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 6, 9-14 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.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the first insulating layer". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 1, 2, 5, 15-19, 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (USPN 2021/0066643).
With regard to claim 1,
Choi et al. disclose in at least figure 2 a display apparatus comprising: a first light-emitting element (OLED, center, fig. 2), a second light-emitting element (OLED, right fig. 2), a first layer (930), and a second layer (950), wherein the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element are each configured to emit white light (see paragraph 42), wherein the first layer overlaps the first light-emitting element (See fig. 2), wherein the second layer overlaps the second light-emitting element (see fig. 2), wherein the first light-emitting element comprises a first pixel electrode (300 center), a first EL layer (510 center) over the first pixel electrode, and a common electrode (530) over the first EL layer, wherein the second light-emitting element comprises a second pixel electrode (300 right), a second EL layer (510 right) over the second pixel electrode, and the common electrode (530) over the second EL layer. While Choi et al. does not explicitly disclose wherein the first light-emitting element comprises a region where an angle between a side surface of the first pixel electrode and a bottom surface of the first pixel electrode is greater than or equal to 60° and less than or equal to 140°, and wherein the ratio (T1/T2) of a thickness T1 of the first pixel electrode with respect to a thickness T2 of the first EL layer is greater than or equal to 0.5, such a configuration is depicted in figure 2 and, absent other direction in the disclosure, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to use the depiction in figure 2 as a guide in order to realize the device of Choi et al.
With regard to claim 2,
Choi et al. disclose in at least figure 2 a display apparatus comprising: a first light-emitting element (OED center), a second light-emitting element (OLED right), a first layer (930), and a second layer (950), wherein the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element are each configured to emit white light (see paragraph 42), wherein the first layer overlaps the first light-emitting element, wherein the second layer overlaps the second light-emitting element (see fig. 2), wherein the first light-emitting element comprises a first pixel electrode (300 center) over an insulating layer (190), a first EL layer (510 center) over the first pixel electrode, and a common electrode (530) over the first EL layer, wherein the second light-emitting element comprises a second pixel electrode (300 right) over the insulating layer, a second EL layer (510 right) over the second pixel electrode, and the common electrode (530) over the second EL layer, wherein the insulating layer comprises a depressed portion between the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode (See fig. 2). While Choi et al. does not explicitly disclose wherein the first light-emitting element comprises a region where an angle between a side surface of the first pixel electrode and a bottom surface of the first pixel electrode is greater than or equal to 60° and less than or equal to 140°, and wherein the ratio (T1/T2) of a thickness T1 of the first pixel electrode with respect to a thickness T2 of the first EL layer is greater than or equal to 0.5, such a configuration is depicted in figure 2 and, absent other direction in the disclosure, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to use the depiction in figure 2 as a guide in order to realize the device of Choi et al.
With regard to claim 5,15,
Choi et al. disclose the display apparatus according to claim 1, 2, further comprising a first insulating layer (400) in contact with the side surface of the first pixel electrode and a side surface of the second pixel electrode (See fig. 2).
With regard to claim 16,17,
Choi et al. disclose the display apparatus according to claims 1,2, wherein the first layer is a first color filter which is configured to transmit light of a first color from light emitted from the first light-emitting element, and wherein the second layer is a second color filter which is configured to transmit light of a second color from light emitted from the second light-emitting element (see paragraph 39).
With regard to claim 18,19,
Choi et al. disclose the display apparatus according to claims 1,2, wherein the first layer is a first color conversion layer which is configured to convert light emitted from the first light-emitting element into light of a first color, and wherein the second layer is a second color conversion layer which is configured to convert light emitted from the second light-emitting element into light of a second color (see paragraph 95).
With regard to claim 26,
Choi et al. disclose the display apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a second insulating layer (430) provided between the first pixel electrode (300 center) and the second pixel electrode (300 right) and below the common electrode (530), wherein a part of the second insulating layer (430) is provided between (see, e.g., fig. 2) the first EL layer (510 center) and the second EL layer (510 right).
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 6, 7, 9-14, 20-25, 27, 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi et al. (as above).
