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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 6, Modification A1, Modification B2, Modification C1 in the reply filed on 19 August 2026 is acknowledged. Applicant submits that claims 1 and 3-29 are believed to read on the elected species.
However, claim 6 requires the first isolation portion to comprise a first insulating layer and second conductive layer, wherein the insulating layer covers an edge of the first electrode. This is not applicable to the elected species, and instead is drawn toward non-elected Species 1 (Fig. 3) which features no pixel definition layer. Claim 7 depends from claim 6, and therefore claims 6-7 are withdrawn from consideration.
Claim 20 requires a shielding portion (16) aligned with an aperture. This is not applicable to the elected species/modifications, and is instead drawn to modification A2. Claims 21-29 depend from claim 20, therefore claims 20-29 are withdrawn from consideration.
Claims 1, 3-5, and 8-19 are hereby examined on the merits in this Office action.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the touch control layer located at a side of the isolation structure away from the base plate (of claim 3) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 1, it recites “light-emitting units each comprising a first electrode, a light-emitting functional portion, and a second electrode stacked along a direction away from the base plate”. This establishes that “the first electrode” must be 112 in Fig. 10, and is covered by the stack of the light emitting functional potion and second electrode.
Claim 1 further recites “the first opening portion exposing at least a portion of the first electrode of the light emitting unit”. It is unclear how the opening portion “exposes” the first electrode, when the first electrode is covered by the stack of the light emitting functional portion and the second electrode. For at least this reason claims 3-5, and 8-19 are also rejected based on their dependency from claim 1.
For the purpose of applying prior art, this will be interpreted as requiring the “first opening portion” to not completely overlap the first electrode.
Regarding claim 8, it recites “the pixel defining layer comprising a pixel defining portion and a pixel opening, and the pixel openings…”. It is unclear what “the pixel openings” (plural) is meant to refer to, since prior only a single “a pixel opening” is recited. Appropriate correction is required. For at least this reason claims 9-11 are also rejected based on their dependency from claim 8.
Regarding Claim 12, it recites “the second opening portion is for exposing at least a portion of the first electrode of the second light-emitting unit”. Similarly to claim 1 above, it is unclear how the first electrode is exposed by the second opening portion. Furthermore, “the first electrode of the second light emitting unit” lacks antecedent basis, thereby leaving the claim unclear as to what “the first electrode” is meant to refer back to. For at least this reason, claims 13-19 are also rejected based on their dependency from claim 12.
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.
(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, 4-5, and 8-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zi-yu Liu (CN 116456784 A; hereinafter Liu; translation provided with this Office Action with the referenced paragraph numbers).
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Regarding Claim 1, Liu discloses a display panel (Fig. 4, Fig. 9A, Fig. 9B; 200; ¶0052) having a first display area (20; ¶0052), the display panel comprising:
a base plate (210; ¶0052, which is plate shaped and is a base for components);
a plurality of light-emitting units (222; ¶0052) each comprising a first electrode (222c; ¶0067), a light-emitting functional portion (222a; ¶0052), and a second electrode (222b; ¶0052) stacked along a direction away from the base plate (210), the second electrodes (222b) of adjacent light-emitting units (adjacent 222) being spaced apart (by 250), and the plurality of light-emitting units (222) comprising at least one first light-emitting unit (222) located in the first display area (20);
an isolation structure (250; ¶0078) formed at one side of the base plate (above 210) and comprising a plurality of first isolation structures (plurality of 250) spaced apart within the first display area (20), the first isolation structure comprising a first physical portion (physical portion of 250 comprising A, B,C, b, and d) and a first opening portion (opening in which c resides), the first physical portion being arranged around the first opening portion (Fig. 9A/9B), the first opening portion exposing at least a portion of the first electrode (222c is “exposed” by not being completely covered by 250) of the first light-emitting unit, and the second electrode (222b) of the first light-emitting unit being electrically connected with the first isolation structure (250) (¶0079); and
a connection portion (240; ¶0079), at least a portion of adjacent first isolation structures (adjacent 250) being electrically connected through the connection portion (240) (¶0079; Fig. 9A/9B).
Regarding Claim 4, Liu discloses the display panel according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion (240) is in the form of a strip (as shown in Fig. 9B) and arranged between two adjacent first isolation structures (250), one end of the connection portion is electrically connected with one of the first isolation structures, and the other end of the connection portion is electrically connected with the other of the first isolation structures (as shown in Fig. 9B and ¶0079).
Regarding Claim 5, Liu discloses the display panel according to claim 4, wherein an orthographic projection of the connection portion (240) on the base plate (210) extends along a straight line (as shown in Fig. 9B; 240 is a straight line).
