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 1-4,14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (USPN 2020/0185469).
With regard to claim 1,
Kim et al. disclose a display panel, comprising: a substrate (110/200), having a main surface (upper); a plurality of sub-pixels (P1,P2,P3), wherein each sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels comprises a light-emitting device on the main surface, the light-emitting device comprises a first electrode (300) and a charge generation layer (CGL) that are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the main surface, the charge generation layer is on a side of the first electrode away from the substrate (see fig. 2); and a pixel definition layer (340), on the main surface and defining a plurality of opening regions (at 300), wherein the plurality of opening regions are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of sub-pixels and expose at least part of the first electrodes of corresponding sub-pixels of the plurality of sub-pixels (see fig. 2); wherein the plurality of sub-pixels comprise a first sub-pixel (P1, corresponding to 310) and a second sub-pixel (P2, corresponding to 320) that are adjacent to each other, and a space is between the first electrode of the first sub-pixel and the first electrode of the second sub-pixel (see fig. 2), the pixel definition layer comprises a first recess (between 310,320) which is in the space and recessed toward the main surface, the charge generation layer of the first sub-pixel is spaced apart from the charge generation layer of the second sub-pixel by the first recess (see fig. 2); the pixel definition layer comprises a plurality of first recesses (between 310,320 and 320,330) located in spaces between different adjacent two sub-pixels (P1-P2, P2-P3) among the plurality of sub-pixels, and depths of the plurality of first recesses in the direction perpendicular to the main surface are equal (See fig. 2).
With regard to claim 2,
Kim et al. disclose the display panel according to claim 1, wherein the pixel definition layer comprises: a spacing part (between 310,320), in the space between the first electrode (310) of the first sub-pixel and the first electrode (320) of the second sub-pixel; a first stack part (stack 1), stacked on a side of the first electrode of the first sub-pixel away from the substrate in the direction perpendicular to the main surface; and a second stack part (stack 2), stacked on a side of the first electrode of the second sub-pixel away from the substrate in the direction perpendicular to the main surface, wherein the spacing part comprises the first recess (between 310,320).
With regard to claim 3,
Kim et al. disclose the display panel according to claim 2, wherein the main surface has a middle portion located at the space (upper surface of 110 at space between 310,320), the middle portion of the main surface is flat (see fig. 2), and the spacing part is on the middle portion of the main surface (by definition); the first recess has a first bottom surface (340a) substantially parallel to the main surface (see fig. 2); the display panel further comprises: a floating charge generation layer (CGL, between 310,320), in the first recess and on the first bottom surface, wherein a material of the floating charge generation layer is same as materials of the charge generation layer of the first sub-pixel and the charge generation layer of the second sub-pixel (CGL), wherein the charge generation layer of the first sub-pixel is on a side of the first stack part away from the main surface (see fig. 3), and the charge generation layer of the second sub-pixel is on a side of the second stack part away from the main surface (see fig. 3); the charge generation layer of the first sub-pixel is disconnected from the floating charge generation layer (see fig. 4), and the charge generation layer of the second sub-pixel is disconnected from the floating charge generation layer (see fig. 4).
With regard to claim 4,
Kim et al. disclose the display panel according to claim 3, wherein the first stack part, the spacing part and the second stack part constitute a continuous integrated structure (see fig. 4); the spacing part of the pixel definition layer covers and directly contacts a side surface of the first electrode of the first sub-pixel close to the first electrode of the second sub-pixel (see fig. 4), the flat middle portion of the main surface (See fig. 4), and a side surface of the first electrode of the second sub-pixel close to the first electrode of the first sub-pixel (See fig. 4); the first stack part covers and directly contacts a portion of an upper surface of the first electrode of the first sub-pixel away from the substrate, and the second stack part covers and directly contacts a portion of an upper surface of the first electrode of the second sub-pixel away from the substrate (see fig. 3).
With regard to claim 14,
Kim et al. disclose the display panel according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting device comprises a first light-emitting element (EML1) emitting light of a first color and a second light-emitting element (EML2) emitting light of a second first color, the first color is different from the second color (see paragraph 123), and the charge generation layer is between the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element and is connected to the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element (See fig. 3).
With regard to claim 15,
Kim et al. disclose a display apparatus (100), comprising the display panel according to claim 1.
With regard to claim 16,
Kim et al. disclose a method of manufacturing a display panel, comprising: providing a substrate (110/200), wherein the substrate has a main surface (upper); forming a plurality of sub-pixels (P1,P2,P3) on the substrate, wherein each sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels comprises a light-emitting device on the main surface, and the light-emitting device comprises a first electrode (300) and a charge generation layer (CGL) that are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the main surface, the charge generation layer is on a side of the first electrode away from the substrate (see fig. 2); and forming a pixel definition layer (340), wherein the pixel definition layer is on the main surface and defines a plurality of opening regions (corresponding to 300), wherein the plurality of opening regions are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of sub-pixels, and expose at least part of first electrodes of corresponding sub-pixels of the plurality of sub-pixels (see fig. 2); wherein the plurality of sub-pixels comprises a first sub-pixel (P1) and a second sub-pixel (P2) adjacent to each other, and a space is between the first electrode of the first sub-pixel and the first electrode of the second sub-pixel (see fig. 2), the pixel definition layer comprises a first recess which is in the space and recessed toward the main surface (see fig. 2), the charge generation layer of the first sub-pixel is spaced apart from the charge generation layer of the second sub-pixel by the first recess; (see fig. 2) the pixel definition layer comprises a plurality of first recesses (between 310,320 and 320,330) located in spaces between different adjacent two sub-pixels (P1-P2 and P2-P3) among the plurality of sub-pixels, and depths of the plurality of first recesses in the direction perpendicular to the main surface are equal (see fig. 2).
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.
Claims 6,7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (as above).
With regard to claims 6,7
Kim et al. disclose the display panel according to claim 3. While Kim et al. do not explicitly disclose the thickness of the first electrodes or recess relative to the pixel definition layer, the claimed dimensions are commensurate with devices 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 in order to optimize balance between functionality and providing a thin device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 8-13, 17, 20, 22, 24 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 floating charge generation layer positioned as claimed, the orthographic projection of which is connected to that of the charge generation layer of the first and second subpixels, nor the etching stop layers formed as claimed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USPN 2026/0047316, 2022/0352263, 2022/0158132, 2021/0202610, 2021/0043705, 2022/0367581, 2020/0044177, 2019/0181205.
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