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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55, which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/7/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 10/7/2024. These drawings are considered acceptable by Examiner.
America Invents Act
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 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.
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 of this title, 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.
1. Claim(s) 1-4, 9, 11-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Lee (U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0280063 A1) in view of Yan et al., (CN 108396290 B).
Regarding Claim 1, Lee teaches a display device comprising: a pixel electrode (101, a first pixel electrode, ¶ [0045]-¶ [0055]; see at least Fig. 1) disposed on a substrate (100, a substrate); a pixel-defining layer (110, a pixel defining layer) disposed on the substrate (100) and exposing the pixel electrode (101); an emissive layer (132, an emissive layer) disposed on the pixel electrode (101); a common electrode (141, a first opposite electrode) disposed on the emissive layer (132); a first bank (121, a first barrier layer) disposed on the pixel-defining layer (110); and a second bank (122, a second barrier layer) disposed on the first bank (121) and comprising a side surface protruding more than a side surface of the first bank (121). Lee is silent regarding the composition of the second bank.
In the same field of endeavor, Yan et al., teaches a display device (Fig. 4) comprising a bank layer that comprises titanium-zinc (planar films [Wingdings font/0xE0] TiZn alloy film, ¶ [0007], ¶ [0011]) in order to provide a material that is low-cost and easy to industrialize while aiding significantly in preventing thermal degradation due to it’s thermally capable properties (¶ [0007]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the material of the second bank, as disclosed by Yan et al., in the display of Lee in order to provide a material that is low-cost and easy to industrialize while aiding significantly in preventing thermal degradation due to it’s thermally capable properties (¶ [0007]).
Regarding Claim 2, Lee as modified by Yan et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the second bank is amorphous (planar films [Wingdings font/0xE0] TiZn alloy film, ¶ [0007], ¶ [0011]).
Motivation to combine would be the same as stated above.
Regarding Claim(s) 3, 9, 17, Lee teaches the claimed invention (see rejection in the claim above) except for the specific limitation of specific parameters of the second bank.
However, Examiner reasonably contemplates that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the second bank such that a roughness of the second bank (122) is equal to or less than 1 nm and a thickness of the second bank (122) ranges from 500 Å to 1,500 Å, since optimization of workable ranges is considered within the skill of the art as it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. It has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Further, one of ordinary skill in the art would entertain the idea of providing the second bank to have a roughness of the second bank (122) is equal to or less than 1 nm and a thickness of the second bank (122) ranges from 500 Å to 1,500 Å in order to ensure adequate parameters of the TiZn for operation during display device utilization.
Regarding Claim 4, Lee as modified by Yan et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein a peak width of the second bank (122) is 7° or more in an X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) spectrum (intrinsic of TiZn alloy).
Motivation to combine would be the same as stated above.
Regarding Claim 11, Lee teaches the display device of claim 1, further comprising: a residual pattern (via transistor, not shown, ¶ [0066]) disposed between the first pixel electrode (101) and the pixel-defining layer (110).
Regarding Claim 12, Lee as modified by Yan et al., teaches the display device of claim 1, further comprising: a lower inorganic encapsulation layer (150) disposed on the common electrode (141) and the second bank (122) and spaced apart from an upper surface of the second bank (122).
Motivation to combine would be the same as stated above.
Regarding Claim 13, Lee as modified by Yan et al., teaches the display device of claim 12, further comprising: an organic encapsulation layer (163) disposed between the upper surface of the second bank (122) and the lower inorganic encapsulation layer (150).
Motivation to combine would be the same as stated above.
Regarding Claim 14, Lee teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein an end of the common electrode (141) is in contact with the side surface of the first bank (121), and an opposite end of the common electrode (141) is in contact with another side surface of the first bank (121).