Regarding Claim 8, Liu discloses the display panel according to claim 1, further comprising a pixel defining layer (221; ¶0052) located between the first electrode (222c) and the isolation structure (250), the pixel defining layer (221) comprising a pixel defining portion (physical portion of 221) and a pixel opening (opening in 221 containing 222a), and the pixel openings (containing 222a) and the first opening portions (where c resides) being arranged in one-to-one correspondence and connected respectively for accommodating the light-emitting units (222) (as shown in Fig. 9A); and
the first isolation structure (250) comprising a third isolation portion (A+B) comprising an electrically conductive material (¶0098), and the connection portion (240) and the second electrode (222b) of the first light-emitting unit (222) being connected with the third isolation portion (A+B);
wherein the third isolation portion (A+B) comprises a first layer (A) and a second layer (B) located at a side of the first layer away from the base plate (210) (Fig. 9A), the first layer (A) comprises an electrically conductive material (Ti; ¶0098), and the connection portion (240) and the second electrode (222b) of the first light- emitting unit (222) are connected with the first layer (A) (Fig. 9A).
Regarding Claim 9, Liu discloses the display panel according to claim 8, wherein the first isolation structure (250) further comprises a fourth isolation portion (C+b+d) located at a side of the third isolation portion (A+B) away from the base plate (210), and an orthographic projection of the third isolation portion (A+B) on the base plate is located within an orthographic projection of the fourth isolation portion (C+b+d) on the base plate (210) (as shown in Fig. 9A).
Regarding Claim 10, Liu discloses the display panel according to claim 9, wherein the connection portion (240) and the first layer (A) are distributed along a direction parallel to a plane where the base plate (210) is located and are in contact with each other (as shown in Fig. 9A), and
an orthographic projection of the second layer on the base plate covers a portion of an orthographic projection of the connection portion on the base plate; or
the connection portion (240) is in contact with a side of the pixel defining layer (top of 221) away from the base plate (210) (as shown in Fig. 9A); or
the connection portion and the first layer are of a same material and form a one-piece structure.
Regarding Claim 11, Liu discloses the display panel according to claim 10, wherein one end of the first layer (A) close to the first opening portion (where c resides) comprises a first extension portion (tapered portion of A) extending beyond the second layer (tapered portion of A extends beyond B in the left/right direction), and an orthographic projection of the first extension portion on the base plate is located within an orthographic projection of the fourth isolation portion (C+b+d) on the base plate (210) (as shown in Fig. 9A).
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu in view of Byung Han Yoo et al. (US 20230345795 A1; hereinafter Yoo).
Regarding Claim 3, Liu discloses the display panel according to claim 1, wherein the display panel further comprises a touch control layer (¶0106).
Liu does not expressly disclose wherein the touch control layer is located at a side of the isolation structure (250) away from the base plate (210), and the connection portion (240) being located between the base plate (210) and the touch control layer.
In the same field of endeavor, Yoo discloses a display panel (Fig. 3; DP; ¶0041) including a substrate (Fig. 5; SUB) which supports isolation structures (BK; ¶0103) on a side away from the substrate, which a touch sensor (TS; ¶0065) disposed on the display panel at a side of the isolation structure (BK) away from the base plate (in the DR3 direction, Fig. 3 and Fig. 5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have the touch control layer of Liu be disposed on top of the isolation structures/connection portion (in the manner of Yoo) in order to avoid reconfiguration of the display panel elements while providing a touch-screen capability for a user (Yoo; ¶0065).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-19 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding Claim 12, the prior art of record (Liu) discloses the limitations of claim 1. Other prior art, such as Sangha Park et al. (US 20250031533A1) disclose different display areas (Fig. 8A; transmission area DA2 and display area DA1) with different light transmittances (¶0099), pixel areas, and pixel spacing (Fig. 8A).
However, the references of the Prior Art of record and considered pertinent to the applicant's disclosure and to the Examiner’s knowledge does not teach or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan, all the limitations of the instant invention in their entirety (the individual limitations may be found just not in combination with proper motivation); further including:
Wherein the isolation structure further comprises a second isolation structure located within the second display area and having a mesh structure, the second isolation structure comprises a second physical portion and a second opening portion, the second physical portion is continuously arranged as a whole layer, and the second opening portion is for exposing at least a portion of the first electrode of the second light-emitting unit.
For at least these reasons, claims 13-19 would also be allowable if rewritten to overcome the 112(b) rejection(s) based on their dependency from claim 12.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Jia Tang (US 20210336187 A1) discloses a similar display panel (Fig. 2E) with a multi layered electrically conductive isolation structure (60/70/80) between adjacent light emitting elements.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN PRIDEMORE whose telephone number is (703)756-4640. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:00pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JULIO MALDONADO can be reached at (571) 272-1864. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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NATHAN PRIDEMORE
Examiner
Art Unit 2898
/NATHAN PRIDEMORE/Examiner, Art Unit 2898 /JULIO J MALDONADO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2898
