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 Group I, claims 1-17 in the reply filed on July 07th, 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 18-20 withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR. 1.142(b), as being drawn to non-elected invention.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS filed on April 11th, 2024 has been considered.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Display device comprising a bank structure having a first bank layer and a second bank layer.
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) 1-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (U.S. Pub. 2023/0200181) in view of Lin et al. (U.S. Patent 11,610,954).
In re claim 1, Park discloses a display device comprising: a substrate 111 comprising a first emission area EA (see paragraph [0047] and fig. 6), a transmissive area TA (see paragraph [0046] and fig. 6), and a non-emission area NEA disposed between the first emission area EA and the transmissive area TA (see paragraph [0106] and fig. 6); a bank structure 125 disposed on the pixel-defining layer (see paragraph [0102] and fig. 6); and a first light-emitting element (120,130,140) located on the first emission area EA of the substrate 111 and in contact with the bank structure 125 (see paragraph [0102] and fig. 6).
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Park is silent to wherein a pixel-defining layer disposed on the non-emission area of the substrate and defining a first opening; a bank structure disposed on the pixel-defining layer, defining a second opening, and comprising different materials, the bank structure comprising: a first bank layer comprising a conductive material; and a second bank layer disposed on the first bank layer and comprising tips which protrude on opposite sides of the second bank layer further toward the first opening and the transmissive area further than side surfaces of the first bank layer.
However, Lin discloses in a same field of endeavor, a display device 100 including, inter-alia, a pixel-defining layer 126 disposed on the non-emission area of the substrate 102 and defining a first opening (see col. 6, lines 14-35 and fig. 1A); a bank structure (110A,110B) disposed on the pixel-defining layer 126, defining a second opening, and comprising different materials, the bank structure comprising: a first bank layer 110A comprising a conductive material; and a second bank layer 110B disposed on the first bank layer 110A and comprising tips which protrude on opposite sides of the second bank layer 110B further toward the first opening and the transmissive area further than side surfaces of the first bank layer 110A (see col. 8, lines 4-45 and fig. 1A).
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Therefore, it is respectfully submitted that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to be motivated to incorporate the technique as taught by Lin into the display device of Park in order to enable a pixel-defining layer disposed on the non-emission area of the substrate and defining a first opening; a bank structure disposed on the pixel-defining layer, defining a second opening, and comprising different materials, the bank structure comprising: a first bank layer comprising a conductive material; and a second bank layer disposed on the first bank layer and comprising tips which protrude on opposite sides of the second bank layer further toward the first opening and the transmissive area further than side surfaces of the first bank layer in Park to be formed in order to increase pixel-per-inch and provide improved OLED performance. Furthermore, it would have been obvious because all the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. (KSR), 550 U.S. 398 (2007). “If a technique has been used to improve one device, and a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that it would improve similar devices in the same way, using the technique is obvious unless its actual application is beyond that person’s skill.” Id.
In re claim 2, as applied to claim 1 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein a tip of the tips of the second bank layer 110B which protrudes toward the transmissive area; and the tip of the second bank layer 110B which protrudes toward the first opening form undercuts with the side surfaces of the first bank layer 110A (see col. 8, lines 4-45 and fig. 1A of Lin).
In re claim 3, as applied to claim 1 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the first light-emitting element comprises an anode electrode 126 disposed on the substrate 102; an emissive layer 112 on the anode electrode 104 in line with the first opening; and a cathode electrode 114 on the emissive layer 112, and wherein the emissive layer 112 and the cathode electrode 114 contact a side surface of the side surfaces of the first bank layer 110A in the second opening (see col. 8, lines 4-54 and fig. 1A of Lin).
In re claim 4, as applied to claim 3 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the cathode electrode 114 covers an entirety of the emissive layer 112 on the side surfaces of the first bank layer 110A (see col. 8, lines 4-54 and fig. 1A of Lin).
In re claim 5, as applied to claim 4 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the first bank layer 110A comprises aluminum, and the second bank layer 110B comprises titanium (see col. 15, lines 6-45 and fig. 1A of Lin).
In re claim 6, as applied to claim 3 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the display device further comprising: an organic pattern 112 disposed on the second bank layer 110B, surrounding the first opening, and comprising a same material as a material of the emissive layer; and an electrode pattern 114 disposed on the organic pattern 112 and comprising a same material as a material of the cathode electrode (see col. 18, lines 2-20 and fig. 4A of Lin).
In re claim 7, as applied to claim 6 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the emissive layer and the organic pattern 112 are spaced apart from each other, and wherein the cathode electrode and the electrode pattern 114 are spaced apart from each other (see col. 18, lines 2-20 and fig. 4A of Lin).
In re claim 8, as applied to claim 7 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the organic pattern 112 and the electrode pattern 114 do not overlap with a tip of the tips of the second bank layer 110B which protrudes toward the transmissive area (see col. 18, lines 2-20 and fig. 4A of Lin).
In re claim 9, as applied to claim 1 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the second opening surrounds an entirety of the first opening in a plan view (see col. 6, lines 14-35, col. 7, lines 2-14 and fig. 1A of Lin).
In re claim 10, as applied to claim 9 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the non-emission area NEA surrounds an entirety of the first emission area EA in the plan view, and wherein the transmissive area TA surrounds the non-emission area NEA (see paragraphs [0046], [0047], [0106] and fig. 6 of Park).
In re claim 11, as applied to claim 1 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the transmissive area TA comprises an optical device (see paragraph [0071] and fig. 6 of Park).
In re claim 12, as applied to claim 1 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the display device further comprising: a second emission area EA2 spaced apart from the first emission area EA1 with the non-emission area NEA and the transmissive area TA therebetween; and a second light-emitting element disposed on the substrate 111 in line with the second emission area EA2 (see paragraph [0048] and fig. 6 of Park).
In re claim 13, as applied to claim 12 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the display device further comprising: a metal line overlapping with the transmissive area TA and electrically connecting the first light-emitting element EA1 with the second light-emitting element EA2 (see paragraph [0054] and figs. 6-10 of Park).
In re claim 14, as applied to claim 13 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the metal line comprises the first bank layer 110A and the second bank layer 110B in the transmissive area (see col. 18, lines 2-20 and fig. 4A of Lin).
In re claim 15, as applied to claim 13 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the first bank layer 110A and the second bank layer 110B included in the bank structure in the non-emission area are integral with the first bank layer and the second bank layer included in the metal line in the transmissive area (see col. 18, lines 2-20 and fig. 4A of Lin).
In re claim 16, as applied to claim 13 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the first emission area EA1 and the second emission area EA2 are connected with each other by the metal line in a plan view (see paragraphs [0050], [0054] and figs. 6-10 of Park).
In re claim 17, as applied to claim 16 above, Park in combination with Lin discloses wherein the transmissive area is surrounded by the tip of the second bank layer 110B which protrudes toward the transmissive area in the plan view (see col. 8, lines 4-25, col. 18, lines 2-20 and figs. 1A and 4A of Lin).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kwon et al. (U.S. Pub. 2019/0189972) discloses a display device comprising a substrate 100 comprising a first emission area (see paragraph [0034] and fig. 1); a pixel-defining layer 180 disposed on the non-emission area of the substrate 100 and defining a first opening 181; a bank structure 182 disposed on the pixel-defining layer (see paragraph [0040] and fig. 2).
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/KHIEM D NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2892
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