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 the method in the reply filed on 12/29/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 15-20 are withdrawn.
Applicant’s election without traverse of the device of Species A figure 18 in the reply filed on 1/7/2026 is acknowledged.
Figure 20 is the only embodiment that contains a “pattern” on the pad
Therefore, claims 5-7, 10 and 14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species C and the method, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1/7/2026.
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(s) 1-4, 8-9, and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choung 20220157856 in view of Kim 20210313498.
a. As to claim 1, Choung teaches display device comprising: a substrate including a display area (Figure 5 DPA) and a pad area (PDA); a circuit element layer on the substrate (DTR); wherein the circuit element layer comprises: a thin film transistor in the display area (paragraph 113); and a pad electrode in the pad area (141-143), and a pad upper electrode including a first opening exposing the pad electrode in the pad area (item 145 with opening exposing 143. Choung teaches the display maybe inorganic (paragraph 55).
Choung does not explicitly teach an alignment electrode on the circuit element wherein the alignment electrode layer comprises: a first alignment electrode and a second alignment electrode spaced from each other in the display area and wherein a light emitting element is located in a space between the first alignment electrode and the second alignment electrode that are spaced from each other.
Kim teaches a substrate including a display area (figure 23 DPA) a pad area (PDA); a circuit element layer on the substrate (ACT1); and an alignment electrode layer (21_3 and 22_3 (paragraph 117 and 136) on the circuit element layer (21_3 and 22_3 are on ACT1), wherein the circuit element layer comprises: tft (paragraph 90) in the display area (ACT1); wherein the alignment electrode layer comprises: a first alignment electrode and a second alignment electrode spaced from each other in the display area (items 21_3 and 22_3); and wherein a light emitting element is located in a space between the first alignment electrode and the second alignment electrode that are spaced from each other (item 30 between the 21_3 and 22_3).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill art at the time of filing in the art to include the right and left patterns 21 and 22 to ensure alignment of the device during fabrication improving display quality.
b. As to claim 2, Choung and Kim would suggest further comprising a passivation layer between the circuit element layer and the alignment electrode layer, wherein the passivation layer includes a second opening exposing the pad electrode (item 164 or item 165 of Choung exposes the pad at PDOP).
c. As to claim 3 Choung teaches wherein the passivation layer comprises an overlapping part on an upper surface of the pad electrode OP2 and forming the second opening (see attached diagram) , and wherein the pad upper electrode covers a portion of the upper surface of the pad electrode exposed by the second opening beyond the overlapping part (due to the sloped nature145 extends beyond op2 slight covering a portion of the pad exposed due to opening 2).
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d. As to claim 4, Choung teaches due to the sloped nature of item 145 and OP2 wherein a width of the first opening is smaller than a width of the second opening.
e. As to claim 8, Choung teaches wherein the passivation layer comprises an overlapping part on an upper surface of the pad electrode (OP2) and forming the second opening (see attached figure), and wherein the pad upper electrode covers a portion of an upper surface of the overlapping part (due to the sloped nature 145 extends past OP2 and covers a portion of the pad left exposed from the OP2).
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f. As to claim 9, Choung teaches due to the sloped nature of item 145 and OP2 wherein a width of the first opening is smaller than a width of the second opening.
g. As to claims 11-12, Kim teaches further comprising a first insulating layer on the alignment electrode layer, wherein the first insulating layer comprises a third opening exposing the pad electrode. PAS1 exposes the pad to allow PAD_C to be formed or to allow external connection. Kim also teaches further comprising an external bank on the first insulating layer and defining an emission area in which the light emitting element is located (BNL2).
Thus, it would have been obvious to provide further comprising a first insulating layer on the alignment electrode layer, wherein the first insulating layer comprises a third opening exposing the pad electrode to provide the sufficient passivation to prevent shorting after alignment and fabrication and provide comprising an external bank on the first insulating layer and defining an emission area in which the light emitting element is located, to provide directional output for the light emitter
h. As to claim 13, Choung teaches wherein the thin film transistor comprises: a semiconductor layer (item 150); a gate electrode overlapping the semiconductor layer (GEL); and source and drain electrodes electrically connected to the semiconductor layer (CNT2s), and wherein the pad electrode comprises a same material as the source and drain electrodes( CNT2 is the same materials see figure 11 of Choung which deposits the CNT simultaneous with the pad).
Conclusion
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/MATTHEW L. REAMES/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2896
/MATTHEW L REAMES/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896