Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/592,088

DISPLAY DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A DISPLAY DEVICE

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Feb 29, 2024
Priority
Jun 09, 2023 — RE 10-2023-0074037
Examiner
VALENZUELA, PATRICIA D
Art Unit
2812
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
90%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 90% — above average
90%
Career Allowance Rate
647 granted / 717 resolved
+22.2% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+2.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
63 currently pending
Career history
794
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
86.7%
+46.7% vs TC avg
§102
4.8%
-35.2% vs TC avg
§112
1.8%
-38.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 717 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Election/Restrictions Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 15-20 in the reply filed on 06/08/26 is acknowledged. 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. Claim(s) 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim(USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2021/0249451, hereinafter Kim) in view of Choi (USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2015/0188080, hereinafter Choi). Re claim 15 Kim discloses a method for manufacturing a display device comprising: sequentially forming a patterned data base layer(1512), a data main metal layer(1511), a first data capping layer(left152/right152), and a second data capping layer(left152/right152) on a substrate(110); Kim does not disclose forming a metal material layer on the second data capping layer(left152/right152); and forming a metal aggregate by applying heat to the metal material layer such that metal comprised in the metal material layer is agglomerated. Choi disclose forming a metal material layer(30); and forming a metal aggregate[0046 of Choi] by applying heat to the metal material layer(30 of Choi) such that metal comprised in the metal material layer is agglomerated[0046 of Choi]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to apply the teachings of Choi to the teachings of Kim in order to minimize a flexible display apparatus that is easily separated from a substrate(110) [0003, Choi]. In doing so, forming a metal material layer(30 of Choi) on the second data capping layer(left152/right152) Re claim 16 Kim and Choi disclose the method of claim 15, wherein the metal material layer(30 of Choi) comprises an inactive metal. Re claim 17 Kim and Choi disclose the method of claim 16, wherein the inactive metal comprises at least one metal selected from silver (Ag), gold (Au), and platinum (Pt). Re claim 18 Kim and Choi disclose the method of claim 16, wherein in the forming of the metal aggregate[0046 of Choi] by applying the heat to the metal material layer(30 of Choi) such that metal comprised in the metal material layer(30 of Choi) is agglomerated, the heat is in a range of 100° C to 250° C. Re claim 19 Kim and Choi disclose the method of claim 16, wherein the metal aggregate[0046 of Choi] comprises at least one metal selected from silver (Ag), gold (Au), and platinum (Pt). Re claim 20 Kim and Choi disclose the method of claim 16, wherein the second data capping layer(left152/right152) comprises indium tin zinc oxide (IGZO), the first data capping layer(left152/right152) comprises titanium nitride (TiN), the data main metal layer(1511) comprises aluminum (Al), and the patterned data base layer(1512) comprises titanium (Ti). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICIA D VALENZUELA whose telephone number is (571)272-9242. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am-6pm EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William Partridge can be reached at 571-270-1402. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /PATRICIA D VALENZUELA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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Prosecution Timeline

Feb 29, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12677712
SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE HAVING MULTIPLE REDISTRIBUTION LAYERS AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME
3y 0m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12677656
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
2y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12672539
THIN FILM RESISTOR, THERMISTOR AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME
3y 0m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12666951
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
3y 1m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12666952
METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
3y 1m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
90%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+2.1%)
2y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 717 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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