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
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 1,5-8,10-11 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hansol (KR 20230100156 A) in view of Shin (KR 20210083011 A)
Regarding claim 1, Hansol teaches a light emitting display device (Fig.2-3,
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comprising: a substrate (SUB) including a display region where a plurality of subpixels (SP) are arranged and a connection region A that is arranged between adjacent subpixels from the plurality of subpixels; a first electrode PXL over a first divided region and a second divided region of a subpixel from the plurality of subpixels; a bank BA/OC along a boundary of the subpixel, the bank including a first opening exposing the first electrode and a second opening corresponding to the connection region; a light emitting layer EL on the first electrode and over the first divided region and the second divided region; and a second electrode COM on the light emitting layer, the second electrode including a first electrode pattern and a second electrode pattern in the first divided region and the second divided region, respectively (COM on right and left side in the connection region), wherein each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern extends into the connection region and is connected to a power line (210) in the connection region.
Hansol does not teach: a protective pattern on the bank around the connection region, the protective pattern having an upper surface of an irregularly uneven shape; wherein each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern covering the protective pattern.
Shin teaches a display device (Fig.1-5) wherein a protective pattern (particles 250) on the bank 243, the protective pattern having an upper surface of an irregularly uneven shape (particles 250); wherein the electrode 230a covering the protective pattern (see in Shin: and the second electrode material 230a on the particle 250).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date the application was filed, to use the uneven pattern as disclosed in Shin, such that the protective pattern is around the connection region such that each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern covering the protective pattern in the device of Hansol in order improve device reliability (Abstract of Shin).
Regarding claim 11, Hansol teaches a light emitting display device, comprising: a substrate including a display region that includes a plurality of subpixels and a connection region between adjacent subpixels from the plurality of subpixels; a first electrode and a light emitting layer in a subpixel from the plurality of subpixels; and a second electrode on the light emitting layer, the second electrode including a first electrode pattern and a second electrode pattern in the first divided region and the second divided region, respectively, wherein each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern extends into the connection region and is connected to a power line in the connection region (the same citations as claim 1 apply).
Hansol does not teach: a protective pattern at a boundary between each of a first divided region and a second divided region of the subpixel and the connection region, the protective pattern having an upper surface of an uneven shape; wherein each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern covering the protective pattern.
Shin teaches a display device (Fig.1-5) wherein a protective pattern (particles 250) on the bank 243, the protective pattern having an upper surface of an irregularly uneven shape (particles 250); wherein the electrode 230a covering the protective pattern (see in Shin: and the second electrode material 230a on the particle 250).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date the application was filed, to use the uneven pattern as disclosed in Shin, such that the protective pattern is around the connection region such that each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern covering the protective pattern in the device of Hansol in order improve device reliability (Abstract of Shin).
Regarding claim 5, Hansol in view of Shin teaches a light emitting display device, wherein the protective pattern surrounds the connection region (from the combined teachings of Hansol in view of Shin).
Regarding claim 6, Hansol in view of Shin teaches a light emitting display device, wherein a first connection contact hole and a second connection contact hole are in the connection region, and wherein the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern are connected to the power line through the first connection contact hole and the second connection contact hole, respectively (the cathode electrode COM that is separated by the middle bridge PAS-P in Hansol).
Regarding claim 7, Hansol in view of Shin teaches a light emitting display device, wherein the first electrode is integral within the subpixel, wherein the light emitting layer is integral within the subpixel and the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern are physically separated from each other within the subpixel (from the light emitting elements arrangement in ED in Hansol).
Regarding claim 8, Hansol in view of Shin teaches a light emitting display device, wherein each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern is configured such that an electrode portion other than an extension portion, which extends into the connection region while covering the protective pattern, is located inside the light emitting layer (from the light emitting elements arrangement in ED in Hansol).
Regarding claims 10 and 15, Hansol in view of Shin teaches a light emitting display device, wherein in a case where the first divided region of the subpixel is in a state of darkening defect, the first electrode pattern arranged therein has a disconnected state on the protective pattern (the limitations are drawn to the intended use, since the structural limitations as claimed are disclosed in the prior art, a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hansol (KR 20230100156 A) in view of Shin (KR 20210083011 A) and further in view of Dae (KR 20230091295 A)
Regarding claim 2, Hansel in view of Shin teaches the invention set forth in claim 1 above, but is silent regarding the protective pattern includes a fluorine-based polymer.
Dae teaches a display device wherein (Fig.1b) protective layer that is connected to a cathode, and which is made of fluorine-based polymer (see in Dae: The barrier pattern 140 may be formed of a fluoropolymer having a carbon backbone in which carbon-carbon bonds are chained and containing a large amount of fluorine (F)) and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date the application was filed, to use the fluoropolymer as the base for the particles, as disclosed in Dae, in the device of Hansel in view of Shin in order to achieve a chemical and thermal stability (well known uses of fluoropolymer protective layers in OLEDs).
Claims 3 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hansol (KR 20230100156 A) in view of Shin (KR 20210083011 A) and Dae (KR 20230091295 A) and further in view of Hoshina (WO 2015114786 A1)
Regarding claim 3, Hansol in view of Shin and De teaches the invention set forth in claim 2 above, but is silent regarding the protective pattern includes a plurality of nanowires that comprise the fluorine-based polymer and are arranged irregularly.
Hoshima teaches a nanowire pattern 150, wherein an electrode 140 covers the uneven pattern (Fig.7) and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date the application was filed, to use the nanowires in the fluoropolymer base, as disclosed in Hoshina, in the device of Hansel in view of Shin and Dae in order to improve connectivity and conductivity.
Regarding claim 12, Hansol in view of Shin, Dae and Hoshina teaches a protective pattern includes a plurality of nanowires that comprise a polymer and are arranged irregularly, and wherein a part of each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern covering the protective pattern has an uneven shape along the protective pattern and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date the application was filed, to use the nanowires in the fluoropolymer base, as disclosed in Hoshina, in the device of Hansel in view of Shin and Dae in order to improve connectivity and conductivity (see rejection in claims 2 and 3 above).
Claims 9 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hansol (KR 20230100156 A) in view of Shin (KR 20210083011 A) and further in view of Choi (US 20230207735 A1)
Regarding claims 9 and 14, Hansol in view of Shin teaches the invention set forth in claims 1 and 11 above, but is silent regarding the power line includes a first power line and a second power line that are connected to the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern, respectively, and are spaced apart from each other.
Choi teaches this feature, which is considered as a designing choice, wherein Choi discloses : [0111] In this case, the common electrode COM formed on the undercut structure OC_P and PAS_P may exist in a floating state electrically separated and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date the application was filed, to use separate connecting portions of the cathode, in the device of Hansol in view of Shin, from the teachings of Choi, in order to separately operate the sub-pixels based on desired design and application.
Allowable Subject matter
Claim Objection
Claims 4 and 13 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:
For claims 4 and 13, the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests the limitation of “a resistance of a part of each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern that cover the protective pattern is higher than a resistance of another part of each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern”.
The references of record do not teach or suggest the aforementioned limitation, nor would it be obvious to modify those references to include such limitation.
Other art
US 20160043151 A1
KR 20150042908 A:
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Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Fatima Farokhrooz whose telephone number is (571)-272-6043. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday- Friday, 9 am - 5 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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/Fatima N Farokhrooz/
Examiner, Art Unit 2875
Prosecution Insights