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 Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 3 and 5-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1, 3 and 11:
These claims include limitations directed to driving units, driving unit, repeated driving units and first transparent conductive wires, wherein these limitations render the claims indefinite because it is not clear whether these limitations are directed to the same driving units and the same first transparent conductive wires. For the purpose of examination, claims 1, 3 and 11 will be interpreted as shown below.
Regarding claims 5-10 and 12-19:
These claims are indefinite because they depend from indefinite claim 1 (and claim 11).
Claims 1, 3 and 11 are interpreted as follows:
1. (as interpreted) A display panel, comprising:
a substrate;
a driving layer arranged on the substrate and comprising a plurality of driving units;
a first electrode layer arranged on a side of the driving layer away from the substrate and
comprising a plurality of pixel electrodes distributed in an array, each of the driving units being
electrically connected to at least one of the pixel electrodes, and at least a part of an orthographic
projection of at least a part of the driving units on the substrate being located within an orthographic projection of the pixel electrodes on the substrate;
a first signal line layer arranged between the first electrode layer and the substrate and
comprising a plurality of first transparent conducting wires, and at least two of the driving units
being connected to each other by a first one of the first transparent conducting wires;
a plurality of pixel units arranged in an array, each of the pixel units comprising two or more sub-pixels, a corresponding sub-pixel being arranged on each of the pixel electrodes, the driving units corresponding to a plurality of sub-pixels in at least one of the pixel units belong to a repeated driving group, and at least two repeated driving groups being connected to each other by a second one of the first transparent conducting wires; and
a second signal line layer located at a side of the driving layer facing the first electrode layer and comprising a plurality of second transparent conducting wires, and two or more of the pixel electrodes being connected to a same one of the driving units and being connected to each other by the second transparent conducting wire.
3. (as interpreted) The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the same one of the driving units is electrically connected to two or more of the pixel electrodes to drive two or more of the sub-pixels to display by the driving units.
11. (as interpreted) The display panel according to claim 1, wherein
the second one of the first transparent conducting wires extends along a first direction and is connected to the at least two repeated driving groups that are adjacent along the first direction, and
the second signal line layer further comprises third transparent conducting wires, each of the third transparent conducting wires extends along a second direction and is connected to another at least two repeated driving groups that are adjacent along the second direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3 and 5-19 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Claims 1, 3 and 5-19 (all as interpreted) are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 1, 3 and 5-19 (all as interpreted) are allowed primarily because the prior art of record cannot anticipate or render obvious the following limitations, in combination as recited in independent claim 1: at least two of the driving units being connected to each other by a first one of the first transparent conducting wires; and two or more of the pixel electrodes being connected to a same one of the driving units and being connected to each other by the second transparent conducting wire.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Remarks
The objection to the title is withdrawn in view of the amendment.
The prior rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) are withdrawn in view of the amendment; however, a new ground of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) is necessitated by the amendment.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEX H MALSAWMA whose telephone number is (571)272-1903. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (4-12 Hours, between 5:30AM-10PM).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, N. Drew Richards can be reached at 571-272-1736. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LEX H MALSAWMA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2892