DETAILED ACTION
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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/24/2024 was filed and considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claims 1, 10-11, 14-17 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yang et al., US 2014/0104527 A1.
Claim 1 is anticipated by Yang et al. figures 6-8 and accompanying text which discloses an electronic device 600 comprising:
. a substrate 302
. a driving circuit layer 338
. a color filter layer 314 having a first through hole CNT1
. a first transparent organic layer 332, wherein at least a part of the first transparent organic layer is disposed in the first through hole (fig 6)
. wherein the first transparent organic layer 332 covers at least a part of an upper surface of the color filter layer 314 (fig 6).
Re claim 10, the electronic device further comprises a second transparent organic layer 316 disposed on the first transparent organic layer 332.
Re claim 11, wherein the first transparent organic layer 334 comprises a second through hole CNT2, the second transparent organic layer comprises a third through hole (corresponding to CNT2), and the electronic device further comprises an opening region (e.g., display area) and a non-opening region (e.g., non-display area), wherein the second through hole is disposed in the opening region, and the third through hole is disposed in the non-opening region (figs 7-8).
Re claim 14, Yang et al. further disclose a connection electrode (3rd metal) disposed on the color filter layer 314 and in the first through hole CNT1, and another connection electrode 308, disposed on the first transparent organic layer 332 (fig 6).
Re claim 15, wherein the driving circuit layer comprises a thin film transistor TFT, the connection electrode is electrically connected to a drain electrode S/D of the thin film transistor, and another connection electrode is electrically connected to the connection electrode (fig. 6).
Re claim16, wherein a thickness of the second transparent organic layer 316 is smaller than a thickness of the first transparent organic layer 332 (fig 6).
Re claim 17, a thickness of the color filter layer 314 is greater than a thickness of the first transparent organic layer 332 (fig 6).
Re claim 19, wherein the driving circuit layer comprises a thin film transistor TFT, the thin film transistor has a drain electrode S/D, and the electronic device further comprises a connection electrode (3rd metal) and a pixel electrode 318 electrically connected to the drain electrode through the connection electrode, wherein the color filter layer is disposed between the connection electrode and the drain electrode (fig 6).
Re claim 20, wherein the driving circuit layer comprises a thin film transistor TFT, and the electronic device further comprises an opening region (e.g., display area) and a non-opening region (e.g., non-display area), wherein the first through hole CNT1 disposed in the non-opening region, and the first through hole overlaps the thin film transistor (fig 6).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 2-9, 12-13 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al., US 2014/0104527 A1.
Re claim 2, Yang et al. discloses an electronic device 200 (fig 2) comprising:
. a substrate 202
. a driving circuit layer 238
. a color filter layer 214A having a first through hole CNT2
. a first transparent organic layer 240, wherein at least a part of the first transparent organic layer 240 is disposed in the first through hole CNT2 (fig 2)
. wherein the first transparent organic layer 240 covers at least a part of an upper surface of the color filter layer 214A (fig 6).
. a second transparent layer 216, disposed between the color filter layer 214A and the first transparent organic layer 240.
Although Yang et al. do not disclose the second transparent layer being an organic, one of ordinary skill in the art would be able to select an organic material for the Yang et al. second transparent layer. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the display before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the Yang et al. second transparent layer by an organic material, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Re claim 3, wherein the modification to Yang et al. would result the first transparent organic layer 240 comprises a second through hole, the second transparent organic layer comprises a third through hole (fig. 2), and the electronic device further comprises an opening region; (whereas a display area) and a non-opening region (whereas a non-display area), wherein the first through hole, the second through hole, and the third through hole are disposed in the non-opening region (fig. 2).
Re claim 4, the modification to Yang et al. does not disclose a third transparent organic layer, wherein at least a part of the third transparent organic layer is disposed in the second through hole. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ a third transparent organic layer as a layer disposed in the second through hole, since it has been held that constructing a formerly integral structure in various elements involves only routine skill in the art. Nerwin v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177, 179.
Re claim 5, the modification to Yang et al. would result the second transparent organic layer comprises a third through hole, the third through hole is connected to the first through hole, and the electronic device (fig. 2) and further including a connection electrode (e.g., part of 218 between branch 218 and inside through hole CNT1), disposed on the second transparent organic layer and in the third through hole and the first through hole (fig. 2).
Re claim 6, wherein the driving circuit layer 238 comprises a thin film transistor TFT, and the electronic device further comprises a transfer pad disposed on the driving circuit layer, and electrically connecting the connection electrode (e.g., part of 218 inside through hole CNT1) and a drain electrode S/D of the thin film transistor TFT 238 (fig 2).
Re claims 7-8, wherein the third through hole CNT1 has a side wall, a first bottom plane, and a second bottom plane, and the side wall of the third through hole is connected to a side wall of the first through hole through the first bottom plane or the second bottom plane (fig 2).
Re claim 9, wherein the first transparent organic layer 240 comprises a second through hole (corresponding to CNT1), and the second through hole overlaps the third through hole (fig. 2).
Re claims 12-13, Yang et al. disclose the claimed invention as described above except for a third transparent organic layer, wherein at least a part of the third transparent organic layer is disposed in the third through hole, a recessed portion, and the recessed portion corresponds to the third through hole. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ a third transparent organic layer as a layer disposed in the third through hole and a recessed portion, since it has been held that constructing a formerly integral structure in various elements involves only routine skill in the art. Nerwin v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177, 179.
Re claim 18, Yang et al. disclose the claimed invention as described above except for the first transparent organic layer 334 does not contact the color filter layer 314. It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ a first transparent organic layer not contact a color filter (as shown in fig. 2), since the examiner takes Office Notice of the equivalence of a position of a first transparent organic layer that contacted or not contacted a color filter layer for their use in the display art and the selection of any of these known equivalent positions in an electronic device, e.g., display device, would be within the level of ordinary skill in the art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kadota et al., US 5,943,107, disclose a display device having a driving circuit layer TFT, a color filter 9, a transparent organic layer 10 as claimed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUNG T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2297. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 - 5:00.
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/DUNG T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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