DETAILED ACTION
Notice of 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 .
Election
Applicant’s election of claims #1-18, 20 in the reply filed on June 22, 2026 is acknowledged. Because the Applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.03(a)).
IDS
The IDS document(s) filed on July 3, 2024 and April 28, 2025 and April 22, 2026 have been considered. Copies of the PTO-1449 documents are herewith enclosed with this office action.
Specifications
The title is objected to because a more descriptive title is requested.
Claim Objections
As to claim 1, the Examiner suggests “at least comprises an anode”.
As to claim 3, the Examiner suggests “a a
Drawing Objections
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “compensation transistor” and “plurality of light emitting units” and their relevant limitations must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). The Specification identifies PB as corresponding to the “plurality of light emitting units” but there is no such reference in the drawings. Furthermore, the “compensation transistor” is lacking a corresponding reference number in the specification and drawings. Furthermore, “a second end connected to the first electrode of the compensation transistor” of claim 2 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. § 112(b)
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.
Claims 1-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. § 112, 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 pre-AIA the applicant, regards as the invention.
As to claim 1, it is unclear how “a first electrode of the compensation transistor is connected to a first electrode plate of the storage capacitor through a first connection electrode” because Applicant’s Drawings and Specification do not identify the structure corresponding to the compensation transistor. While claim 1 states the first electrode of the compensation transistor is connected to a first electrode plate of the storage capacitor, it is unclear if the compensation transistor is T1, T2, T3, or T5 in FIG. 3. Additionally, while FIG. 7 shows first connection electrode 41 it does not show a compensation transistor and it is again unclear how the compensation transistor is connected to a first electrode plate of the storage capacitor 40 through a first connection electrode 41.
As to claim 1, it is unclear how “the anode is connected to the pixel drive circuit”. The pixel drive circuit is only depicted in FIG. 4. No other drawing indicates a pixel drive circuit nor anode 50 connected to it.
As to claims 1 and 9, a broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 1 recites the broad recitation “at least one light emitting unit”, and the claim also recites “a plurality of light emitting units” which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims. In other words, there is an inconsistency in the number of light emitting units.
As to claims 1 and 2, a broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 1 recites the broad recitation “at least two circuit units”, and the claim also recites “a plurality of circuit units” which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims. In other words, there is an inconsistency in the number of circuit units.
As to claim 2, it is unclear how “a second end connected to the first electrode of the compensation transistor” as the compensation transistor is not shown or labeled in any of the drawings. Furthermore, while FIG. 7 shows an electrode body portion 41-1 with first and second ends, the connection of the second end to the first electrode of the compensation transistor is not shown.
As to claims 1, 10-14, it is unclear how many circuit units exist. Claim 1 recites “at least two circuit units” and “a plurality of circuit units” which may have only two circuit units and more than two circuit units respectively, but claims 10-14 recite “at least one circuit unit” which may have only a single circuit unit.
As to claims 1-6, it is unclear how many circuit units exist. Claim 1 recites “at least two circuit units” and “a plurality of circuit units” which may have only two circuit units and more than two circuit units respectively, but claim 2 recites “at least two circuit units” which may have only two circuit units and claims 3-6 recite a varying number of circuit units.
Applicant is requested to carefully check all claims for consistency.
Claim Rejections 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(2)
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)(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 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Qu et al. (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022/0320245 A1), as cited in the IDS and hereafter “Qu”.
As to claim 1, Qu teaches:
A display substrate 101, comprising a drive circuit layer (T1a layer) provided on a base substrate.
A light emitting structure layer 120 provided on a side of the drive circuit layer away from the base substrate.
Wherein the drive circuit layer comprises a plurality of circuit units, a circuit unit at least comprises a pixel drive circuit (FIG. 2A), the pixel drive circuit at least comprises a storage capacitor Cb and a compensation transistor T3, a first electrode of the compensation transistor is connected to a first electrode plate of the storage capacitor through a first connection electrode 231. See Qu, ¶ [0155].
The light emitting structure layer comprises a plurality of light emitting units (e.g. sub-pixels 100a), a light emitting unit at least comprises an anode 134, and the anode is connected to the pixel drive circuit.
An orthographic projection of the anode of at least one light emitting unit on the base substrate at least partially overlaps an orthographic projection of the first connection electrode of at least one circuit unit on the base substrate, and first connection electrodes of at least two circuit units have different shapes. Qu teaches first connection electrode 231 overlaps with anode 134 in a cross-sectional view, so their orthographic projections must also overlap. Id. at FIG. 3B. Qu further teaches at least two circuit units have different shapes. Id. at FIGS. 3A, 4A-4B, 5A-5B, ¶ [0108].
As to claim 18, Qu teaches a display device, comprising the display substrate. Id. at FIG. 1A, FIG. 3B.
No Prior Art Applied
No prior art has been applied to claims 2-17 and 20 in view of the very unclear and confusing claim language.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUBERR CHI whose telephone number is (571)270-3955. The examiner can normally be reached 10am to 6pm.
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/SUBERR L CHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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