DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the Preliminary Amendment and Election filed on 06 August 2026. Claims 1-20 are pending in the application.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The replacement sheets of drawings were received on 06 August 2026. These drawings are acceptable.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I and Species I, shown in Figs. 8-19 of the instant application, on which claims 1-6 are readable, in the reply filed on 06 August 2026 is acknowledged.
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)as being clearly anticipated by Seo et al., EP 3 644 372.
With respect to claim 1, Seo et al. disclose a display device, shown in Fig. 3, including an internal area DA and a peripheral area NA surrounding at least a portion of the internal area DA, as shown in Fig. 1, comprising:
a pixel-circuit layer (layers 115 to 179, see annotated Fig. 3 below) disposed on a base layer 110 and including lower lines 124/127/129/173/175/179, at least a portion of the lower lines 124/127/129/173/175/179 forming a pixel circuit (in internal area DA); and sub-pixels PX disposed on the pixel-circuit layer (layers 115 to 179) and including a light emitting element EL electrically connected to the pixel circuit,
wherein the internal area DA includes: a pixel area (area where PX is disposed) on which the sub-pixels PX are disposed; and
an outer-dam area NA formed at a periphery of the pixel area DA, as shown in Fig. 1, and
in the outer-dam area NA, at least another portion of the lower lines 124/127/129/173/175/179 are stacked in a thickness direction of the base layer 110 to form a protruding structure, as shown in Fig. 3.
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With respect to claim 2, in the display device of Seo et al., the outer-dam area NA surrounds an edge of the pixel area DA and forms a loop structure in a plan view, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 3, the display device of Seo et al. further comprising: a bank DM and 360 disposed on the pixel-circuit layer (layers 115 to 179), wherein an upper surface of the bank DM is spaced apart from the base layer 110 in the outer-dam area NA by a first distance, and an upper surface of 360 is spaced apart from the base layer 110 in the pixel area DA by a second distance, and the first distance is greater than the second distance, as shown in Fig. 3.
With respect to claim 4, the display device of Seo et al. further comprising: a first electrode E1 and a second electrode E2 disposed on the pixel-circuit layer (layers 115 to 179) and spaced apart from each other, wherein the light emitting element EL is disposed between the first electrode E1 and the second electrode E2.
With respect to claim 5, in the display device of Seo et al., the light emitting element EL is not disposed in the outer-dam area NA so that the sub-pixels are not formed in the outer-dam area NA, as shown in Fig. 3.
With respect to claim 6, the lower lines 124/127/129/173/175/179 include:
a lower auxiliary electrode layer 165 disposed on the base layer 110, at least a portion of which forms a first dam formation line 160/165, as shown in Fig. 3;
a first interlayer conductive layer 127/129 disposed on the lower auxiliary electrode layer 160/165, at least a portion of which forms a second dam formation line; and
a second interlayer conductive layer 179 disposed on the first interlayer conductive layer 127/129, at least a portion of which forms a third dam formation line 179, and
the first dam formation line 160/165, the second dam formation line 127/129, and the third dam formation line 179 form the protruding structure, as shown in Fig. 3.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The additionally cited references disclose display devices including an internal area and a peripheral area surrounding at least a portion of the internal area.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARY A WILCZEWSKI whose telephone number is (571)272-1849. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 7:30 AM-5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jessica Manno can be reached at 571-272-2339. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MARY A. WILCZEWSKI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2898
/MARY A WILCZEWSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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