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, 3, 4, 8-14, 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et la. (USPN 2022/0190045).
With regard to claim 1,
Lee et al. disclose in at least figure 14 a display apparatus comprising: a substrate (SUB); a display element (LEL) on the substrate; a thin-film encapsulation layer (TFE3/191/BF) on the display element and comprising a first inorganic encapsulation layer (TFE3, paragraph 151), a first organic encapsulation layer (191, paragraph 214), and a second inorganic encapsulation layer (BF, paragraph 154); a first light-shielding layer (BM2) between the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the first organic encapsulation layer and having a first opening (OA2) corresponding to an emission area (EA2) of the display element; and a second light-shielding layer (BM1) over the thin-film encapsulation layer and having a second opening (OA1) corresponding to the emission area of the display element.
With regard to claim 3,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 1, wherein a size of the first opening is less than a size of the second opening (See fig. 14).
With regard to claim 4,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pixel-defining layer (190) between the substrate and the thin-film encapsulation layer and having an opening defining the emission area of the display element, wherein a size of the opening in the pixel-defining layer is less than a size of the first opening (see fig. 14).
With regard to claim 8,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thin-film encapsulation layer further comprises: a second organic encapsulation layer (TINS1, paragraph 156) on the second inorganic encapsulation layer; and a third inorganic encapsulation layer (AHL1, paragraphs 254,255).
With regard to claim 9,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a touch sensing layer (RE, paragraph 91) between the thin-film encapsulation layer and the second light-shielding layer.
With regard to claim 10,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a color filter (CF) in the second opening in the second light-shielding layer.
With regard to claim 11,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a reflection control layer in the second opening in the second light-shielding layer, wherein the reflection control layer is configured to absorb light in a first wavelength range from 480 nm to 505 nm and light in a second wavelength range from 585 nm to 605 nm (CF2, paragraph 108, green).
With regard to claim 12,
Lee et al. disclose a display apparatus comprising: a substrate (SUB); a display element (LEL) on the substrate; a pixel-defining layer (190) having an opening (EA2) defining an emission area of the display element; a thin-film encapsulation layer (TFE3/191/BF) on the display element and comprising a first inorganic encapsulation layer (TFE3, a first organic encapsulation layer (191), and a second inorganic encapsulation layer (BF); a first light-shielding layer (BM2) between the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the first organic encapsulation layer and having a first opening (OA2) corresponding to an emission area of the display element; and a second light-shielding layer (BM1) over the thin-film encapsulation layer and having a second opening (OA1) corresponding to the emission area of the display element, wherein the first inorganic encapsulation layer comprises a plurality of stacked sub-layers (paragraph 152).
With regard to claim 13,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 12, wherein a size of the first opening is greater than a size of the opening in the pixel-defining layer and less than a size of the second opening (See fig. 14).
With regard to claim 14,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first inorganic encapsulation layer comprises a first sub-layer and a second sub-layer that are stacked on each other, wherein the first sub-layer and the second sub-layer comprise different materials from each other, and wherein the first inorganic encapsulation layer has between one dyad and ten dyads (see paragraph 152).
With regard to claim 18,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the thin-film encapsulation layer further comprises: a second organic encapsulation layer (TINS1, paragraph 156) on the second inorganic encapsulation layer; and a third inorganic encapsulation layer (AHL1, paragraph 254,255)), and wherein the first inorganic encapsulation layer comprises different materials from the second inorganic encapsulation layer and the third inorganic encapsulation layer (TFE3, BF, AHL1).
With regard to claim 19,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a touch sensing layer (RE, paragraph 91) between the thin-film encapsulation layer and the second light-shielding layer.
With regard to claim 20,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a color filter (CF) in the second opening in the second light-shielding layer
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 2, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (as above).
With regard to claims 2, 15,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claims 1, 14, wherein the first inorganic encapsulation layer comprises a first sub-layer comprising silicon nitride (see paragraph 152) and a second sub-layer comprising silicon oxynitride (paragraph 152). While Lee et al. not explicitly disclose the claimed second sub layer material, silicon oxycarbide was well known to and widely used by those of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention as a suitable alternative to silicon oxynitride and would have been obvious to the same to try to incorporate into the apparatus of Lee et al. to suit material availability.
Claims 5-7, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (as above), in view of Jeong et al. (USPN 2022/0293890)
With regard to claims 5-7, 16, 17,
Lee et al. disclose the display apparatus of claims 4, 12, where the pixel defining layer comprises a light shielding material (paragraph 163). While Lee et al. do not disclose a spacer between the pixel-defining layer and the thin-film encapsulation layer, Jeong et al. do disclose such a configuration (spacer 211 between pixel defining layer 209 and thin film encapsulation layer 400) having a third opening (see fig. 5) overlapping the opening in the pixel-defining layer. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to incorporate this concept of Jeong et al. into the apparatus of Lee et al. in order to try to maintain electrode integrity, and resulting in the third opening being larger than the first opening and smaller than the second opening upon incorporation into Lee et al.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USPN 2022/0037620, 2022/0059805.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christopher Raabe whose telephone number is (571)272-8434. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 0530-1430.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James R Greece can be reached at (571)272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER M RAABE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875