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 . All the claims have been examined on the basis of the merit of the claims.
Priority
The present application claims foreign priority benefits from KR10-20240047906 filed on 04/09/2024 in Korea. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/27/2025 and 07/24/2025 are considered.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 10 and 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by KIM (US-20150379908-A1, hereinafter as KIM).
In regard to claim 1, KIM discloses a display panel (referring through paragraph 0083-0090, fig.4, display panel 100) comprising: a pixel circuit disposed in a display area (pixel circuit 140); a light-emitting diode disposed in the display area (light emitting device 150); a repair circuit disposed in a peripheral area outside of the display area (voltage measuring circuit 400); a repair line extending from the peripheral area to the display area in a first direction (repair line 181); a voltage line extending in the first direction (ELVDD1 line); and a first connection line electrically connecting the repair line to the voltage line (part of line ELV1 and W1 as a first connection line which connects repair line 181 to the voltage line ELVDD1).
In regard to claim 14, KIM discloses an electronic device (fig.4, display device 10) comprising: a display panel comprising a display area in which a plurality of pixels are disposed and a peripheral area outside of the display area display panel 100 on which pixels are disposed in the display area and a peripheral area outside of the display area), wherein the display panel comprises: a pixel circuit disposed in the display area (pixel circuit 140); a light-emitting diode disposed in the display area (light emitting device 150); a repair circuit disposed in the peripheral area outside of the display area (voltage measuring circuit 400); a repair line extending from the peripheral area to the display area in a first direction (repair line 181); a voltage line extending in the first direction (ELVDD1 line); and a first connection line electrically connecting the repair line to the voltage line (part of line ELV1 and W1 as a first connection line which connects repair line 181 to the voltage line ELVDD1).
In regard to claim 10, KIM discloses the display panel of claim 1, further comprising: a second connection line electrically connecting the pixel circuit or the repair line to the light-emitting diode (a second connection line W5 connecting the LED is to the repair line 182, fig.3A or a second connection line W5 connecting the pixel circuit 142 to the OLED via a welding point, fig.3A).
In regard to claim 13, KIM discloses the display panel of claim 1, wherein the repair line overlaps the voltage line in a plan view (repair line 181 overlaps part of voltage line – ELV1/ELV2, fig. 4).
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.
Claim(s) 9 and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM.
In regard to claims 9, 21, KIM discloses the display panel of claim 1, the electronic device of claim 14, wherein the first connection line comprises a metal (part of line ELV1 and W1 as a first connection line which connects repair line 181 to the voltage line ELVDD1 is a conductive metal line),
KIM discloses the invention except for “and a thickness of the first connection line is about 1,000 Å or less.”
It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make a thickness of the first connection line is about 1,000 Å or less, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955). The motivation to make the thickness of the connection line in this range is to make the welding and the cutting of the connection line easier using laser welding or laser cutting, para 0067-0068.
Claim(s) 8 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM in view of Chen et al. (US-20130120230-A1, hereinafter as Chen).
In regard to claims 8, 20, KIM the display panel of claim 1, the electronic device of claim 14,
KIM does not disclose “wherein the first connection line comprises a conductive oxide material.”
Chen discloses wherein the first connection line comprises a conductive oxide material (fig.8, 308a, a connection unit that connects to the repairing lines 307a and 307b, para 0040 is made up of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), claim 5 and claim 11 which is a conductive oxide material).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing of the invention, to use Chen’s teachings of ITO for connecting lines in KIM’s invention which are disposed in the display substrate for the benefit of high transparency so that they do not block the image display light.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-7, 11-12 and 15-19 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.
In regard to claim 2, KIM discloses the display panel of claim 1,
KIM does not disclose “wherein the pixel circuit comprises: a first transistor comprising a semiconductor layer and a first gate electrode and electrically connected between a driving voltage line and a second node, wherein the first gate electrode is disposed over the semiconductor layer and electrically connected to a first node; a second transistor electrically connected between the first node and a data line; a capacitor comprising a second electrode electrically connected between the first node and the second node; a third transistor electrically connected between the first node and a first voltage line; a fourth transistor electrically connected between the second node and a third node to which a pixel electrode of the light-emitting diode is electrically connected; and a fifth transistor electrically connected between the third node and a second voltage line.”
Claims 3-7 depend on claim 2.
In regard to claim 11, KIM discloses the display panel of claim 10, KIM does not disclose “further comprising: a third connection line electrically connected to the repair circuit and overlapping the repair line, wherein, in case that the second connection line is electrically connected to the repair line, the third connection line is electrically connected to the repair line.”
In regard to claim 12, KIM discloses the display panel of claim 10, KIM does not disclose “wherein, in case that the second connection line is electrically connected to the repair line, the first connection line is cut, and the repair line and the voltage line are electrically separated from each other.”
In regard to claim 15, KIM discloses the electronic device of claim 14, KIM does not disclose “wherein the pixel circuit comprises: a first transistor comprising a semiconductor layer and a first gate electrode and electrically connected between a driving voltage line and a second node, the first gate electrode being disposed over the semiconductor layer and electrically connected to a first node; a second transistor electrically connected between the first node and a data line; a capacitor comprising a second electrode electrically connected between the first node and the second node; a third transistor electrically connected between the first node and a first voltage line; a fourth transistor electrically connected between the second node and a third node to which a pixel electrode of the light-emitting diode is electrically connected; and a fifth transistor electrically connected between the third node and a second voltage line.”
Claims 16-18 depend on claim 15.
In regard to claim 19, KIM discloses the electronic device of claim 14, KIM does not disclose “wherein the display panel further comprises a second connection line electrically connecting the light-emitting diode to the pixel circuit or the repair line, in case that the second connection line is electrically connected to the repair line, the first connection line is cut, and the repair line and the voltage line are electrically separated from each other.”
Conclusion
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/DEEPROSE SUBEDI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627