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 .
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 7-11 and 14-19 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. For examining purposes the “first planarization layer” shall be read as referring to either the planarization layer of claim 1 or to an additional planarization layer.
Claim 7 refers to “the first planarization layer”, however claim 1 only refers to “a planarization layer”, therefore it is unclear if the claims require any further planarization layers such that the planarization layer of claim 1 is the first of several planarization layers, or if the inclusion of “first” in “the first planarization layer” is mistaken and there is only claimed planarization layer.
Claims 8-11 and 14-19 all depend upon claim 7 without correcting the unclear subject matter and are thus rejected for incorporating the unclear subject matter of claim 7.
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, 7, 8, 14 and 21-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hwang et al. (US 2023/0098923 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Hwang discloses a display device (Fig 20, a modification of Fig 1-8 per ¶201), comprising: a substrate (110) comprising a display area (10) and a non-display area (20 & 30); a bending area (20) within the non-display area; a first area disposed on a first side of the bending area; a second area disposed on a second side of the bending area; a plurality of pads (470) disposed on an upper portion of the substrate in the first area; a circuit element (101) configured to supply electric power to a first pad among the plurality of pads; a plurality of signal lines (180, the lines of the display are 215 & 235 which will be located underneath encapsulation 450, see ¶158) disposed on the upper portion of the substrate in the bending area, the plurality of signal lines being electrically connected to the plurality of pads, respectively; a planarization layer (490) configured to cover the plurality of signal lines; and a shield layer (630) disposed over the planarization layer and configured to at least cover a first signal line among the plurality of signal lines (¶133).
Regarding claim 7, Hwang discloses a first conductive layer (that of source electrode 210 and drain electrode 230) disposed over the substrate in the display area; an organic insulation layer (731) disposed over the first conductive layer; and a second conductive layer (215 & 235) disposed between the organic insulation layer and the first planarization layer.
Regarding claim 8, Hwang discloses that first signal line is disposed on the same layer as the second conductive layer and comprises the same material as the second conductive layer (¶158).
Regarding claim 14, Hwang discloses a gate electrode (175) disposed between the substrate and the first conductive layer; and an inorganic insulation layer (195; ¶96) disposed between the gate electrode and the first conductive layer.
Regarding claim 21, Hwang discloses a display device (Fig 20, a modification of Fig 1-8 per ¶201), comprising: a substrate (110) having a display area (10) and a non-display area (30); a bending area (20) between the display area and the non-display area; a plurality of pads (470) disposed on an upper portion of the substrate in the non-display area; a circuit element (101) configured to supply electric power to a first pad among the plurality of pads in the non-display area; a plurality of signal lines (180) disposed on the substrate in the bending area, the plurality of signal lines being electrically connected to the plurality of pads, respectively; an insulation layer (490) covering the plurality of signal lines; and a shield layer (630) positioned over the insulation layer, the shield layer covering at least a portion of the plurality of signal lines.
Regarding claim 22, Hwang discloses that the portion covered by the shield layer is a portion of each signal line in the plurality of signal lines (Fig 1, 630 covers each signal line).
Regarding claim 23, Hwang discloses that the portion covered by the shield layer is a portion of at least one signal line in the plurality of signal lines (Fig 1, 630 covers each signal line).
Regarding claim 24, Hwang discloses that the shield layer includes a metal layer and is positioned to shield the plurality of signal lines from an electric field (¶133, the RF signal produces an electric field).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6, 12, 13 and 20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Hwang does not disclose, nor does other prior art suggest, the electrical connection of the shield layer to the first pad per claims 2 and 3, nor the bank and layer over the bank of claim 12. Additionally the prior art does not disclose or suggest the shield layer being connected to an electric current detection part as in claim 20.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL P SHOOK whose telephone number is (571)270-7890. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Mon-Fri.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, WILLIAM KRAIG can be reached at (571)272-8660. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL P SHOOK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896
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