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 1-3,5-9,12-13,16-17,20-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Madigan (USPN 2014/0197396).
With regard to claim 1,
Madigan discloses a display substrate, comprising: a base substrate (402); and a plurality of sub-pixel groups (R,B,G) on the base substrate, wherein sub-pixels in each sub-pixel group of the plurality of sub-pixel groups have a same light-emitting color (red, blue, green, respectively, see paragraph 46), and sub-pixel groups with different colors are separated by a first bank layer (404), wherein: the each sub-pixel group comprises a plurality of sub-pixels (see figs.), wherein adjacent sub-pixels of the plurality of sub-pixels are separated by a second bank layer (416), a height of the second bank layer in a direction perpendicular to the base substrate is less than a height of the first bank layer in the direction perpendicular to the base substrate (see, e.g., fig. 6), the second bank layer is adjacent to the first bank layer (see, e.g., fig. 12), and in the each sub-pixel group, an extension line of a midpoint of the second bank layer between two adjacent sub-pixels of the plurality of sub-pixels in a first direction is not coincident with at least one of extension lines of respective midpoints of the two adjacent sub-pixels in the first direction (see, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 2,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein a width of at least one sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels in a second direction is greater than a width of the second bank layer in the second direction, wherein the second direction intersects with the first direction (see, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 3,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein the extension line of the midpoint of the second bank layer between the two adjacent sub-pixels of the plurality of sub-pixels in the first direction is between the extension lines of the respective midpoints of the two adjacent sub-pixels in the first direction, wherein the second direction intersects with the first direction (see, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 5,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 2, wherein the first direction is a column direction of a sub-pixel array comprising the plurality of sub-pixel groups, and the second direction is a row direction of a sub-pixel array comprising the plurality of sub-pixel groups (See, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 6,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein an extension shape of the first bank layer is a broken line shape or a wavy line shape (see, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 7,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein the display substrate comprises a plurality of first bank layers, wherein extension directions of at least two first bank layers of the plurality of first bank layers are substantially parallel, and lengths of the at least two first bank layers are equal (see, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 8,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein the first bank layer comprises a first line portion and a second line portion wherein the first line portion and the second line portion are alternately distributed and connected as a whole, extension directions of different first line portions in the first bank layer are parallel, and extension directions of different second line portions in the first bank layer are parallel (See, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 9,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 8, wherein: the second line portion extends along the second direction, and the first line portion and the second line portion form a first angle, wherein the first angle is not 90 degrees; and/or a width of the first line portion in the second direction is equal to a width of the second line portion in the first direction (BW, paragraphs 96,128).
With regard to claim 12,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 3, wherein the second bank layer comprises a third line portion and a fourth line portion, wherein the third line portion and the fourth line portion are alternately distributed, and extension directions of different third line portions in the second bank layer are parallel, and extension directions of different fourth line portions in the second bank layer are parallel (see, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 13,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 12, wherein: the fourth line portion extends along the second direction; and the third line portion and the fourth line portion form a second angle, wherein the second angle is not 90 degrees; and/or a width of the third line portion in the second direction is equal to a width of the fourth line portion first direction (SB1+S+SB2 paragraphs 111,112).
With regard to claim 16,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein a width of the first bank layer in a direction perpendicular to an extension direction of the first bank layer is equal to a width of the second bank layer in a direction perpendicular to an extension direction of the second bank layer (paragraphs 128,129).
With regard to claim 17,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein: the height of the first bank layer ranges from 1.2 microns to 1.8 microns (paragraph 96), and the height of the second bank layer ranges from 0.5 micron to 1 micron (paragraph 112); and/or a material of the first bank layer is the same as a material of the second bank layer, and the first bank layer and the second bank layer are connected as a whole.
With regard to claim 20,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sub-pixel groups comprise a red sub-pixel group, a blue sub-pixel group and a green sub-pixel group, wherein an area of a blue sub-pixel in the blue sub-pixel group is greater than an area of a red sub-pixel in the red sub-pixel group, and the area of the blue sub-pixel in the blue sub-pixel group is greater than an area of a green sub-pixel in the green sub-pixel group (see tables 1,2,3).
With regard to claim 21,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein: the second bank layer comprises a third line portion and a fourth line portion adjacent to the third line portion; and the each sub-pixel group comprises at least three sub-pixels, wherein the at least three sub-pixels comprises a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel adjacent to the first sub-pixel and a third sub-pixel adjacent to the second sub-pixel, wherein the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel are separated by the third line portion, and the second sub-pixel and the third sub-pixel are separated by the fourth line portion (see, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 22,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 21, wherein: a shape of each of the plurality of sub-pixels is a parallelogram shape or an ellipse shape (square); and the first sub-pixel is in a same sub-pixel row as the second sub-pixel, and the second sub-pixel is in a different sub-pixel row from the third sub-pixel (See, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 23,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 22, wherein the at least three sub-pixels comprise a plurality of sub-pixel rows, wherein each of the plurality of sub-pixel rows comprises at least two sub-pixels, and in the each sub-pixel group, the at least two sub-pixels in different sub-pixel rows are arranged in a staggered manner (see, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 24,
Madigan disclose the display substrate according to claim 21, wherein: a shape of each of the plurality of sub-pixels is a rhombic shape or a triangle shape (square); and the first sub-pixel is in a different sub-pixel row from the second sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel is in a different sub-pixel row from the third sub-pixel, and a sub-pixel row where the second sub-pixel is located is between a sub-pixel row where the first sub-pixel is located and a sub-pixel row where the third sub-pixel is located (See, e.g., fig. 12).
With regard to claim 25,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 21, wherein: a shape of each of the plurality of sub-pixels is a hexagonal shape or a circular shape; in the each sub-pixel group, a center of the first sub-pixel, a center of the second sub-pixel and a center of the third sub-pixel are at different vertices of an equilateral triangle; and the first sub-pixel and the third sub-pixel are separated by another third line portion or another fourth line portion (see, e.g., fig. 19).
With regard to claim 26,
Madigan discloses a display device, comprising: the display substrate according to claim 1 (see paragraph 2)
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.
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 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Madigan (as above).
With regard to claim 19,
Madigan discloses the display substrate according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sub-pixel groups comprise a red sub-pixel group, a blue sub-pixel group and a green sub-pixel group(R,B,G). While Madigan dose not disclose an area of a red sub-pixel in the red sub-pixel group, an area of a blue sub-pixel in the blue sub-pixel group and an area of a green sub-pixel in the green sub-pixel group to be all equal, such a configuration was well known to and widely used by those of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to the same to incorporate into the substrate of Madigan in order to simplify manufacture.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USPN 2025/0098425, 2022/0271108, 2021/0217829, 2021/0335907.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christopher Raabe whose telephone number is (571)272-8434. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 0530-1430.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James R Greece can be reached at (571)272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER M RAABE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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