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 § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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(s) 1-5, 13-14, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al., US 2022/0406881 in view of Wang et al., WO 2021/189304.
Wang et al. shows the invention as claimed including a display panel, comprising a display area, and comprising:
A base layer 01;
A first metal layer 10, disposed on the base layer and comprising a plurality of data lines arranged in the display area; and
A second metal layer 20, disposed on the base layer, insulated from the first metal layer, and comprising a plurality of connection wirings arranged in the display area, wherein the plurality of connection wirings are arranged at intervals and respectively connected to the plurality of data lines, each of the connection wirings comprises a first connection line and a second connection line connected with each other, the second connection line (line in the x-direction) is bent relative to the first connection line (see, for example, fig. 13), and the first connection line is connected between the second connection line and one of the data lines 10.
Wang et al. ‘881 does not expressly disclose the arrangement of the first-third connection segments.
Wang et al. ‘304 discloses wherein there is at least one first connection line 160 of a plurality of first connection lines of the plurality of connection wirings 1625, the at least one first connection line (Y direction line) comprises a plurality of first connection segments each extending along a first direction, a plurality of second connection segments 1626 each extending along the first direction, and a plurality of third connection segments 1623 each extending along a second direction, the plurality of first connection segments and the plurality of second connection segments are alternately and staggered along the first direction, one first connection segment of the plurality of first connection segments and an adjacent one second connection segment of the plurality of second connection segments are connected to both sides of one of the plurality of third connection segments in the first direction, and the first direction intersects the second direction. In view of this disclosure, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the primary reference of Wang et al. ‘881 so as to comprise the conductive configuration of Wang et al. ‘304 because shows this particular conductive interconnection to be suitable for liquid crystal display configurations.
With respect to dependent claim 2, note that Wang et al. ‘881 fails to disclose that the display panel further comprises: a light emitting element layer, disposed on sides of the first metal layer and the second metal layer away from the base layer, and comprising an anode layer, light-emitting layers, and a cathode layer, wherein the light-emitting layers are disposed between the anode layer and the cathode layer, the anode layer is located on a side of the light-emitting layers adjacent to the base layer and comprises a plurality of anodes arranged at intervals; and wherein there is at least one first connection segment of the plurality of first connection segments and at least one second connection segment of the plurality of second connection segments, orthographic projections of the at least one first connection segment and the at least one second connection segment on the base layer do not overlap with orthographic projections of the plurality of anodes on the base layer; and there is at least one third connection segment of the plurality of third connection segments, and an orthographic projection of a portion of the at least one third connection segment on the base layer does not overlap with the orthographic projections of the plurality of anodes on the base layer.
Wang et al. ‘304 discloses that the display panel further comprises: a light emitting element layer, disposed on sides of the first metal layer and the second metal layer away from the base layer 110, and comprising an anode layer 175, light-emitting layers 185, and a cathode layer, wherein the light-emitting layers are disposed between the anode layer and the cathode layer, the anode layer is located on a side of the light-emitting layers adjacent to the base layer and comprises a plurality of anodes (1751, 1752, 1753,1754) arranged at intervals; and wherein there is at least one first connection segment of the plurality of first connection segments 1625 and at least one second connection segment 1626 of the plurality of second connection segments, orthographic projections of the at least one first connection segment and the at least one second connection segment on the base layer do not overlap with orthographic projections of the plurality of anodes on the base layer; and there is at least one third connection segment of the plurality of third connection segments (for example, 1623), and an orthographic projection of a portion of the at least one third connection segment on the base layer does not overlap with the orthographic projections of the plurality of anodes on the base layer (see, for example, fig. 7 and its description). In view of this disclosure, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the primary reference of Wang ‘881 so as to comprise the display characteristics of Wang et al. ‘304 because such features allow for the formation of a suitable LCD device.
With respect to dependent claim 3, Wang et al. ‘881 does not expressly disclose wherein the at least one first connection line further comprises a plurality of fourth connection segments each extending along the second direction, each of the plurality of fourth connection segments is disposed between two adjacent ones of the plurality of third connection segments, the plurality of fourth connection segments and the plurality of third connection segments are staggered along the first direction, and each of the plurality of fourth connection segments is connected to one of the plurality of first connection segments or one of the plurality of second connection segments.
Wang et al. ‘304 discloses wherein the at least one first connection line further comprises a plurality of fourth connection segments 1624 each extending along the second direction, each of the plurality of fourth connection segments is disposed between two adjacent ones of the plurality of third connection segments 1623, the plurality of fourth connection segments and the plurality of third connection segments are staggered along the first direction, and each of the plurality of fourth connection segments is connected to one of the plurality of first connection segments or one of the plurality of second connection segments. In view of this disclosure, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the primary reference of Wang ‘881 so as to comprise the display characteristics of Wang et al. ‘304 because such features allow for the formation of a suitable LCD device.
Moreover concerning dependent claim 4, note that Wang et al. ‘881 does not expressly disclose wherein there is at least one fourth connection segment of the plurality of fourth connection segments, and an orthographic projection of the at least one fourth connection segment on the base layer overlaps with an orthographic projection of at least one anode of the plurality of anodes on the base layer . However, Wang et al. ‘304 discloses that the orthographic projection of the at least one fourth connection segment 1624 on the base layer overlaps with an orthographic projection of at least one anode 1754 of the plurality of anodes on the base layer 110. In view of this disclosure, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the primary reference of Wang ‘881 so as to comprise the display characteristics of Wang et al. ‘304 because such features allow for the formation of a suitable LCD device.
With respect to dependent claim 5, Wang et al. ‘881 does not expressly disclose wherein a length of each of the first connection segments is greater than a length each of the second connection segments, and each of the fourth connection segments is connected to one of the first connection segments. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to determine through routine experimentation the optimum length of the connection segments depending upon a variety of factors and such limitation would not lend patentability to the instant application absent a showing of unexpected results.
As to dependent claim 13, note that Wang et al. ‘881 discloses wherein the display panel additionally comprises: an insulation layer, disposed between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, and comprising a plurality of via holes, wherein the plurality of connection wirings are connected to the plurality of data lines respectively through the plurality of via holes, and orthographic projections of the plurality of via holes on the base layer and the orthographic projections of the plurality of anodes on the base layer are arranged in a staggered manner.
Furthermore, concerning dependent claim 14, note that each of the plurality of data lines in Wang et al. ‘881 extends along the second direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-12 and 15-17 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.
Conclusion
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/RICHARD A BOOTH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
January 17, 2026