With regard to claim 6,
Choi et al. disclose in at least figure 2 a display apparatus comprising: a first light-emitting element (OLED center), a second light-emitting element (OLED right), a first color filter (930), and a second color filter (950), wherein the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element are each configured to emit white light (See paragraph 42), wherein the first color filter is configured to transmit light of a first color from light emitted from the first light-emitting element (see paragraph 77), wherein the second color filter is configured to transmit light of a second color, which is different from the first color, from light emitted from the second light-emitting element (see paragraph 77), wherein the first light-emitting element comprises a first pixel electrode (300 center), a first EL layer (510 center) over the first pixel electrode, and a common electrode (530) over the first EL layer, wherein the second light-emitting element comprises a second pixel electrode (300 right), a second EL layer (510 right) over the second pixel electrode, and the common electrode (530) over the second EL layer, wherein a side surface of the first pixel electrode, a side surface of the first EL layer, a side surface of the second pixel electrode, and a side surface of the second EL layer each comprise a region in contact with the first insulating layer (400), and wherein the side surface of the first pixel electrode comprises a first region in contact with the first EL layer and a second region in contact with the first insulating layer (see fig. 2).
With regard to claim 7,
Choi et al. disclose a display apparatus comprising: a first light-emitting element (OLED center), a second light-emitting element (OLED right), a first color filter (930), and a second color filter (950), wherein the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element are each configured to emit white light (see paragraph 42), wherein the first color filter is configured to transmit light of a first color from light emitted from the first light-emitting element (see paragraph 77), wherein the second color filter is configured to transmit light of a second color, which is different from the first color, from light emitted from the second light-emitting element (see paragraph 77), wherein the first light-emitting element comprises a first pixel electrode (300 center), a first EL layer (510 center) over the first pixel electrode, and a common electrode (530) over the first EL layer, wherein the second light-emitting element comprises a second pixel electrode (300 right), a second EL layer (510 right) over the second pixel electrode, and the common electrode (530) over the second EL layer, wherein a side surface of the first EL layer and a side surface of the second EL layer each comprise a region in contact with a first insulating layer (400), wherein a side surface of the first pixel electrode comprises a first region in contact with the first insulating layer with the first EL layer therebetween, and wherein the first EL layer on a top surface of the first pixel electrode has a larger thickness than the first EL layer in the first region (see fig. 2).
With regard to claims 9,20,
Choi et al. disclose the display apparatus according to claim 6,7, further comprising a second insulating layer (430) provided between the first pixel electrode (300 center) and the second pixel electrode (300 right) and below the common electrode (530), wherein a part of the second insulating layer (430) is provided between (see, e.g., fig. 2) the first EL layer (510 center) and the second EL layer (510 right).
With regard to claims 10,21,27,
Choi et al. disclose the display apparatus according to claim 9,20 wherein the second insulating layer contains an organic material (see paragraph 66).
With regard to claims 11,22,28,
Choi et al. disclose the display apparatus according to claim 9,20 wherein the first insulating layer contains an inorganic material (see paragraph 66).
With regard to claims 12,23,
Choi et al. disclose the display apparatus according to claim 9,20, wherein the second insulating layer provided below the common electrode, the first insulating layer provided below the second insulating layer, and an organic layer provided below the first insulating layer are included between the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element (see fig. 2), and wherein the organic layer contains the same material as that for the first EL layer and the second EL layer (see paragraph 108).
With regard to claims 13,24,
Choi et al. disclose the display apparatus according to claim 9,20, wherein a top surface of the first EL layer, a top surface of the second EL layer, and a top surface of the second insulating layer each comprise a region in contact with the common electrode (see fig. 2).
With regard to claims 14,25,
Choi et al. disclose the display apparatus according to claim 13,20, wherein the common electrode comprises at least one of a hole-injection layer, a hole-blocking layer, a hole-transport layer, an electron-transport layer, an electron-blocking layer, and an electron-injection layer (see paragraph 76, uppermost layer of 510 may be considered lowest layer of 530).
Conclusion
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