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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-2, 5, 7-8, 13-15, 18-19, and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim (US20160126498A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a display device, comprising:
a lower substrate which includes an active area including a plurality of sub pixels and a non-active area enclosing the active area, and is formed of one of a transparent conducting oxide and an oxide semiconductor (Fig. 2 lower substrate 101 has pixel area A/A which “refers to the area where a plurality of pixels 111 are disposed,” par. 49, and bezel area B/A which encloses A/A, see fig. 1);
an outer pattern which encloses an outer periphery of the lower substrate and is formed of an organic material (Fig. 2 leftmost planarization layer 228 in bezel area B/A encloses as outer periphery of lower substrate 101 as can be seen in fig. 1 and “[t]he planarization layer 228 may be made of photo acrylic material,” par. 68, which examiner notes includes organic materials);
an inorganic layer disposed on the lower substrate and the outer pattern (Fig. 2 anode 241 disposed on substrate 101 and leftmost planarization layer 228. Examiner notes par. 45 of the applicant’s disclosure which notes that “[w]hen an element or layer is disposed ‘on’ another element or layer, another layer or another element may be interposed directly on the other element or therebetween”) ; and
a plurality of light emitting diodes on the inorganic layer in the plurality of sub pixels (Figs. 1-2 plurality of OLED pixels 111 disposed and light emitting elements 240 disposed on anode 241).
Regarding claim 2, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a gate driver which overlaps the outer pattern in the non-active area (Fig. 2 gate drivers 113 overlap leftmost planarization layer 228 in bezel area B/A).
Regarding claim 5, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a pad unit disposed in the non-active area (Fig. 1 pad area P/A has “a plurality of pads…disposed”), wherein the pad unit overlaps the outer pattern (Par. 51 “the elements disposed in the bezel area B/A may be extended to the pad area P/A” and so they overlap in order to connect).
Regarding claim 7, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 1,
wherein the outer pattern overlaps a part of the lower substrate (Kim fig. 2 planarization layer 228 is on substrate 101, see above rejection of claim 1 for definition of on, and so it overlaps the lower substrate).
Regarding claim 8, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 1,
wherein the outer pattern includes an inclined top surface (Fig. 2 planarization layers has a top surface formed from two inclined surfaces and a flat surface between), and a thickness of the outer pattern deceases as it is closer to a center portion of the lower substrate (Fig. 2 rightmost edge of planarization layer is sloped and decreases in thickness as it is closer to center of pixel area A/A).
Regarding claim 13, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 1,
wherein the outer pattern encloses an end of the lower substrate (Figs 1-2 planarization layer 228 surrounds on the edges substrate 101 in bezel area B/A).
Regarding claim 14, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a buffer layer disposed on a part of the lower substrate and on a part of the outer pattern on the lower substrate (Fig. 2 oxide encapsulation layer 131 is on both substrate 101 and planarization layer 228, see above rejection of claim 1 for definition of on).
Regarding claim 15, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 14, further comprising:
an upper substrate disposed on the inorganic layer and the light emitting diode (Fig. 2 capping layer 246 disposed on anode 241 and light emitting element 240, see above rejection of claim 1 for definition of on),
wherein an end of the buffer layer extends beyond an end of the upper substrate (Fig. 2 the leftmost end of oxide encapsulation layer 131 extends beyond the leftmost end of capping layer 246).
Regarding claim 18, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 14, further comprising:
a step compensation layer which planarizes a lower portion of the inorganic layer on the lower substrate (Fig. 2 bank 244 planarizes anode 241 which is on substrate 101, see above rejection of claim 1 for definition of on).
Regarding claim 19, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 18,
wherein an end of the step compensation layer is disposed on the outer pattern (Fig. 2 leftmost end of bank 244 is on planarization layer 228).
Regarding claim 21, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 1, further comprising:
an upper substrate disposed on the inorganic layer and the plurality of light emitting diodes (Fig. 2 capping layer 246 disposed on anode 241 and light emitting element 240, see above rejection of claim 1 for definition of on),
wherein an end of the upper substrate is disposed on the outer pattern (Fig. 2 leftmost end of capping layer 246 is disposed on planarization layer 228).
Regarding claim 22, Kim discloses the display device according to claim 21, further comprising:
a seal member that encloses a side surface of the upper substrate (Fig. 2 inorganic encapsulation layer 133 encloses side surface of capping layer 246),
wherein the seal member is disposed on the outer pattern (Fig. 2 inorganic encapsulation layer 133 disposed on planarization layer, see above rejection of claim 1 for definition of on).
