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 Invention I, Species 1 (Fig. 7) covered by claims 1-5 in the reply filed on June 29, 2026 is acknowledged. Claim 6-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention and species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Accordingly, claim 1-5 are ready for examination.
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 and 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xie et al. (US 2021/0257434, hereinafter “Xie”).
Regarding claim 1, Xie teaches in Fig. 1-3 (shown below) and related text a display device (Fig. 3 and ¶[0018]) comprising:
a base layer (10, Fig. 3 and ¶[0069]) including a display area (i.e. pixel island region, 100, Figs. 1-3 and ¶[0068]) and a peripheral area (i.e. area surrounding region 100, Figs. 1-3) surrounding at least a portion of the display area (Figs. 1-3);
a light emitting element (31, 33, 34, Fig. 3 and ¶[0069]) disposed on the base layer (10, Fig. 3 and ¶[0069]) in the display area (i.e. pixel island region, 100, Fig. 3) and including a first electrode (31, Fig. 3 and ¶[0069]), a second electrode (34, Fig. 3 and ¶[0069), and a light emitting part (33, Fig. 3 and ¶[0069]) disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode (Fig. 3);
an electrode disconnection member (203, 204, Fig. 3 and ¶[0070]) disposed on the base layer (10, Fig. 3) in the peripheral area (i.e. connection bridge region, Fig. 3); and
an electrode portion (i.e. 34 on and between 203, 204 Fig. 3 and ¶[0069]) disposed adjacent to the electrode disconnection member, wherein the electrode disconnection member includes a reverse-taper member (203, Fig. 3 and ¶[0070]) and has a shape surrounding an area (i.e. area between 203, Fig. 3) in a plan view (i.e. area between two members 203, Figs. 1-3), wherein the reverse-taper member includes an inner edge facing the area (Fig. 3);
wherein the electrode portion includes a first electrode portion disposed in the area (i.e. portion of 34 between 203, 204, Fig. 3) and a second electrode portion disposed on an upper surface of the reverse-taper member along the inner edge (Fig. 3) , and wherein the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion are physically spaced apart from each other (Fig. 3).
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Regarding claim 4 (1), Xie teaches wherein the electrode disconnection member includes a plurality of electrode disconnection members (e.g. elements 203, 204, Figs. 1-3), and wherein the plurality of electrode disconnection members form an electrode disconnection area surrounding the display area (100, Figs. 1-3).
Regarding claim 5 (4), Xie teaches wherein the plurality of electrode disconnection members are sequentially arranged on a first direction (i.e. direction along the width of the page, Fig. 2) and a second direction different (i.e. direction along the length of the page, Fig. 2) from the first direction.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yang et al. (US 2022/0406861, hereinafter “Yang”, cited on IDS).
Regarding claim 1, Yang teaches in Fig. 1-3 (shown below) and related text a display device (100, Fig. 1 and ¶[0041]) comprising:
a base layer (101, Fig. 2 and ¶[0066]) including a display area (AA, Fig. 1 and ¶[0045]) and a peripheral area (NA, Fig. 1 and ¶[0045]) surrounding at least a portion of the display area (Figs. 1-3);
a light emitting element (150, Fig. 2 and ¶[0068]) disposed on the base layer (101, Fig. 2 and ¶[0066]) in the display area (Fig. 2) and including a first electrode (151, Fig. 2 and ¶[0093]), a second electrode (153, Fig. 2 and ¶[0094), and a light emitting part (152, Fig. 2 and ¶[0094]) disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode (Fig. 2);
an electrode disconnection member (UC, Fig. 3 and ¶[0058]) disposed on the base layer (101, Fig. 3) in the peripheral area (NA, Fig. 3); and
an electrode portion (153, 153’, Fig. 3 and ¶[0125]) disposed adjacent to the electrode disconnection member, wherein the electrode disconnection member includes a reverse-taper member (106, Fig. 3 and ¶[0096], reverse-taper is interpreted as having a configuration in which gradual change in slope of at least one side of the member results in the widening or increasing in width of the member in a direction toward the substrate), and has a shape surrounding an area in a plan view (Figs. 1 and 3), wherein the reverse-taper member includes an inner edge facing the area (Fig. 3);
wherein the electrode portion includes a first electrode portion (e.g. 153’, Fig. 3) disposed in the area (Fig. 3) and a second electrode portion (e.g. 153 on 106, Fig. 3) disposed on an upper surface of the reverse-taper member (106, Fig. 3) along the inner edge (Fig. 3), and wherein the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion are physically spaced apart from each other (Fig. 3).
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Regarding claim 2 (1), Yang further teaches an outer capping layer (120, Fig. 3 and ¶[0068]) disposed on the electrode portion (153, 153’, Fig. 3), wherein the light emitting element further includes a capping layer (120, Fig. 2 and ¶[0068]) disposed on the second electrode (153, Fig. 2) and including a same material as the outer capping layer (120, Fig. 2), and wherein at least a portion of the outer capping layer (120, Fig. 3) and the second electrode portion (153, Fig. 3) expose at least a portion of the upper surface of the reverse-taper member (106, Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 4 (1), Yang teaches wherein the electrode disconnection member includes a plurality of electrode disconnection members (UC, Fig. 1), and wherein the plurality of electrode disconnection members form an electrode disconnection area surrounding the display area (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5 (4), Yang teaches wherein the plurality of electrode disconnection members are sequentially arranged on a first direction (i.e. direction along the width of the page, Fig. 1) and a second direction different (i.e. direction along the length of the page, Fig. 1) from the first direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record, alone or in combination, and to the examiner’s knowledge does not teach, disclose, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan, the instant invention regarding a display device, particularly characterized by an outer encapsulation layer disposed on an outer capping layer disposed on an electrode portion in a peripheral area and an encapsulation layer disposed on a capping layer in the display area and including a same material as the outer encapsulation layer, wherein the outer encapsulation layer exposes at least a portion of the upper surface of the reverse-taper member and covers a side surface of the reverse-taper member facing the area, in combination with all other elements of display device recited in the claim. The closest prior art of record to Xie et al. (US 2021/0257434), Yang et al. (US 2022/0406861) and Park et al. (US 2023/0209910) fail to teach the above noted elements of the claim.
Relevant Prior Art
The prior art of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Park et al. (US 2023/0209910) teaches in Fig. 3-4 and related text a display device (100, Fig. 3 and ¶[0035]) comprising: a base layer (110, Fig. 4 and ¶[0062]) including a display area (area including subpixels) and a peripheral area (area surrounding subpixels) surrounding at least a portion of the display area (Fig. 1); a light emitting element (E, Fig. 4) disposed on the base layer in the display area and including a first electrode, a second electrode, and a light emitting part disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode (Fig. 4); an electrode disconnection member (154, Fig. 4) disposed on the base layer in the peripheral area; and an electrode portion (138, Fig. 4) disposed adjacent to the electrode disconnection member, wherein the electrode disconnection member includes a reverse-taper member (154, Fig. 4) and has a shape surrounding an area in a plan view (Fig. 2), wherein the reverse-taper member includes an inner edge facing the area; wherein the electrode portion includes a first electrode portion disposed in the area and a second electrode portion disposed on an upper surface of the reverse-taper member along the inner edge, and wherein the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion are physically spaced apart from each other.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANETA B CIESLEWICZ whose telephone number is 303-297-4232. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM.
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/A.B.C/Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/SUE A PURVIS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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