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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 9-10, and 15-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by LIU (US 20230317011).
Regarding claim 1, LIU discloses a display device comprising:
a plurality of pixels (each set of sub-pixels 11, 12 and 13 in the device, see fig 15B and 16-25, para 202 and figure I below) arranged adjacently along a first direction (the pixels are adjacent in the horizontal direction in fig 15B, see figure I below);
a plurality of transistors (the transistors T1-T6 having the active regions 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f of each sub-pixel, see fig 15B and 16, para 108) disposed in each pixel; and
a light emitting element (the light emitting element 42, see fig 14B and 15B, para 101) disposed in each pixel, and connected to at least one of the plurality of transistors in each pixel (42 is connected to T6, see fig 14B, para 101),
wherein gate electrodes (the portions of signal line 63 acting as the gate electrodes of T6, see fig 15B and 16-17, para 106) of corresponding transistors of the plurality of transistors of different pixels of the plurality of pixels, which are connected to a same signal line (the line comprising the segments 63 which are connected across sub-pixels and pixels, see fig 15B and figure I below), are disposed so as not to overlap in the first direction (the portions 63 of the line in the two pixels shown in fig 15B do not overlap along the horizontal direction, see fig 15B and figure I below).
Regarding claim 2, LIU discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transistors in each pixel comprise a first transistor (the first transistor T1, see fig 16 and 21, para 110) connected to the light emitting element in each pixel (T1 is at least indirectly connected to the LED, see fig 14-21), and
wherein a channel length of a channel region (the transistor T1 has a channel 201a which extends in the horizontal and vertical directions in fig 16 and 21, para 110) of the first transistor extends along a second direction (201a extends in both the horizontal and vertical directions in fig 16 and 21)) intersecting the first direction.
Regarding claim 3, LIU discloses the display device of claim 2, wherein the first transistor comprises a plurality of channel regions disposed along the first direction (201a has two regions which are separated and aligned along the horizontal direction, see fig 16 and 21).
Regarding claim 4, LIU discloses the display device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of transistors in each pixel comprise a second transistor (the transistor T3 comprising active region 20c, see fig 16 and 21, para 108) connected between the first transistor and the light emitting element (T2 is connected between T1 and T6, which is connected to 42, see fig 14, 16 and 21, para 108), and
wherein a channel length of a channel region of the second transistor extends along the first direction (the channel 20c extends along the horizontal direction, see fig 16 and 21).
Regarding claim 5, LIU discloses the display device of claim 4, wherein among the transistors of the plurality of transistors disposed in a same pixel, excluding the second transistor, the channel length of the channel region extends along the second direction (the channels 201a, 201d, 201g, 201e and 201f extend in the vertical direction in fig 16, see fig 16, para 110, 133, 114, 115, and 116).
Regarding claim 6, LIU discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein gate electrodes of the plurality of transistors disposed in different adjacent pixels do not overlap in the first direction (the portions of the signal line 63 forming the gates for transistors T6 in the adjacent pixels do not overlap along the horizontal direction in fig 15B, see figure I below).
Regarding claim 9, LIU discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein the signal line comprises a gate line (the portions of the line 63 which form gates, see fig 15B and 17, para 106) and an emission line (the portions 163 and 263 connecting the portions 63, see fig 15B and 20A).
Regarding claim 10, LIU discloses the display device of claim 9, wherein the gate line comprises a plurality of sub-gate lines connected to each other (the portions 63 each comprising gates of transistors, see fig 15B and 20A, para 177 and 106).
Regarding claim 15, LIU discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pixels further comprises a body electrode (fig 15B-21, 411, para 146).
Regarding claim 16, LIU discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein body electrodes of respective pixels are disposed in the respective pixels so as not to overlap in the first direction (the body electrodes 421 in each device will not overlap along the horizontal direction, see fig 15B and 26, para 146).
Regarding claim 17, LIU discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein a body electrode is disposed in one of the plurality of pixels (fig 15B-21, 411, para 146).
Regarding claim 18, LIU discloses the display device of claim 17, wherein a part of the body electrode is disposed between gate electrodes of transistors disposed adjacent in the first direction in the one pixel (the body 411 of a sub-pixel is located horizontally between gate electrodes 63 of sub-pixel units on either side of it, see fig 15B and 22A).
