The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
1. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
2. Claim 1-3, 5-6, 10 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over MIZUSAKI et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2024/0114715, hereinafter referred to as MIZUSAKI) in view of Kajimoto et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/0358032, hereinafter referred to as Kajimoto).
As to claim 1, MIZUSAKI teaches 1. A display device comprising: a first light-emitting element and a second light-emitting element adjacent to each other over an insulating surface, wherein the first light-emitting element comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, and a layer comprising a first organic compound interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the second light-emitting element comprises a third electrode, a fourth electrode, and a layer comprising a second organic compound interposed between the third electrode and the fourth electrode, wherein the layer comprising the first organic compound comprises a first light-emitting layer, a first intermediate layer, and a second light-emitting layer, wherein the first intermediate layer is positioned between the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer, wherein the first intermediate layer comprises a mixed layer of an organic compound having an electron-transport property and lithium or a material comprising lithium. [21, 71, 55, 37, 35 in Fig.1 for example]
MIZUSAKI may not explicitly teach wherein a distance between facing end portions of the first electrode and the third electrode is greater than or equal to 2 µm and less than or equal to 5 µm.
Kajimoto teaches this limitation [¶0002 for example]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to combine the teachings of MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto to “adjust the pitch between the pixels" in MIZUSAKI according to Kajimoto, for the further advantage of “utilizing known method of obtaining better resolution”. […An organic device that includes an organic EL light emitting element has gained attention. There is known a method (to be referred to as a white+CF method hereinafter) that uses a light emitting element which emits white light and a color filter to increase the resolution of an organic device. Since an organic layer is deposited on the entire surface of a substrate in the white+CF method, the resolution can be increased easily by adjusting the pixel size, the pitch between the pixels, or the like compared to a method in which the organic layer is deposited for each color by using a metal mask…¶0002]
As to claim 2, MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto teaches 2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the mixed layer is greater than or equal to 10 nm. [MIZUSAKI ¶0070~0073]
As to claim 3, MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto teaches 3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the layer comprising the second organic compound comprises a third light- emitting layer, a second intermediate layer, and a fourth light-emitting layer, wherein the second intermediate layer is positioned between the third light-emitting layer and the fourth light-emitting layer, and wherein the second intermediate layer comprises a second mixed layer of an organic compound having an electron-transport property and lithium or a material comprising lithium. [MIZUSAKI Fig. 11]
As to claim 5, MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto teaches 5. The display device according to 3, wherein the first intermediate layer and the second intermediate layer are independent of each other. [MIZUSAKI Fig. 11]
As to claim 6, MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto teaches 6. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the first light-emitting layer, the second light-emitting layer, the third light- emitting layer, and the fourth light-emitting layer are independent of one another. [MIZUSAKI Fig. 11]
As to claim 10, MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto teaches 10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein in the mixed layer, the organic compound having the electron-transport property and lithium or the material comprising lithium are uniformly mixed.
3. Claim 7 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over MIZUSAKI in view of Kajimoto further in view of Ohsawa et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 20210104697, hereinafter referred to as Ohsawa).
As to claim 7, MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto may not teach 7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the organic compound having the electron-transport property comprises any of a polyazole skeleton, a pyridine skeleton, a diazine skeleton, and a triazine skeleton.
Ohsawa teaches this limitation [¶0255, 0278, 0279, 0289 for example]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to combine the teachings of MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto and Ohsawa to “use these materials" in MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto according to Ohsawa, for the further advantage of “utilizing known material for high electron-transport property”.
4. Claim 8 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over MIZUSAKI in view of Kajimoto further in view of OHSAWA et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 20240164132, hereinafter referred to as OHSAWA’132).
As to claim 8, MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto may not teach 8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the organic compound having the electron-transport property comprises a bipyridine skeleton.
OHSAWA’132 teaches this limitation [¶0286 for example]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to combine the teachings of MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto and OHSAWA’132to “use these materials" in MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto according to OHSAWA’132, for the further advantage of “utilizing known material for high electron-transport property”.
5. Claim 9 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over MIZUSAKI in view of Kajimoto further in view of Hamaguchi et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 20130084531, hereinafter referred to as Hamaguchi).
As to claim 9, MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto may not teach 9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the organic compound having the electron-transport property comprises a phenanthroline skeleton.
Hamaguchi teaches this limitation [¶0035 for example]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to combine the teachings of MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto and Hamaguchi to “use these materials" in MIZUSAKI and Kajimoto according to Hamaguchi, for the further advantage of “utilizing known material for high electron-transport property”.
Conclusion
Claims 1-3, 5-10 are rejected as explained above.
The prior art made of record in the PTO-892 form and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/JAEHWAN OH/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899
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