Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/602,403

ARRAY SUBSTRATE AND DISPLAY PANEL

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Mar 12, 2024
Priority
Jun 28, 2022 — CN 202210740034.9 +1 more
Examiner
FERNANDES, ERROL V
Art Unit
2893
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Kunshan Go-visionox Opto-electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
691 granted / 811 resolved
+17.2% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+11.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
825
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
84.9%
+44.9% vs TC avg
§102
12.7%
-27.3% vs TC avg
§112
2.3%
-37.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 811 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION 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. Claims 1-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ko et al. US 2011/0140138 A1 in view of Jin et al. US 2024/0023398 A1. Regarding claim 1, Ko discloses: An array substrate (Figs. 1 and 3D), comprising: an array layer (para 0047; light emitting display apparatus used as an active matrix); a first conductive line disposed on the array layer; at least one first electrode (110) disposed on the array layer and electrically connected with the array layer via the first conductive line; and a protection member (132, 133) disposed on an edge of the at least one first electrode, and an orthogonal projection of the protection member on the array layer at least partially overlaps with an orthogonal projection of the first conductive line on the array layer. Ko does not disclose: a first conductive line disposed on the array layer; the at least one first electrode layer electrically connected with the array layer via the first conductive line; an orthogonal projection of the protection member on the array layer at least partially overlaps with an orthogonal projection of the first conductive line on the array layer. Jin discloses a publication from a similar field of endeavor in which:a first conductive line (220) disposed on the array layer; the at least one first electrode layer (310/510) electrically connected with the array layer via the first conductive line; an orthogonal projection of a protection member on the edge of the first electrode on the array layer at least partially overlaps with an orthogonal projection of the first conductive line on the array layer (portions of 310/510 overlying 220) (Figs. 3-6). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to employ the alternative connecting electrode structure of Jun that happens to be characterized by a projection member overlying a conductive line as shown by Jin to reduce poor display effect such as yellowing of the display panel by reducing potential detrimental ion migration. (claims 2, 5 and 6) Jin; Fig. 3. (claim 7) Jin: Fig. 3, plurality of electrodes 310/510. (claim 8) Ko: para 0048; ITO, Ag, ITO. (claim 9) Jin: para 0079, light transparent material. (claims 4, 10-13 and 15-18) Jin: Figs. 3-6. (claim 14) Jin; Fig. 3; a pixel definition layer having a pixel opening (K2) Regarding claim 3, although Ko/Jin do not specifically disclose “wherein an extension length of the protection member relative to the edge of the at least one first electrode ranges from 1 um to 4 um”, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to determine such a length of the extended portion of “protection member” noted by Jin as claimed since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 19 and 20 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art fails to teach or clearly suggest the limitations of claim 19 stating “further comprising a light- transmitting region, a display region and a transition region located between the light-transmitting region and the display region, wherein the array layer located in the transition region comprises a plurality of pixel driving circuits; and one of the pixel driving circuits located in the transition region is electrically connected with a plurality of light-emitting structures located in the light-transmitting region via the first conductive line”. In light of these limitations, the prior art fails to anticipate or make obvious the claimed invention. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERROL V FERNANDES whose telephone number is (571)270-7433. The examiner can normally be reached on 9-5:30. 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, Britt Hanley can be reached on 571-270-3042. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ERROL V FERNANDES/Primary Examiner, AU 2893
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 12, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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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
85%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+11.0%)
2y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 811 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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