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 7, Claims 1-23, Figure 16 in the reply filed on05/26/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 and 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Seo et al. 20190148672 (Seo).
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Regarding claim 1, fig. 2 of Seo discloses a display device comprising:
a substrate 11;
a display unit on the substrate, the display unit including at least one display element ED; and
an encapsulation layer TE covering the at least one display element, the encapsulation layer comprising an inorganic encapsulation layer 32 and an organic encapsulation layer 33,
wherein the display unit further comprises:
an organic insulating layer (par [0084] - layer 13 may include the same material as the first base layer 11 and par [0082] - layer 11 may include polyimide (PI) which is organic); and
an inorganic layer 14 on the organic insulating layer, wherein the inorganic layer includes a tip protruding beyond a side surface of the organic insulating layer in a direction parallel to an upper surface of the substrate, and
a portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer 32 extends toward a bottom surface of the tip to overlap the bottom surface of the tip of the inorganic layer (see FIG. 3A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 2).
Regarding claim 5, fig. 2 of Seo discloses wherein the inorganic layer is disposed directly on an upper surface of the organic insulating layer, and the tip protrudes beyond an edge at which the side surface of the organic insulating layer and a bottom surface of the inorganic layer meet such that the tip has a first length.
Regarding claim 6, fig. 2 of Seo discloses wherein the portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer is in direct contact with the bottom surface of the tip of the inorganic layer.
Regarding claim 7, par [0085] of Seo discloses wherein the inorganic layer comprises an inorganic insulating material.
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 8, 12-13, 15-17 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo in view of WU et al. 20200328264.
Regarding claim 8, fig. 2 of Seo discloses a display device comprising:
a substrate 11 having an opening portion MH passing through an upper surface of the substrate and a bottom surface of the substrate, the substrate including a display portion PA and a groove portion BA between the opening portion and the display portion;
a display unit ED on the substrate, the display unit including at least one display element; and
an encapsulation layer TE covering the at least one display element, the encapsulation layer comprising an inorganic encapsulation layer 32 and an organic encapsulation layer 33,
wherein the display unit further comprises:
an organic insulating layer 13 having a recess BR, wherein the recess is disposed in the groove portion BA; and
a barrier layer 14 on the organic insulating layer, the barrier layer including a tip protruding laterally beyond a first side surface of the organic insulating layer that faces the recess, and
a portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer extends toward a bottom surface of the tip to overlap the bottom surface of the tip of the barrier layer.
Seo does not disclose that the barrier layer 14 is a metal layer.
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However, fig. 2 of Wu discloses a display device comprising alkali metal barrier layer 115 is used for preventing migration of metal ions in the OLED substrate.
Note the barrier layer of Seo can be made of alkali metal barrier layer as taught by Wu for preventing migration of metal ions in the OLED substrate.
As such it would have been obvious to form a display device of Seo wherein the barrier layer is interchanged with a metal layer such as taught by Wu in order to prevent migration of metal ions in the OLED substrate.
There resulting structure would have been one meeting the claimed invention - comprising a metal layer on the organic insulating layer, the metal layer including a tip protruding laterally beyond a first side surface of the organic insulating layer that faces the recess, and a portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer extends toward a bottom surface of the tip to overlap the bottom surface of the tip of the metal layer.
Regarding claim 15, fig. 2 of Seo discloses a display device comprising:
a substrate 11 having an opening portion passing through an upper surface of the substrate and a bottom surface of the substrate, the substrate including a display portion and a groove portion between the opening portion and the display portion;
a display unit on the substrate, the display unit including at least one display element, wherein the at least one display element comprises a light-emitting diode; and
an encapsulation layer TE covering the at least one display element, the encapsulation layer comprising an inorganic encapsulation layer and an organic encapsulation layer, wherein the display unit further comprises:
a buffer layer 12 on the upper surface of the substrate;
a thin-film transistor TR disposed in the display portion and including a semiconductor layer SL on the buffer layer and a gate electrode on the semiconductor layer;
a pixel electrode E1 of the light-emitting diode disposed in the display portion;
an opposite electrode E2 on the pixel electrode;
an intermediate layer EL between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode;
a contact metal layer OE electrically connecting the thin-film transistor to the pixel electrode;
an organic insulating layer 13 that includes a recess BR, the recess being disposed in the groove portion BA;
a barrier layer 14 on the organic insulating layer, the barrier layer including a tip protruding laterally beyond a first side surface of the organic insulating layer that faces the recess, and a portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer extends toward a bottom surface of the tip to overlap the bottom surface of the tip of the barrier layer.
Seo does not disclose that the barrier layer 14 is a metal layer.
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However, fig. 2 of Wu discloses a display device comprising alkali metal barrier layer 115 is used for preventing migration of metal ions in the OLED substrate.
Note the barrier layer of Seo can be made of alkali metal barrier layer as taught by Wu for preventing migration of metal ions in the OLED substrate.
As such it would have been obvious to form a display device of Seo wherein the barrier layer is interchanged with a metal layer such as taught by Wu in order to prevent migration of metal ions in the OLED substrate.
There resulting structure would have been one meeting the claimed invention - comprising a metal layer on the organic insulating layer, the metal layer including a tip protruding laterally beyond a first side surface of the organic insulating layer that faces the recess, a portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer extends toward a bottom surface of the tip to overlap the bottom surface of the tip of the metal layer, and the contact metal layer and the metal layer include a same material (electron).
Regarding claim 12, fig. 2 of Seo discloses wherein the portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer is in direct contact with the bottom surface of the tip of the metal layer.
Regarding claims 13 and 16, Seo does not disclose wherein the metal layer comprises at least one selected from molybdenum, titanium, and aluminum/ wherein the metal layer and the contact metal layer comprise at least one selected from molybdenum, titanium, and aluminum.
The selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination in Sinclair & Carroll Co. v.Interchemical Corp., 325 U.S. 327, 65 USPQ 297 (1945).
As such it would have been obvious to form a device comprising wherein the metal layer comprises at least one selected from molybdenum, titanium, and aluminum / wherein the metal layer and the contact metal layer comprise at least one selected from molybdenum, titanium, and aluminum in order to meet the applicant’s design specification.
Regarding claim 17, fig. 2 of Seo discloses wherein the contact metal layer is disposed on the organic insulating layer, and an upper organic insulating layer 22 is disposed between the organic insulating layer and the pixel electrode.
Regarding claim 21, the resulting structure would have been one wherein the portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer is in direct contact with the bottom surface of the tip of the metal layer.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 9-11, 14, 18-20 and 22-23 are 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
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/VONGSAVANH SENGDARA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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