DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to Application filed March 27, 2024.
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
Applicants’ election without traverse of Species I, drawn to a display device whose structure is shown in Fig. 15; subspecies ii, drawn to a cross-sectional view along a BB’ direction in Fig. 9 whose structure is shown in Fig. 17; sub-subspecies b, drawn to a display panel where the conductive portion is a metal material, which read on claims 1, 9, 12, and 17-19, in the reply filed on July 17, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 2-8, 10-11, 13-16, and 20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, subspecies, and sub-subspecies, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 13, 2026.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1 and 19 are rendered as indefinite because they recite the limitations “at least partially surrounds” and “at least partially located”. The term “at least partially” can mean partially or completely; therefore, it is unclear what Applicants mean, and it does not appear that the phrase “at least partially” can be interpreted as “entirely.”
Claims 9, 12, and 17-18 depend on claim 1, and therefore, claims 9, 12, and 17-18 are also indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(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, 9, 12, and 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a(1) as being anticipated by Yang et al. (CN 113745269 A; attached English translation of CN 113745269 A is used for current Office Action), hereinafter referred to as “Yang”.
Regarding claim 1, as best understood, Yang discloses a display panel (Fig. 3, 100), comprising: a display region (101), an isolation region (102) and a via region (103 and 104), wherein the isolation region (102) at least partially surrounds the via region (103 and 104), the display region (101) at least partially surrounds the isolation region (102); a substrate (10); an isolation pillar (20), which is located in the isolation region (102) and on a side of the substrate (10), and comprises a metal material (213, 214, 215); a cathode layer (58), which is located on a side of the isolation pillar (20) facing away from the substrate (10) and is disconnected by the isolation pillar (20); and a conductive structure (81), which is located between the cathode layer (58) and the substrate (10), and comprises at least one conductive portion (811, 813), wherein the at least one conductive portion (811, 813) is at least partially located in the isolation region (102) and overlaps with an edge of the via region (103 and 104).
Regarding claim 9, Yang discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one conductive portion (811, 813) comprises a semiconductor material.
Regarding claim 12, Yang discloses the display panel of claim 9, wherein the conductive structure (81) further comprises a static electricity transmission line (811), the static electricity transmission line (811) is located in at least one of the display region (101) or the isolation region (102), is electrically connected to the at least one conductive portion (811, 813), and comprises a metal material.
Regarding claim 17, Yang discloses the display panel of claim 1, further comprising an organic light-emitting material layer (57), in a direction perpendicular to a plane where the substrate (10) is located, the organic light-emitting material layer (57) is located between the cathode layer (58) and the conductive structure (60), and the organic light-emitting material layer (57) is disconnected by the isolation pillar (20).
Regarding claim 18, Yang discloses the display panel of claim 17, wherein the substrate (10) is a flexible substrate (10), the display panel (100) further comprises an ultra-clean layer (51) located on a side of the substrate (10) facing away from the conductive structure (60).
Regarding claim 19, as best understood, Yang discloses a display device, comprising a display panel (Fig. 3, 100), wherein the display panel comprises: a display region (101), an isolation region (102) and a via region (103 and 104), wherein the isolation region (102) at least partially surrounds the via region (103 and 104), the display region (101) at least partially surrounds the isolation region (102); a substrate (10); an isolation pillar (20), which is located in the isolation region (102) and on a side of the substrate (10), and comprises a metal material (213, 214, 215); a cathode layer (58), which is located on a side of the isolation pillar (20) facing away from the substrate (10) and is disconnected by the isolation pillar (20); and a conductive structure (60), which is located between the cathode layer (58) and the substrate (10), and comprises at least one conductive (59) portion, wherein the at least one conductive portion (59) is at least partially located in the isolation region (102) and overlaps with an edge of the via region (103 and 104).
Conclusion
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/JAY C KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2815
/ANGELICA ROSE GALVAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2815
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