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 § 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 13 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. The bank (520) is not between the transistor and the light emitting diode layer but adjacent the light emitting diode layer. The claim will be interpreted in light of Fig. 7 of the instant application.
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)(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.
Claims 1-6, and 8-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (CN115036345/ US PGPub 2022/0285463).
Claim 1: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) a display apparatus, comprising: a substrate (100) including a first non-bending area (left of BA), a second non-bending area (right of BA), and a bending area (BA) disposed between the first non-bending area and the second non-bending area; a transistor (TFT) and a light emitting diode layer (OLED) disposed in the first non-bending area on the substrate; a cover layer (520) disposed in the first non-bending area, the second non-bending area, and the bending area on the substrate; and a partition (CD) disposed in the second non-bending area on the substrate.
Claim 2: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) the partition includes a first partition (CD1) and a second partition (CD2) spaced from the first partition.
Claim 3: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) the cover layer (520) is disposed in a partial area of the second non-bending area close to the bending area, and is not disposed in other areas of the second non-bending area excluding the partial area.
Claim 4: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) the cover layer (520) is continuously disposed in the first non-bending area, the second non-bending area, and the bending area.
Claim 5: Lee teaches (Fig. 6, 7b) the cover layer (520) is in contact with one surface of the partition. The claim does not require the contact to only be with one surface.
Claim 6: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) a touch unit (TU) disposed on the light emitting diode layer; and a protection layer (510) disposed on the touch unit, wherein the cover layer (520) is disposed on the protection layer.
Claim 8: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) a second protection layer disposed between the transistor and the light emitting diode layer, wherein the second protection layer includes a first sub protection layer (117) and a second sub protection layer (118), and wherein a connection line (120) connecting to the touch line is disposed between the first sub protection layer and the second sub protection layer.
Claim 9: Lee teaches (Fig. 7b-d) an end of the cover layer in the second non-bending area is disposed between the protection layer and the partition.
Claim 10: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) the partition is configured on a same layer as the protection layer.
Claim 11: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) a dam (PW1,PW2) disposed on the first non-bending area.
Claim 12: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) the partition is spaced apart from the dam by the bending area.
Claim 13: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) a second protection layer (118) and a bank (119) disposed between the transistor and the light emitting diode layer; and a spacer (121) disposed on the bank.
Claim 14: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) the dam is configured with a same material as at least one or more of materials which configure the spacer, the bank, and the protection layer.
Claim 15: Lee teaches (Fig. the cover layer (OU) is in contact with the second protection layer (118) in the bending area (BA).
Claim 16: Lee teaches (Fig. 6) (See claim 1) display apparatus, comprising: a substrate (100) including a first non-bending area, a second non-bending area, and a bending area (BA) disposed between the first non-bending area and the second non-bending area; a light emitting element layer (220) disposed in the first non-bending area on the substrate; a cover layer (520) disposed in the first non-bending area, the bending area on the substrate, and a partial area of the second non-bending area, the cover layer being disposed on the light emitting element layer; and a partition (CD) disposed in the second non-bending area on the substrate.
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.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (CN115036345/ US PGPub 2022/0285463) as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Lee (US PGPub 2022/0344441).
Regarding claim 7, as described above, Lee (463) substantially reads on the invention as claimed, except Lee (463) does not teach the touch unit includes a touch line, and the cover layer is in contact with the touch line in the second non-bending area. Lee (441) teaches the touch unit includes a touch line (MP1/MP2), and the cover layer (520) is in contact with the touch line in the second non-bending area [0203] (Fig. 6, , 117). MP2 extend out of the bending region (BA) and back into the NPS to the right of BA in figure 6 to control the neutral plane of the connection wire [0199]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device to have the touch unit includes a touch line, and the cover layer is in contact with the touch line in the second non-bending area to meet device specification requirements as taught by Lee (441).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARAH KATE SALERNO whose telephone number is (571)270-1266. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30am-2:30pm.
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/SARAH K SALERNO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814
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