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 Objections
Claims 1 and 5 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 1, in line 4, Applicant recites that the light-emitting device is “provided on the main surface of the base substrate”. Upon review of Applicant’s disclosure, it appears that the light-emitting device (for example, LED1, LED 2 etc) is provided on the second electrode 221 (see Fig. 9A and para [0110]) rather than the main surface of the base substrate, which means the light emitting device is indirectly mounted on the main surface of the base substrate. Examiner respectfully asks Applicant to confirm that the light emitting device is mounted directly on the second electrode, thus indirectly on the main surface of the base surface. For examination purposes, Examiner interprets “provided on the main surface of the base substrate” broadly as including both direct and indirect mounting on the base substrate.
Regarding claim 5, in lines 2-3, Applicant recites “the first sub-inorganic insulation layer and the second sub-inorganic insulation layer”. There is insufficient antecedent basis in the claim for this recitation. For examination purposes, Examiner treats claim 5 as dependent on claim 4, thus providing the requisite antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1, 7 and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu et al (US 2024/0251602).
Regarding claim 1, Xu discloses a light-emitting substrate, comprising: a base substrate (generally 10, or collective 10,11), having a main surface, and comprising a light-emitting region (generally 101) and a non- light-emitting region (generally 102) at least partially surrounding the light-emitting region; a light-emitting device (at least 123; see Fig. 2A) , provided on the main surface of the base substrate and in the light- emitting region; and an electrical connection structure, wherein the electrical connection structure comprises: a first electrode 121 on the main surface of the base substrate 10,11; an insulation layer 122 (including dam portions 202, see reproduced copy of Fig. 4 below), stacked with the first electrode in a vertical direction perpendicular to the main surface of the base substrate, and on a side of the first electrode away from the main surface of the base substrate, wherein the insulation layer comprises a first via hole exposing the first electrode 121 (see Fig. 4 and hole exposing 121); a second electrode 124 (see Fig. 2A), stacked with the first electrode 121 and the insulation layer 122 in the vertical direction, and on a side of the insulation layer away from the first electrode 121, and electrically connected to the first electrode through the first via hole, wherein the insulation layer 122 comprises a first sub-portion and a second sub-portion (see reproduced copy of Fig. 4 below, also see Fig. 5) that are arranged in the vertical direction, and the second sub-portion is on a side of the first sub-portion away from the base substrate; the first sub-portion comprises a first slope surface surrounding the first via hole, and the second sub-portion comprises a second slope surface surrounding the first via hole; the first electrode 121 comprises a cover portion not exposed by the first via hole, the cover portion of the first electrode 121 comprises an upper surface away from the base substrate, a first included angle is between a surface where the first slope surface is located and the upper surface of the cover portion, a second included angle is between a surface where the second slope surface is located and the upper surface of the cover portion, and the second included angle is greater than the first included angle (see Figs.4-5); and the electrical connection structure comprises a first electrical connection structure, the first electrical connection structure comprises the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 124, and the first electrode and the second electrode of the first electrical connection structure are configured to provide an electrical signal to the light-emitting device 123 for driving the light-emitting device to emit light (see at least Figures 1-5 and paras [0132]-[0178]).
Xu is silent as to the material composition of the insulation layer 122, thus does not specifically teach that the insulation layer 122 be inorganic. However inorganic layers are well-known in the art and specifically taught in para [0137] of Xu (see Xu, para [0137]). Accordingly it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to specify that insulation layer 122 be inorganic in order to provide durable and thermally resistant insulator layers 122 for improved protection and extended lifetime of the device, and 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 (MPEP 2144.07).
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Regarding claim 7, Xu discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the first included angle is in a range of 15 to 30 degrees and the second included angle is in a range of 50 to 80 degrees (see at least Fig. 5 and paras [0162]-[0164]).
Regarding claim 14, Xu discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the light emitting device 123 is a mini or micro light emitting diode (see at least paras [0274]-[0275] which describe nano range thickness, thus “mini” or “micro”).
Regarding claim 15, Xu discloses the limitations of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the light-emitting substrate is a display substrate, the light-emitting region is a display region and comprises a sub-pixel, and the sub-pixel comprises the light-emitting device; the electrical signal provided by the first electrode and the second electrode of the first electrical connection structure to the light-emitting device for driving the light-emitting device to emit light is a display driving signal to drive the light-emitting device to display an image; or the light-emitting substrate serves as a backlight source of the display device and is configured to provide light for display to the display substrate (see at least Figures 1-5 and paras [0132]-[0178]).
Regarding claim 16, Xu discloses a method for manufacturing a light emitting substrate comprising: providing a base substrate (generally 10, or collective 10,11), wherein the base substrate has a main surface, and comprises a light-emitting region (generally 101) and a non- light-emitting region (generally 102) at least partially surrounding the light-emitting region; providing a light-emitting device (at least 123; see Fig. 2A) on the main surface of the base substrate, wherein the light emitting device is in the light- emitting region; and forming an electrical connection structure on the main surface of the base substrate, comprising: forming a first electrode 121 on the main surface of the base substrate 10,11; forming an insulation layer 122 (including dam portions 202, see reproduced copy of Fig. 4 below), wherein the insulation layer is stacked with the first electrode in a vertical direction perpendicular to the main surface of the base substrate, and is on a side of the first electrode away from the main surface of the base substrate, forming a first via hole penetrating through the insulation layer, wherein the first hole exposes the first electrode 121 (see Fig. 4 and hole exposing 121); and forming a second electrode 124 (see Fig. 2A), wherein the second electrode is stacked with the first electrode 121 and the insulation layer 122 in the vertical direction and is on a side of the insulation layer away from the first electrode 121, and is electrically connected to the first electrode through the first via hole, wherein the insulation layer 122 comprises a first sub-portion and a second sub-portion (see reproduced copy of Fig. 4 above, also see Fig. 5) that are arranged in the vertical direction, and the second sub-portion is on a side of the first sub-portion away from the base substrate; the first sub-portion comprises a first slope surface surrounding the first via hole, and the second sub-portion comprises a second slope surface surrounding the first via hole; the first electrode 121 comprises a cover portion not exposed by the first via hole, the cover portion of the first electrode 121 comprises an upper surface away from the base substrate, a first included angle is between a surface where the first slope surface is located and the upper surface of the cover portion, a second included angle is between a surface where the second slope surface is located and the upper surface of the cover portion, and the second included angle is greater than the first included angle (see Figs.4-5); and the electrical connection structure comprises a first electrical connection structure, the first electrical connection structure comprises the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 124, and the first electrode and the second electrode of the first electrical connection structure are configured to provide an electrical signal to the light-emitting device 123 for driving the light-emitting device to emit light (see at least Figures 1-5 and paras [0132]-[0178]).
Xu is silent as to the material composition of the insulation layer 122, thus does not specifically teach that the insulation layer 122 be inorganic. However inorganic layers are well-known in the art and specifically taught in para [0137] of Xu (see Xu, para [0137]). Accordingly it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to specify that insulation layer 122 be inorganic in order to provide durable and thermally resistant insulator layers 122 for improved protection and extended lifetime of the device, and 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 (MPEP 2144.07).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-19 and 21 are allowed.
Claims 2-6 and 8-13 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Wang et al US 2020/0058724
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/SEAN P GRAMLING/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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