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 IV, FIG. 5B, encompassed by claims 1-17 in the reply filed on 09/08/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 4-9 and 12-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 4 reciting “an inorganic layer and an organic layer are alternately laminated” is new matter not found in the applicant specification and original drawings. Note that alternately laminated means occur in turn repeatedly, but the applicant invention is not one wherein an inorganic layer and an organic layer are alternately laminated.
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.
Claim 2 is 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.
Claim 2 reciting “wherein the organic light emitting layer extends from the light emitting unit to the opening” is unclear and indefinite as to how the organic light emitting layer extends from the light emitting unit to the opening because the cut structure the cut structure of claim 1 cuts a connection of the organic light emitting layer between the opening and the light emitting unit. As such it is unclear and indefinite.
Claim 6 reciting “from being laminated” is unclear and indefinite as from being laminated from what? As such it is unclear and indefinite.
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)(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 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by CHOI et al. 20200161582.
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Regarding claim 1, figs. 1-15 of Choi discloses a display device, comprising:
a base layer 101 including an active area (all area with DA) partitioned to display images and an inactive area NDA2 adjacent to the active area;
a planarization layer 209 above the base layer;
a bank layer 211 above the planarization layer;
an organic light emitting layer 222 above the bank layer (see fig. 12 showing 222 above 211);
an opening OA located in a part of the active area and passing through the base layer and one or more functional layers (all layer above 101 has a function) thereabove;
a light emitting unit OLED located in another part of the active area (figs. 7 and 12);
a cut structure 510 (figs. 12 and 14) located in a vicinity of the opening and provided to cut a connection (anything that is connected to the light emitting layer is a connection such as 222a, 222c) of the organic light emitting layer between the opening and the light emitting unit of the active area;
a blocking structure 520 located between the cut structure 510 and the opening; and
the cut structure is located on a same layer as the planarization layer and the blocking structure is located on a same layer as the planarization layer and the bank layer combined (par [0155] and figs. 14 and 12).
Regarding claim 2, fig. 12 of Choi discloses wherein the organic light emitting layer extends from the light emitting unit to the opening.
Regarding claim 3, fig. 12 of Choi discloses wherein the blocking structure is a multi-layer structure formed of the same material as the planarization layer and the bank layer.
Regarding claim 4. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising an encapsulation layer above the organic light emitting layer, and wherein the encapsulation layer has a structure in which an inorganic layer (310,330,710, 730) and an organic layer (320,720) are alternately laminated.
Regarding claim 5, fig. 12 of Choi discloses further comprising a bumper layer (any of 230/223/222 is a bumper layer and left and right side layer of OL1 is a type of a bumper layer form being a bumper for IL1, IL2, L3) disposed between protruding structures of the cut structure, wherein the bumper layer is disposed between a first inorganic layer and a second inorganic layer, and wherein the second inorganic layer is disposed directly on the first inorganic layer on the protruding structures of the cut structure (see fig. 14).
Regarding claim 6, figs. 12 and 14 of Choi discloses wherein at least one of the inorganic layer covers the cut structure, wherein the cut structure has a shape to suppress the inorganic layer which covers the cut structure from being laminated while making a valley shape.
Regarding claim 7, figs. 12 and 14 of Choi discloses wherein a side surface inclination (flat side surface between OL2 and OL1) of the cut structure is 65 degrees or smaller.
Regarding claim 8, fig. 14 of Choi discloses wherein the cut structure has at least two side surface inclination angles ((flat side surface between OL2 and OL1) and slanted side surface of Ol2), and an inclination angle of a lower portion of the cut structure (that of flat side surface between OL2 and OL1) is smaller than an inclination angle of an upper portion of the cut structure (that of slanted side surface of Ol2).
Regarding claim 9, figs. 12 and 14 of Choi discloses wherein the encapsulation layer covers the active area, wherein the inorganic layer which covers the cut structure is the first inorganic layer and is included in the encapsulation layer.
Regarding claim 10, figs/ 12 and 14 of Choi discloses further comprising an inorganic insulating layer 201 below the cut structure that is etched inwardly from an outer periphery of the cut structure.
Regarding claim 11, fig. 12 of Choi discloses further comprising: a pixel circuit PC in the active area, the pixel circuit including a thin film transistor, and wherein the cut structure includes at least two protruding structures (OL2 and OL1), and each of the at least two protruding structures is formed of a same material as the planarization layer (organic material) which covers a source electrode or a drain electrode of the thin film transistor included in the pixel circuit of the active area.
Regarding claim 12, fig. 12 of Choi discloses wherein the encapsulation layer includes a first inorganic layer 310, an organic layer 320, and a second inorganic layer 330 sequentially laminated and covering the active area, the blocking structure blocks a flow of the organic layer, and the cut structure is located on one side or both sides of the blocking structure.
Regarding claim 13, fig. 12 of Choi discloses further comprising another blocking structure 720A provided to block a flow of the organic layer, wherein the cut structure is located between the blocking structure 520 and the another blocking structure 720A.
Regarding claim 14, fig. 14 of Choi discloses wherein the bumper layer is disposed adjacent to a side surface of the cut structure.
Regarding claim 15, fig. 14 of Choi discloses wherein the bumper layer 230 is made of the same material (inorganic) as a part of the encapsulation layer (inorganic part of the encapsulation layer).
Regarding claim 16, fig. 14 of Choi discloses wherein the encapsulation layer includes the first inorganic layer 310, an organic layer 320, and the second inorganic layer 330 which are sequentially laminated, and wherein the bumper layer is formed of the same material as the organic layer (that of OL1 and 320 are organic material).
Regarding claim 17, fig. 14 of Choi discloses wherein the bumper layer fills a valley on the side surface of the cut structure.
Conclusion
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/VONGSAVANH SENGDARA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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