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.
Claims 1 and 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Saitoh et al. (US 20180314099).
Regarding claim 1, Saitoh discloses a light-emitting substrate (GS), having a display region (AA) and a peripheral region (NAA) located on at least one side of the display region (AA) , the peripheral region (NAA) including a first peripheral region (NAA), the first peripheral region and the display region (AA) being spaced apart (11a) in a first direction [Figs. 1-3], the light-emitting substrate comprising:
a substrate (GS) [Figs. 3 and 9];
a first conductive layer (18) disposed on the substrate [Figs. 8-9], the first conductive layer including a plurality of signal lines (11J) located in the display region [Figs. 2 and 9, and paragraph 0057];
an insulating layer (19/20) covering the plurality of signal lines [Fig. 9]; and
a second conductive layer (21) disposed on the insulating layer [Fig. 9];
wherein the insulating layer (19/20) includes a first insulating layer (19) and a second insulating layer (20) sequentially stacked in a direction away from the substrate (GS) [Fig. 9]; and
at least between the first peripheral region (NAA) and the display region (AA) [Fig. 8], at least part of edges (E1) of the first insulating layer (19) exceeds an edge (E2) of the second insulating layer (20) [Fig. 9, annotated below].
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Regarding claim 3, Saitoh discloses wherein the at least part of the edges (E1) of the first insulating layer (19) includes a first slope surface; the edge (E2) of the second insulating layer (20) includes a second slope surface; and the first slope surface (E1) and the second slope surface (E2) are connected through a first plane (interface between 19 and 20) along of the first insulation layer (top surface of layer 19) [Fig. 9, annotated above].
Regarding claim 4, Saitoh discloses wherein the second conductive layer (21) includes a plurality of pads (21) located in the display region [Figs. 4, 6 and 7], the plurality of signal lines (11J) and the plurality of pads (21) are located in the display region [Figs. 4, 6 and 7], and the plurality of signal lines (11J) extend along the first direction and are arranged at intervals along a second direction, the second direction intersecting the first direction [Figs. 2 and 8]; and the light- emitting substrate comprises:
a plurality of conductive portions (29) located in the first peripheral region (NAA), the plurality of conductive portions being located in the second conductive layer (21) [Fig. 8];
wherein an end of a conductive portion (29) close to the display region (AA) overlaps edges of the first insulating layer (19) and the second insulating layer (20), extends to the display region, and penetrates through the insulating layer (19/20) to be connected to a signal line (11J) [Figs. 8-9].
Regarding claim 5, Saitoh discloses wherein the second insulating layer (20) is located in the first peripheral region (NAA), and is located between the substrate (GS) and the conductive portions (21/29) [Figs. 8-9].
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saitoh et al. (US 20180314099).
Regarding claim 2, Saitoh discloses wherein at least between the first peripheral region and the display region, a slope angle of the at least part of the edges of the first insulating layer (19) and a slope angle of the edge of the second insulating layer (20) are each less than or equal to 45 [Fig. 11 and paragraph 0069, 0073 and 0075]. The court has held that in the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Wertheim, 541F.2d 257,191 USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 25-27 are allowed.
Claims 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16-18, 20-22 and 24 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Pang et al. (US 2022/0352297) discloses a display comprising a peripheral region (BB) [Figs. 2 and 3]
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSE R DIAZ whose telephone number is (571)272-1727. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua Benitez can be reached at 571-270-1435. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Jose R Diaz/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2815
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