CTNF 18/407,707 CTNF 77428 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 08-25-01 AIA Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (Claims 1-10) in the reply filed on 05/07/2026 is acknowledged. 08-06 AIA Claim s 11-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention , there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/07/2026 . Priority 02-25 AIA Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Korea on either 03/02/2023 or 02/03/2023 . It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the KR 10-2023-0027990 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. Note: In the Application Data Sheet filed 01/09/2024, the filing date of KR 10-2023-0027990 is indicated as 2023-03-02 (i.e., 03/02/2023); however, the Filing Receipt (dated 02/12/2024) indicates the filing date of KR 10-2023-0027990 is 02/03/2023. Furthermore, on 07/03/202, an attempt by the Office to electronically retrieve the foreign priority paper failed. Therefore, applicant is requested to properly filed the foreign priority document and make any necessary corrections to the Application Data Sheet . 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. For example, a more descriptive title could be, “Display Device With Separators on Pixel Defining Layer Having Materially Different Portions”. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15-aia AIA Claim(s) 1, 2 and 7-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Moon et al. (US 2021/0126081 A1; hereinafter, “ Moon ”) . Regarding claims 1, 2 and 7-10: re claim 1, Moon discloses a display device comprising: a substrate 100/111/112 (Fig. 4 and [0093, 0096]); a via-insulating layer 117 (Figs. 4, 8 and [0104]) on the substrate; a first pixel electrode 210 (Fig. 4 and [0105]) on the via-insulating layer 117; a first pixel defining layer ( at the center of Fig. 4, a pixel defining layer would be the combination of “PL2(R1)” and the two portions of “119” covering the ends of “PL2(R1)” ) having a flat upper surface ( e.g., flat upper surface of “119” ), on the via-insulating layer 117, and defining an opening ( for OLED ) exposing at least a portion of an upper surface of the first pixel electrode 210; and separators ( at the center of Fig. 4, a separator would be a combination of “SPC” and the portion of “119” directly beneath “SPC”, and there are a plurality of “SPC”, see Fig. 3 ) on the first pixel defining layer and spaced apart from each other in a plan view (Fig. 3); re claim 2, the display device of claim 1, wherein the first pixel defining layer comprises: a first portion ( portion of “119” in Fig. 4 ) defining the opening; and a second portion PL2(R1) (Fig. 4) having [end] surfaces covered by the first portion; re claim 7, the display device of claim 1, further comprising: a second pixel defining layer ( at the center of Fig. 4, the portion of layer 119 directly beneath “SPC” ) between the first pixel defining layer ( e.g., “PL2(R1)” ) and the separators SPC, wherein the second pixel defining layer overlaps the first pixel defining layer in the plan view ( i.e., at the center of Fig. 4, “SPC” overlaps the portion of “119” directly underneath it ); re claim 8, the display device of claim 7, wherein a side surface of the first pixel defining layer ( e.g., “PL2(R1)” in Fig. 4 ) protrudes more in a direction away from a center of the second pixel defining layer than a side surface of the second pixel defining layer ( i.e., “PL2(R1)” protrudes farther away from the center than the portion of layer 119 that is directly beneath “SPC” ); re claim 9, the display device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises: a base substrate 100/111/112 defining a plurality of grooves ( e.g., groove defined by TFT1 in Fig. 4 ) and comprising a silicon wafer [0095]; and a plurality of pixel circuit portions ( e.g., TFT1 in Fig. 4 ) respectively accommodated in the plurality of grooves; and re claim 10, the display device of claim 9, further comprising: a second pixel electrode ( e.g., for PX2 in Fig. 3 and [0089] ) and a third pixel electrode ( e.g., for PX3 in Fig. 3 and [0089] ) on the via-insulating layer 117 (Fig. 4); and first PX1, second PX2, and third light emitting layers PX3 [0089] respectively on an upper surface of the first, second, and third pixel electrodes, wherein the first light emitting layer, the second light emitting layer, and the third light emitting layer emit lights have different wavelengths [0089]. Therefore, Moon anticipates claims 1, 2 and 7-10 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 3-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moon in view of Park et al. (US 2020/0235180 A1; hereinafter, “ Park ”) . Regarding claim 3: Moon anticipates claim 2 but discloses the first portion ( portion of “119” in Fig. 4 ) is an organic material. Park teaches, in a similar device, a pixel defining layer may be formed of inorganic, organic, or a combination of both, i.e., Park teaches it was very well known in the art to select organic or inorganic materials and the choice essentially depends on design requirements. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Moon by incorporating an inorganic material for layer 119 because Park teaches/shows it would be an obvious matter of selecting well known material on the basis of their suitability for a specific purpose. Furthermore, note that Moon disclose the second portion PL2(R1) comprises an inorganic material [0120]. Regarding claims 4-6: Park discloses [0143] silicon oxide and silicon nitride are well suited for a pixel defining layer. Moon (in view of Park) renders obvious inorganic layers, and Moon discloses a side surface of the first pixel defining layer ( e.g., “PL2(R1)” in Fig. 4 ) protrudes more in a direction away from a center of the second pixel defining layer than a side surface of the second pixel defining layer ( i.e., “PL2(R1)” protrudes farther away from the center than the portion of layer 119 that is directly beneath “SPC” ). Therefore, claims 4-6 are deemed obvious over Moon (in view of Park). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEX H MALSAWMA whose telephone number is (571)272-1903. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (4-12 Hours, between 5:30AM-10PM). 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, N. Drew Richards can be reached at 571-272-1736. 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. /LEX H MALSAWMA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/407,707 Page 2 Art Unit: 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/407,707 Page 3 Art Unit: 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/407,707 Page 4 Art Unit: 2892
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