DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 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.
Claim Objections
2. Claims 1, 11, 18 and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 1 and 20, beginning on line 6, each recites: “between the compensating structure and the light-emitting device that are adjacent to each other” wherein “the compensating structure” and “the light-emitting device” (that are adjacent to each other) each lacks an antecedent basis.
For examination purposes,
“between the compensating structure and the light-emitting device that are adjacent to each other” is interpreted to be
“between a compensating structure and a light-emitting device that are adjacent to each other”.
Claim 18, beginning on line 4, recites: “the compensation position” which lacks an antecedent basis. For examination purposes, “the compensation position” is interpreted to be “a compensation position”.
Claim 18, beginning on line 8, recites: “the adjacent light-emitting devices” and “the adjacent compensating structure and light-emitting device” each lacks an antecedent basis. For examination purposes, “the adjacent light-emitting devices” is interpreted to be “adjacent light-emitting devices” and “the adjacent compensating structure and light-emitting device” is interpreted to be “a compensating structure and a light-emitting device that are adjacent to each other”.
Claim 11, line 7, recites: “the middle portion” which lacks an antecedent basis. For examination purposes, “the middle portion” is interpreted to be “the intermediate portion”.
Appropriate correction 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.
(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.
3. Claims 1-2, 8 and 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0141534 A1 (the ‘534 reference).
The reference discloses in Figs. 1-3, 12, other figures, para [39] (paragraph(s) [0039]), and other text a display panel, a method for manufacturing a display panel and a display device as claimed.
Referring to claim 1, the ‘534 reference discloses a display panel, comprising:
a substrate (10);
a light-emitting device (31, 32, para [39, 59]) and a compensating structure (structure comprising redundant electrode 22 or comprising 50 that covers redundant electrode 22, para [39]) located on a side of the substrate and located in a display area; and
a black adhesive layer (50, para [45]) located on a side of the substrate, wherein the black adhesive layer (50) is at least filled between adjacent light-emitting devices (31, 32) and between a compensating structure and a light-emitting device (31, 32) that are adjacent to each other.
Referring to claim 20 and using the same reference characters, interpretations, and citations as detailed above for claim 1 where applicable, the reference discloses a display device, comprising a display panel (para [2]), wherein the display panel comprises
a substrate (10);
a light-emitting device (31, 32) and a compensating structure (structure comprising redundant electrode 22 or comprising 50 that covers redundant electrode 22) located on a side of the substrate and located in the display area; and
a black adhesive layer (50) located on a side of the substrate, wherein the black adhesive layer is at least filled between adjacent light-emitting devices (31, 32) and between a compensating structure and a light-emitting device (31, 32) that are adjacent to each other.
Referring to claim 2, the reference further discloses:
an electrode unit (20) provided on a side of the substrate, wherein the electrode unit comprises a main electrode unit (21) and a redundant electrode unit (22, para [39]);
wherein the light-emitting device comprises a main light-emitting device (31), the main light-emitting device is connected to the main electrode unit (21, Fig. 12); and
wherein the compensating structure (50 that covers redundant electrode 22) at least partially overlaps with the redundant electrode unit (22) in a direction perpendicular to a plane where the substrate (10) is located.
Referring to claim 8, Fig. 13 (para [118]) further depicts a first region (right region) and a second region (middle region), and the second region at least partially surrounds the first region,
wherein an orthographic projection area of the compensating structure (generally indicated at 4012/401/400/222/22) in the second region on the substrate is (clearly) greater than an orthographic projection area of the compensating structure (not labeled) in the first region (the right region) on the substrate.
Referring to claim 11, the reference further discloses that the black adhesive layer (50) comprises a first section, and the first section is located between the light-emitting device and the compensating structure that are adjacent to each other; the first section comprises a first end portion, a second end portion, and an intermediate portion located between the first end portion and the second end portion; the first end portion is adjacent to the light-emitting device, and the second end portion is adjacent to the compensating structure;
wherein a vertical distance from a surface of the intermediate portion away from the substrate to the substrate is represented as a first distance, a vertical distance from a surface of the first end portion away from the substrate to the substrate is represented as a second distance, and a vertical distance from a surface of the second end portion away from the substrate to the substrate is represented as a third distance; and,
[[wherein the first distance is smaller than the second distance, and/or, the first distance is smaller than the third distance; and/or,]]
wherein, the second distance is equal to the third distance (simply because the black adhesive layer 50 is flat).
