Notice of 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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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.
The following title is suggested: “A display Device Including Encapsulation Layers With Decreasing Thickness In Through Hole Area of An Active Area”.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 13-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2020/0144535 A1) in view of Song et al. (US 2020/0168683 A1)
Regarding independent claim 1: Kim teaches (e.g., Figs. 1-3) a display device, comprising:
a substrate ([0074]-[0075]: SUB);
an active area ([0075]: AA);
a non-active area ([0067] and [0070]-[0071]: area including THB/TH/THB) in the active area;
a first interlayer insulation layer ([0079]: ILD) disposed on the substrate;
an upper layer (Fig. 3) disposed on the first interlayer insulation layer (ILD);
at least one planarization layer ([0088]-[0089]: PLN) disposed on the first interlayer insulation layer; and
an encapsulation layer ([0074] and [0100]-[0101]: 130) disposed on the at least one planarization layer,
wherein: the non-active area comprises
a through hole (Fig. 2; 3B: [0067] and [0070]-[0071]: TH) and a surrounding area ([0067] and [0070]-[0071]: area including THB/TH/THB) surrounding the through hole;
at least a part of the at least one planarization layer ([0088]-[0091] and [0105]-[0106]: PLN) disposed in the surrounding area (THB) have a convex or concave structure (Fig. 2; [0071], [0077] and [0088] and [103]: planarization layer PLN is part of the DMI and surrounds the through hole, TH, [0103]; thus it has at least a convex or concave structure);
at least a part of the encapsulation layer (130) is disposed in the surrounding area adjacent to the through hole (TH); and
a thickness of the at least a part of the encapsulation layer (PCL) decreases toward the through hole (Fig. 2; 3B: [0067] and [0070]-[0071]: TH).
Kim does not expressly teach
a second interlayer insulation layer;
at least a part of the second interlayer insulation layer and at least a part of the at least one planarization layer disposed in the surrounding area have a convex and concave structure.
Son teaches (e.g., Figs. 1-3B) a display device comprising a first interlayer insulation layer ([0047]-[0050]: 102a/102b) and a planarization layer ([0035] and [0045]: 104);
Son further teaches a second interlayer insulation layer ([0047]-[0050]: 102c); disposed on the first interlayer insulation layer ([0047]-[0050]: 102a/102b);
at least a part of the second interlayer insulation layer (102c) and at least a part of the at least one planarization layer ([0035] and [0045]: 104) disposed in a surrounding area ([0045]: 108a;108b) have a convex and concave structure (Fig. 2 and Figs. 2A-2B; the shape of at least a part of the second interlayer insulation layer 102c and at least a part of the at least one planarization layer disposed in the surrounding area have a convex and concave structure).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include in the device of Kim, the second interlayer insulation layer; at least a part of the second interlayer insulation layer and at least a part of the at least one planarization layer disposed in the surrounding area having a convex and concave structure, as taught by Son, for the benefits of trapping humidity permeating from layers around the through hole, and thus, improve device reliability.
Regarding claim 2: Kim and Son teach the claim limitation of the display device of claim 1, on which this claim depends,
wherein the encapsulation layer comprises an inorganic encapsulation layer (Kim: [0101]: PAS1) disposed on the at least one planarization layer (Kim: PLN) and
an organic encapsulation layer (Kim: [0101]: PCL) disposed on the inorganic encapsulation layer (Kim: [0101]: PAS1);
for the encapsulation layer, at least a part of the organic encapsulation layer (Kim: PCL) is disposed in the surrounding area adjacent to the through hole (Kim: THB area);
and a thickness of the at least a part of the organic encapsulation layer (Kim: PCL) decreases toward the through hole (Kim: Fig. 3; TH).
Regarding claim 3: Kim and Son teach the claim limitation of the display device of claim 2, on which this claim depends,
wherein the at least a part of the organic encapsulation layer (Kim: PCL) disposed in the surrounding area (Kim: THB) adjacent to the through hole (Kim: TH) is structured to incline toward the substrate (Kim: SUB).
Regarding claim 13: Kim and Son teach the claim limitation of the display device of claim 1, on which this claim depends, further comprising
a dam (Kim: [0103]: DMI) disposed in the surrounding area (Kim: THB), wherein the dam surrounds the through hole (Kim: TH).
Regarding independent claim 14: Kim teaches (e.g., Figs. 1-3) a display device, comprising:
a substrate ([0074]-[0075]: SUB);
an active area ([0075]: AA) comprising a plurality of sub pixels ([0042], [0045]-[0052]: P) for displaying an image;
a non-active area ([0067] and [0070]-[0071]: area including THB/TH/THB) in the active area;
an interlayer insulation layer ([0079]: ILD) disposed on the substrate;
a planarization layer ([0088]-[0089]: PLN) disposed on the interlayer insulation layer; and
an encapsulation layer ([0074] and [0100]-[0101]: 130) disposed on the planarization layer,
wherein: the non-active area comprises a through hole (Fig. 2; 3B: [0067] and [0070]-[0071]: TH) and a surrounding area ([0067] and [0070]-[0071]: area including THB/TH/THB) surrounding the through hole;
and the planarization layer (PLN) disposed in the surrounding area (THB); and
compared to an upper surface of the encapsulation layer ([0074]: 130) disposed in the surrounding area (THB) away from the through hole (TH), the upper surface of the encapsulation layer (130) disposed in the surrounding area (THB) adjacent to the through hole (TH) is closer to the substrate (SUB).
