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.
Claim(s) 1-15, 17, 19-21, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato (US PGPub 2021/0265432) in view of Hatano et al. (US PGPub 2014/0103368) and Seo et al. (US PGPub 2016/0336519).
Claim 1: Kato teaches (Fig. 21) [0023, 0053, 0056, 0106-0107] a display apparatus comprising: a first light-emitting device; and a second light-emitting device, wherein the second light-emitting device is adjacent to the first light-emitting device, wherein a first gap is provided between the second light emitting device and the first light-emitting device, wherein the first light-emitting device comprises a first pixel electrode, a common electrode, a first unit, a second unit, and a first intermediate layer, wherein the first unit is sandwiched-between the first pixel electrode and the common electrode, wherein the first unit is in contact with the first intermediate layer, wherein the first unit comprises a first organic compound, wherein the second light-emitting device comprises a second pixel electrode, the common electrode, a third unit, wherein a second gap is provided between the second pixel electrode and the first pixel electrode, wherein the third unit is sandwiched between the second pixel electrode and the common electrode, wherein the third unit is in contact with the second intermediate layer, wherein the third unit comprises the first organic compound, wherein a third gap is between the third unit and the first unit, and wherein the third gap overlaps with the second gap. Kato does not teach wherein the second unit is sandwiched between the common electrode and the first unit, wherein the first intermediate layer is sandwiched between the second unit and the first unit, a fourth unit, and a second intermediate layer, wherein the fourth unit is sandwiched between the common electrode and the third unit, wherein the second intermediate layer is sandwiched between the fourth unit and the third unit. Hatano teaches wherein the second unit is sandwiched between the common electrode and the first unit, wherein the first intermediate layer is sandwiched between the second unit and the first unit, a fourth unit, and a second intermediate layer, wherein the fourth unit is sandwiched between the common electrode and the third unit, wherein the second intermediate layer is sandwiched between the fourth unit and the third unit [0127, 0134-0137] (Fig 1-3) as well known applicable features that one of ordinary skill in the art would be able to integrate with the previous claim limitations taught by Kato. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device taught by Kato to have included the second and fourth units and the first and second intermediate layers as they are common features in display apparatuses as taught by Hatano. Kato and Hatano do not teach wherein the first organic compound comprises a plurality of 2,2'-bipyridine skeletons or a plurality of ,10'-phenanthroline skeletons. Seo teaches the use of 2,2'-bipyridine skeletons or a plurality of ,10'-phenanthroline skeletons [0291]. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to substitute one know element for another known element resulting in a predictable result (KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. (KSR), 550 U.S., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007)).
Claim 2: Seo teaches [0291] wherein the first organic compound is represented by General Formula (G0): wherein in General Formula (G0): each of A¹ and A² comprises the 2,2'-bipyridine skeleton or [[a]]the 1, 10'-phenanthroline skeleton, Ar comprises a substituted or unsubstituted arylene group having 6 to 26 carbon atoms or a substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylene group having 2 to 26 carbon atoms, and i is an integer greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 2.
Claim 3: Seo teaches [0291] the display apparatus according to wherein the second unit comprises the first organic compound, wherein the fourth unit comprises the first organic compound, wherein a fourth gap is between the fourth unit and the second unit, and wherein the fourth gap overlaps with the second gap.
Claim 4: Kato teaches [0106-0107] a first insulating layer; and a second insulating layer, wherein the first insulating layer covers a side surface and part of a top surface of the first intermediate layer and a side surface and part of a top surface of the second intermediate layer, wherein the second insulating layer overlaps with the side surface and the part of the top surface of the first intermediate layer and the side surface and the part of the top surface of the second intermediate layer with the first insulating layer therebetween, wherein a top surface of the second insulating layer is covered with the common electrode, wherein an end portion of the second insulating layer has a tapered shape with a taper angle less than 900 in a cross-sectional view, and wherein the second insulating layer covers at least part of a side surface of the first insulating layer. [Gtlim45}
Claim 5: Hatano teaches [0109, 0116-0119] the display apparatus according to wherein the first unit comprises an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal, and wherein the third unit comprises an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. [Claim 6]
Claim 6: Hatano teaches [0109, 0116-0119] the display apparatus according to wherein the first intermediate layer comprises a first layer and a second layer, wherein the second layer is sandwiched-between the first layer and the first unit, wherein the second layer is in contact with the first unit, wherein the second layer comprises an alkali metal compound, wherein the second intermediate layer comprises a third layer and a fourth layer, wherein the fourth layer is between the third layer and the third unit, wherein the fourth layer is in contact with the third unit, and wherein the fourth layer comprises an alkali metal compound.
