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 § 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.
Claims 1,2,9-11,14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US20210384461A1; hereinafter Kim’461) in view of Kim et al. (US20030117569A1; hereinafter Kim’569).
Regarding claim 1, Fig.7 of Kim’461 teaches a display device comprising:
a first substrate SUB1 (para.0047) provided with a plurality of light-emitting elements;
a second substrate SUB2 (para.0047) disposed facing the first substrate SUB1; and
a sealing member SAL (para.0054) configured to bond together the first substrate SUB1 and the second substrate SUB2 and seal the plurality of light-emitting elements,
wherein a display region DA (Fig.4, para.0034) configured to display an image by light emission of the plurality of light-emitting elements and a frame region NDA (para.0034) provided on an outer side of the display region DA are provided,
the sealing member includes, between the first substrate SUB1 and the second substrate SUB2, a dam member DM1/DM2 (para.0126) disposed in the frame region NDA surrounding the display region DA and a fill member FL (para.0141) filling the space surrounded by the dam member DM1/DM2, and
a panel body formed by bonding together the first substrate SUB1 and the second substrate SUB2 with the sealing member SAL includes a partition wall (para.0057, wherein sealant SAL also acts as a partition wall as illustrated in Fig.4) configured to partition the dam member DM1/DM2 and the fill member FL.
Kim’461 does not teach a plurality of spacers disposed in a spread-out manner in the display region and configured to maintain a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate.
Fig.3A of Kim’569 teaches a liquid crystal display device that includes a plurality of column spacers 305a are formed on the overcoat layer 323 outside the array region and inside a UV-ray hardening sealant pattern 310; wherein the column spacer 305a maintains a cell gap between the two substrates 300 and 350 that will be bonded to each other by the UV-ray hardening sealant 310 (para.0058, 0061).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the column spacers of Kim’569 in the teachings of Kim’461 in order to maintain a cell gap between the two substrates 300 and 350 that will be bonded to each other by the UV-ray hardening sealant 310 (Kim’569, [para.0061]).
Regarding claim 2, Kim’461 further teaches the display device according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall (para.0057, wherein sealant SAL also acts as a partition wall as illustrated in Fig.4 and has a frame-like shape) is formed in a closed frame-like shape extending around an entire periphery of the frame region NDA (para.0057).
Regarding claim 9, Kim’569 further teaches the display device according to claim 1,
wherein the plurality of spacers 305a (para.0061) are provided on the first substrate 300 (para.0061) provided with the partition wall 310 (para.0059) and/or the second substrate 350 (para.0061) provided with the partition wall 310.
Regarding claim 10, Kim’569 further teaches the display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of spacers 705/715/725 (para.0091) are provided separately on the first substrate 700 (para.0091) and the second substrate 750 (para.0091), and the plurality of spacers 705/715/725 of the first substrate 700 and
the plurality of spacers 705/715/725 of the second substrate 750 abut one another in a direction in which the first substrate 700 and the second substrate 750 face one another.
Regarding claim 11, Kim’569 further teaches the display device according to claim 10,
wherein of the plurality of spacers 725 (para.0091) of the first substrate 700 (para.0091) and the plurality of spacers 715 (para.0091) of the second substrate 750 (para.0091), an area of each abutting face of each of one of the plurality of spacers 725 is greater than an area of each abutting face of each of the other one of the plurality of spacers 715.
Regarding claim 14, Kim’461 further teaches the display device according to claim 1,
wherein the partition wall (para.0057, wherein sealant SAL also acts as a partition wall as illustrated in Fig.4 and has a frame-like shape) is formed with a reverse tapered cross section on the first substrate SUB1 (para.0047) and/or the second substrate SUB2 (para.0047).
Regarding claim 15, Kim’461 further teaches the display device according to claim 1,
wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting elements is an organic electroluminescence element or a quantum dot light emitting diode (para.0039, wherein a light emitting layer of an organic light emitting display panel may include an organic light emitting material. A light emitting layer of a quantum dot light emitting display panel may include quantum dots, quantum rods, and the like).
Claims 3-8 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US20210384461A1; hereinafter Kim’461) in view of Kim et al. (US20030117569A1; hereinafter Kim’569) and in further view of Ahn et al. (US20210399254A1)
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Kim’461 and Kim’569 does not teach
wherein an inner peripheral surface of the partition wall is formed with an uneven shape.
