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
Claims 13-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 3.12.2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 and 35 USC § 103
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.
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 1-4, 6 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamazaki (US 20160300853 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Yamazaki discloses a display device (Figs. 11B and 2; the rejection is based on the intermediate device of Fig. 11B. Reference to Fig. 2 is made for the elements in common) comprising:
a first substrate (111/112/221) including first (top at 221) and second (bottom at 111) surfaces facing each other, and including at least one opening (132) penetrating the first and second surfaces (Figs. 2 and 11B);
an inspection array (216; a 1x1 array and conductive per [0126] wherein applicant also discloses the inspection array ISA and parts ISL/ISP of Fig. 8 as conductive. Hence, 216 is a 1x1 inspection array. See MPEP 2111, 2112 and/or 2114) disposed on the first surface (top at 221) and exposed to an outside of the display device through the opening (Fig. 11B and 2);
a pixel circuit layer disposed on the first surface and including at least one transistor (232) and an outer line (electrode of 252); and
a display element layer disposed on the pixel circuit layer and including a light emitting element (125) electrically connected to the transistor (Figs. 1B, 2 and 11B),
wherein the inspection array (216) is electrically connected (via 224) to the outer line (electrode of 252, Figs. 2 and 11B).
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Regarding claim 2, Yamazaki discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein
the outer line (electrode of 252) is disposed on the inspection array (216) with an insulating layer (222) disposed between the outer line and the inspection array, and
the outer line is electrically connected to the inspection array through a contact hole (occupied by 224) penetrating the insulating layer (222, Figs. 2 and 11B).
Regarding claim 3, Yamazaki discloses the display device of claim 2, wherein
the inspection array (216) includes an inspection pad (topmost surface thereof in a shape of a 2D plane abutting 224) and an inspection line (the remainder of the volume of 216 under the inspection pad) integral (one shape, as 216) with the inspection pad, and
the inspection array (216) is disposed on the first surface at a position corresponding to the opening (132, Figs. 2 and 11B).
Regarding claim 4, Yamazaki discloses the display device of claim 3, wherein
the outer line (electrode of 252) extends on (indirectly) the insulating layer (222), and
the outer line is electrically connected to the inspection line (and inspection pad) through the contact hole (occupied by 224).
Regarding claim 6, Yamazaki discloses the display device of claim 4, wherein the outer line (electrode of 252) is not connected to another line except for the inspection array (216, Fig. 2; no other connection shown in Fig. 2. Also Fig. 11B).
Regarding claim 12, Yamazaki discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein the first substrate (111/112/221) includes polyimide (in 111, [0113]).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamazaki (US 20160300853 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20200168668 A1).
Regarding claim 11, Yamazaki discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein the display element layer further includes:
a light emitting element layer (125/120) disposed on the pixel circuit layer and including the light emitting element (125, Figs. 1B, 2 and 11B);
a color filter layer (266, [0194]) disposed on the
Yamazaki fails to disclose a color conversion layer disposed on the light emitting element layer and constructed and arranged to convert and output light emitted from the light emitting element; and a color filter layer disposed on the color conversion layer and constructed and arranged to selectively transmit the light converted by the color conversion layer.
Kim discloses (Fig. 2) a color conversion layer (351) disposed on the light emitting element layer (200) and constructed and arranged to convert and output light emitted (L3) from the light emitting element (230, [0089]); and a color filter layer (321) disposed on the color conversion layer (351) and constructed and arranged to selectively transmit the light converted by the color conversion layer (as L1, Fig. 2, [0089]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include the layers of Kim in Yamazaki and arrive at the claimed invention before the effective filing date of the instant application so as to improve full-white luminance, realize neutral black reflection having no polarizing layer and/or correct reflected color coordinates changed by yellow reflection of white pixels (Kim, [0006-0008]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is allowed.
Claims 7-10 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: the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest (claim 5) the inspection pad includes: a first inspection pad electrically connected to a first side of the inspection line; and a second inspection pad electrically connected to a second side of the inspection line, and the inspection line has a shape that is bent at least once between the first inspection pad and the second inspection pad, and, (claim 7) further comprising: a first pad disposed on the first surface and exposed on the second surface through a through hole penetrating the first surface and the second surface, wherein the first pad is electrically insulated from the inspection array; claims 8-10 depend from claim 7.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7.20.2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The applicant alleges:
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This is not persuasive because the examiner now rejects the claims based on the intermediate device of Fig. 11B and reference to Fig. 2 is made for the elements in common. In this case, Yamazaki discloses an inspection array (216; a 1x1 array and conductive per [0126] wherein applicant also discloses the inspection array ISA and parts ISL/ISP of Fig. 8 as conductive. Hence, 216 is a 1x1 inspection array. See MPEP 2111, 2112 and/or 2114) disposed on the first surface (top at 221) and exposed to an outside of the display device through the opening (Fig. 11B and 2).
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It is noted that the device of Fig. 11B corresponds to the device of Fig. 2 prior to the formation of the external electrode 124 and the anisotropic conductive connection layer 138 per [0209] wherein Fig. 11B anticipates claim 1 as addressed above.
In other words, per [00209] there is an intermediate device equivalent to that of Fig. 2 prior to the formation of the external electrode 124 and the anisotropic conductive connection layer 138 in which inspection array (216) is exposed to an outside of the display device through the opening since 124/138 are the last elements to be formed; the examiner rejects the claims based on the device structure prior to forming 124/138.
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDRES MUNOZ whose telephone number is (571)270-3346. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM-5PM Central Time.
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, Eva Montalvo can be reached at (571)270-3829. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Andres Munoz/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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