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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/06/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 9-22 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 08/25/2026. Claims 1-8 pending and action on merits follows.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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(s) 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 20220399404 A1) (Kim, hereafter) in view of Kim et al. (US 20210399068 A1) (K9068, hereafter).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a display device(Figure 1-7 and corresponding text) comprising: (Figure 5-7D)a light-emitting element layer (OLED) disposed on a substrate ; a thin-film encapsulation layer(TFE) disposed on the light-emitting element layer (π137-π140)); a bank(BK/PDL) disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer(TFE), and partitioning emission areas (PXA)and a non-emission area (NPXA); a low refractive layer (10), and comprising pores (π98); a passivation layer(20) disposed on the low refractive layer (10), and defining a plurality of openings (OP1,OP2,OP3); and a color filter layer (CF1, CF2,CF3)disposed on the passivation layer (20), wherein the low refractive layer (10) -overlaps the plurality of openings(OP1,OP2,OP3) and comprises first regions (NPXA) and a second region(PXA-B,G,R) different from the first regions, and the first regions(NPXA)contact the color filter layer. Kim fails to explicitly disclose a capping layer.
K9068 DISCLOSES (Figure 5) A first capping layer CPL1 may be disposed on the low refractive layer LRL. The first capping layer CPL1 may reduce or effectively prevent impurities such as moisture or air from permeating from the outside and damaging or contaminating the color filter layers CFL and/or the low refractive layer LRL. Further, the first capping layer CPL1 may reduce or effectively prevent the colorants of the color filter layers CFL from being diffused into other components or layers.
It would be obvious to have one of ordinary skill in the art to further modify the display device of Kim as disclosed by Ki9068 wherein a capping layer on a bank the motivation being to reduce or effectively prevent impurities such as moisture or air from permeating from the outside and damaging or contaminating the pixels.
Regarding claim 2, Kim discloses wherein the first regions overlap the non-emission area, and the second region overlaps the emission areas.
Regarding claim 3-4, Kim as modified by K9068 fails to explicitly disclose wherein the first regions do not comprise the pores and the second region comprise pores (clsim3);wherein the first regions have a smaller amount of pores than an amount of pores of the second region (claim 4).
It would be obvious to have one of ordinary skill in the art to further modify the display device of Kim based on the reference of Kim wherein the first regions do not comprise the pores and the second region comprise pores ;wherein the first regions have a smaller amount of pores than an amount of pores of the second region, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claim 5, Kim discloses wherein the color filter (CFL) comprises a first color filter overlapping one of the emission areas and a first color pattern overlapping the non-emission area, and the first regions contact one of the first color filter and the first color pattern.
Regarding claim 6, Kim discloses wherein the first regions (Figure 5)include an organic material or colorant of one of the first color filter and the first color pattern (π118)
Regarding claims 7-8, the limitations, wherein the plurality of openings of the passivation layer overlaps the non-emission area (claim 7)l; wherein the plurality of openings is defined in a dot shape or mesh shape in a plan view (claim 8); do not appear to contain any additional features which define more than slight constructional changes which come within the scope of the customary (design) practice followed by persons skilled in the art, especially as the advantages thus achieved can be readily contemplated in advance. Alternatively, these limitations are not deemed patentable since the applicant’s disclosure fails to show such limitations to solve any problems or to yield any unobvious advantage that is not within the scope of the teachings applied. Therefore, such limitations would be a matter of design alternative.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date to modify the display device of Kim based on the disclosure of Kim wherein the plurality of openings of the passivation layer overlaps the non-emission area; wherein the plurality of openings is defined in a dot shape or mesh shape in a plan view the motivation being to enhance luminous efficiency and brightness over a wide viewing angle and since design alternative requires routine skill.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. can be found in the 892 provided with this office action or below:
US 20220123183 A1-General state of the art-a display device that may secure cost competitiveness-some aspects of claims
US 20220085114 A1-General State of the Art-A color transformation substrate
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRACIE Y GREEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3104. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thursday, 10am-8pm.
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TRACIE Y. GREEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2875
/TRACIE Y GREEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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