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 .
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.
(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, 4, 6-9, and 21-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 2018/0006264).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses a display device (Fig. 11; Paragraph [0105]) comprising: a base substrate including a pixel area and a non-pixel area surrounding the pixel area (100; Paragraph [0037]); an overcoat layer disposed on the base substrate and formed with a trench portion in the non-pixel area and a portion of the pixel area around the non-pixel area are recessed (107; Paragraph [0063]); a plurality of first electrodes disposed on the overcoat layer and spaced apart from each other, and each having an end which overlaps the trench portion (220; Paragraph [0106]); a bank disposed in and around the trench portion and covering a side portion of the first electrode (640; Paragraph [0106]), and formed with a slit on an upper surface thereof (300; Paragraph [0106]); a light emitting layer disposed on the first electrode and the bank (221; Paragraph [0119]); and a second electrode disposed on the light emitting layer (223; Paragraph [0119]).
Regarding claim 4, Lee further discloses wherein the second electrode has a portion located in the slit disposed at a vertical location lower than the first electrode (Fig. 11, 223).
Regarding claim 6, Lee further discloses wherein the slit is formed between the plurality of first electrodes (Fig. 11, 300 & 220).
Regarding claim 7, Lee further discloses wherein both sides of the slit are formed to have a width between the both sides that gradually decreases in a downward direction (Fig. 11, 300).
Regarding claim 8, Lee further discloses wherein both sides of the slit are formed to be convex inward (Fig. 11, 300).
Regarding claim 9, Lee further discloses wherein the slit is formed in a groove shape with a residual layer of the bank in the non-pixel area (Fig. 11, 300 & 640).
Regarding claim 21, Lee discloses a display device (Fig. 11; Paragraph [0105]) comprising: a pixel area and a non-pixel area surrounding the pixel area defined on a base substrate (100; Paragraph [0037]); an overcoat layer disposed on the base substrate and having a trench portion (107; Paragraph [0063]); a plurality of first electrodes disposed on the overcoat layer and spaced apart from each other, and each first electrode having an end with a lower surface and an upper surface (220; Paragraph [0106]), a bank filled in the trench portion, covering the end of the first electrode, and having a slit disposed in the non-pixel area (640; Paragraph [0106]); a light emitting layer disposed on the first electrode and the bank (221; Paragraph [0119]); and a second electrode disposed in the slit of the bank, wherein the second electrode has a portion located in the slit closer to the based substrate than the first electrode (223; Paragraph [0119]).
Regarding claim 22, Lee further discloses wherein the upper surface is covered with the bank more than the lower surface (Fig. 11, 640 & 220).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 5, and 10-20 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.
Specifically, the prior art of record fails to teach or disclose the requirement of claim 2 wherein the bank has a refractive index greater than a refractive index of the first electrode.
Specifically, the prior art of record fails to teach or disclose the requirement of claim 3 wherein the bank has a refractive index greater than a refractive index of the overcoat layer.
Specifically, the prior art of record fails to teach or disclose the requirement of claim 5 wherein the second electrode located in the slit reflects light traveling to a side of the light emitting layer to discharge to outside.
Specifically, the prior art of record fails to teach or disclose the requirement of claim 10 wherein the slit is formed in a hole shape with no residual layer of the bank in the non-pixel area.
Specifically, the prior art of record fails to teach or disclose the requirement of claim 11 wherein the first electrode has a length overlapping the trench portion at least 0.5 times of a wavelength of the light emitting layer.
Specifically, the prior art of record fails to teach or disclose the requirement of claim 12 wherein the trench portion is formed to be convex outward.
Specifically, the prior art of record fails to teach or disclose the requirement of claim 13 wherein a color filter disposed between the base substrate and the overcoat layer, and overlapping the pixel area and the non-pixel area.
Claims 14-20 are objected to based on their dependence from claim 13.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANNE M HINES whose telephone number is (571)272-2285. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8:00-4:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Greece, can be reached on 571-272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Anne M Hines/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2879
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