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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 05/24/24, 20/05/26, 06/29/26 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) in view of Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A).
Regarding claim 1, Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) teaches a method of manufacturing a display device (organic light-emitting display device, Figure 1), the method comprising: preparing a display substrate (substrate 101, Figure 7), wherein the display substrate comprises a substrate (substrate 101, Figure 7) comprising a display area (active area AA, Figure 1) and a pad area (pad area PA, Figure 1) outside the display area, a display layer (Figure 7) arranged in the display area and comprising a display element (light-emitting element 130, Figure 7, col 3, lines 29-30, teaches active area displays an image through unit pixels, each of which includes a light-emitting element), and a pad (scan pad SPD or data pad 140 or power source pad VPD, Figure 2, col 3, lines 5-10, teaches In the pad area, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, there is provided a scan pad, which supplies a driving signal to a scan line disposed in the active area, a data pad, which supplies a driving signal to a data line, and a power source pad) arranged in the pad area; and removing the inorganic layer arranged above the pad (Figure 8C, col 9 lines 8-13, teaches the gate insulation film, which is disposed on the substrate having the planarization layer formed thereon, is patterned through a photolithography process and an etching process, thereby forming the pad contact hole, the source contact hole, the pixel contact hole, and the light-shielding contact hole), as claimed.
Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) is silent to teach forming an organic layer overlapping the display layer; and forming an upper light-shielding layer above the inorganic layer.
In an analogous art, Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) teaches forming an organic layer (organic layer OL, Figure 3, paragraph 0078) overlapping the display layer (base layer BS + auxiliary layer BL + first insulating layer 10 + second insulating layer 20 + third insulating layer 30 + fourth insulating layer 40 + first inorganic layer IOL1 + pixels PX1, Figure 3, paragraphs 0057-0077); forming an inorganic layer (second inorganic layer IOL2, Figure 3, paragraph 0080) above the organic layer and the pad; and forming an upper light-shielding layer (light blocking layer ABM, Figure 3) above the inorganic layer, as claimed.
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Therefore, it would have been obvious for some one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) by combining the teachings of Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) thereby reducing damage to the organic layer, and controlling the direction of the emitted light from the display device improving viewing privacy of the display device.
Regarding claim 3, Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) and Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) teach the method of claim 1, as claimed. Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) further teaches further comprising forming a planarization layer (partition layer WA + reflective layer CC, Figure 3) covering the upper light-shielding layer.
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Regarding claim 5, Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) and Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) teach the method of claim 1, as claimed. Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) further teaches wherein the organic layer is formed by an inkjet printing process (organic layer OL, Figure 3, paragraph 0079, lines 3-6, teaches the organic layer may include an organic material and may be provided by a solution process such as a spin coating process, a slit coating process, and/or an inkjet process), as claimed.
Claim(s) 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) and Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) in view of Ishiga (US Patent Application Publication 2015/0001530A1).
Regarding claim 2, Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) and Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) teach the method of claim 1, as claimed. Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) further teaches wherein the forming of the upper light-shielding layer (light blocking layer ABM, Figure 3) comprises: forming a first photoresist layer (preliminary light blocking layer BMA, Figure 9D) above the inorganic layer; and placing a first mask (second mask MS2, Figure 9E) above the first photoresist layer and exposing at least a portion of the first photoresist layer to light.
Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) and Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) are silent to teach removing the first photoresist layer arranged in the pad area.
In analogous art, Ishiga (US Patent Application Publication 2015/0001530A1) teaches removing (paragraph 0089) the first photoresist layer (second metal film 57, Figure 19) arranged in the pad area (source terminal pad 33, Figure 19).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for some one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) and Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) with the teachings of Ishiga (US Patent Application Publication 2015/0001530A1) thereby removing the first photoresist layer above the pad maintaining functionality of the display device.
Claim(s) 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) and Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) in view of Ohchi (US Patent Application Publication 2019/0319221A1).
Regarding claim 4, Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) and Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) teach the method of claim 1, as claimed. Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) further teaches wherein the forming of the planarization layer comprises: forming a second photoresist layer above the upper light-shielding layer and the inorganic layer (preliminary partition layer CC-A, Figure 9B); and placing a second mask (first mask MS1, Figure 9C) above the second photoresist layer and exposing at least a portion of the second photoresist layer to light (paragraph 0142, teaches A photolithography process using a first mask may be performed on the preliminary partition layer to form the partition layer), as claimed. Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) further teaches wherein the removing of the inorganic layer arranged above the pad comprises placing the second mask above the inorganic layer arranged above the pad and etching the inorganic layer arranged above the pad (Figure 4E, col 1 lines 41-51 + col 9 lines 4-21), as claimed.
Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) and Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) are silent to teach removing the second photoresist layer arranged in the pad area.
In an analogous art, Ohchi (US Patent Application Publication 2019/0319221A1) teaches removing (paragraph 009) the second photoresist layer (protection film 308, Figure 4A & 4B) arranged in the pad area (pad electrodes 103, Figure 4A & 4B), as claimed.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for some one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings Lee (US Patent No 11,839,110) and Kim (Korean Patent Application Publication 10-2020-0061475A) with the teachings Ohchi (US Patent Application Publication 2019/0319221A1) thereby removing the second photoresist layer above the pad maintaining functionality of the display device
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAREEM M MOHAMED-ALY whose telephone number is (571)270-0312. The examiner can normally be reached Monday – Friday 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Leonard Chang can be reached at (571) 270-3691. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/K.M.A./Examiner, Art Unit 2898
/Leonard Chang/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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