DETAILED ACTION
Priority Claim
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
IDS
All references provided in the IDS have been considered.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention Group I in the reply filed on 02/24/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 9 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 6 recites the first backplane layer…includes an organic layer (in lines 10-11), thereby introducing "an organic layer". Claim 9 depends on claim 6. Claim 9 further recites that the second backplane layer include the organic layer. It is unclear how the same organic layer can be included in both the first backplane layer and the second backplane layer when one backplane layer does not include the other. If a different organic layer is intended, the claim should recite "a second organic layer". This claim has been interpreted to mean a different organic layer than "an organic layer" within the first backplane layer recited in Claim 6.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-2, and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Baek (US 20220037620 A1).
Re: Independent Claim 1, Baek discloses:
A display device (Baek, display panel; Fig. 5, element DP) comprising:
a base layer (Baek, base layer; Fig. 5, element BSL) including a first surface (Baek, first surface; Fig. 5, element BS1) and a second surface (Baek, second surface; Fig. 5, element BS2);
a first backplane layer (Baek, pixel circuit layer; Fig. 5, element PCL) disposed on the first surface of the base layer and including a pixel circuit (Baek, ¶ [0060]);
a second backplane layer (Baek, lower protective layer; Fig. 5, element BPRL) disposed on the second surface of the base layer and including a rear wire (Baek, second line; Fig. 5, element RL, ¶ [0082]); and
a light-emitting-element layer (Baek, display element layer; Fig. 5, element DPL) disposed on the first backplane layer and including a light emitting element (Baek, light emitting element; Fig. 5, element LD, ¶ [0061]),
wherein the base layer has a transmittance of about 15 % or less with respect to light having a wavelength of about 290 nm or less (Baek, ¶ [0059] the embodiment where the BSL is implemented as being a polyimide, which has a transmittance of about 15% or less at about 290 nm or less).
Re: Dependent Claim 2, Baek disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 1 on which this claim depends. Baek further discloses:
a driving circuit portion (Baek, Fig. 4 ¶ [0049]), electrically connected (Baek, ¶ [0084]) to the rear wire (Baek, second line; Fig. 5, element RL, ¶ [0082]);
a front wire (Baek, first line; Fig. 5, element FL) disposed on the first surface (Baek, first surface; Fig. 5, element BS1) of the base layer (Baek, base layer; Fig. 5, element BSL);
and a side wire (Baek, base hole; Fig. 5, element BSH, ¶ [0077] covering a side surface (Baek; Fig. 5, BSH is on a side surface of BSL) of the base layer and electrically connected to the front wire and the rear wire (Baek, ¶ [0077]).
Re: Dependent Claim 5, Baek disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 1 on which this claim depends. Baek further discloses:
wherein the base layer (Baek, base layer; Fig. 5, element BSL) has a transmittance of about 10 % or less with respect to light having a wavelength of about 290 nm or less (Baek, ¶ [0059] the embodiment where the BSL is implemented as being a polyimide, which has a transmittance of about 10% or less at about 290 nm or less).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of AIA 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 of this title, 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(s) 3 is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baek (US 20220037620 A1).
Re: Dependent Claim 3, Baek disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 2 on which this claim depends. Baek further discloses:
wherein the rear wire (Baek, second line; Fig. 5, element RL, ¶ [0082]) includes a multi-layered member (Baek, RL includes rear gate line, GL_R, rear data line, DL_R, and second driving voltage line, VDD_R, making it a multi-layered member)
Baek is silent regarding:
wherein the rear wire including an aluminum layer.
Baek discloses that the second line RL may be integrally formed with the conductive material CM of the base hole BSH but does not explicitly disclose this multi-layered member to include an aluminum layer. Baek discloses that a conductive material may include aluminum (Baek, ¶ [0018]). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) before the effective filing date to use aluminum as the conductive material for forming the second RL line, thereby meeting the claimed invention, to reduce manufacturing costs (Baek, ¶ [0160]).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baek (US 20220037620 A1) in view of Hwang (US 2018/0265399 A1).
Re: Dependent Claim 4, Baek disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 1 on which this claim depends. Baek further discloses:
wherein the base layer (Baek, base layer; Fig. 5, element BSL) includes glass (Baek, ¶ [0059]),
Baek is silent regarding:
wherein the base layer includes borosilicate doped with a dopant.
Hwang discloses:
borosilicate glass (Hwang, borosilicate glass; Fig. 2, element 115) doped with a dopant (Hwang, ¶ [0052]).
