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 .
This Office Action is in response to the election filed September 8, 2026.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-18 in the reply filed on September 8, 2026 is acknowledged.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in the Republic of Korea on 12/21/2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the foreign application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 claimed elements in a plan view 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.
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: DISPLAY DEVICE INCLUDING OVERLAPPING BOTTOM ELECTRODES.
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.
Claim 1 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.
It is not understood how the second bottom electrode overlaps the active layer when the active layer actually overlaps the second bottom electrode.
It is not understood how the second bottom electrode overlaps the first bottom electrode; the gate electrode overlaps the active layer; the second bottom electrode overlaps the active layer and the first end & the second end do not overlap all in a plan view when there are actually no plan views only cross-sectional views. Claims are interpreted as having cross-sectional views.
Claims 2-18 are rejected as being dependent upon rejected claim 1.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 14-15 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US 2021/0335242 A1) .
The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
In regard to claim 1, Kim et al. teach a display device 1 comprising: a substrate 100; a first bottom electrode 139 disposed on the substrate 100 and having a first end; a first insulating layer 105 disposed on the first bottom electrode 139; a second bottom electrode 141 disposed on the first insulating layer 105, the second bottom electrode 141 overlapping the first bottom electrode 139 in a plan view; a second insulating layer 107 disposed on the second bottom electrode 141; and a transistor 134/136/137/138 comprising an active layer 134 disposed on the second insulating layer 107, the transistor 134/136/137/138 comprising a gate electrode 136 overlapping the active layer 134 in a plan view, wherein the second bottom electrode 141 overlaps the active layer 134 in a plan view and has a second end adjacent to the first end, and the first end and the second end do not overlap in a plan view (Figure 9, pages 2-9, paragraphs [0052]-[0134]).
In regard to claim 2, where patentability is said to be based upon particular chosen dimensions or upon another variable recited in a claim, burden is on Applicant to show that the chosen dimensions are critical. In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 1578, 16 USPQ2d 1934, 1936 (Fed. Cir. 1990). It has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
In regard to claim 14, Kim et al. teach the active layer 134 containing an (See page 6, paragraph [0093]) oxide semiconductor (Figure 9, pages 2-9, paragraphs [0052]-[0134]).
In regard to claim 15, Kim et al. teach a gate insulating layer 109 disposed between the active layer 134 and the gate electrode 144, the gate insulating layer 109 covering a portion of the active layer 134, including a portion overlapping the gate electrode 144, and exposing another portion of the active layer 134 (Figure 9, pages 2-9, paragraphs [0052]-[0134]).
18. The display device of claim 1, further comprising: a light emitting element OLED electrically connected to the transistor 134/136/137/138 (Figure 9, pages 2-9, paragraphs [0052]-[0134]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 3-9, 11 and 16 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.
Claim 7 is objected to as being dependent upon objected claim 6.
Claim 10 is objected to as being dependent upon objected claim 9.
Claims 12-13 are objected to as being dependent upon objected claim 11.
Claim 17 is objected to as being dependent upon objected claim 16.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The following patents are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to display devices:
Lee et al. (US 2023/0189559 A1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IDA M SOWARD whose telephone number is (571)272-1845. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, 7am to 5:30pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Leonard Chang can be reached at 571-270-3691. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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IMS
October 6, 2026
/IDA M SOWARD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
