DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
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/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-13 in the reply filed on May 13, 2026 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim(s) 1,2,4-11,13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(A)(1) as being anticipated by Choi et al. (US-20220352424-A1;Choi).
Regarding claim 1, Choi discloses a display device comprising: a substrate (SUB1) comprising a display area (Fig. 1, DA;¶94) and a non-display area (Fig. 1, NDA;¶94) ; a pixel electrode (Fig. 6, 111;¶123) above the substrate; a light-emitting element (Fig. 6, LE;¶112) above the pixel electrode, and extending in a thickness direction (has a height) of the substrate; a color conversion layer (Fig. 6, QDL;¶130) above the light-emitting element, and comprising wavelength conversion particles (Fig. 6, WCP1;¶171) for converting first light from the light-emitting element into second light or third light; and a common electrode (Fig. 6, CE/RF;¶107/130) on (SIDEWALLS/BOTTOM SURFACE) the light-emitting element, and surrounding side surfaces of the color conversion layer and side surfaces of the light-emitting element.
Regarding claim 2, Choi discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein the common electrode (Fig. 6, CE/RF;¶107/130) comprises a reflective material.(Fig. 6, RF;¶ 130)
Regarding claim 4, Choi discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting element (Fig. 8, LE;¶141) sequentially comprises a first semiconductor layer (Fig. 8, SEM1;¶141), an active layer (Fig. 8, MQW;¶141), and a second semiconductor layer(Fig. 8, SEM2;¶141).
Regarding claim 5, Choi discloses the display device of claim 4, further comprising a first insulating layer (Fig. 8,INS2;¶130) surrounding side surfaces of the first semiconductor layer (Fig. 8, SEM1;¶141) and the active layer. (Fig. 8, MQW;¶141)
Regarding claim 6, Choi discloses the display device of claim 5, wherein the common electrode comprises: a first common electrode (Fig. 6, CE/RF;¶107/130) on the first insulating layer (Fig. 8,INS2;¶130) to surround the side surfaces of the first semiconductor layer(Fig. 8, SEM1;¶141) and the active layer (Fig. 8, MQW;¶141), directly contacting the second semiconductor layer (Fig. 8, SEM2;¶141), and covering a non-light-emitting area of the display area; and a second common electrode (Fig. 6, CCE;¶107) surrounding the side surfaces of the color conversion layer (Fig. 6, QDL;¶130), and covering the non-light-emitting area (area between light emitting elements and QDL) of the display area (DA), wherein the non-light-emitting area is a portion of the display area excluding a light-emitting area corresponding to the light-emitting element.
Regarding claim 7, Choi discloses the display device of claim 6, wherein the second common electrode (Fig. 6, CCE;¶107) is on (bottom surface) the first common electrode (Fig. 6, CE/RF;¶107/130) in the non-light-emitting area, and contacts the first common electrode in the non-light-emitting area.
Regarding claim 8, Choi discloses the display device of claim 6, wherein the first common electrode (Fig. 6, CE/RF;¶107/130) covers a portion of a lower surface of the light-emitting element.(Fig. 6, LE;¶141)
Regarding claim 9, Choi discloses the display device of claim 8, wherein the light-emitting element (Fig. 6, LE;¶141)
further comprises a connection electrode (Fig. 6, 112;¶131) below the lower surface, and electrically insulated (Fig. 8, by INS2;¶130) from the first common electrode. (Fig. 6, CE/RF;¶107/130)
Regarding claim 10, Choi discloses the display device of claim 9, wherein the first common electrode (Fig. 6, CE/RF;¶107/130) is spaced apart (Fig. 8, by INS2;¶130) from the connection electrode. (Fig. 6, 112;¶131)
Regarding claim 11, Choi discloses the display device of claim 9, wherein (a portion of ) the first common electrode (Fig. 6, CE/RF;¶107/130) is spaced apart from the connection electrode (Fig. 6, 112;¶131), and wherein a second insulating layer (Fig. 6, PW2; ¶160) fills a space between the first common electrode and the connection electrode.
PW2 is an oxide that fills a space between a portion of the common electrode and the connection electrode 112.
Regarding claim 13, Choi discloses the display device of claim 1, further comprising a common connection electrode (Fig. 3, CCE;¶107) in the non-display area and contacting the common electrode (Fig. 3, CE/RF;¶107/130) .
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US-20220352424-A1;Choi) in view of Choi et al. (US-20220359788-A1; Choi2) . Regarding claim 3, Choi discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein the color conversion layer comprises a third semiconductor layer defining pores that accommodate the wavelength conversion particles.
Choi2 discloses a display device comprising a color conversion layer comprising a third semiconductor layer (Fig. 21, SEM3; ¶216) defining pores (Fig. 21, OP; ¶216) that accommodate the wavelength conversion particles (Fig. 21, WCP1; ¶216)
Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to use a semiconductor material for the color conversion material to allow a common voltage to be supplied through side surfaces of the color conversion layer to the second semiconductor layer.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance, which paraphrases and summarizes the claimed invention without intending to be limiting, wherein the legally defined scope of the claimed invention is defined by the allowed claims themselves in view of the written description under 35 USC 112. This statement is not intended to necessarily state all the reasons for allowance or all the details why the claims are allowed and has not been written to specifically or impliedly state that all the reasons for allowance are set forth (MPEP 1302.14).
The art cited in the rejection of claims 1-11 and 13 discloses the claimed display device but is silent on the features cited below in combination with the rest of the claimed limitations.
Regarding claim 12, the references of the Prior Art of record and considered pertinent to the applicant's disclosure and to the examiner’s knowledge does not teach or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan, the instant invention regarding: " wherein the first common electrode contacts the connection electrode, and wherein an oxide layer is in a contact area between the first common electrode and the connection electrode.”, as recited in Claim 12, with the remaining features.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LAWRENCE C TYNES JR. whose telephone number is (571)270-7606. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM.
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/LAWRENCE C TYNES JR./Examiner, Art Unit 2899
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