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
The IDS filed on 11/30/2023, 06/26/2024, and 11/13/2025 have been considered.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Display apparatus comprising a deposition blocking layer disposed on a planarization layer in a transmissive area.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 6, 9, 11, 14, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Jin et al. (U.S. Pub. 2024/0032344).
In re claim 1, Jin discloses a display apparatus 10 (see paragraphs [0042], [0046] and fig. 3), comprising: a substrate 110 (see paragraph [0046] and fig. 3) including a display area, the display area including a first area and a second area surrounding the first area, and the first area includes an emission area AA and a transmissive area TA (see paragraphs [0042], [0046] and fig. 3); a planarization layer 140 disposed on the substrate 110 in the display area (see paragraph [0046] and fig. 3); a plurality of light emitting elements that are disposed on the planarization layer 140, the plurality of light emitting elements including an anode 150 (see paragraph [0048] and fig. 3), a light emitting layer (171,172,173), and a cathode 190 (see paragraph [0049] and fig. 3); a bank (pixel definition layer 160) disposed to cover a portion of an end portion of the anode 150 in the emission area AA (see paragraph [0049] and fig. 3); and a deposition blocking layer 180 disposed on the planarization layer 140 in the transmissive area TA, wherein the deposition blocking layer 180 is spaced apart from the bank 160 (see paragraph [0050] and fig. 3).
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In re claim 6, as applied to claim 1 above, Jin discloses wherein the display apparatus further comprising at least one structure disposed on the planarization layer 140 in the transmissive area TA and disposed between the bank 160 and the deposition blocking layer 180 (see paragraphs [0049], [0050] and fig. 3, notes that the claims are given the broadest reasonable interpretation (In re Hyatt, 211 F. 3d 1367, 1372, 54 USPQ2d 1664, 1667 (Fed. Cir. 2000)), thus, a portion of layers 171 and 173 can be interpreted as the at least one structure).
In re claim 9, as applied to claim 1 above, Jin discloses wherein an upper surface of the planarization layer 140 is horizontal in the emission area AA and the transmissive area TA (see paragraph [0046] and fig. 3).
In re claim 11, as applied to claim 1 above, Jin discloses wherein the deposition blocking layer 180 and the cathode 190 do not overlap each other (see paragraphs [0049], [0050] and fig. 3).
In re claim 14, as applied to claim 1 above, Jin discloses wherein the deposition blocking layer 180 is not disposed along a side surface of the bank 160 (see paragraphs [0049], [0050] and fig. 3).
In re claim 15, as applied to claim 1 above, Jin discloses wherein the cathode 190 is not disposed in the transmissive area TA (see paragraph [0049] and fig. 3).
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(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al. (U.S. Pub. 2024/0032344) in view of Chung et al. (U.S. Pub. 2020/0258947).
In re claim 12, as applied to claim 1 above, Jin is silent to wherein the display apparatus further comprising an optical electronic device disposed below the substrate in the first area.
However, Chung discloses in a same field of endeavor, a display apparatus 1 including, inter-alia, an optical electronic device 300 disposed below the substrate 100 in the first area SA (see paragraph [0040] and fig. 2).
Therefore, it is respectfully submitted that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to be motivated to incorporate the technique as taught by Chung into the display apparatus of Jin in order to enable an optical electronic device disposed below the substrate in the first area in Jin to be formed in order to configured for transmitting a signal through the substrate and the transmission portion (see paragraph [0005] of Chung). Furthermore, it would have been obvious because all the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. (KSR), 550 U.S. 398 (2007). “If a technique has been used to improve one device, and a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that it would improve similar devices in the same way, using the technique is obvious unless its actual application is beyond that person’s skill.” Id.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al. (U.S. Pub. 2024/0032344).
In re claim 13, as applied to claim 1 above, Jin is silent to wherein the deposition blocking layer has an area of less than 95% of the area of the transmissive area.
However, it is respectfully submitted that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to optimize the shape of the deposition blocking layer to have an area of less than 95% of the area of the transmissive area since it is respectfully submitted that, the configuration regarding about the shape of the deposition blocking layer was a matter of choice which a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration was significant (In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966)). Furthermore, a change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Rose, 220 F.2d 459, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955), Gardner v. TEC Systems, Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 220 USPQ 777 (Fed. Cir. 1984), and MPEP 2144.04.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 7, 8, and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Bok et al. (U.S. Pub. 2020/0393936) discloses a display apparatus, comprising: a substrate SUB including a display area, the display area including a first area and a second area surrounding the first area (see paragraphs [0269], [0290] and fig. 14) and the first area includes an emission area and a transmissive area; a planarization layer 160 disposed on the substrate SUB in the display area (see paragraph [0368] and fig. 14); a plurality of light emitting elements 170 that are disposed on the planarization layer 160, the plurality of light emitting elements 170 including an anode 171, a light emitting layer 172, and a cathode 173 (see paragraph [0380] and fig. 14).
Kim et al. (U.S. Pub. 2018/0033847) discloses a display apparatus, comprising: a substrate 111 (see paragraph [0047] and fig. 6) including a display area DA, the display area including a first area and a second area surrounding the first area, and the first area includes an emission area and a transmissive area (see paragraphs [0048], [0049] and fig. 6); a planarization layer 280 disposed on the substrate 111 in the display area DA (see paragraph [0100] and fig. 6); a plurality of light emitting elements 290 that are disposed on the planarization layer 280 (see paragraph [0101] and fig. 6), the plurality of light emitting elements including an anode 291, a light emitting layer 292, and a cathode 293 (see paragraph [0101] and fig. 6).
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/KHIEM D NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2892