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 .
Response to Amendments
Acknowledgment is made of the amendment filed 03/19/2026, in which: claim 1 is amended; and the rejection of the claims are traversed. Claims 1-20 are currently pending an Office action on the merits as follows.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
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 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being anticipated by Kang et al, US 20220066587 in view of Park et al, US 20230195257.
Regarding claim 1, Kang discloses : A display panel, comprising: a driving substrate(Fig. 4, #20); and a plurality of light-emitting units disposed on the driving substrate(#30 to emit different colors of light on #20 [0045]); wherein a first electrode layer is disposed on a side of the driving substrate provided with the light-emitting units(#35 disposed on a side of #20), the first electrode layer comprises a cathode pattern(#30 includes #35 [0044]), and a plurality of touch control units arranged in an array(Fig. 2, #351 and #353).
Kang does not disclose : the cathode pattern is insulated from the plurality of touch control units; and the plurality of light-emitting units includes the cathode pattern.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Park teaches : the cathode pattern is insulated from the plurality of touch control units(Fig. 6, #140 to include #CE and #TSE, #CE isolated from #TSE by #UC1 [0076]); and the plurality of light-emitting units includes the cathode pattern(#CE a part of #P [0076]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to apply the teachings of Park to Kang to have a cathode and touch electrode a part of the same layer and insulated from one another to reduce parasitic capacitance (Park [0063]).
Regarding claim 19, Kang as modified by Park discloses : An electronic device, comprising the display panel of claim 1(Kang : #200)
Claims 2 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being anticipated by Kang et al, US 20220066587 in view of Park et al, US 20230195257 in further view of Yang et al, US 20210064213.
Regarding claim 2, Kang as modified by Park discloses : The display panel of claim 1.
Kang as modified by Park does not disclose : wherein the cathode pattern comprises a plurality of cathode openings, and each of the plurality of touch control units is disposed in a corresponding one of the cathode openings.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Yang teaches : wherein the cathode pattern comprises a plurality of cathode openings, and each of the plurality of touch control units is disposed in a corresponding one of the cathode openings(Fig. 6b #G1 provided in #40, #330 to include #33 which is a cathode layer[0055]), and each of the plurality of touch control units is disposed in a corresponding one of the cathode openings(#51 provided in #40 below G1 [0121]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to apply the teachings of Yang to Kang and Park to include a touch control unit in an opening of the cathode layer to enhance the touch control of a display device and to provide a simplified fabrication process with a reduced thickness of a display panel [0080-0081]).
Regarding claim 20, Kang as modified by Park and Yang discloses : An electronic device, comprising the display panel of claim 2(Kang : #200 , Yang : touch control display panel [0147]).
Claims is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being anticipated by Kang et al, US 20220066587 in view of Park et al, US 20230195257 in further view of Yang et al, US 20210064213 in further view of Zhang et al, US 20210183957.
Regarding claim 3, Kang as modified by Park and Yang discloses : The display panel of claim 2.
Kang as modified by Park and Yang does not disclose : wherein the display panel includes a plurality of touch areas arranged in an array, and the touch control unit is disposed in a corresponding one of the plurality of touch control units; wherein the touch control unit comprises a main electrode, and at least one branch electrode electrically connected to the main electrode; the main electrode comprises a first main electrode extending in a first direction and a second main electrode extending in a second direction; and wherein the first main electrode and the second main electrode are intersected to divide the touch area into four quadrants, the branch electrodes are provided in each of the quadrant regions, and a gap is provided between any two adjacent branch electrodes.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Zhang teaches : wherein the display panel includes a plurality of touch areas arranged in an array(Fig. 4, #231), and the touch control unit is disposed in a corresponding one of the plurality of touch control units(#111); wherein the touch control unit comprises a main electrode(#2312 and #2311), and at least one branch electrode electrically connected to the main electrode(Branches connected to either #2312 or #2311); the main electrode comprises a first main electrode extending in a first direction and a second main electrode extending in a second direction(#2311 extending in a second direction and #2312 extending in a first direction); and wherein the first main electrode and the second main electrode are intersected to divide the touch area into four quadrants(Fig. 3, #2311 and #2312 intersecting along a first and second direction), the branch electrodes are provided in each of the quadrant regions(Branches of #2311 divided into a left and right quadrant and #2312 divided into a top and bottom quadrant), and a gap is provided between any two adjacent branch electrodes(Fig. 4, gap shown between branch electrode of #2311 and #2312).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to apply the touch electrode with branch electrode quadrant layout Zhang to Kang, Park, and Yang to reduce a thickness of a display panel and simplify a preparation process (Zhang [0005]).
Regarding claim 10, Kang as modified by Park, Yang, and Zhang discloses : The display panel of claim 3.
Zhang teaches : wherein in any adjacent quadrant regions, the branch electrodes in one of the quadrant regions and the branch electrodes in another of the quadrant regions are axially symmetrical(#2311 on the left quadrant is symmetric to #2311 on the right quadrant. #2312 on the top quadrant is symmetric to #2312 on the bottom. quadrant.
Regarding claim 11, Kang as modified by Park, Yang, and Zhang discloses : The display panel of claim 10.
Kang teaches : wherein in each of the quadrant regions, the branch electrodes connected on the first main electrode and the branch electrodes connected on the second main electrode are axially symmetrical(Fig. 4, branch electrodes of #2311 shown to be symmetric to branch electrodes of #2312).
Regarding claim 12, Kang as modified by Park, Yang, and Zhang discloses : The display panel of claim 3.
Park teaches : wherein the driving substrate comprises a driving circuit(Fig. 6, #DTR, at least one first signal line(#DL4),and a plurality of second signal lines(#VSSL), the least one first signal line and the plurality of second signal lines are respectively disposed in a same layer as a part of a metal layer of the driving circuit(#DL4 and #VSSL disposed in same layer as #DTR), the cathode pattern is electrically connected to the at least one first signal line(#DL4 connected to #SP4 [0057]), and the touch control units is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of second signal lines(#VSSL may be connected to #TSE of #TS [0154]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-18 allowed.
Claims 13-18 is 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
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/D.T./Examiner, Art Unit 2897 /CHAD M DICKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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