Regarding claim 19, LIU discloses the display device of claim 18, wherein one side surface of each of the gate electrodes facing the body electrode has a depressed shape directed toward an opposite side surface of each gate electrode (each of the two long sides of 63 has an indentation between the large pads on the ends which is indented towards the other long side, see fig 17).
Regarding claim 20, LIU discloses the display device of claim 1, further comprising an intermediate connection electrode (173, see fig 21, para 194) disposed in each pixel and connected to an anode electrode of the light emitting element of each pixel (173 is connected to 412, see fig 21, para 194).
Regarding claim 21, LIU discloses the display device of claim 20, wherein intermediate connection electrodes of respective pixels are disposed in the respective pixels so as not to overlap in the first direction (the electrodes 173 of devices in the two adjacent pixels will not overlap along the horizontal direction, see fig 15B and 21).
Regarding claim 22, LIU discloses the display device of claim 20, wherein the intermediate connection electrode of at least one pixel is disposed in a capacitor area of the pixel (173 is in a lower area of the sub-pixel which also includes Cst2, see fig 18 and 21, para 107 and 194).
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) 7-8 and 11-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU (US 20230317011) in view of YANG (US 20220069047).
Regarding claim 7, LIU discloses the display device of claim 1.
LIU fails to explicitly disclose a device, wherein the signal line has a curved shape.
YANG teaches a device, wherein the signal line has a curved shape (the line W23 that connects the sub-pixels B can have a curved shape, see fig 26, para 153).
LIU and YANG are analogous art because they both are directed towards semiconductor display devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify the device of LIU with the line shape of YANG because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of LIU with the line shape of YANG in order to increase the aspect ratio of the device (see YANG para 160).
Regarding claim 8, LIU and YANG disclose the display device of claim 7.
LIU fails to explicitly disclose a device, wherein the signal line has a symmetrical shape with respect to a second direction which intersects the first direction.
YANG teaches a device, wherein the signal line has a symmetrical shape with respect to a second direction which intersects the first direction (the shape of W23 is symmetric around a vertical axis in fig 26 through the middle of B, see fig 26, para 153).
LIU and YANG are analogous art because they both are directed towards semiconductor display devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify the device of LIU with the line shape of YANG because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of LIU with the line shape of YANG in order to increase the aspect ratio of the device (see YANG para 160).
Regarding claim 11, LIU discloses the display device of claim 10.
LIU fails to explicitly disclose a device, wherein at least two sub-gate lines of the plurality of sub-gate lines are disposed on different layers, and
wherein the two sub-gate lines are connected through contact holes of an insulating layer.
YANG teaches a device, wherein at least two sub-gate lines of the plurality of sub-gate lines are disposed on different layers (line 110 comprises sub-lines 111, 112 and 113 which are in 2 different layers, see fig 38, para 63), and
wherein the two sub-gate lines are connected through contact holes of an insulating layer (112 and 111 are connected via contact holes in the insulating layers, see fig 38, para 63).
LIU and YANG are analogous art because they both are directed towards semiconductor display devices and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify the device of LIU with the line shape of YANG because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of LIU with the line shape of YANG in order to increase the aspect ratio of the device (see YANG para 160).
Regarding claim 12, LIU and YANG disclose the display device of claim 11.
LIU further discloses a device, wherein a sub-gate line disposed on an upper side extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction (the lines 63 on an upper side of 20 have an extension in the vertical direction in fig 17, see para 106).
Regarding claim 13, LIU and YANG disclose the display device of claim 12.
LIU further discloses a device, wherein a sub-gate line disposed on a lower side extends in the first direction (the lines 63 on a lower side of 66 have an extension in the horizontal direction in fig 17, see para 106).
Regarding claim 14, LIU and YANG disclose the display device of claim 13.
LIU further discloses a device, wherein a sub-gate line disposed on the lower side extends further in the second direction than in the first direction (the portion of the line that connects the two pixels extends further in the vertical direction in 15B than it does in the horizontal direction, see fig 15B and figure I below).
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Figure I: LIU Figure 15B with added annotations.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONAS TYLER BEARDSLEY whose telephone number is (571)272-3227. The examiner can normally be reached 930-600 M-F.
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/JONAS T BEARDSLEY/Examiner, Art Unit 2811
/SAMUEL A GEBREMARIAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811
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