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(s)
The Preliminary Amendment, filed on 3/27/2026, has been entered and acknowledged by the Examiner.
Claim(s) 1-20 are pending in the instant application.
Claim(s) 14-20 are withdrawn from consideration due to being directed to a non-elected invention.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-13, in the reply filed on 3/27/2026 is acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55,
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/1/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 11/1/2023. These drawings are considered acceptable by Examiner.
America Invents Act
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
1. Claim(s) 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2020/0303677 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Lee et al., teaches a display device comprising: an opening area (OA, opening area, ¶ [0060]-¶ [0080]; see at least Figs. 1-8), a display area (DA) surrounding at least a portion of the opening area (OA), and an intermediate area (MA) disposed between the opening area (OA) and the display area (DA); an inorganic insulating layer (208, interlayer insulating layer [Wingdings font/0xE0] inorganic, ¶ [0141]) disposed on a substrate (100) and including a plurality of holes (holes formed in 208); a first organic insulating layer (209, a first organic insulating layer, ¶ [0114]) filling the plurality of holes (of 208) and having a plurality of grooves (grooves in 209) disposed in a top surface; a metal layer (210, metal layer, ¶ [0145]) disposed on the first organic insulating layer (209) and comprising a plurality of end portions (ends of 210); and a protective layer (310, encapsulation layer, ¶ [0157]) disposed on the metal layer (210), wherein each of the plurality of end portions (ends of 210) of the metal layer (210) is spaced apart from one another above the plurality of grooves, and top surfaces and side surfaces of each of the plurality of end portions (ends of 210) of the metal layer (210) are covered by the protective layer (310).
Regarding Claim 2, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the protective layer (310) is also disposed in the plurality of grooves disposed in the first organic insulating layer (209).
Regarding Claim 3, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, further comprising: a first dam (1st dam, Fig. 7) disposed in the intermediate area (MA).
Regarding Claim 4, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 3, wherein least one of the plurality of holes defined in the inorganic insulating layer (208) is disposed between the display area (DA) and the first dam (1st dam), and the first organic insulating layer (209) filling the at least one of the plurality of holes disposed between the display area (DA) and the first dam (1st dam) comprises at least one of the plurality of grooves disposed on the top surface.
Regarding Claim 5, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 3, further comprising: a second dam (2nd dam, Fig. 7) disposed between the first dam (1st dam) and the opening area (OA).
Regarding Claim 6, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of holes defined in the inorganic insulating layer (208) is disposed between the first dam (1st dam) and the second dam (2nd dam), and the first organic insulating layer (209) filling the at least one of the plurality of holes disposed between the first dam (1st dam) and the second dam (2nd dam) comprises at least one of the plurality of grooves disposed on the top surface (as clearly depicted in Figs. 7-8).
Regarding Claim 7, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, further comprising: a second organic insulating layer (211, a second organic insulating layer, ¶ [0116]) disposed on the first organic insulating layer (209).
Regarding Claim 8, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 5, wherein each of the first dam (1st dam) and the second dam (2nd dam) comprise: a second organic insulating layer (211); and a third organic insulating layer (215, pixel defining layer [Wingdings font/0xE0] formed of organic insulation material, ¶ [0119]) disposed on the second organic insulating layer (211).
Regarding Claim 9, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of holes defined in the inorganic insulating layer (208) is disposed between the second dam (2nd dam) and the opening area (OA), and the first organic insulating layer (209) filling the at least one of the plurality of holes disposed between the second dam (2nd dam) and the opening area (OA) comprises at least one of the plurality of grooves disposed on the top surface thereof.
Regarding Claim 10, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, further comprising: a light-emitting device comprising a pixel electrode (211) and a counter electrode (223) disposed in the display area (DA) and a functional layer (222b) disposed between the pixel electrode (211) and the counter electrode (223), wherein the protective layer (310) and the pixel electrode comprise a same material (zinc oxide, ¶ [0130]).
Regarding Claim 11, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 7, wherein in a portion of the intermediate area (MA) adjacent to the display area (DA), the protective layer (310) covers a top surface of a peripheral end of the metal layer (210) contacting the second organic insulating layer (211).
Regarding Claim 12, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 8, wherein the third organic insulating layer (215) included in the first dam covers the metal layer (210) and the protective layer (310) contacting the second organic insulating layer (211) included in the first dam.
Regarding Claim 13, Lee et al., teaches the display device of claim 8, wherein the third organic insulating layer (215) included in the second dam (2nd dam, Fig. 7) covers the metal layer (210) and the protective layer (310) contacting the second organic insulating layer (211) included in the second dam (2nd dam).
Examiner's Note
The Examiner cites particular figures, paragraphs, columns and line numbers in the reference(s), as applied to the claims above. Although the particular citations are representative teachings and are applied to specific limitations within the claims, other passages, internally cited references, and figures may also apply. In preparing a response, it is respectfully requested that the Applicant fully consider the references, in their entirety, as potentially disclosing or teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as fully consider the context of the passage as taught by the reference(s) or as disclosed by the Examiner.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner H. Featherly whose telephone number is 571-272-8654. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9 AM-4 PM. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Greece can be reached on 571-272-3711.
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/H. Featherly/
Examiner Featherly
Art Unit 2875 Patent Examiner
/JAMES R GREECE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875
Prosecution Insights