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 .
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 18 and 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.
Claim 18 recites the limitation "the separation structure" in line 13 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 19 depends from this claim and therefore inherit its deficiency. These claims have not been examined on their merits. Appropriate action is required.
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 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 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20210118957 (Yang et al).
Concerning claim 1, Yang discloses a display panel comprising (Fig. 6): a drive substrate (3) ([0068]); a pixel definition layer (7) located on a side of the drive substrate, the pixel definition layer comprising a plurality of openings ([0069] and [0074]); a conductive layer (8 and 32) located on a side of the pixel definition layer away from the drive substrate, the conductive layer comprising a plurality of conductive unit groups, and an orthographic projection of the conductive unit group onto the drive substrate being located between orthographic projections of adjacent openings onto the drive substrate, the conductive unit group comprising at least two conductive units arranged spaced (Fig. 5); a plurality of light-emitting devices (10-14) arranged in the plurality of openings respectively (Fig. 6 and [0039], note that a plurality of anodes are formed for the plurality of light emitting devices that are subsequently formed over these anodes), each of the plurality of light-emitting devices comprising a first electrode (10) ([0069]), a light-emitting functional layer (11-13) ([0078]) and a second electrode (14) ([0087]) sequentially stacked in a direction away from the drive substrate, the second electrode contacting with the conductive unit (Fig. 6).
Continuing to claim 2, Yang discloses wherein the display panel further comprises: a separation structure (6) comprising a first portion and a second portion connected to each other, the first portion being located between at least a part of the adjacent conductive units in the same conductive unit group, the second portion being located on a side of the conductive unit group away from the drive substrate, an orthographic projection of the second portion onto the drive substrate covering an orthographic projection of the conductive unit group onto the drive substrate, and the separation structure being an insulation structure (Fig. 6 and [0074]).
Considering claim 3, Yang discloses wherein the display panel further comprises: a connection line (4) connected to the conductive unit, the second electrode of at least a part of the plurality of light-emitting devices being connected to the conductive unit by the connection line (Fig. 6 and [0068]-[0069]).
Referring to claim 4, Yang discloses conductive units are in one-to-one correspondence with the openings (Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 5, Yang discloses wherein the connection line is located on the same film layer as the conductive unit, or the connection line is arranged in the drive substrate ([0068]).
Pertaining to claim 6, Yang discloses wherein a display region of the display panel comprises a plurality of sub-display regions, and the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices in the same sub-display region are connected by the connection line ([0054]).
As to claim 20, Yang discloses a display apparatus comprising the display panel according to claim 1 ([0024]).
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) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210118957 (Yang et al) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 20210118969 (Kim et al).
Concerning claim 7, Yang discloses a display panel.
Yang does not disclose wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of power buses, the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices in the same sub- display region are connected to the same power bus, and the second electrodes of the light- emitting devices in different sub-display regions are connected to different power buses. However, Kim discloses an organic light emitting device panel (OLED), similar to the invention of Yang, in which a plurality of power buses, the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices in the same sub- display region are connected to the same power bus, and the second electrodes of the light- emitting devices in different sub-display regions are connected to different power buses ([0054] and [0065]-[0069]). Kim discloses that such configuration a margin for designing the circuit part may be improved and damage of a light-emitting element therefrom may be prevented ([0035]). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Yang such that it comprises a plurality of power buses, the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices in the same sub- display region are connected to the same power bus, and the second electrodes of the light- emitting devices in different sub-display regions are connected to different power buses as disclosed by Kim in order to improve a margin for designing the circuit.
Claim(s) 8, 9, 11-15, and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210118957 (Yang et al) as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of US 20210135149 (Xin et al).
Continuing to claim 8, Yang discloses forming a plurality of light emitting devices in an OLED device ([0024] and [0037]).
Yang does not disclose wherein the plurality of light-emitting devices comprises the light-emitting devices of a plurality of colors in the display region of the display panel, and the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color are connected by the connection line. However, Xin discloses an OLED device and apparatus (Figs. 1-3 and [0003]) in which the plurality of light-emitting devices (RGB) comprises the light-emitting devices of a plurality of colors in the display region of the display panel, and the second electrodes (106) of the light-emitting devices of the same color are connected by the connection line (104) ([0035] and [0051]-[0055]). Xin discloses that such configuration addresses the issues of the voltage drop in the display area being substantially large and as a result, the voltage distribution in the display area is uneven. These issues leading to the display uniformity of the OLED device being unacceptable ([0004]). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Yang such that the light emitting devices comprise a plurality of colors and the electrodes of the light emitting devices of the same color are connected by the connection line in order to address the issue of voltage drop in the display region of the device.
Considering claim 9, Yang in view of Xin discloses wherein the plurality of light-emitting devices are arranged in a plurality of rows, and the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color in the same row or the same column are connected by the connection line (Xin Fig. 3).
Referring to claim 11, Yang in view of Xin discloses forming a first connection line in the embodiment according to Fig. 3 of Xin.
