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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The prior art documents submitted by applicant in the Information Disclosure Statement filed on 08/26/2024 has been considered and made of record.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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 1-3 and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al., (United States Patent Application Publication Number, US 2022/0352249 A1), hereinafter referenced as Park.
Regarding claim 1, Park teaches a display device comprising: a substrate (Fig.7, element #SUB) including a light-emissive area (Fig.7, element #EMA1) and a non-light-emissive area (Fig.7, element #NEA); a diode type bank located on the non-light-emissive area and constructed to separate a plurality of sub-pixels from each other (Fig.7, formed by elements #B1, #B2 and #B3; paragraph [0143], rows 1-3, paragraph [0145], rows 1-6); a light-emitting element disposed in each of the plurality of sub-pixels (Fig.2, formed by elements #LD); and an encapsulation portion disposed on the light-emitting element (Fig.7, element #PS).
Regarding claim 2, Park teaches the display device of claim 1 as set forth in the anticipation direction. Park further teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the diode type bank includes an opaque semiconductor material (elements #B1, #B2 and #B3, are semiconductors such as GaN, paragraph [0143], rows 1-3, paragraph [0145], rows 1-6, any semiconductors is opaque for photon energies greater than its band gap).
Regarding claim 3, Park teaches the display device of claim 1 as set forth in the anticipation direction. Park further teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the diode type bank includes a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer disposed on the first semiconductor layer (Fig.7, formed by elements #B1 and #B3; paragraph [0143], rows 1-3, paragraph [0145], rows 1-6).
Regarding claim 12, Park teaches a head-mounted display apparatus comprising: a display device; a case for accommodating the display device therein (Fig.27, paragraph [0274] rows 1-3 and paragraph [0275], rows 1-3); and a lens array disposed at one side of the case and configured to display an image output from the display device (paragraph [0276], rows 1-3), wherein the display device includes: a substrate (Fig.7, element #SUB) including a light-emissive area (Fig.7, element #EMA1) and a non-light-emissive area(Fig.7, element #NEA); a diode type bank located on the non-light-emissive area and constructed to separate a plurality of sub-pixels from each other (Fig.7, formed by elements #B1, #B2 and #B3; paragraph [0143], rows 1-3, paragraph [0145], rows 1-6); a light-emitting element disposed in each of the plurality of sub-pixels (Fig.2, formed by elements #LD); and an encapsulation portion disposed on the light-emitting element (Fig.7, element #PS).
Regarding claim 13, Park teaches the display device of claim 12 as set forth in the anticipation direction. Park further teaches the head-mounted display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the diode type bank includes a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer disposed on the first semiconductor layer (Fig.7, formed by elements #B1 and #B3; paragraph [0143], rows 1-3, paragraph [0145], rows 1-6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 8 and 14 are allowed. Claims 5-7 are allowed as being dependent on claim 4. Claims 9-11 are allowed as being dependent on claim 8. Claims 15 and 16 are allowed as being dependent on claim 14.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
Regarding claims 4 and 14, the cited prior art does not teach or fairly suggests, along with other claimed features: “wherein the first semiconductor layer includes amorphous silicon doped with a first conductivity type impurity, and the second semiconductor layer includes amorphous silicon doped with a second conductivity type impurity, wherein the first conductivity type impurity and the second conductivity type impurity are of different conductivity types”.
Park teaches the first and second semiconductor layers are III-V semiconductor materials and not amorphous silicon. Furthermore, the semiconductor layers are made from the same materials as the light emitting elements through an etching process of these layers, and therefore they cannot be substituted with layers including amorphous silicon. Kim et al., (United States Patent Application Number, US 2022/0352425 A1) and Song et al., (United States Patent Application Number, US 2022/0352437 A1), both teach similar structures as the one taught by Park, where the first and second semiconductor layers are III-V semiconductor materials and not amorphous silicon.
Kuwabara (United States Patent Application Number, US 2005/0057151 A1) and Kim et al., (United States Patent Application Number, US 2022/0209198 A1) teach a bank comprised of amorphous silicon with a single type of doping (Kuwabara in Fig.1A, element #12, and Kim, Fig.2, element #140).
Claims 5-7 are allowed as being dependent on claim 4. Claims 15 and 16 are allowed as being dependent on claim 14.
Regarding claim 8, the cited prior art does not teach or fairly suggests, along with other claimed features: “wherein the light-emitting element includes: a first electrode overlapping the light-emissive area and having an edge covered by the diode type bank”.
Park teaches a first electrode overlapping the light-emissive area (Fig.7, element #ET1) but the electrode does not have an edge covered by the diode type bank. Furthermore, in the display disclosed by Park the bank is separated laterally from the electrode and does not overlap with the light-emissive area in the vertical direction. If the electrode extends so that an edge would be covered by the bank, the electrode will short the reflective layer RF, and the display functionality would be negatively affected.
Kuwabara (United States Patent Application Number, US 2005/0057151 A1) and Kim et al., (United States Patent Application Number, US 2022/0209198 A1) teach the light-emitting element includes a first electrode overlapping the light-emissive area and having an edge covered by the diode type bank (Kuwabara in Fig.1A, first electrode, element #13 has an edge covered by the bank, element #12, and Kim, Fig.2, the first electrode, element #151 has an edge covered by the bank, element #140). However, the bank is not a diode type bank and cannot be combined with the teaching of Park for the reasons described above.
Claims 9-11 are allowed as being dependent on claim 8.
Conclusion
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/CRISTIAN A TIVARUS/Examiner, Art Unit 2899 /DALE E PAGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899
