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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
Information disclosure statements filed 20 November 2023 and 8 April 2026 have been fully considered.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the subject matter of claim 17, “wherein the plurality of wirings formed in the bending area are formed of a same metal layer as a connection electrode formed in the display area,” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 7, 15, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 7 recites the limitation, “wherein the substrate is formed in a double-layer structure and formed in the bending area in a single-layer form.” It is unclear how the substrate is formed in a double-layer structure while also formed in a single-layer form in the bending area. As best understood by Examiner, the substrate is formed in the display area in a double-layer structure and formed in the non-display area in a single-layer structure.
Claim 15 recites the limitation, “further comprising a micro cover layer.” It is unclear whether this micro cover layer is the same as, or distinct from, the previously-recited micro cover layer of claim 1 off which the claim depends.
Claim 18 recites the limitation, “wherein a neutral plane of the bending area is positioned close to a center of the at least one wiring by the groove disposed to be overlapped with a partial area of the at least one wiring.” The metes and bounds of the term “close to a center” are indefinite. The claims are unclear as to what distance constitutes “close to a center.”
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.
Claims 1-5, 9, 10, and 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2018/0337223, hereinafter Lee ‘223).
With respect to claim 1, Lee ‘223 teaches (FIG. 5) a display device as claimed, comprising:
a substrate (500) including a display area (DA) and a non-display area (NA) adjacent to the display area, the non-display area including a bending area (BA) ([0039, 0045]);
a plurality of wirings (179a; described as a plurality as shown in FIGs. 3 and 4) formed in the bending area (BA) ([0059]); and
a micro cover (360) layer formed on the plurality of wirings (179a) ([0081]),
wherein a groove (portion of substrate 500 not formed in the bending area BA) is formed on the substrate (500) and overlapped with the micro cover layer (360) ([0085]).
With respect to claim 2, Lee ‘223 teaches wherein the plurality of wirings (179a) are formed between the groove (portion of substrate 500 not formed in the bending area BA) and the micro cover layer (360) ([0059]).
With respect to claim 3, Lee ‘223 teaches wherein each of the groove (portion of substrate 500 not formed in the bending area BA) and the micro cover layer (360) is overlapped with the plurality of wirings (179a) ([0081, 0085]).
With respect to claim 4, Lee ‘223 teaches wherein at least one of the groove (portion of substrate 500 not formed in the bending area BA) and the micro cover layer is formed in an island shape ([0085]).
With respect to claim 5, Lee ‘223 teaches wherein the display area (DA) includes: a plurality of transistors (defined by semiconductor layer 154) formed on the substrate (500) ([0063]); a light emitting element (defined by emission member 370) electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of transistors ([0082]); and a bank (360) configured to define a light emitting area of the light emitting element ([0081]).
With respect to claim 9, Lee ‘223 teaches wherein a width of the groove (portion of substrate 500 not formed in the bending area BA) is equal to or greater than a width of the bending area (BA) ([0085]).
With respect to claim 10, Lee ‘223 teaches further comprising an insulating layer (180b) formed between the plurality of wirings (179a) and the micro cover layer (360) in the bending area (BA) ([0074-0075]).
With respect to claim 14, Lee ‘223 teaches further comprising a planarization layer (180a) formed in the bending area (BA) to cover the plurality of wirings (179a), wherein the planarization layer extends from the display area (DA) ([0073]).
With respect to claim 15, Lee ‘223 teaches further comprising a micro cover layer (360) formed on the planarization layer (180a) in the bending area (BA) ([0081]).
With respect to claim 16, Lee ‘223 teaches wherein the plurality of wirings (179a) formed in the bending area (BA) are formed of a same metal layer as a source electrode (173) or a drain electrode (175) of one of the plurality of transistors (defined by semiconductor layer 154) formed in the display area (DA) ([0067]).
With respect to claim 17, Lee ‘223 teaches wherein the plurality of wirings (179a) formed in the bending area (BA) are formed of a same metal layer as a connection electrode (177) formed in the display area (DA) ([0067]).
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 6 and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee ‘223 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kim (US Patent Application Publication 2019/0035869, hereinafter Kim ‘869).
With respect to claims 6 and 13, Lee ‘223 teaches the device as described in claim 1 above with the exception of the additional limitations wherein the substrate has a first thickness in the display area and a second thickness in the bending area; and wherein the groove has a tapered shape.