Claim 7: Hatano teaches [0109, 0116-0119] the display apparatus according to wherein the first layer comprises a second organic compound comprising a halogen group or a cyano group or a transition metal oxide, wherein the third layer comprises the second organic compound comprising a halogen group or a cyano group or the transition metal oxide, wherein a fifth gap is provided-between the third layer and the first layer, and wherein the fifth gap overlaps with the second gap. [Glaim-8}
Claim 8: Hatano teaches [0109, 0116-0119] the display apparatus according to wherein the first light-emitting device comprises a fifth layer, wherein the fifth layer is between the first unit and the first pixel electrode, wherein the fifth layer comprises a third organic compound comprising a halogen group or a cyano group or a transition metal oxide, wherein the second light-emitting device comprises a sixth layer, wherein the sixth layer is sandwiched between the first third unit and the second pixel electrode, wherein the sixth layer comprises the third organic compound comprising a halogen group or a cyano group or the transition metal oxide, wherein a sixth gap is pro-vided-between the sixth layer and the fifth layer, and wherein the sixth gap overlaps with the second gap. [Ckaim-9}
Claim 9: Hatano teaches [0109, 0116-0119] the display apparatus according to wherein the first light-emitting device comprises a seventh layer, wherein the seventh layer is between the common electrode and the second unit, wherein the seventh layer is in contact with the second unit, -whereinthe-seventhlayer-eemrise-an-kai-rmetal-r-n-akaline-earth-metal- wherein the second light-emitting device comprises the seventh layer, wherein the seventh layer is between the common electrode and the fourth unit, wherein the seventh layer is in contact with the fourth unit, and wherein the seventh layer comprises an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. [Ctim-19}
Claim 10: Kato teaches (Fig. 21) the display apparatus according to wherein an end portion of the second insulating layer is positioned outward from an end portion of the first insulating layer.
Claim 11: Kato teaches (Fig. 21) the display apparatus according to wherein the top surface of the second insulating layer has a convex shape.
Claim 12: Kato teaches (Fig. 21) the display apparatus according to wherein an end portion of the first insulating layer has a tapered shape with a taper angle less than 900 in a cross-sectional view.
Claim 13: Kato teaches (Fig. 21) the display apparatus according to wherein a side surface of the second insulating layer has a concave shape.
Claim 14: Kato teaches [0106-0107] a third insulating layer; and a fourth insulating layer, wherein the third insulating layer is positioned-between the top surface of the first intermediate layer and the first insulating layer, wherein the fourth insulating layer is positioned-between the top surface of the second intermediate layer and the first insulating layer, and wherein each of an end portion of the third insulating layer and an end portion of the fourth insulating layer is positioned outward from an end portion of the first insulating layer.
Claim 15: Kato teaches (Fig. 21) the display apparatus according to wherein the second insulating layer covers at least part of a side surface of the third insulating layer and at least part of a side surface of the fourth insulating layer.
Claim 17: Kato teaches (Fig. 21) the display apparatus according to wherein each of the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer comprises a portion overlapping with a top surface of the first pixel electrode and a portion overlapping with a top surface of the second pixel electrode.
Claim 19: Kato teaches (Fig. 21) the display apparatus according to wherein each of an end portion of the first pixel electrode and an end portion of the second pixel electrode has a tapered shape with a taper angle less than 900 in a cross-sectional view.
Claim 20: Kato teaches [0053, 0056] the first insulating layer is an inorganic insulating layer, and wherein the second insulating layer is an organic insulating layer.
Claim 21: Kato teaches [0053, 0056] the display apparatus according to wherein the first insulating layer comprises an aluminum oxide.
Claim 25: Seo teaches [0291] the display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the 2,2'-bipyridine skeleton or the 1,10'-phenanthroline skeleton comprises one or more of substituted or unsubstituted aryl groups and/or one or more of substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl groups.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 18 is 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARAH KATE SALERNO whose telephone number is (571)270-1266. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30am-2:30pm.
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/SARAH K SALERNO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814
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