Yang in view of Xin does not disclose, in the embodiment according to Fig. 3 of Xin, wherein the connection line comprises a first connection line and a second connection line, and the first connection line intersects with an extension direction of the second connection line ;the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color in the same row are connected by the first connection line, and the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color in the same column for at least one color are connected by the second connection line; or the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color in the same column are connected by the first connection line, and the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color in the same row for at least one color are connected by the second connection line. However, Xin discloses several different connection line configurations including an embodiment (Fig. 5) in which the connection line comprises a first connection line and a second connection line, and the first connection line intersects with an extension direction of the second connection line; the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color in the same row are connected by the first connection line, and the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color in the same column for at least one color are connected by the second connection line; or the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color in the same column are connected by the first connection line, and the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color in the same row for at least one color are connected by the second connection line. In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966) (The court held that the configuration of the claimed disposable plastic nursing container was a matter of choice which a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration of the claimed container was significant.). See MPEP 2144.04 IV B. Therefore absent evidence that the claimed configuration is significant, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the invention of Yang in view of Xin in view of the embodiment disclosed in Fig. 5 of Xin.
Regarding claim 12, Yang in view of Xin disclose wherein the plurality of light-emitting devices comprises first light-emitting devices emitting red light, second light-emitting devices emitting green light and third light-emitting devices emitting blue light, and the second electrodes of the second light-emitting devices in the same column are connected to each other by the second connection line (Xin Fig. 5).
Pertaining to claim 13, Yang in view of Xin disclose wherein at least a part of the first connection lines and at least a part of the second connection lines are located in different film layers (Yang Fig. 3).
As to claim 14, Yang in view of Xin disclose wherein the first connection line corresponding to the first light-emitting devices and the first connection line corresponding to the third light- emitting devices are located in the same film layer, the first connection line corresponding to the second light-emitting devices and the second connection line corresponding to the second light- emitting devices are located in the same film layer, and the second connection line corresponding to the second light-emitting devices and the first connection line corresponding to the first light- emitting devices are located in different film layers, and the second connection line corresponding to the second light-emitting devices and the first connection line corresponding to the third light- emitting devices are located in different film layers (Yang Fig. 3 and Xin Fig. 5).
Concerning claim 15, Yang in view of Xin disclose wherein the first connection line and the second connection line corresponding to the second light-emitting devices are located in the same film layer as the conductive units (Yang Fig. 3).
Continuing to claim 17, Yang in view of Xin disclose wherein any two adjacent conductive units are connected with the connection line (Yang Fig. 3 and Xin Fig. 3).
Claim(s) 10 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210118957 (Yang et al) in view of US 20210135149 (Xin et al) as applied to claim 8 above, and further in view of US 20210118969 (Kim et al).
Considering claims 10 and 16, Yang in view of Xin disclose forming a plurality of light emitting devices in a display apparatus.
Yang in view of Xin does not disclose wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of power buses, the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of the same color are connected to the same power bus, and the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices of different colors are connected to different power buses or wherein the display panel comprises a non- display region and a display region, the power buses comprises a first power bus, a second power bus and a third power bus located in the non-display region, the plurality of light-emitting devices comprises first light-emitting devices, second light-emitting devices and third light-emitting devices emitting light of different colors, the second electrodes of the first light-emitting devices are connected to the first power bus, the second electrodes of the second light-emitting devices are connected to the second power bus, and the second electrodes of the third light-emitting devices are connected to the third power bus; both the first power bus and the third power bus extend in a column direction, one of the first power bus and the third power bus is located on a side of the display panel in a row direction and the other is located on the other side of the display panel in the row direction, and the second power bus extends in the row direction and is located on a side of the display panel in the column direction; or, the first power bus, the second power bus and the third power bus are located on each of two sides of the display panel in the row direction, the second electrodes of the first light- emitting devices in the same row are connected to the first power buses on both sides, the second electrodes of the second light-emitting devices in the same row are connected to the second power buses on both sides, and the second electrodes of the third light-emitting devices in the same row are connected to the third power buses on both sides. However, Kim discloses an organic light emitting device panel (OLED), similar to the invention of Yang, in which a plurality of power buses, the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices in the same sub- display region are connected to the same power bus, and the second electrodes of the light- emitting devices in different sub-display regions are connected to different power buses ([0054] and [0065]-[0069]). Kim discloses that such configuration a margin for designing the circuit part may be improved and damage of a light-emitting element therefrom may be prevented ([0035]). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Yang such that it comprises a plurality of power buses, the second electrodes of the light-emitting devices in the same sub- display region are connected to the same power bus, and the second electrodes of the light- emitting devices in different sub-display regions are connected to different power buses as disclosed by Kim in order to improve a margin for designing the circuit.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20190245013 (Fig. 7g) and US 20240206232 (Fig. 4I) disclose a display apparatus that includes a conductive unit connected to a lower connection line on a drive substrate .
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VALERIE N NEWTON whose telephone number is (571)270-5015. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, CHAD DICKE can be reached at (571) 270-7996. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VALERIE N NEWTON/ Examiner, Art Unit 2897 07/23/26
/CHAD M DICKE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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