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/Restriction
This application contains claims directed to the following patentably distinct species:
I. Figures 1-3 and 6
II. Figures 4 and 5
III. Figures 7 and 8
IV. Figure 9
The species are independent or distinct because each species requires a unique shape of the active area. In addition, these species are not obvious variants of each other based on the current record.
Applicant is required under 35 U.S.C. 121 to elect a single disclosed species, or a single grouping of patentably indistinct species, for prosecution on the merits to which the claims shall be restricted if no generic claim is finally held to be allowable. Currently, no claim is generic.
There is a serious search and/or examination burden for the patentably distinct species as set forth above because at least the following reason(s) apply:
the inventions have acquired a separate status in the art due to their recognized divergent subject matter,
the inventions require a different field of search (e.g., searching different classes /subclasses or electronic resources, or employing different search strategies or search queries).
Applicant is advised that the reply to this requirement to be complete must include (i) an election of a species to be examined even though the requirement may be traversed (37 CFR 1.143) and (ii) identification of the claims encompassing the elected species or grouping of patentably indistinct species, including any claims subsequently added. An argument that a claim is allowable or that all claims are generic is considered nonresponsive unless accompanied by an election.
The election may be made with or without traverse. To preserve a right to petition, the election must be made with traverse. If the reply does not distinctly and specifically point out supposed errors in the election of species requirement, the election shall be treated as an election without traverse. Traversal must be presented at the time of election in order to be considered timely. Failure to timely traverse the requirement will result in the loss of right to petition under 37 CFR 1.144. If claims are added after the election, applicant must indicate which of these claims are readable on the elected species or grouping of patentably indistinct species.
Should applicant traverse on the ground that the species, or groupings of patentably indistinct species from which election is required, are not patentably distinct, applicant should submit evidence or identify such evidence now of record showing them to be obvious variants or clearly admit on the record that this is the case. In either instance, if the examiner finds one of the species unpatentable over the prior art, the evidence or admission may be used in a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) of the other species.
Upon the allowance of a generic claim, applicant will be entitled to consideration of claims to additional species which depend from or otherwise require all the limitations of an allowable generic claim as provided by 37 CFR 1.141.
During a telephone conversation with Dan McClure on 03/17/2026 a provisional election was made without traverse to prosecute the invention of Species I, Figures 1-3 and 6, claims 1-7, 15, and 16. Affirmation of this election must be made by applicant in replying to this Office action. Claims 8-14 and 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention.
Applicant is reminded that upon the cancelation of claims to a non-elected invention, the inventorship must be corrected in compliance with 37 CFR 1.48(a) if one or more of the currently named inventors is no longer an inventor of at least one claim remaining in the application. A request to correct inventorship under 37 CFR 1.48(a) must be accompanied by an application data sheet in accordance with 37 CFR 1.76 that identifies each inventor by his or her legal name and by the processing fee required under 37 CFR 1.17(i).
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 5-7, 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (US 2024/0241415).
In reference to claim 1, Wang et al. (US 2024/0241415), hereafter “Wang,” discloses an electronic device, with reference to Figures 2 and 3, comprising:
a substrate 101;
a data line 103 and a gate line 102 disposed on the substrate, wherein the data line extends along a first direction;
and a thin film transistor arranged on the substrate and comprising a semiconductor structure 1051, wherein the semiconductor structure comprises a channel region, a source region and a drain region, wherein the gate line overlaps the channel region, the source region is electrically connected to the data line, at 1051c, the source region and the drain region are located on opposite sides of the gate line,
wherein the source region comprises a first portion extending along a second direction, and an acute angle, alpha α, is formed between the first direction and the second direction.
In reference to claim 2, Wang discloses a plurality of thin film transistors, and the thin film transistors are disposed on the substrate and each comprise a semiconductor structure, and there is a pitch (P) and a shortest distance (Z) between two adjacent semiconductor structures, the semiconductor structures have a width (W), and the acute angle (θ) satisfies the following relationship:
0
°
<
θ
≤
cos
-
1
W
+
Z
P
[AltContent: textbox (2nd portion
(claim 7))][AltContent: arrow]See annotated Figure 3 below.
In reference to claim 5, Wang discloses the width is greater than 0 µm and less than 15 µm, paragraph 94.
In reference to claim 6, Wang discloses the source region comprises a second portion extending along the first direction, and the second portion is located between the first portion and the channel region, see annotated Figure 3 above.
In reference to claim 7, Wang discloses the source region comprises a second portion extending along the first direction, and the first portion is located between the second portion and the channel region, see annotated Figure 3 above.
In reference to claim 15, Wang discloses the gate line 102 is substantially perpendicular to the data line 103, Figure 3.
In reference to claim 16, Wang discloses the source region is electrically connected to the data line 103 through a hole 1051c overlapping the data line, Figures 2 and 3 and paragraph 83.
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US 2024/0241415) in view of Yu et al. (US 2024/0142838).
In reference to claim 3, Wang does not disclose the pitch is greater than 0 μm and less than 20 μm.
Yu et al. (US 2024/0142838), hereafter “Yu,” discloses a display device including teaching a pitch, L5+L6 in Figure 2, greater than 0 μm and less than 20 μm (about 4 μm) paragraph 69. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention for the pitch to be greater than 0 μm and less than 20 μm. One would have been motivated to do so in order to form pixels at the minimum of processing capability in order to provide high pixel resolution, id.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US 2024/0241415) in view of Kano et al. (US 2016/0155753).
In reference to claim 4, Wang does not disclose the shortest distance is greater than 0 μm and less than 15 μm.
Kano et al. (US 2016/0155753) discloses a display device including teaching a shortest distance, D1 in Figure 6, is greater than 0 μm and less than 15 μm, (about 2 μm) paragraph 74. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention for the shortest distance to be greater than 0 μm and less than 15 μm. One would have been motivated to do so in order to form the features at the minimum possible spacing processing capabilities allow, id.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Lee et al. (US 2018/0122832), Zhang (US 2017/0293172), and Kwon et al. (US 2015/0123137) disclose related active region shapes.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRYAN R. JUNGE whose telephone number is (571)270-5717. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-4:30 CT.
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, Chad Dicke can be reached at (571)270-7996. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRYAN R JUNGE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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