DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is sent in response to Applicant’s Communication received 26 Oct 2023 for application number 18/494,781. The Office hereby acknowledges receipt of the following and placed of record in file: Specification, Drawings, Abstract, Oath/Declaration, and Claims.
Claims 1-16 are presented for examination. Elected claims 1-5, 7-11, and 16 are examined below; non-elected claims 6 and 12-15 have been withdrawn.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 26 Oct 2023 was filed before the mailing of this Office Action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-5, 7-11, and 16, drawn to Device Embodiment I., Modification A1., Modification B1, in the reply filed on 09 Mar 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 6 and 12-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected embodiments, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 09 Mar 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choung et al. [hereinafter as Choung] (US 2022/0077251 A1 – cited in IDS filed 26 Oct 2023) in view of Kusunoki et al. [hereafter as Kusunoki] (US 2024/0407225 A1).
In reference to claim 1, Choung teaches A display device comprising:
a plurality of display elements [sub-pixels 106; Fig. 1A, para 0029] each including a lower electrode [metal layer 104; Fig. 1A, para 0027], an upper electrode [cathode 114; Fig. 1A, para 0032] which faces the lower electrode [104], and an organic layer [OLED material 112; Fig. 1A, para 0029] which is provided between the lower electrode [104] and the upper electrode [114] and emits light based on a potential difference between the lower electrode and the upper electrode [para 0029 discloses that 112 emits light when energized];
a partition [inorganic overhang structure 110; Fig. 1A, para 0030] which includes a conductive lower portion [lower portion 110A; Fig. 1A, para 0030] and an upper portion [upper portion 110B (incorrectly referred to as 1106); Fig. 1A, para 0030] protruding from a side surface of the lower portion [110A] and surrounds each of the display elements [106].
However, Choung does not explicitly teach:
a touch panel electrode which detects an object contacting or approaching a display area including the display elements, wherein
the touch panel electrode includes a first metal line located above the partition and extending along the partition.
Choung and Kusunoki teach:
a touch panel electrode [conductive layer 104; Fig. 1B, para 0116 of Kusunoki] which detects an object contacting or approaching a display area including the display elements [Kusunoki, para 0116 discloses that 104 detects approaching/contacting finger or like on/near the display], wherein
the touch panel electrode [104 of Kusunoki] includes a first metal line [104 of Kusunoki; para 0229 discloses that 104 may be metal] located above the partition [structures below 104 of Kusunoki; analogously, 110 of Choung] and extending along the partition [structures below 104 of Kusunoki; analogously, 110 of Choung].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art, absent unexpected results, having the teachings of Choung and Kusunoki before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include the touch panel electrode as disclosed by Kusunoki into the display device of Choung in order to obtain a display device with a touch panel electrode.
One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to obtain a display device with a touch panel electrode to provide the predictable result of allowing touch operating on a display device to provide user convenience.
In reference to claim 2, Choung and Kusunoki teach the invention of claim 1.
Choung and Kusunoki teach The display device of claim 1, further comprising a rib [PDL structure 126 of Choung; Fig. 1A, para 0027] which comprises a plurality of pixel apertures [areas between adjacent 126 of Choung] overlapping the display elements [106 of Choung], respectively, wherein the partition [104 of Kusunoki; 110 of Choung] is provided on the rib [126 of Choung], and a width of the first metal line [104 of Kusunoki] is less than or equal to a width [the width of 104 of Kusunoki is comparatively smaller than analogous structure of Choung, as the width of the rib of Choung is larger than the partition structure of Choung] of the rib [126 of Choung] between the two adjacent pixel apertures [areas between adjacent 126 of Choung].
In reference to claim 3, Choung and Kusunoki teach the invention of claim 1.
Choung and Kusunoki teach The display device of claim 1, wherein a width of the first metal line [104 of Kusunoki] is less than or equal to a width [the width of 104 of Kusunoki is comparatively smaller than analogous structure of Choung, as the width of the upper portion of Choung spans the partition structure of Choung] of the upper portion [110B of Choung].
In reference to claim 4, Choung and Kusunoki teach the invention of claim 1.
