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 § 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.
Claims 1-6, 8-11, 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choung et al. (USPN 2016/0248039).
With regard to claim 1,
Choung et al. disclose a display device comprising: a plurality of sub-pixels (P1, P2, P3), a plurality of light emitting elements including an anode electrode (210), an organic layer (222), and a first cathode electrode (230), the anode electrode, the organic layer, and the first cathode electrode being separated into each of the plurality of sub-pixels (see, e.g., fig. 23); an element protective layer (240) covering the first cathode electrode; a second cathode (250 on 240) electrode provided on the element protective layer; and a connection portion (between P1, P2, P3) that electrically connects the second cathode electrode and the first cathode electrode (via 250 perpendicular to substrate, fig. 23), wherein the connection portion is formed along a side wall of the element protective layer (See, e.g., fig. 23).
With regard to claim 2.
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion includes an element forming the first cathode electrode (see paragraphs 62,81).
With regard to claim 3,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, wherein the side wall of the element protective layer is non-tapered (see, e.g., fig 23).
With regard to claim 4,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, wherein a side surface of the connection portion is connected to the second cathode electrode (see, e.g., fig. 23).
With regard to claim 5,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, wherein a light emission color of each of a plurality of the light emitting elements corresponds to a color type corresponding to each of light emission colors of the plurality of sub-pixels (222RBG).
With regard to claim 6,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, wherein a light emission color of the plurality of light emitting elements is white (see paragraph 27).
With regard to claim 8,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light emitting elements and the second cathode electrode form a resonator structure (See paragraph 83).
With regard to claim 9,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 8, wherein the second cathode electrode includes a semi-transmission reflection layer (see paragraph 81).
With regard to claim 10,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion is provided so as to individually surround a periphery of each of light emitting regions of the plurality of light emitting elements, and an inner portion (space between 260, fig. 23) of the connection portion has a refractive index different from a refractive index of the element protective layer (Space vs ITO, paragraph 42).
With regard to claim 11,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 10, wherein the inner portion of the connection portion is a space portion (see fig. 23).
With regard to claim 15,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, further comprising a side wall protective layer provided between the light emitting elements adjacent to each other (see fig. 23), wherein, in the side wall protective layer, a first refractive index portion (260) from a side closer to the light emitting elements and a second refractive index portion (space therebetween) having a lower refractive index outside the first refractive index portion are formed in a side region of the light emitting elements.
With regard to claim 16,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 15, wherein the second refractive index portion is a space portion (space between 260 between pixels).
With regard to claim 17,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, wherein a metal layer ( 250 between P1 P2 P3 parallel to substrate) is charged between the connection portions adjacent to each other connected to the first cathode electrode of the light emitting elements adjacent to each other.
With regard to claim 18,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, further comprising an insulating layer (180) that includes an opening (at 210), is disposed on the anode electrodes adjacent to each other, and covers a peripheral edge portion of each of the anode electrodes, wherein an opening end edge of the opening is disposed on the anode electrode, a laminated structure of the organic layer and the first cathode electrode is separated into a peripheral edge inner portion and an outer edge portion at a predetermined position inside the opening end edge, and the connection portion is connected to the first cathode electrode of the peripheral edge inner portion (See, e.g., fig 23).
With regard to claim 19,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1, wherein a laminated structure of the organic layer and the first cathode electrode is formed in a predetermined region inside an end portion of the anode electrode, and a sidewall portion is formed on a side of a side wall surface of the laminated structure (see, e.g., fig. 23).
With regard to claim 20,
Choung et al. disclose an electronic apparatus comprising a display device according to claim 1.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 7 is are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choung et al. (as above).
With regard to claim 7,
Choung et al. disclose the display device according to claim 1. While Choung et al. do not explicitly disclose a color filter layer, such a layer was well known to and widely used by those of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to the same to try to incorporate into the device of Choung et al. in order to tune display color characteristics.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-14 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: the prior art does not disclose nor render obvious, in combination with the other limitations of the claims a display device where a via column, as defined, has a plurality of vias surrounding the light emitting region. Claim 12 would be therefore be allowable if rewritten in independent form; claims 13, 14 would be allowable due to their dependence upon claim 12.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USPN 2017/0365812.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christopher Raabe whose telephone number is (571)272-8434. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 0530-1430.
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/CHRISTOPHER M RAABE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875