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 .
Claims 1-19 and 21 are currently pending and prosecuted.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12 September 2024 is 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 § 102
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 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)(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.
Claims 1-12, 18-19 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Huang, US PG-Pub 2025/0285585, hereinafter Huang, utilizing Foreign Application Priority Date 1 December 2022.
Regarding Claim 1, Huang teaches a display panel (display panel, Figs. 1-2, and corresponding descriptions), wherein a display region (active area AA) of the display panel comprises a first display region (first active area AA1) and a transition display region (second active area AA2), and a transmittance of the first display region is greater than a transmittance of the transition display region ([0021], “a light transmittance of the first active area AA1 is greater than a light transmittance of the second active area AA2”), wherein the display panel comprises:
light-emitting unit groups (first pixel units 10) in the first display region (Figs. 1-4, and corresponding descriptions; [0021], “The first pixel units 10 are located in the first active area AA1), wherein at least one light-emitting unit group of the light-emitting unit groups comprises light-emitting units (Figs. 1-4, and corresponding descriptions; [0023]);
first drive circuits (first pixel circuits 30) in the transition display region (Figs. 1-4, and corresponding descriptions; [0024]);
first signal lines electrically connecting the first drive circuits with the light-emitting unit groups (Figs. 1-4, and corresponding descriptions, showing how the wires connect to the light-emitting unit group); and
second signal lines electrically connected with the first signal lines and electrically connecting the light-emitting units in the at least one light-emitting unit group (Figs. 1-4, and corresponding descriptions, showing how the wires connect to the light-emitting unit group).
Regarding Claim 2, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 1, wherein at least one light-emitting unit of the light-emitting units comprises sub-light-emitting units (sub-pixels 111-113), at least two sub-light-emitting units of the sub-light-emitting units have different luminous colors (Figs. 1-4, and corresponding descriptions; [0035], “the first sub-pixel 111 is a red sub-pixel 110, the second sub-pixel 112 is a green sub-pixel 110, and the third sub-pixel 113 is a blue sub-pixel 110”), and the second signal lines electrically connect the at least two sub-light-emitting units (Figs. 1-4, and corresponding descriptions, showing how the wires connect to the sub-pixels).
Regarding Claim 3, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 1, wherein the first signal lines are sequentially distributed on a plane of the display region (Figs. 2-4, and corresponding descriptions), and orthographic projections of the first signal lines electrically connected with a same light-emitting unit group onto the plane of the display region do not overlap ([0045], “The wire 40 may be arranged in the first metal layer, to avoid affecting the display effect of the sub-pixels 110 in the first pixel unit 10 as a result of the wire 40 overlapping a signal line connected to the first pixel circuit 30 and/or the second pixel circuit 50.”).
Regarding Claim 4, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 1, wherein there is an overlapping region between orthographic projections of the first signal lines onto a plane of the display region (Figs. 2-4, and corresponding descriptions) and orthographic projections of the second signal lines onto the plane of the display region (Figs. 2-4, and corresponding descriptions).
Regarding Claim 5, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 2, wherein the sub-light-emitting units having a same luminous color in a same light-emitting unit group are electrically connected with each other via one of the second signal lines (Figs. 3 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions).
Regarding Claim 6, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 1, wherein orthographic projections of the second signal lines onto a plane of the display region do not overlap (Figs. 2-4, and corresponding descriptions).
Regarding Claim 7, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 2, wherein the first drive circuits are sequentially arranged as a first, second, third... and mth drive circuits along a direction away from the first display region (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0029]-[0031]), the light-emitting unit groups are sequentially arranged as a first, second, third... and nth light-emitting unit groups along a direction away from the transition display region (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0029]-[0031]), and the drive circuit and the light-emitting unit group having a same sequence number are electrically connected with each other, wherein m and n are positive integers greater than or equal to 1 (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0029]-[0031]).
Regarding Claim 8, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 7, wherein light-emitting units in the nth light-emitting unit group electrically connected with the mth drive circuit are alternately distributed in rows (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0028]-[0031]), and the mth drive circuit is in a same row as at least one of the light-emitting units in the nth light-emitting unit group (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0029]-[0031]).
