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 Species A in the reply filed on 7/20/26 is acknowledged.
Claim 14 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/20/26.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 6 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(A)(1) as being anticipated by Shin et al. (US PGPub 2024/0081101).
Claim 1: Shin teaches (Fig. 5) a display device comprising: a substrate (100) including an emission area and a non-emission area; an anode electrode (212) positioned on the emission area of the substrate; a pixel defining layer (310) positioned on the anode electrode and overlapping the non-emission area, wherein a first opening is defined through the pixel defining layer; a first bank structure positioned on the pixel defining layer, and including at least two different conductive materials (321, 323) [0113], wherein a second opening is defined through the first bank structure; a second bank structure positioned on the first bank structure and including at least two different materials (325, 2202b); and a first encapsulation layer (512) positioned on the second bank structure, wherein the first bank structure includes a first bank layer (321) and a second bank layer (323) including a first tip protruding toward a center of the first opening more than a side surface of the first bank layer is, the second bank structure includes a third bank layer (325) and a fourth bank layer (2202b) including a second tip protruding toward a center of the second opening more than a side surface of the third bank layer is, and the first encapsulation layer (512) covers the first tip and the second tip.
Claim 6: Shin teaches (Fig. 5) the first encapsulation layer is in contact with the side surface of the first bank layer and the first tip of the second bank layer.
Claim 17: Shin teaches (Fig. 5) (see claim 1) teaches a display device comprising: a substrate including a first emission area, a second emission area, and a non-emission area positioned between the first emission area and the second emission area; a first anode electrode positioned on the first emission area of the substrate; a second anode electrode positioned on the second emission area of the substrate; a pixel defining layer positioned on the non-emission area of the substrate between the first anode electrode and the second anode electrode, wherein openings are defined through the pixel defining layer; a first bank structure positioned on the pixel defining layer and including at least two different conductive materials; a second bank structure positioned on the first bank structure and including at least two different inorganic films; and a first encapsulation layer positioned on the second bank structure, wherein the first bank structure includes a first bank layer and a second bank layer including first tips, each protruding toward a center of a corresponding one of the openings more than a corresponding one of side surfaces of the first bank layer is, the second bank structure includes a third bank layer and a fourth bank layer including second tips, each protruding toward a center of a corresponding one of the openings more than a corresponding one of side surfaces of the third bank layer is, and the first encapsulation layer covers the first tips and the second tips.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 12, and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(A)(2) as being anticipated by Park et al. (US PGPub 2024/0397753).
The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
Claim 1: Park teaches (Fig. 6) a display device comprising: a substrate (110) including an emission area and a non-emission area; an anode electrode (AE2) positioned on the emission area of the substrate; a pixel defining layer (151) positioned on the anode electrode and overlapping the non-emission area, wherein a first opening is defined through the pixel defining layer; a first bank structure positioned on the pixel defining layer, and including at least two different conductive materials (161, 163) [0169, 0172], wherein a second opening is defined through the first bank structure; a second bank structure positioned on the first bank structure and including at least two different materials (165, 167); and a first encapsulation layer (171) positioned on the second bank structure, wherein the first bank structure includes a first bank layer (161) and a second bank layer (163) including a first tip protruding toward a center of the first opening more than a side surface of the first bank layer is, the second bank structure includes a third bank layer (165) and a fourth bank layer (167) including a second tip protruding toward a center of the second opening more than a side surface of the third bank layer is, and the first encapsulation layer (512) covers the first tip and the second tip.
Claim 2: Park teaches (Fig. 6) a first light emitting layer (EL2) [0130] positioned on the anode electrode to overlap the first opening; a cathode electrode (CE2) positioned on the first light emitting layer; a first organic pattern (ELP2) positioned on the second bank layer while surrounding the first opening, and including a same material as the first light emitting layer [0139]; and a first electrode pattern (CEP2) positioned on the first organic pattern while surrounding the first opening, and including a same material as the cathode electrode [0141].
Claim 3: Park teaches (Fig. 6) the first light emitting layer and the cathode electrode are in contact with the side surface of the first bank layer.
Claim 4: Park teaches (Fig. 6) the first organic pattern is spaced apart from the first light emitting layer, the first electrode pattern is spaced apart from the cathode electrode, and the first organic pattern and the first electrode pattern overlap the first tip.
Claim 5. The display device of claim 4, wherein the first bank layer includes aluminum, and the second bank layer includes titanium.
Claim 6: Park teaches (Fig. 6) the first encapsulation layer is in contact with the side surface of the first bank layer and the first tip of the second bank layer.
Claim 12: Park teaches (Fig. 6) a space completely surrounded by the first encapsulation layer is defined between the second bank layer and the fourth bank layer in a direction perpendicular to the substrate.
Claim 15: Park teaches (Fig. 6) wherein a width of the third bank layer is less than a width of the fourth bank layer.
Claim 16: Park teaches (Fig. 6) the first bank layer and the second bank layer overlap the emission area, and the third bank layer and the fourth bank layer do not overlap the emission area.
Claim 17: Park teaches (Fig. 6) (see claim 1) teaches a display device comprising: a substrate including a first emission area, a second emission area, and a non-emission area positioned between the first emission area and the second emission area; a first anode electrode positioned on the first emission area of the substrate; a second anode electrode positioned on the second emission area of the substrate; a pixel defining layer positioned on the non-emission area of the substrate between the first anode electrode and the second anode electrode, wherein openings are defined through the pixel defining layer; a first bank structure positioned on the pixel defining layer and including at least two different conductive materials; a second bank structure positioned on the first bank structure and including at least two different inorganic films; and a first encapsulation layer positioned on the second bank structure, wherein the first bank structure includes a first bank layer and a second bank layer including first tips, each protruding toward a center of a corresponding one of the openings more than a corresponding one of side surfaces of the first bank layer is, the second bank structure includes a third bank layer and a fourth bank layer including second tips, each protruding toward a center of a corresponding one of the openings more than a corresponding one of side surfaces of the third bank layer is, and the first encapsulation layer covers the first tips and the second tips.
Claim 18: Park teaches (Fig. 6) the first encapsulation layer (171) includes: a first inorganic layer overlapping the first emission area (171-2); and a second inorganic layer (171-3) overlapping the second emission area, and a portion of the first inorganic layer overlapping the fourth bank layer and a portion of the second inorganic layer overlapping the fourth bank layer are spaced apart from each other.
Claim 19: Park teaches (Fig. 6) a first light emitting layer (EL2) positioned on the first anode electrode; a second light emitting layer (EL3) positioned on the second anode electrode (AE3); a first organic pattern (ELP2) positioned on the second bank layer to overlap the first emission area, including a same material as the first light emitting layer, and spaced apart from the first light emitting layer; and a second organic pattern (ELP3) positioned on the second bank layer to overlap the second emission area, including a same material as the second light emitting layer, and spaced apart from the second light emitting layer, wherein the third bank layer (165) is positioned between the first organic pattern and the second organic pattern.
Claim 20. The display device of claim 19, further comprising: a first light emitting element including the first anode electrode (AE2) and the first light emitting layer (EL2); and a second light emitting element including the second anode electrode (AE3) and the second light emitting layer (EL3), wherein in a plan view, the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element are completely surrounded by the pixel defining layer (Fig. 5), and in the plan view, the pixel defining layer is completely surrounded by the first bank structure (Fig. 6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-11 and 13 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. Claims 8-9 depend on claim 7 and claim 11 depends on claim 10.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892. Several listed references read on the invention under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) with the same assignee.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARAH KATE SALERNO whose telephone number is (571)270-1266. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30am-2:30pm.
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/SARAH K SALERNO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814
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