooves (annotated above G1, G2), [0096]-[0099] disposed between the dam unit and an edge of the substrate in the peripheral area PA.
Regarding claim 17, Park et al. in view of Lee et al. teaches the display apparatus of claim 11. Park et al in Figs. 1-4B and [0091]-[0138] wherein the display area DA comprises a front display area FDA and a corner display area CDA extending from a corner of the front display area FDA, and at least two corner light emitting elements PX2, PX3 disposed in the corner display area CDA are connected to a pixel circuit Fig. 4B.
Regarding claim 18, Park et al. in view of Lee et al. teaches the display apparatus of claim 17. Park et al. in [0091]-[0138] teaches wherein the corner display area CDA comprises a first corner display area and a second corner display area, and a driving circuit DC providing a scan signal SL is disposed in the second corner display area, and a corner light emitting element PX3 disposed in the second corner display area MDA among the at least two corner light emitting elements is disposed to overlap the driving circuit DC, Fig. 4B.
Regarding claim 19, Park et al. in view of Lee et al. teaches the display apparatus of claim 11. Lee et al. in Figs. 1A- 1B and 5A and [0030]-[0034] teaches wherein the display panel of claim 11 further comprises an opening area TA disposed inside a front display area DA and a non-display area PA disposed between the opening area TA and the front display area DA, and a component [0034] corresponding to the opening area TA is further disposed under the display panel.
Regarding claim 20, Park et al. in view of Lee et al. teaches the display apparatus of claim 19. Lee et al. in Fig. 5A and [0030]-[0109] discloses the display panel of claim 9, wherein the non-display area PA comprises a plurality of grooves (annotated above G1, G2), [0096]-[0099].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SONYA D MCCALL-SHEPARD whose telephone number is (571)272-9801. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.
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/Sonya McCall-Shepard/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898