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.
Claims 3-4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US20160126498A1).
Regarding claim 3, Kim teaches the display device according to claim 2, further comprising:
a low potential power line which is disposed in the non-active area between the gate driver and the active area, wherein the low potential power line overlaps the lower substrate (Fig. 2 common voltage line 116 disposed in bevel area B/A. While Kim does not explicitly disclose common voltage line 116 disposed between the gate driver and the active area, the primary function of common voltage line 116 is to provide a common voltage to the cathodes. A rearrangement of a common voltage line 116 to be disposed between the gate driver and the active area would not provide any new or unexpected results as the primary function of providing a common voltage to the cathodes is maintained. Additionally, as nothing within the disclosure indicates the presence of new or unexpected results, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art at the time the claims were effectively filed to therefore rearrange common voltage line 116 to be disposed between the gate driver and the active area, see MPEP 2144.04(VI)(B)).
Regarding claim 4, Kim teaches the display device according to claim 2, further comprising:
a low potential power line which is disposed in the non-active area between the gate driver and the active area (Fig. 2 common voltage line 116 disposed in bevel area B/A. While Kim does not explicitly disclose common voltage line 116 disposed between the gate driver and the active area, the primary function of common voltage line 116 is to provide a common voltage to the cathodes. A rearrangement of a common voltage line 116 to be disposed between the gate driver and the active area would not provide any new or unexpected results as the primary function of providing a common voltage to the cathodes is maintained. Additionally, as nothing within the disclosure indicates the presence of new or unexpected results, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art at the time the claims were effectively filed to therefore rearrange common voltage line 116 to be disposed between the gate driver and the active area, see MPEP 2144.04(VI)(B)),
wherein the low potential power line overlaps the outer pattern at the outside of the lower substrate (Fig. 2 common voltage line 116 includes connection part 260 which overlaps planarization layer 228 in the bezel area B/A of substrate 101).
Regarding claim 6, Kim teaches the display device according to claim 1,
wherein the outer pattern is formed of polyimide (PI) (Par. 68 teaches that “[t]he planarization layer 228 may be made of photo acrylic material” and par. 74 teaches that “the bank 244 and the spacer 245 may be made of polyimide.” As Kim teaches multiple types of resins for use in the bezel area B/A, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to substitute Kim’s photo acrylic material with a polyimide to achieve the predictable result of forming planarization layer from polyimide).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-12, 16-17, and 20 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 9 and its dependent claims. The closest prior art (US20160126498A1, US20180033841A1, US20170345880A1) teaches the display device according to claim 8.
However, the closest prior art does not teach in combination with the other claimed elements
wherein an end of the lower substrate is disposed on the inclined top surface of the outer pattern.
Additionally, the closest prior art does not teach the above in combination with the further limitations of dependent claims.
Regarding claim 16 and its dependent claims. The closest prior art (US20160126498A1, US20180033841A1, US20170345880A1) teaches the display device according to claim 14, further comprising:
an upper substrate disposed on the inorganic layer and the light emitting diode (Kim fig. 2 capping layer 246 disposed on anode 241 and light emitting element 240, see above rejection of claim 1 for definition of on).
However, the closest prior art does not teach in combination with the other claimed elements
wherein an end of the buffer layer is disposed inside an end of the upper substrate.
Additionally, the closest prior art does not teach the above in combination with the further limitations of dependent claims.
Examiner notes that while there are embodiments within the prior art, see Kim fig. 2, that teach an end of the buffer layer disposed on the upper substrate, examiner's search of the prior art did not find an embodiment nor any motivation to combine embodiments such that an end of the buffer layer is disposed inside an end of the upper substrate in addition with the other limitations of the independent claim.
Regarding claim 20, the closest prior art (US20160126498A1, US20180033841A1, US20170345880A1) teaches the display device according to claim 18.
However, the closest prior art does not teach in combination with the other claimed elements
wherein a top surface of the step compensation layer is in contact with a bottom surface of the buffer layer and the step compensation layer is in contact with a part of the lower substrate and the outer pattern.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yang et al. (US20180033841A1) discloses an outer protection pattern that decreases in thickness towards the center of the pixel.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to COLE LEON LINDSEY whose telephone number is (571)272-4028. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christine Kim can be reached at (571)272-8458. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/COLE LEON LINDSEY/Examiner, Art Unit 2812
/CHRISTINE S. KIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2812