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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 04/09/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to at least independent claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 7 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang US 2024/0085729.
Claim(s) 1, 7 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang CN 115421323A (used Zhang US 2024/0085729 as English translation in rejection).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang discloses a display apparatus, in at least figs.27, 24 25, 8 and 9, comprising:
a first electrically controlled liquid crystal cell (30), comprising:
a first substrate (310) and a second substrate (320), overlapped with each other;
a first liquid crystal layer (33), disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;
a touch electrode layer (T, para.119 and 124), disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate (see fig.27); and
a plurality of pixel electrodes (92), disposed on the first substrate and electrically independent from each other (see fig.27, three group of pixel electrodes electrically independent from each other); and
a second electrically controlled liquid crystal cell (21), disposed on one side of the first substrate of the first electrically controlled liquid crystal cell and overlapping the first electrically controlled liquid crystal cell (see fig.27 and 24), comprising:
a third substrate (71 of 21) and a fourth substrate (72 of 21), overlapped with each other, wherein the fourth substrate is disposed between the first substrate and the third substrate (see figs.24 and 27);
a first electrode layer (711 of 21) and a second electrode layer (712 of 21), disposed between the third substrate and the fourth substrate and formed by unpatterned conductive layers (see figs.24, 25 and 27), and
a second liquid crystal layer (73), disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer (see figs.27 and 24),
wherein the first substrate is disposed between the first liquid crystal layer and the second liquid crystal layer (see figs.27 and 24), a conductive layer (712 of 22) is disposed between the first substrate and the fourth substrate (72 of 21)(see figs.24 and 27), and the conductive layer is disposed on a surface of the first substrate facing the fourth substrate (72 of 21) and is spaced apart from the second electrically controlled liquid crystal cell (21)(see figs.24 and 27, the conductive layer is spaced apart from the second electrically controlled liquid crystal cell 21 by at least layers 73, 711, 71 and 43).
Regarding claim 7, Zhang discloses the conductive layer covers the surface of the first substrate entirely (see figs.24 and 27).
Regarding claim 9, Zhang discloses the second electrically controlled liquid crystal cell comprises: the third substrate and the fourth substrate having a first surface and a second surface facing each other (see fig.24), respectively; wherein:
the second liquid crystal layer is disposed between the third substrate and the fourth substrate (see figs.24 and 27);
the first electrode layer is configured to cover the first surface of the third substrate entirely (see figs.24 and 27); and
the second electrode layer is configured to cover the second surface of the fourth substrate entirely (see figs.24 and 27).
Regarding claim 10, Zhang discloses the fourth substrate is located between the third substrate and the touch electrode layer, and the second electrode layer has a ground potential (see fig.8, the second electrode layer has a ground potential with no power is applied).
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) 1 and 7-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang US 2024/0085729 or Zhang CN 115421323A.
Regarding claim 1, Zhang discloses a display apparatus, in at least figs.27, 24 25, 8 and 9, comprising:
a first electrically controlled liquid crystal cell (30), comprising:
a first substrate (310) and a second substrate (320), overlapped with each other;
a first liquid crystal layer (33), disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;
a touch electrode layer (T, para.119 and 124), disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate (see fig.27); and
a plurality of pixel electrodes (92), disposed on the first substrate and electrically independent from each other (see fig.27, three group of pixel electrodes electrically independent from each other); and
a second electrically controlled liquid crystal cell (21), disposed on one side of the first substrate of the first electrically controlled liquid crystal cell and overlapping the first electrically controlled liquid crystal cell (see fig.27 and 24), comprising:
a third substrate (71 of 21) and a fourth substrate (72 of 21), overlapped with each other, wherein the fourth substrate is disposed between the first substrate and the third substrate (see figs.24 and 27);
a first electrode layer (711 of 21) and a second electrode layer (712 of 21), disposed between the third substrate and the fourth substrate and formed by unpatterned conductive layers (see figs.24, 25 and 27), and
a second liquid crystal layer (73), disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer (see figs.27 and 24),
wherein the first substrate is disposed between the first liquid crystal layer and the second liquid crystal layer (see figs.27 and 24), a conductive layer (42, see para.72 discloses 42 can be a wire grid polarizer, and it’s a well-known technology that a wire grid polarizer comprises a conductive material) is disposed between the first substrate and the fourth substrate (72 of 21)(see figs.24 and 27), and the conductive layer is disposed on a surface of the first substrate facing the fourth substrate (72 of 21) and is spaced apart from the second electrically controlled liquid crystal cell (21)(see figs.24 and 27, the conductive layer is spaced apart from the second electrically controlled liquid crystal cell 21 by at least layers 22 and 43).
Regarding claim 7, Zhang discloses the conductive layer covers the surface of the first substrate entirely (see figs.24 and 27).
Regarding claim 8, Zhang discloses the conductive layer has a floating potential (see para.72 discloses 42 can be a wire grid polarizer and the wire grid polarizer has a floating potential).
Regarding claim 9, Zhang discloses the second electrically controlled liquid crystal cell comprises: the third substrate and the fourth substrate having a first surface and a second surface facing each other (see fig.24), respectively; wherein:
the second liquid crystal layer is disposed between the third substrate and the fourth substrate (see figs.24 and 27);
the first electrode layer is configured to cover the first surface of the third substrate entirely (see figs.24 and 27); and
the second electrode layer is configured to cover the second surface of the fourth substrate entirely (see figs.24 and 27).
Regarding claim 10, Zhang discloses the fourth substrate is located between the third substrate and the touch electrode layer, and the second electrode layer has a ground potential (see fig.8, the second electrode layer has a ground potential with no power is applied).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang US 2024/0085729 or Zhang CN 115421323A as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yuan US 2021/0389627 (The Examiner notes: the rejection of claim 8 for providing a reference to show the well-known technology that a wire grid polarizer comprises a conductive material).
Regarding claim 8, Zhang does not explicitly disclose the conductive layer has a floating potential.
Yuan discloses, a display apparatus, in at least fig.3, the conductive layer (31) has a floating potential (para.66 and 68 discloses the conductive layer is a wire-grid polarizer 31 made of a metal material and has a floating potential) for the purpose of forming a wire-grid polarizer and increasing the light transmittance of the display panel (para.66).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the conductive layer has a floating potential as taught by Yuan in the display apparatus of Zhang for the purpose of forming a wire-grid polarizer and increasing the light transmittance.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIA X PAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7574. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 11:00AM - 5:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael H Caley can be reached at (571)272-2286. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JIA X PAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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