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 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Kim (US 20210143236) in view of Shirahata (JP 2017079160 A)
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches an electronic device (Fig.6) comprising elements arranged on a substrate 10 , each of the elements including: a first insulating layer 28 over the substrate; a first electrode 30 ([0083]) over the first insulating layer; a functional layer 50 over the first electrode; a second electrode 60 over the functional layer, transmissive to light reached a lower surface of the second electrode;
wherein in adjacent two of the elements, the functional layer and the second electrode is continuously arranged to cover the first electrodes from a position on one of the two first electrodes to a position on the other first electrode (different pixels), the first insulating layer has an inclined portion that is inclined relative to the substrate, the first electrode has a first portion (left inclined side of V shaped portion of the first electrode) positioned on the inclined portion,
a second portion (right inclined side of V shaped portion of the first electrode) in contact with the functional layer, and a third portion (flat portion of the V-shaped portion of the first electrode) between the first portion and the second portion,
each of the second portion and the third portion having a smaller inclination angle relative to the substrate than the first portion, a thickness of the functional layer positioned on the first portion in a direction normal to a functional layer surface in contact with the first portion is smaller than a thickness of the functional layer positioned on the second portion in a direction normal to a functional layer surface in contact with the second portion,
and the second insulating layer is arranged on the first portion;
but does not teach and a second insulating layer arranged between the first electrode and the functional layer, the second insulating layer arranged on the third portion to cover the first portion and the third portion.
In the same field of endeavor, Shirahata teaches a reflective layer that spans over the first insulating layer and extends downwards towards the anode (see in Shirahata: element 32 wherein:
Further, the insulating layer 32 is placed on the peripheral edge portion C4 which is the peripheral edge of the flat portion 21 in the lower electrode 20, and covers the bank layer 31 and the inclined portion 22 of the lower electrode 20. Thus, by forming the insulating layer 32 in the peripheral region C2, even if the light emitting layer 40 is interrupted in the peripheral region C2, a short circuit between the lower electrode 20 and the upper electrode 50 can be prevented).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to use the insulator at the periphery of the first electrode, from the teachings of Shirahata, in the device of Kim in order to prevent short circuiting.
Regarding claim 2, Kim in view of Shirahata teaches an electronic device wherein the inclination angle of the second portion relative to the substrate is 150 or smaller (as the second portion is flat in Kim).
Regarding claim 3, Kim in view of Shirahata teaches an electronic device, wherein the first portion is arranged to surround the second portion (from the inclined portion of the V shape that surrounds the flat base in Kim).
Regarding claim 4, Kim in view of Shirahata teaches an electronic device, wherein the first insulating layer has a flat portion at a position farther away from the substrate than the second portion, and the first electrode is arranged on the first insulating layer to cover an end portion of the flat portion and the inclined portion (from the first insulating layer 28’s shape in Kim).
Regarding claim 5, Kim in view of Shirahata teaches an electronic device, wherein the inclined portion of the first insulating layer is arranged to surround the second portion in a plan view of the substrate, and the flat portion of the first insulating layer is arranged to surround the inclined portion in the plan view of the substrate (SP in Fig.1-4 of Kim).
Regarding claim 6, Kim in view of Shirahata teaches an electronic device, wherein the elements include a first element configured to emit first light and a second element configured to emit second light, and an upper surface of the flat portion of the first insulating layer included in the first element and an upper surface of the flat portion of the first insulating layer included in the second element are present on the same plane (B,G,R in Kim and the shape of the first insulating layer).
Regarding claim 7, Kim in view of Shirahata teaches an electronic device, wherein an upper surface of the second portion of the first electrode included in the first element and an upper surface of the second portion of the first electrode included in the second element are on different planes (see the V shapes in the B,G,R regions in Kim).
Regarding claim 8, Kim in view of Shirahata teaches a display apparatus comprising: the electronic device and transistors connected to the elements ([0046]-[0050] and Title of Kim).
Regarding claim 9, Kim in view of Shirahata teaches a display apparatus comprising: an imaging apparatus; and the electronic device, serving as a display unit, wherein an image displayed on the display unit is controlled in accordance with information about a sight line of a user, the information being provided from the imaging apparatus (from teachings of [0044]-[0045], [0038]-[0040] of Kim).
Claims 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Kim (US 20210143236) in view of Shirahata (JP 2017079160 A) and further in view of Takahashi (CN 111564475 A)
Regarding claim 10, Kim in view of Shirahata teaches the invention set forth in claim 1 above, but is silent regarding a photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising: an optical unit including lenses; and an imaging element arranged to receive light having passed through the optical unit; and a display unit configured to display an image taken by the imaging element, wherein the display unit includes the electronic device.
Takahashi teaches a photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising: an optical unit including lenses; and an imaging element arranged to receive light having passed through the optical unit; and a display unit configured to display an image taken by the imaging element, wherein the display unit includes the electronic device (claim 19 of Takahashi).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to use the photoelectric conversion apparatus, from the teachings of Takahasi in the device of Kim in view of Shirahata in order to achieve higher total output (known use of a photoelectric conversion apparatus).
Regarding claim 11, Kim in view of Shirahata and Takahashi teaches an electronic equipment comprising: a display unit including the electronic device ; a casing in which the display unit is disposed; and a communication unit disposed in the casing and configured to communicate with an outside (see in Takahashi: FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device according to an embodiment. The electronic device 1200 includes a display unit 1201, an operating unit 1202, and a housing 1203. The shell 1203 may include a circuit, a printed circuit board including a circuit, a battery and a communication unit).
Regarding claim 12, Kim in view of Shirahata and Takahashi teaches an illumination apparatus comprising: a light source including the electronic device; and a light diffuser or an optical film through which light emitted from the light source passes (see in Takahashi: FIG. 12A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a lighting device according to an embodiment. The illumination device 1400 may include a housing 1401, a light source 1402, a circuit board 1403, an optical film 1404, and a light diffusion unit 1405).
.
Regarding claim 13, Kim in view of Shirahata and Takahashi teaches a moving object comprising: a lighting including the electronic device; and a body on which the lighting is disposed (see in Takahashi: The mobile body according to the embodiment can be, for example, a ship, an aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle. The moving body may include a body and an illumination unit disposed to the body. The lighting unit can shine so as to indicate the position of the machine body. The lighting unit comprises an organic light emitting device according to an embodiment).
Other art
20BA in CN 1665358 B
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US 10211269 B2
US 20170279086 A1
CN 111564475 A
WO 2020111202 A1
CN 110828702 A
JP 2017079160 A-VG
JP 4978298 B2-50b-G
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