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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 20, and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication No. 2020/194468 to Luo.
Regarding claim 1, Luo teaches a wiring substrate (Figs. 13 – 14, and 18) comprising:
a base substrate (00) comprising a functional region and a bonding region (00 outside of BD);
a first conductive layer (M2) on the base substrate and at least in the functional region;
a second conductive layer (I2) on a side of the first conductive layer away from the base substrate and at least in the functional region, the second conductive layer being electrically connected to the first conductive layer; and
a first insulating layer (30) on a side of the second conductive layer away from the base substrate and comprising a main part and an opening (31),
wherein at least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprises a plurality of electrodes (20) in the bonding region and extending along a first direction, each of the plurality of electrodes comprises a first end adjacent to the functional region in the first direction, and an orthographic projection of the main part of the first insulating layer on the base substrate at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the first end of each electrode on the base substrate (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 2, Luo teaches a wiring substrate, further comprising a second insulating layer (PLN) between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, wherein the second conductive layer is in (electrical) contact with the first conductive layer through a via in the second insulating layer (Fig. 14, I2 is electrically connected through a via and the drain).
Regarding claim 20, Luo teaches a wiring substrate, wherein the second conductive layer is arranged only in the functional region, the first conductive layer comprises a third part arranged in the bonding region, the third part comprises a plurality of second electrodes extending along the first direction, and each of the plurality of second electrodes comprises the first end (Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 24, Luo teaches a display device comprising the wiring substrate (¶ [0081]).
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.
Claims 23 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Luo.
Regarding claim 23, Luo teaches a light-emitting substrate (Display substrate ¶ [0081] that includes a circuit board (300) arranged in the bonding region. Luo does not explicitly teach a plurality of light-emitting elements in the functional region. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to include a plurality of light-emitting elements for the display device since it is desirable for display devices to produce visible images.
Regarding claim 25, Luo teaches a method of manufacturing a wiring substrate (Figs. 13, 14, and 18) comprising:
providing a base substrate (00) comprising a functional region (00 outside of BD) and a bonding region (BD);
applying a first conductive film (M2) on the base substrate to form a first conductive layer which is at least in the functional region;
applying a second conductive film (I2) on a side of the first conductive layer away from the base substrate, to form a second conductive layer which is at least in the functional region and electrically connected to the first conductive layer; and
applying a first insulating film (30) on a side of the second conductive layer away from the base substrate to form a first insulating layer comprising a main part and an opening,
wherein at least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprises a plurality of electrodes (20) in the bonding region and extending along a first direction, each of the plurality of electrodes comprises a first end adjacent to the functional region in the first direction, and an orthographic projection of the main part of the first insulating layer on the base substrate at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the first end of the each electrode on the base substrate.
Luo does not teach patterning the first and second conductive films and the first insulating film through first, second, and third masks. Luo does not teach or suggest a method of patterning these elements. Elements are frequently formed in the art through the well known process of photolithography involving the use of photoresist and masks. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to use a well known and commonly used method of patterning the layers since it is desirable to use known and reliable techniques for forming devices.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 – 12, 14 – 16, 18, 21, and 22 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0100365 to Titjung et al. teach a wiring substrate including a base substrate, first conductive layer and plurality of electrodes. Titjung et al. do not teach an orthographic projection of the main part of a first insulating layer on the base substrate at least partially overlaps an orthographic projection of the first end of each electrode.
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DOUGLAS W. OWENS, Esq.
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2897
/DOUGLAS W OWENS/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897