Kim does not expressly teach that
a convex and concave structure is comprised in at least one or each of the following: the interlayer insulation layer disposed in the surrounding area and the planarization layer disposed in the surrounding area.
Son teaches (e.g., Figs. 1-3B) a display device comprising an interlayer insulation layer ([0047]-[0050]: 102a/102b) and a planarization layer ([0035] and [0045]: 104);
Son further teaches that the interlayer insulation layer ([0047]-[0050]: 102c); disposed on the first interlayer insulation layer ([0047]-[0050]: 102a/102b/102c);
a convex and concave structure (Fig. 2 and Figs. 3A-3B; the shape of the interlayer insulation layer 102a/102b/102c and the planarization layer disposed in the surrounding area THB have a convex and concave structure) is comprised in at least one or each of the following: the interlayer insulation layer ([0047]-[0050]: 102a/102b/102c) disposed in the surrounding area ([0046] and [0056]: BA) and the planarization layer ([0035], [0045], [0047] and [0061]: 104) disposed in the surrounding area (BA).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include in the device of Kim, the structure wherein the convex and concave structure is comprised in at least one or each of the following: the interlayer insulation layer disposed in the surrounding area and the planarization layer disposed in the surrounding area, as taught by Son, for the benefits of trapping humidity permeating from layers around the through hole, and thus, improve device reliability.
Regarding claim 15: Kim and Son teach the claim limitation of the display device of claim 14, on which this claim depends.
Kim as modified by Son teaches that each of the interlayer insulation layer (Kim: ILD) and the planarization layer (Kim: PLN) disposed in the surrounding area (Kim: THB) comprises the convex and concave structure (Kim: Fig. 2 and Figs. 3A-3B; the shape of the interlayer insulation layer 102a/102b/102c and the planarization layer PLN disposed in the surrounding area have a convex and concave structure); and the convex and concave structure of the interlayer insulation layer (Kim: ILD) overlaps the convex and concave structure of the planarization layer (Fig. 2 and Figs. 3A-3B).
Regarding claim 16: Kim and Son teach the claim limitation of the display device of claim 14, on which this claim depends,
wherein: the planarization layer (Kim: PLN) disposed in the surrounding area (THB) comprises openings (Kim: [0071]: HTR) that pass through the planarization layer (Kim: PLN) in a thickness direction of the planarization layer; and
the encapsulation layer (Kim: 130) disposed in the surrounding area (Kim: THB) fills the openings of the planarization layer (Kim: PLN).
Regarding claim 17: Kim and Son teach the claim limitation of the display device of claim 16, on which this claim depends,
wherein: the interlayer insulation layer (Kim: ILD) disposed in the surrounding area (Kim: THB) comprises openings (Kim: Fig. 3) that pass through the interlayer insulation layer (Kim: ILD) in a thickness direction of the interlayer insulation layer (Kim: ILD); and the encapsulation layer (Kim: 130) disposed in the surrounding area (Kim: THB) fills the openings of the interlayer insulation layer (Kim: ILD).
Regarding claim 18: Kim and Son teach the claim limitation of the display device of claim 14, on which this claim depends,
wherein: the interlayer insulation layer (Kim: ILD) disposed in the surrounding area (Kim: THB) comprises openings that pass through the interlayer insulation layer (Kim: THB) in a thickness direction of the interlayer insulation layer (Kim: THB);
the planarization layer (Kim: PLN) disposed in the surrounding area (Kim: THB) comprises openings that pass through the planarization layer (Kim: PLN) in a thickness direction of the planarization layer; and each of the openings of the interlayer insulation layer (Kim: ILD) overlaps a respective one of the openings of the planarization layer (Kim: PLN).
Regarding claim 19: Kim and Son teach the claim limitation of the display device of claim 14, on which this claim depends,
wherein: the encapsulation layer (Kim: 130) comprises a first encapsulation layer (Kim: [0101]: PAS1) disposed on the planarization layer and a second encapsulation layer (Kim: [0101]: PAS2) disposed on the first encapsulation layer;
each of the planarization layer (Kim: PLN) and the first encapsulation (Kim: PAS1) layer comprises openings (Kim: Fig. 3); and the openings of the planarization layer (Kim: PLN) overlap the openings of the first encapsulation layer (Kim,: PAS1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-12 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 4: the cited prior art of record, either singly or in proper combination, does not teach or make obvious, along with the other claimed features, a display device comprising
“wherein: the first interlayer insulation layer is disposed between the first gate electrode and the second active layer in the active area; and the second interlayer insulation layer is disposed among the second gate electrode, the second source electrode and the second drain electrode in the active area”.
Claims 5-12 depend from claim 4, and therefore, are allowable for the same reason as claim 4.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HERVE-LOUIS Y ASSOUMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-2606. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 08:30 AM-5:30 PM.
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/HERVE-LOUIS Y ASSOUMAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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