However, Kim ‘869 teaches (FIG. 5) a substrate (100) having a first thickness in a display area (AA) and a second thickness in a bending area (BA); and wherein a groove (220) has a tapered shape ([0033, 0070]) to minimize a crack of a routing line to enable an extreme bending ([0007]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed the display device of Lee ‘223 wherein the substrate has a first thickness in the display area and a second thickness in the bending area; and wherein the groove has a tapered shape as taught by Kim ‘869 to minimize a crack of a routing line to enable an extreme bending.
With respect to claims 11 and 12, Lee ‘223 teaches the device as described in claim 1 above with the exception of the additional limitations wherein the insulating layer and the bank include a same material; and wherein the insulating layer further includes a spacer on the bank.
However, Kim ‘869 teaches (FIG. 5) an insulating layer (140b) formed between a plurality of wirings (210) and a micro cover layer (230) in a bending area (BA), wherein the insulating layer and a bank (140a and 150a) include a same material, and wherein the insulating layer further includes a spacer (150a) on the bank in an arrangement that prevents a dark spot defect from occurring ([0034, 0048, 0060]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed the display device of Lee ‘223 wherein the insulating layer and the bank include a same material; and wherein the insulating layer further includes a spacer on the bank as taught by Kim ‘869 to prevent a dark spot defect from occurring.
Claims 7 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee ‘223 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Chen et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0119110, hereinafter Chen ‘110).
With respect to claims 7 and 8, Lee ‘223 teaches the device as described in claim 1 above with the exception of the additional limitations wherein the substrate is formed in a double-layer structure and formed in the bending area in a single-layer form; and wherein the substrate is formed in the display area in a double-layer structure and formed in the non-display area in a single-layer structure.
However, Chen ‘110 teaches (FIG. 3) wherein a substrate is formed in a display area (40) in a double-layer structure and formed in a non-display area (30) in a single-layer structure ([0065]) to improve the bendability of the OLED display device at the bending region, further preventing breakage of the metal trace at the bending region, thus increasing the screen ratio of the flexible OLED display device ([0007, 0039]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed the display device of Lee ‘223 wherein the substrate is formed in a double-layer structure and formed in the bending area in a single-layer form; and wherein the substrate is formed in the display area in a double-layer structure and formed in the non-display area in a single-layer structure as taught by Chen ‘110 to improve the bendability of the OLED display device at the bending region, further preventing breakage of the metal trace at the bending region, thus increasing the screen ratio of the flexible OLED display device.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee ‘223 in view of Kim ‘869.
With respect to claim 18, Lee ‘223 teaches (FIG. 5) a display device substantially as claimed, comprising:
a substrate (500) including a display area (DA) and a non-display area (NA) adjacent to the display area, the non-display area including a bending area (BA) ([0039, 0045]);
at least one wiring (179a) formed in the bending area (BA) ([0059]); and
a groove (portion of substrate 500 not formed in the bending area BA) formed to be overlapped with the bending area (BA) of the substrate (500) ([0085]).
Thus, Lee ‘223 is shown to teach all the features of the claim with the exception of wherein a neutral plane of the bending area is positioned close to a center of the at least one wiring by the groove disposed to be overlapped with a partial area of the at least one wiring.
However, Kim ‘869 teaches (FIGs. 4 and 5) a neutral plane (NP) of a bending area (BA) is positioned close to a center of at least one wiring (210) by a groove (220) disposed to be overlapped with a partial area of the at least one wiring ([0034, 0070, 0074]) to minimize a crack of a routing line to enable an extreme bending ([0007]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed a neutral plane of the bending area of Lee ‘223 positioned close to a center of the at least one wiring by the groove disposed to be overlapped with a partial area of the at least one wiring as taught by Kim ‘869 to minimize a crack of a routing line to enable an extreme bending.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Kim et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0035776); Noh et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0127229); Ohara et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0144353); Chang et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2021/0082970); and Zhao et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2022/0359637, hereinafter Zhao ‘637) teach flexible displays.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christopher M. Roland whose telephone number is (571)270-1271. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 10:00AM-7:00PM Eastern.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yara Green can be reached at (571)270-3035. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/C.M.R./Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/YARA B GREEN/Supervisor Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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