Baek discloses the base layer may include glass, but does not explicitly disclose this glass to be borosilicate doped with a dopant. Hwang discloses the use of borosilicate glass with a dopant (composition) giving it high-temperature stability (Hwang, ¶ [0027]). Both Baek and Hwang disclose the use of glass as a base layer for use in display devices and are therefore analogous art. It would have been obvious to a POSITA before the effective filing date to include borosilicate glass doped with a dopant in the glass base layer of Baek for the advantage of borosilicate glass having a low coefficient of thermal expansion, causing less deformation within the display device (Hwang, ¶ [0029]).
Claim(s) 6-8, 10 is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baek (US 20220037620 A1) in view of Lan (US 9614101 B2).
Re: Independent Claim 6, Baek discloses:
A display device (Baek, display panel; Fig. 5, element DP) comprising:
a base layer (Baek, base layer; Fig. 5, element BSL) including a first surface (Baek, first surface; Fig. 5, element BS1) and a second surface (Baek, second surface; Fig. 5, element BS2);
a first backplane layer (Baek, pixel circuit layer; Fig. 5, element PCL) disposed on the first surface of the base layer and including a pixel circuit (Baek, ¶ [0060]);
a second backplane layer (Baek, lower protective layer; Fig. 5, element BPRL) disposed on the second surface of the base layer and including a rear wire (Baek, second line; Fig. 5, element RL, ¶ [0082]);
and a light-emitting-element layer (Baek, display element layer; Fig. 5, element DPL) disposed on the first backplane layer and including a light emitting element (Baek, light emitting element; Fig. 5, element LD, ¶ [0061]),
wherein the first backplane layer is disposed between the pixel circuit and the rear wire (Baek, Fig. 5) and includes an layer (Baek, gate insulating layer, Fig. 5, element GI, ¶ [0091])
Baek is silent regarding:
Wherein the first backplane layer includes an organic layer having a transmittance of about 10 % or less with respect to light having a wavelength of about 290 nm or less.
Lan discloses:
includes an organic layer (Lan, organic insulating layer; Fig. 1B, element 150) having a transmittance of about 10 % or less with respect to light having a wavelength of about 290 nm or less (Lan, in the embodiment that the organic insulating layer is made of polyimide, Col. 3, lines 55- 61, the transmittance of the layer is about 10% or less with respect to light having a wavelength or about 290 nm or less).
Baek discloses a layer disposed in the first backplane layer, but does not explicitly disclose that this gate insulating layer is an organic layer having a transmittance of about 10% or less with respect to light having a wavelength of about 290 nm or less. Lan discloses an organic insulating layer as a gate insulating layer (Lan, Col. 2, lines 27 -30) for use in an array substrate for display devices. Both Baek and Lan disclose semiconductor configurations for use in display devices and are therefore analogous art. Furthermore, Lan discloses that the organic insulating layer can be made of polyimide (Lan, Col. 3, lines 55- 61). It would have been obvious to a POSITA to replace the gate insulating layer of Baek with the organic gate insulating layer made of polyimide, as disclosed by Lan, and arriving at the claimed invention (polyimide has a transmittance of 10% or less with respect to light having a wavelength of 290 nm or less). A POSITA would recognize that an organic insulating can be formed at a lower temperature (Lan, Col. 3, lines 55- 61). A POSITA would also recognize that polyimide is widely used in display devices due to its mechanical properties and insulating properties.
Re: Dependent Claim 7, Baek and Lan disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 6 on which this claim depends. Lan further discloses:
wherein the organic layer (Lan, organic insulating layer; Fig. 1B, element 150) includes polyimide (Lan, Col. 3, lines 55- 61).
Re: Dependent Claim 8, Baek and Lan disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 6 on which this claim depends. Baek, as modified by Lan, further discloses:
wherein
the first backplane layer (Baek, pixel circuit layer; Fig. 5, element PCL) further includes a buffer layer (Baek, first interlayer insulating layer; Fig. 5, element ILD1) disposed between the pixel circuit (Baek, ¶ [0060]) and the base layer (Baek, base layer; Fig. 5, element BSL), and
the organic layer (Baek, gate insulating layer, Fig. 5, element GI, ¶ [0091]) is disposed between the buffer layer and the base layer.