Regarding Claim(s) 15-16, Lee teaches a display device comprising: a pixel electrode (101) disposed on a substrate (100); a pixel-defining layer (110) disposed on the substrate (100) and exposing the pixel electrode (101); an emissive layer (132) disposed on the pixel electrode (101); a common electrode (141) disposed on the emissive layer (132); a first bank (121) disposed on the pixel-defining layer (110); and a second bank (122) disposed on the first bank (121) and comprising a side surface protruding more than a side surface of the first bank (121). Lee is silent regarding the composition of the second bank.
In the same field of endeavor, Yan et al., teaches a display device (Fig. 4) comprising a bank layer that comprises in an X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) spectrum, a bank comprises one or two peaks in a 2θ (2theta) range from 0° to 80°, specifically 7° or more (planar films [Wingdings font/0xE0] TiZn alloy film, ¶ [0007], ¶ [0011]) in order to provide a material that is low-cost and easy to industrialize while aiding significantly in preventing thermal degradation due to it’s thermally capable properties (¶ [0007]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the material of the second bank, as disclosed by Yan et al., in the display of Lee in order to provide a material that is low-cost and easy to industrialize while aiding significantly in preventing thermal degradation due to it’s thermally capable properties (¶ [0007]).
Allowable Subject Matter
A. Claim(s) 5-8, 10 are objected 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 an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
The prior art of record (most comprehensive prior art of record to Lee in view of Yan et al.,) suggests a display device comprising: a pixel electrode disposed on a substrate; a pixel-defining layer disposed on the substrate and exposing the pixel electrode; an emissive layer disposed on the pixel electrode; a common electrode disposed on the emissive layer; a first bank disposed on the pixel-defining layer; and a second bank disposed on the first bank and comprising a side surface protruding more than a side surface of the first bank, wherein the second bank comprises titanium-zinc (TiZn).
However, the prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious to one ordinary skilled in the art the display device comprising the various elements as claimed above in combination with the specific limitation of the second bank comprises: a metal layer disposed on the first bank and comprising titanium-zinc (TiZn); and a metal oxide layer disposed on the metal layer as set forth in Claim 5.
Claim(s) 6-8, 10 are allowable because of their dependency status from Claim 5.
B. Claim(s) 18-20 are allowed over the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
The prior art of record (most comprehensive prior art of record to Lee in view of Yan et al.,) suggests a display device comprising: a pixel electrode disposed on a substrate; a pixel-defining layer disposed on the substrate and exposing the pixel electrode; an emissive layer disposed on the pixel electrode; a common electrode disposed on the emissive layer; a first bank disposed on the pixel-defining layer; and a second bank disposed on the first bank and comprising a side surface protruding more than a side surface of the first bank.
However, the prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious to one ordinary skilled in the art the display device comprising the various elements as claimed above in combination with the specific limitation of the second bank comprises: a metal layer disposed on the first bank and comprising titanium-zinc (TiZn), and a metal oxide layer disposed on the metal layer and comprising an oxide of titanium-zinc (TiZn), and wherein a thickness of the metal oxide layer ranges from 1% to 10% of a total thickness of the second bank as set forth in Claim 18.
Claim(s) 19-20 are allowable because of their dependency status from Claim 18.
Other Prior Art Cited
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Jo et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2021/0359079 A1) teaches a layer formed of TiZn.
Examiner's Note
The Examiner cites particular figures, paragraphs, columns and line numbers in the reference(s), as applied to the claims above. Although the particular citations are representative teachings and are applied to specific limitations within the claims, other passages, internally cited references, and figures may also apply. In preparing a response, it is respectfully requested that the Applicant fully consider the references, in their entirety, as potentially disclosing or teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as fully consider the context of the passage as taught by the reference(s) or as disclosed by the Examiner.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner H. Featherly whose telephone number is 571-272-8654. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9 AM-4 PM. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Greece can be reached on 571-272-3711.
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/H. Featherly/
Examiner Featherly
Art Unit 2875 Patent Examiner
/JAMES R GREECE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2875
Prosecution Insights