Figs.12 and 13 of Ahn teaches a third partition wall PTL3_1 included in a display device 1_1 that may have a stem portion PTL31_1 formed along an outer line of the display device 1_1 and a branch portion PTL32_1 protruding inward from the stem portion PTL31_1 (para.0099).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include Ahn’s third partition wall, with a stem portion PTL31_1 and a branch portion PTL32_1, in the teachings of Kim’461, as modified by Kim’569, in order to effectively maintain the height of the third spacer CS3_1 (Ahn, [para.0102]).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Kim’461 and Kim’569 does not teach
wherein the uneven shape of the inner peripheral surface of the partition wall includes recessed portions and protruding portions alternately arranged in a circumferential direction of the partition wall. (US10516012B2)
Figs.12 and 13 of Ahn teaches a third partition wall PTL3_1 included in a display device 1_1 that may have a stem portion PTL31_1 formed along an outer line of the display device 1_1 and a branch portion PTL32_1 protruding inward from the stem portion PTL31_1 (para.0099).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include Ahn’s third partition wall, with a stem portion PTL31_1 and a branch portion PTL32_1, in the teachings of Kim’461, as modified by Kim’569, in order to effectively maintain the height of the third spacer CS3_1 (Ahn, [para.0102]).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Kim’461 and Kim’569 does not teach wherein an outer peripheral surface of the partition wall is formed with an uneven shape.
Figs.12 and 13 of Ahn teaches a third partition wall PTL3_1 included in a display device 1_1 that may have a stem portion PTL31_1 formed along an outer line of the display device 1_1 and a branch portion PTL32_1 protruding inward from the stem portion PTL31_1 (para.0099).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include Ahn’s third partition wall, with a stem portion PTL31_1 and a branch portion PTL32_1, in the teachings of Kim’461, as modified by Kim’569, in order to effectively maintain the height of the third spacer CS3_1 (Ahn, [para.0102]).
Regarding claim 6, Ahn further teaches the display device according to claim 5,
wherein the uneven shape of the outer peripheral surface of the partition wall PTL3_1 (para.0102) includes recessed portions PTL32_1 (para.0102) and protruding portions TR32_2 (para.0106) alternately arranged in a circumferential direction of the partition wall 3.
Regarding claim 7, Ahn further teaches the display device according to claim 1,
wherein the partition wall PTL3_1 (para.0102) is provided at least on the second substrate 20 (para.0073).
Regarding claim 8, Ahn further teaches the display device according to claim 7,
wherein the partition wall PTL3_1 (para.0102) is provided separately on the first substrate 10 (para.0073) and the second substrate 20 (para.0073), and
the partition wall PTL3_1 of the first substrate 10 and the partition wall PTL3_1 of the second substrate 20 abut one another in a direction in which the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 face one another.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Kim’461 and Kim’569 teaches the display device according to claim 1,
wherein the partition wall 710 (para.0100) is formed in a rectangular frame-like shape.
However, the combination of Kim’461 and Kim’569 does not teach wherein
a corner portion of an outer peripheral surface of the partition wall is formed as an R surface curved or a C surface inclined with respect to two sides of the partition wall forming the corner portion.
Fig.3 of Ahn teaches a display device includes a sealing area SA, the first base substrate 11, a second substrate 20 that includes a second base substrate 21, the light blocking member BML disposed on one surface of the second base substrate 21, which faces the first base substrate 11, a first capping layer 22 disposed on the light blocking member BML, a third partition wall PTL3 disposed on the first capping layer 22 to overlap the light blocking member BML. The third partition wall PTL3 includes curved portions at corner.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include Ahn’s third partition wall PTL3, that includes curved corners, in the teachings of Kim’461, as modified by Kim’569, because partition walls with rounded corners are known to provide smooth transition between conductive surfaces and thus reduce electromagnetic interference and improve signal integrity by minimizing abrupt changes in geometry.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US20210384461A1; hereinafter Kim’461) in view of Kim et al. (US20030117569A1; hereinafter Kim’569) and in further view of Senoo et al. (US20160240809A1).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Kim’461 and Kim’569 does not teach wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting elements includes an electrode individually,
the first substrate includes an edge cover to partition a plurality of the electrodes, and
the partition wall and the plurality of spacers are formed on the first substrate of an identical material and in an identical layer as the edge cover.
Fig.1 of Senoo teaches an organic EL display device (electroluminescence device) that includes an interlayer insulating film 9, an edge cover 10, and a first electrode 11 of the organic EL element 4 that are formed on the TFT substrate 2; wherein the edge cover 10 is formed on the interlayer insulating film 9 in a state covering a pattern end portion of the first electrode 11 and wherein An opening in the edge cover 10, i.e., a portion where the first electrode 11 is exposed from the edge cover 10, substantially constitutes a light-emitting region of the organic EL element 4 (para.0050-0051).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the first electrode 11 of the organic EL element 4 are formed on the TFT substrate 2 and edge cover 10, that includes opening, as taught by Senoo because the edge cover 10 functions as an insulating layer to prevent short-circuiting between the first electrode 11 and the organic EL element 4 comprises, e.g., a light-emitting device that is able to emit high-luminance light with low-voltage DC drive, and it includes the first electrode 11, the organic EL layer 12, and the second electrode 13 (Senoo, [para.0050,0052]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VINCENT KIPKEMOI RONO whose telephone number is (571)270-5977. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm.
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VINCENT KIPKEMOI. RONO
Examiner
Art Unit 2891
/V.K.R./Examiner, Art Unit 2891
/MATTHEW C LANDAU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2891
Prosecution Insights