DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the applicant's application filed July 30th, 2024. In virtue of this communication, claims 1-25 are currently presented in the instant application.
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 .
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 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2019/0189727 A1; hereinafter Kim27) in view of Kim (US 2017/0170247 A1; hereinafter Kim47).
With respect to claim 1, Kim27 discloses a display device DP in Figs. 1-3, comprising:
a substrate SUB including a plurality of sub-pixels SP (see Figs. 1-3 and paragraph 34);
an encapsulation substrate ENC bonded to the substrate SUB (see Figs. 1-3 and paragraph 67);
a driving transistor TT disposed in each sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels SP (see Figs. 1-3 and paragraphs 41, 44);
an organic light emitting diode TOLE connected to the driving transistor TT (see Fig. 1-3 and paragraph 46);
a cathode contact part (part of CAT between BM and BN) connected to the organic light emitting diode TOLE (see Figs. 1-3 and paragraphs 65, 66);
a first gap structure (SP in Fig. 3) disposed over the cathode contact part (part of CAT between BM and BN) (see Figs. 1-3 and paragraphs 66, 67); and
a second gap structure BM disposed over the encapsulation substrate ENC and facing the first gap structure (SP in Fig. 3) (see Figs. 1-3 and paragraph 68).
Kim27 does not explicitly disclose wherein the cathode contact part is configured to receive a low-potential voltage. However, in order for the organic light emitting diode to operate, current must flow from the anode to the cathode. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that the cathode contact part (part of CAT between BM and BN), which is part of the cathode CAT, would be configured to receive a low-potential voltage otherwise the organic light emitting diode would not operate (see MPEP 2144 I).
Additionally, Kim27 does not disclose a state where an adhesive film is disposed on the substrate.
Kim47 discloses a display device a display device 100 in at least Figs. 1-3 wherein an adhesive film 120 is disposed on the substrate 101 (see Figs. 1-3 and paragraphs 52, 57, 73, 83, 84).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that the display device of Kim27 would include an adhesive film disposed on the substrate as taught by Kim47 to fill the space between the organic light-emitting element on the first substrate 101 and the second substrate (see Kim47: paragraph 57) to protect and secure the display device (see MPEP 2144 I).
With respect to claim 2, the combination of Kim27 and Kim47 discloses the display device according to claim 1, wherein the sub-pixel SP includes a transmission area TRA and an emission area LEA (see Kim27: Figs. 1-3 and paragraphs 35, 40).
Claims 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2019/0189727 A1; hereinafter Kim27) in view of Kim (US 2017/0170247 A1; hereinafter Kim47) as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Joo et al. (US 2021/0328172 A1; hereinafter Joo).
With respect to claim 3, the combination of Kim27 and Kim47 discloses the display device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of sub-pixels SP each is coupled to a data line DL, a power line VDD, and a gate line intersecting one another (see Kim27: Figs. 1-3 and paragraphs 39, 42-44. Also see Kim47: Figs. 1-3 and paragraphs 49, 50), and wherein the sub-pixel SP further includes a switching transistor ST1 (see Kim27: Figs. 1-3 and paragraphs 41, 42), and a capacitor (see Kim47: Figs. 1-3 and paragraph 80).
The combination does not disclose a sensing line and a sensing transistor.
Joo discloses a display device in Figs. 1-7 wherein a plurality of sub-pixels are coupled to and include a sensing line SSL and a sensing transistor T3 (see Fig. 4 and paragraphs 68, 73, 74).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that the plurality of sub-pixels of the display device of the combination of Kim27 and Kim47 would be coupled to and include a sensing line and a sensing transistor as taught by Joo. The sensing thin-film transistor T3 may supply a pre-charging voltage from the reference voltage line RL to the second node S in response to a sensing signal SSn from the sensing control line SSL or may supply a voltage of the pixel electrode of the organic light-emitting diode OLED to the reference voltage line RL in a sensing period (see Joo: paragraph 74).
With respect to claim 4, the combination of Kim27, Kim47, and Joo discloses the display device according to claim 3, wherein the emission area LEA includes a first emission area overlapping the driving transistor TT and a second emission area overlapping the switching transistor ST1 and the sensing transistor T3 (see Kim27: Figs. 1-3 and paragraphs 41, 42, 44. Also see Joo: Figs. 1-7 and paragraphs 68, 73, 74. The emission area has different parts over the different transistors).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-25 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: the prior art does not disclose or fairly suggest: a cathode power line disposed in parallel with the data line, wherein the cathode power line is electrically connected to a cathode connection line through a contact hole, as called for in claim 5 (claims 6-25 depend from claim 5).
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JORDAN M KLEIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7544. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sue Purvis can be reached at 571-272-1236. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/J.M.K/Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/SUE A PURVIS/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