Referring to claim 12, for the device detailed above for claim 1, the reference further discloses that a vertical distance between a surface of the compensating structure (22) away from the substrate and the substrate is represented as H1, and a vertical distance between a surface of the light-emitting device (31, 32) away from the substrate and the substrate is represented as H2, where H1≤H2 .
Referring to claim 13, Fig. 2 depicts that H1<H2, the black adhesive layer further comprises a second section (50), and the second section (50) covers the compensating structure (22) on a side of the compensating structure away from the substrate.
Referring to claim 14, the reference further discloses a driving layer (comprising pixel circuit, para [40]) located between the light-emitting device (31, 32) and the substrate, wherein the compensating structure (22) is bonded to the driving layer through a bonding layer (not depicted).
Referring to claim 15, the reference further discloses that the compensating structure (structure comprising 50 that covers redundant electrode 22) comprises a black material (50, para [45]).
Referring to claim 16, the reference further discloses that the compensating structure (structure comprising black material 50 that covers redundant electrode 22) comprises a first layer (50) and a second layer (22) which are stacked, the first layer (50) is located on the side of the second layer (22) away from the substrate, and the first layer (black material 50) comprises the black material.
Referring to claim 17, the reference further discloses that the compensating structure (50/22, Fig. 2) has a first cross section, the first cross section is perpendicular to a plane of the substrate (10), a width of the first cross section along a third direction is a first width, and the third direction is parallel to a direction where the substrate is located; and
wherein the first width gradually increases in a direction from the compensating structure (50/22) to the substrate (10).
Referring to claim 18 and using the same reference characters, interpretations, and citations as detailed above for claim 1 where applicable, the reference discloses a method for manufacturing a display panel, wherein the display panel comprises a light-emitting device (31, 32) and a compensating structure (structure comprising redundant electrode 22 or comprising 50 that covers redundant electrode 22), and the method comprises:
transferring at least part of the light-emitting device (31, 32) on a side of the substrate;
detecting a brightness of the light-emitting device (para [67]: “a failed first light-emitting unit is detected…”) and determining a compensation position (that of redundant electrode 22, para [68]: “…determine, according to the positions of the failed first light-emitting units 31”);
manufacturing a corresponding compensating structure (50 that covers redundant electrode 22 (50/22)) according to the compensation position; and
forming a black adhesive layer (50), wherein the black adhesive layer (50) is at least filled between adjacent light-emitting devices (31, 32) and between a compensating structure (~22) and a light-emitting device (31, 32) that are adjacent to each other.
Referring to claim 19, the reference further discloses that the light-emitting device comprises a main light-emitting device and a redundant light-emitting device, and
wherein the method further comprises forming an electrode unit (20) on a side of a substrate before transferring at least part of the light-emitting device on the side of the substrate, wherein the electrode unit comprises a main electrode unit (21) and a redundant electrode unit (22, para [39]);
wherein transferring at least part of the light-emitting device on a side of the substrate comprises: transferring the main light-emitting device on a side of the substrate, the main light-emitting device (31) is connected to the main electrode unit (21, Fig. 12);
wherein detecting the brightness of the light-emitting device and determining the compensation position comprises: detecting brightness of the main light-emitting device to determine a position of a defective light-emitting device (para [67]: “a failed first light-emitting unit is detected…”), and determining a repair position (that of redundant electrode 22, para [68]: “…determine, according to the positions of the failed first light-emitting units 31”) and the compensation position according to the position of the defective light-emitting device; and
the method further comprises, before manufacturing the corresponding repair structure according to the repair position, manufacturing the corresponding redundant light-emitting device according to the repair position, the redundant light-emitting device is connected to the redundant electrode unit;
wherein manufacturing the corresponding compensating structure (50/22) according to the compensation position comprises the compensating structure (50/22) at least partially overlaps with the redundant electrode unit (22).
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claims 3-7 and 9-10, insofar as in compliance with the claim objections detailed above, 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The cited art, whether taken singularly or in combination, especially when all limitations are considered within the claimed specific combination, fails to teach or render obvious a display device with all exclusive limitations as recited in claims 3 and 9,which may be characterized (claim 3) in that an orthographic projection area of the first compensating structure on the substrate is equal to an orthographic projection area of the first main light-emitting device on the substrate, and (claim 9) in that the compensating structure comprises a fourth compensating structure, and the fourth compensating structure does not overlap with the redundant electrode unit in a direction perpendicular to a plane of the substrate.
Conclusion
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TU TU V HO whose telephone number is (571)272-1778. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Thursday 6:30 - 15:00, Monday through Thursday.
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06-24-2026
/TU-TU V HO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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