Re: Dependent Claim 10, Baek and Lan disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 6 on which this claim depends. Baek, as modified by Lan, further discloses:
wherein
the second backplane layer (Baek, lower protective layer; Fig. 5, element BPRL) further includes a rear via layer (Baek, first bridge portion; Fig. 5, element BRP1) that is disposed on the base layer (Baek, base layer; Fig. 5, element BSL) and covers a portion of the rear wire (Baek, second line; Fig. 5, element RL, ¶ [0082], BRP1 covers VDD_R, which is a portion of the rear wire),
the organic layer (Baek, gate insulating layer, Fig. 5, element GI, ¶ [0091]) has a first thickness (Baek, the element exists and therefore must have a thickness)
the rear via layer has a second thickness (Baek, the element exists, therefore it has some thickness),
Baek, as modified by Lan, is silent regarding:
and the second thickness (rear via layer) is greater than the first thickness (organic layer).
Baek, as modified by Lan, discloses an organic layer via with a first thickness and a rear via layer with a second thickness, but does not explicitly disclose that the second thickness is greater than the first thickness. The claimed thickness relationship is a result-effective variable used to change the size of the display area (Baek, ¶ [0051]). In the absence of any indication that the claimed relationship is critical or produces unexpected results, it would have been obvious to a POSITA before the effective filing date to adjust the thicknesses of the organic layer and rear via layer to achieve the desired relationship as a matter of routine optimization.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baek (US 20220037620 A1) in view of Lan (US 9614101 B2), further in view of Yu (US 20240431184 A1).
Re: Dependent Claim 9, Baek and Lan disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 6 on which this claim depends. Baek, as modified by Lan, further discloses:
wherein
the second backplane layer (Baek, lower protective layer; Fig. 5, element BPRL) further includes rear wire (Baek, second line; Fig. 5, element RL, ¶ [0082]) and the base layer (Baek, base layer; Fig. 5, element BSL),
Baek and Lan are silent regarding:
the second backplane layer further includes an insulating layer disposed between the rear wire and the base layer
and the organic layer is disposed between the insulating layer and the base layer.
Yu discloses:
wherein the second backplane layer (Yu, light-emitting substrate; Fig. 6, element 200) further includes an insulating layer (Yu, second electrode layer; Fig. 6, element 24, ¶ [0121]) disposed between the rear wire (Yu, connection wires; Fig. 14, element 242, which are within layer 241 ¶ [0068]) and the base layer (Yu, driving backplane layer; Fig. 6, element 100), and
and the organic layer (Yu, pixel definition layer; Fig. 6, element 22) is disposed between the insulating layer and the base layer.
Baek discloses a second backplane layer, a rear wire, and a base layer but does not explicitly disclose an insulating layer disposed between the rear wire and the base layer. Yu discloses an insulating layer in the second backplane disposed between the rear wire and the base layer for wire connections (Yu, ¶ [0099]). Baek, Lan, and Yu disclose structural configurations of layers within display devices, and are therefore analogous art. It would have been obvious to a POSITA before the effective filing date to replace the backplane layer structure of Baek, as modified by Lan, to provide a better, more unified signal within the display device (Yu, ¶ [0122]).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baek (US 20220037620 A1) in view of Lan (US 9614101 B2), further in view of Lee (US 8664649 B2).
Re: Dependent Claim 11, Baek and Lan disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 10 on which this claim depends. Baek, as modified by Lan, are silent regarding:
wherein the first thickness (organic layer) is about 0.5 μm to about 2.0 μm.
Lee discloses:
wherein the first thickness (Lee, organic film; Fig. 2, element 30, has a thickness) is about 0.5 μm to about 2.0 μm (Lee, Col.5, Table 1, shows the thickness of the organic film between 1000 angstroms to 20000 angstroms).
Baek, as modified by Lan, discloses an organic layer but does not disclose this organic layer to have a thickness of about 0.5 microns to 2.0 microns. Lee discloses an organic film used to encapsulate the light emitting diode. Baek, Lan, and Lee disclose configurations within display devices and are therefore analogous art. It would have been obvious to a POSITA before the effective filing date to modify the thickness of the organic layer (the first thickness) of Baek, as modified by Lan, for preventing permeating of moisture and oxygen by shielding or protecting elements from external conditions (Lee, Col. 4, lines 57 - 64).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NIMARTA KAUR CHOWDHARY whose telephone number is (571)272-7679. The examiner can normally be reached usually Monday - Thursday, 7:00 AM - 5:00 pm.
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, Leonard Chang can be reached at (571) 270-3691. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/NIMARTA KAUR CHOWDHARY/ Examiner, Art Unit 2898
/Leonard Chang/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2898