Kusunoki teaches The display device of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of first sealing layers [portions of protective layer 131 over each display element; Fig. 1B, para 0113] which cover the display elements [light-emitting devices Lem_a, Lem_b, Lem_c; Fig. 1B, para 0109], respectively; a resin layer [resin layer 147; Fig. 1B, para 0115] which covers the first sealing layers [131 over each display element]; and a second sealing layer [insulating layer 103; Fig. 1B, para 0115] which covers the resin layer [147], wherein the first metal line [104] is provided on the second sealing layer [103].
In reference to claim 5, Choung and Kusunoki teach the invention of claim 4.
Kusunoki teaches The display device of claim 4, further comprising: a cover member [substrate 102; Fig. 1B, para 0115] which faces the second sealing layer [103]; and an adhesive layer [adhesive layer 107; Fig. 1B, para 0115] which attaches the cover member [102] to the second sealing layer [103], wherein the first meal line [104] is covered with the adhesive layer [107].
In reference to claim 16, Choung and Kusunoki teach the invention of claim 1.
Kusunoki teaches The display device of claim 1, wherein the first metal line [104] surrounds at least one of the display elements [Lem_a, Lem_b, Lem_c] as seen in plan view.
Claim(s) 7-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choung in view of Kusunoki further in view of Kim et al. [hereinafter as Kim] (US 2020/0035762 A1).
In reference to claim 7, Choung and Kusunoki teach the invention of claim 1.
However, Choung and Kusunoki do not explicitly teach:
The display device of claim 1, further comprising: a terminal portion provided in a surrounding area around the display area; a lead provided in the surrounding area and connected to the terminal portion; and a relay line which connects the touch panel electrode to the lead.
Kim teaches The display device of claim 1, further comprising: a terminal portion [pad portion PD; Fig. 19, para 0124] provided in a surrounding area around the display area; a lead [portion of sensing lines SL extending out of PD; Fig. 19, 0127] provided in the surrounding area and connected to the terminal portion [PD]; and a relay line [portion of SL connecting and extending into display; Fig. 19, 0198] which connects the touch panel electrode [sensing electrode TE; Fig. 19, para 0120] to the lead [portion of SL extending out of PD].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art, absent unexpected results, having the teachings of Choung, Kusunoki, and Kim before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include the connection structures as disclosed by Kim into the display device of Choung and Kusunoki in order to obtain a display device with a connection structure.
One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to obtain a display device with a connection structure to provide the predictable result of a known method of electrically connecting display components to provide efficient display functionality.
In reference to claim 8, Choung, Kusunoki, and Kim teach the invention of claim 7.
Choung and Kim teach The display device of claim 7, wherein the relay line [portion of SL connecting and extending into display of Kim] includes a second metal line [second sensing electrodes TE2; Figs. 17, 19, para 0121 of Kim] located above the partition [110 of Choung] and extending along the partition [110 of Choung].
In reference to claim 9, Choung, Kusunoki, and Kim teach the invention of claim 8.
Kusunoki and Kim teach The display device of claim 8, further comprising: a plurality of first sealing layers [portions of protective layer 131 over each display element; Fig. 1B, para 0113 of Kusunoki] which cover the display elements [light-emitting devices Lem_a, Lem_b, Lem_c; Fig. 1B, para 0109 of Kusunoki], respectively; a resin layer [resin layer 147; Fig. 1B, para 0115 of Kusunoki] which covers the first sealing layers [131 over each display element of Kusunoki]; and a second sealing layer [insulating layer 103; Fig. 1B, para 0115 of Kusunoki] which covers the resin layer [147 of Kusunoki], wherein the first metal line [104 of Kusunoki] and the second metal line [TE2 of Kim] are provided on the second sealing layer [103 of Kusunoki].
In reference to claim 10, Choung, Kusunoki, and Kim teach the invention of claim 8.
Kim teaches The display device of claim 8, wherein the second metal line [TE2 of Kim] is located in the display area [display area DPA; Fig. 17, para 0081] and surrounds at least one of the display elements [light emitting elements EL; Fig. 17, para 0089] as seen in plan view.
In reference to claim 11, Choung, Kusunoki, and Kim teach the invention of claim 7.
Kim teaches The display device of claim 7, further comprising a dummy line [dummy line patterns 153, 154, 155] which is provided in the surrounding area and extends parallel to the lead [portion of SL extending out of PD].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW CHUNG whose telephone number is (571)272-5237. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5pm.
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/ANDREW CHUNG/
Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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