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 .
Response to Amendment
Receipt of the Amendment, filed on June 26, 2026, is acknowledged.
Cancellation of claims 3 and 15-20 has been entered.
Claims 1-2 and 4-14 are pending in the instant application.
Claims 15-20 stand withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-8 and 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kwak (US 2022/0173352 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kwak discloses a display apparatus (Fig. 3) comprising: a substrate (100); an organic insulating layer (155, ¶0084]) on the substrate and having a hole (155b); a subpixel electrode (160) on the organic insulating layer (155); an auxiliary electrode (162) comprising at least a portion arranged in the hole (155b) of the organic insulating layer (155); a subpixel-defining layer (172) on the organic insulating layer (155) and having a first opening (172b) overlapping the auxiliary electrode (162) and a second opening (Fig. 3) overlapping the subpixel electrode (160); an emission layer (180) on the subpixel electrode; an opposite electrode (190) on the emission layer; a common layer (186) arranged between the subpixel electrode (160) and the opposite electrode (190) and extending onto the subpixel-defining layer to overlap the subpixel-defining layer (Fig. 3); and a spacer (200) below the common layer (186) and overlapping a portion of the auxiliary electrode (162), a portion of the hole (155b) of the organic insulating layer, and a portion of the subpixel-defining layer (172) that is positioned between the first opening and the second opening (see Figs. 2, 3 and 5D, sub-pixel defining layer 172 extends to surround both the first and second openings, (Fig. 3, i.e., positioned between the first and second opening), and the spacer 200 extends on three sides of the first opening 172b (Fig. 5D), accordingly, the spacer 200 overlaps a portion of the sub-pixel-defining layer 172 positioned between the first opening and the second opening), wherein the auxiliary electrode (162) and the subpixel electrode (160) comprise a same material (¶[0093]).
Regarding claim 2, Kwak discloses a display apparatus further comprising an auxiliary wire (146) below the organic insulating layer (155) and electrically coupled with the auxiliary electrode (162).
Regarding claim 4, Kwak discloses a display apparatus wherein the subpixel-defining layer (172) comprises a tip protruding toward the first opening (172b).
PNG
media_image1.png
558
403
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 5, Kwak discloses a display apparatus wherein the spacer (200) covers a portion of the tip and comprises a side surface tapered (¶[0137]) with respect to an upper surface of the auxiliary electrode (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 6, Kwak discloses a display apparatus wherein the common layer (186) comprises separate portions around another portion of the tip on an opposite side of the hole (172b) from the spacer (200).
PNG
media_image2.png
558
403
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 7, Kwak discloses a display apparatus wherein one of the separate portions of the common layer (186) is in direct contact with a portion of the auxiliary electrode (162).
Regarding claim 8, Kwak discloses a display apparatus wherein the opposite electrode (190) comprises separate portions around another portion of the tip on an opposite side of the hole (172b) from the spacer (200).
Regarding claim 12, Kwak discloses a display apparatus wherein an upper surface of a portion of the subpixel-defining layer (172) comprising the tip has a step difference with respect to an upper surface of another portion of the subpixel-defining layer on an upper surface of the organic insulating layer (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 13, Kwak discloses a display apparatus wherein the subpixel-defining layer (172) comprises an inorganic insulating material (¶[0197]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9 is allowed over the prior art of record.
Claims 10-11 are 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(s) 9, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 9, and specifically comprising the limitation of one of the separate portions of the opposite electrode is in direct contact with a portion of the auxiliary electrode, around the other portion of the tip.
Regarding claim(s) 10, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 10, and specifically comprising the limitation of the side surface of the spacer forms an inclination angle of 30 degrees to 60 degrees with respect to the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode.
Regarding claim(s) 11, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to teach or suggest the combination of the limitations as set forth in claim(s) 11, and specifically comprising the limitation of the organic insulating layer further comprises a recess under the tip on an opposite side of the hole from the spacer, and recessed with respect to a side surface of the organic insulating layer.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed June 26, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant contends that the prior art reference to Kwak (US 2022/0173352 A1) fails to teach or suggest the limitation of a spacer below the common layer and overlapping a portion of the auxiliary electrode, a portion of the hole of the organic insulating layer, and a portion of the subpixel-defining layer that is positioned between the first opening and the second opening. The examiner disagrees.
Kwak discloses a display apparatus comprising a subpixel-defining layer (172) surrounds a first opening (172b) exposing an auxiliary electrode (162) and a second opening exposing a sub-pixel electrode (160), and a spacer (200) overlapping a portion of the auxiliary electrode (162), a portion of the hole (155b) of the organic insulating layer, and a portion of the subpixel-defining layer (172) that is positioned between the first opening and the second opening (see Figs. 2, 3 and 5D). The subpixel defining layer (172) surrounds each of the first and second openings and extends between the first and second openings (Fig. 3). As shown in Fig. 5D, the spacer (200) extends on three sides of the first opening (172b), accordingly, the spacer (200) overlaps a portion of the sub-pixel-defining layer (172) positioned between the first opening and the second opening.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Conclusion
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood or implied from the texts of the references. To emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out. Each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mariceli Santiago whose telephone number is (571) 272-2464. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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, James R. Greece, can be reached on (571) 272-3711. 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.
/Mariceli Santiago/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2879
Prosecution Insights