Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/550,518

DISPLAY MOTHERBOARD, DISPLAY PANEL AND DISPLAY APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 14, 2023
Examiner
CHEN, JACK S J
Art Unit
2893
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 10m
To Grant
82%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allow Rate
432 granted / 565 resolved
+8.5% vs TC avg
Moderate +6% lift
Without
With
+5.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
33 currently pending
Career history
598
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
30.0%
-10.0% vs TC avg
§102
34.2%
-5.8% vs TC avg
§112
26.3%
-13.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 565 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Election/Restrictions Applicant's request for reconsideration have been considered in view of amended claim 15 is persuasive and, therefore, the Restriction Requirement dated 11/13/2025 is hereby withdrawn. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 15-19, 21, 23-24 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Re amended claim 15, the phrase “according to claim 1, and the display panel having a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, the display panel comprising: a substrate; a pixel definition layer disposed on the substrate, a material of the pixel definition layer including a hydrophilic material; a first encapsulation layer disposed on a side of the pixel definition layer away from the substrate; and a first insulating layer disposed on a side of the first encapsulation layer away from the substrate, a material of the first insulating layer including another hydrophilic material” was not described in the original specification. Note: the original specification at least fails to teach/show having an additional/another substrate, pixel definition layer, first encapsulation layer, first insulating layer, display area and/or peripheral area other than the ones recited in claim 1. 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 15-19, 21, 23-24 and 27 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. Re amended claim 15, the phrase “according to claim 1, and the display panel having a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, the display panel comprising: a substrate; a pixel definition layer disposed on the substrate, a material of the pixel definition layer including a hydrophilic material; a first encapsulation layer disposed on a side of the pixel definition layer away from the substrate; and a first insulating layer disposed on a side of the first encapsulation layer away from the substrate, a material of the first insulating layer including another hydrophilic material” is unclear and indefinite. The instant recited elements/limitations appear to be the same as the ones already recited previously in claim 1. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-5, 7 and 9-13 allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of record neither teach nor make obvious the claimed limitation of the instant application as a whole as recited in claim 1. In particular, the prior art does not teach or suggest a display motherboard having a plurality of display areas, peripheral areas each surrounding a single display area, and a cutting area located on a side of the peripheral areas away from the respectively display areas; the display motherboard having virtual barriers disposed on the substrate motherboard and in the cutting area; wherein a virtual barrier includes a planarization layer block and a pixel definition layer block that are stacked, and the pixel definition layer block is farther away from the substrate motherboard than the planarization layer block; a first encapsulation layer located in a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area and spaced from the virtual barriers; and a first insulating layer disposed on a side of the first encapsulation layer away from the substrate motherboard, covering the virtual barriers, and in contact with the pixel definition layer block. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACK CHEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1689. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm. 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, Yara J. 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. 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. /JACK S CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 14, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 06, 2026
Examiner Interview (Telephonic)
Feb 07, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12598861
DISPLAY PANELS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12593721
INTERNAL THERMAL TRANSFER FOR MEMORY DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12593666
METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING A RADICAL TREATMENT OPERATION PRIOR TO CONDUCTING AN ANNEALING OPERATION
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12588265
SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE WITH ENHANCED PLACEHOLDER POSITION MARGIN
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12575379
MEASUREMENT OF LATERAL DOPANT CONCENTRATION AND DISTRIBUTION IN HIGH ASPECT RATIO TRENCH STRUCTURES
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
76%
Grant Probability
82%
With Interview (+5.9%)
2y 10m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 565 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month