DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 05/07/2026, with respect to claim 1 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 USC 103 rejection of claim 1 has been withdrawn.
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 21-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choung et al. (US 2022/0077251 A1; hereinafter “Choung”), and further in view of Park et al. (US 2021/0384465 A1; hereinafter “Park”).
In regard to claim 21, Choung teaches a method of manufacturing a display device, comprising:
forming a lower electrode (metal layers 104 ) on a base (a substrate 102) including a first main surface (the top surface of the substrate 102) on which a plurality of display elements (elements that comprise a sub-pixel 106) are formed and a side surface connected to the first main surface (the side surface of the substrate would be connected to the top surface due to being a single structure) (Fig. 1B, Fig. 4A and paragraphs 37 and 45), the lower electrode being on the first main surface of the base (the metal layer 104 is shown on the top surface of the substrate in Fig. 4A);
forming a rib (PDL structures 126) including a pixel aperture which overlaps the lower electrode (an opening between PDL structures 126 that correlates to a sub-pixel 108a is shown in Fig. 4C) (Fig. 4C and paragraph 47);
forming a partition on the rib (inorganic overhang structures 110) (Fig. 4C and paragraph 47);
forming a first deposition film (OLED material 112) over an entirety of the first main surface of the base (the OLED material 112 is shown over the top surface of the substrate 102 in Fig. 4D), the first deposition film including a first organic layer which covers the lower electrode via the pixel aperture and a first upper electrode (a cathode 114) which covers the first organic layer (the organic material in the OLED material 112 is shown over the lower electrode in the opening wit that corresponds to the first sub-pixel 108a, with the cathode 114 disposed over the OLED material 112 in Fid. 4F) (Fig. 4F and paragraph 47); and
forming a first sealing layer (an encapsulation layer 116) which covers the first deposition film (the encapsulation layer 116 is shown over the OLED material 112 in Fig. 4D) (Fig. 4D and paragraph 48),
the first sealing layer including a first upper end portion (the top surface of the encapsulation layer 116 that extend across the device not over the sub-pixel 108a) which covers the first deposition film and a first side end portion (the side surface of the encapsulation layer 116 that extend across the device not over the sub-pixel 108a) connected to the first upper end portion (the top surface of the encapsulation layer 116 would be connected to the side surface of the encapsulation layer 116 due to it being one whole structure) (Fig. 4D).
However, Choung fails to explicitly teach the first sealing layer including the first upper end portion which covers the first deposition film and the first side end portion directly connected to the first upper end portion, which covers the side surface.
Park teaches a method of manufacturing a display device, comprising:
a first sealing layer (a first inorganic encapsulation layer 310) including a first upper end portion (the top surface of the first inorganic encapsulation layer 310) which covers a first deposition film (a display element layer DEL) and a first side end portion (the side surface of the first inorganic encapsulation layer 310) directly connected to the first upper end portion (the side surface of the first inorganic encapsulation layer 310 is shown connected to the top surface in Fig. 10A) (Fig. 10A and paragraphs 188 and 198), which covers a side surface (a side surface of a substrate 100 is shown covered in Fig. 10A).
It would’ve been obvious to one skilled in the art to combine the teachings of Choung in view of Park to have the first sealing layer including the first upper end portion cover the first deposition film and the first side end portion is directly connected to the first upper end portion, which covers the side surface since this allows for moisture and oxygen protection of pixels as taught by Park (paragraph 156).
In regard to claim 22, Choung teaches the first organic layer includes a first light-emitting layer (the OLED material 112 includes and emissive layer (EML)) (paragraph 33), and the first light-emitting layer emits light according to a potential difference between the lower electrode and the first upper electrode (it is well known that light is emitted from an OLED device is due to the potential difference between electrodes such as the metal layer 104 and cathode 114) (paragraphs 25 and 33).
In regard to claim 23, Choung teaches wherein the entirety of the first main surface of the base is covered with the first light-emitting layer (as shown in Fig. 4D as the OLED material 112 is shown over the entire top surface of the substrate 102).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3-9 and 12-20 are allowed.
In regard to claim 1, Applicant has amended claim 1 by incorporating claim 2 in its entirety which had been objected to for having allowable subject matter (see for example Non-Final rejection mailed 03/02/2026). Therefore, claim 1 is deemed allowable and the examiners reason for allowance can be found in the Non-Final rejection mailed 03/02/2026.
Claims 3-9 and 12-20 are allowed due to depending on claim 1.
Moreover, none of the prior arts of record, taken either alone or in combination, anticipate nor render obvious the claimed inventions. Hence, claims 1-4, 7-16 and 18-24 are allowable over the prior arts of record.
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 SEYON ALI-SIMAH PUNCHBEDDELL whose telephone number is (571)270-0078. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thur: 7:30AM-3:30 PM.
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/SEYON ALI-SIMAH PUNCHBEDDELL/ Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/SUE A PURVIS/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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