Regarding Claim 9, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 8, wherein at least one first drive circuit of the first drive circuits comprises sub-drive circuits, and the sub-drive circuits are sequentially arranged as a first, second, third... and ith sub-drive circuits along the direction away from the first display region (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0029]-[0033]);
wherein the sub-light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit in a same row as the sub-drive circuits are sequentially arranged as a first, second, third... and jth sub-light- emitting units along the direction away from the transition display region (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0029]-[0033]); and
wherein the sub- drive circuit and the sub-light-emitting unit having a same sequence number are electrically connected with each other, wherein i and j are positive integers greater than or equal to 1 (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0029]-[0033]).
Regarding Claim 10, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 9, wherein at least one sub-drive circuit of the sub-drive circuits comprises a drive circuit output point, and the sub-light-emitting units having different luminous colors in the at least one light-emitting unit group are electrically connected with different drive circuit output points respectively.
Regarding Claim 11, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 9, wherein at least one sub-drive circuit of the sub- drive circuits comprises a drive circuit output point (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0025], [0031]), and the sub-light-emitting units having a same luminous color in the light-emitting unit group are electrically connected with a same drive circuit output point (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0025], [0031]).
Regarding Claim 12, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 1, wherein the first signal lines comprise first signal sub-lines and second signal sub-lines, and the first signal sub-lines and the second signal sub-lines are in different layers of the display panel (Figs. 2-4 and 7-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0045]).
Regarding Claim 18, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 1, wherein a material of a first signal line is a transparent material ([0044], “the wire 40 may be a transparent metal wire”); or,
a material of a second signal line is a transparent material ([0044], “the wire 40 may be a transparent metal wire”).
Regarding Claim 19, Huang teaches the display panel of claim 9, further comprising:
a transition light-emitting unit group (second pixel unit 20) in the transition display region and comprising transition light-emitting units (Figs. 2-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0057]);
second drive circuits (second pixel circuits 50) in the transition display region, wherein the second drive circuits are electrically connected with the transition light-emitting unit group (Figs. 2-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0057]); and
transition signal lines electrically connecting the second drive circuits with the transition light-emitting unit group (Figs. 2-8, and corresponding descriptions; [0057]).
Regarding Claim 21, Huang teaches a display apparatus (display apparatus, Figs. 1-2, and corresponding descriptions), comprising a display panel (display panel, Figs. 1-2, and corresponding descriptions), wherein a display region (active area AA) of the display panel comprises a first display region (first active area AA1) and a transition display region (second active area AA2), and a transmittance of the first display region is greater than a transmittance of the transition display region ([0021], “a light transmittance of the first active area AA1 is greater than a light transmittance of the second active area AA2”), wherein the display panel comprises:
light-emitting unit groups (first pixel units 10) in the first display region (Figs. 1-4, and corresponding descriptions; [0021], “The first pixel units 10 are located in the first active area AA1), wherein at least one light-emitting unit group of the light-emitting unit groups comprises light-emitting units (Figs. 1-4, and corresponding descriptions; [0023]);
first drive circuits (first pixel circuits 30) in the transition display region (Figs. 2-4, and corresponding descriptions; [0024]);
first signal lines electrically connecting the first drive circuits with the light-emitting unit groups (Figs. 2-4, and corresponding descriptions, showing how the wires connect to the light-emitting unit group); and
second signal lines electrically connected with the first signal lines and electrically connecting the light-emitting units in the at least one light-emitting unit group (Figs. 2-4, and corresponding descriptions, showing how the wires connect to the light-emitting unit group).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-17 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claim 13, the prior art of record fails to teach the limitations “the display panel comprises a base plate, a metal layer, a first planarization layer, the first signal sub-lines, a second planarization layer, the second signal sub- lines, a third planarization layer, the second signal lines and a first electrode layer which are sequentially stacked, wherein there is an overlapping region between an orthographic projection of the first signal sub-lines onto the plane of the display region and an orthographic projection of the second signal sub-lines onto the plane of the display region” as currently claimed because of the explicit use of each of the layers that are sequentially stacked on one another. As such, claim 13 is objected to for being dependent on a rejected base claim. Additionally, claims 14-17 are objected to due to their dependence on claim 13.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN T REED whose telephone number is (571)272-7234. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 0800-1800.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ke Xiao can be reached at 571-272-7776. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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STEPHEN T. REED
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2627
/Stephen T. Reed/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627
Prosecution Insights