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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishihara (US Pub. 20010024253) in view of Ishii et al. (US Pub. 20150177876).
As per claim 1, Ishihara teaches (in figures 9 and 10) a display device, comprising: a display panel (liquid crystal panel 1); a plurality of color blocks (red 8R, blue 8B, and green 8G color filters) with different colors, distributed on the display panel.
Ishihara does not teach a touch panel, disposed on the color blocks with different colors; and at least one birefringent material layer, disposed between the color blocks with different colors and the touch panel, wherein after passing through the birefringent material layer, a light from the color blocks with different colors is divided into an ordinary light and an extraordinary light laterally shifted by a distance from the ordinary light.
However, Ishii teaches (in figure 2) providing a touch panel (cover layer 28, adhesive layer 25, and upper electrodes 40) disposed on a display panel (image display mechanism 12); and at least one birefringent material layer (substrates 35, adhesive layer 24, lower electrodes 40, and lower adhesive connected to the display panel see paragraphs 61 and paragraph 74), disposed between the display panel and the touch panel, wherein after passing through the birefringent material layer, a light from the display panel is divided into an ordinary light and an extraordinary light laterally shifted by a distance from the ordinary light (paragraph 83 teaches forming the slow axis of the birefringent material to be at an angle to the absorption axis of the polarizer which will result in double refraction and extraordinary light laterally shifted by a distance from the ordinary light) in order to provide touch functionality while preventing a rainbow pattern (see paragraphs 67 and 74).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the touch panel and birefringent material layer from Ishii in the device of Ishihara in order to provide touch functionality while preventing a rainbow pattern.
As per claim 2, Ishihara in view of Ishii teaches that a phase difference of the birefringent material layer (substrates 35, adhesive layer 24, lower electrodes 40, and lower adhesive connected to the display panel see paragraphs 61 and paragraph 74 from Ishii) is greater than 15 nanometers (see paragraph 74 in Ishii which teaches a retardation not less than 6000 nm).
As per claim 3, Ishihara in view of Ishii teaches a light guide plate (light guide panel 32/33 in Ishihara) disposed between the color blocks of different colors (red 8R, blue 8B, and green 8G color filters in Ishihara) and the birefringent material layer (substrates 35, adhesive layer 24, lower electrodes 40, and lower adhesive connected to the display panel see paragraphs 61 and paragraph 74 from Ishii).
As per claim 4, Ishihara in view of Ishii teaches that the light guide plate (light guide panel 32/33 in Ishihara) has a first surface (upper surface) facing the birefringent material layer (substrates 35 from Ishii), and a second surface (bottom surface) facing the color blocks of different colors (red 8R, blue 8B, and green 8G color filters in Ishihara), as well as a light incident surface (surface of light guide panel 32/33 facing light source 22 in Ishihara) connecting the first surface and the second surface, and the light source (light source 22 in Ishihara) is disposed beside the light incident surface and emits a light toward the light incident surface.
As per claim 5, Ishihara in view of Ishii teaches that there are metal grids (electrodes 40 from Ishii) on a surface of the touch panel.
As per claim 6, Ishihara in view of Ishii teaches that the color blocks of different colors (red 8R, blue 8B, and green 8G color filters in Ishihara) comprise a plurality of red color blocks, a plurality of green color blocks, and a plurality of blue color blocks arranged alternately.
As per claim 7, Ishihara in view of Ishii teaches that the at least one birefringent material layer (substrates 35, adhesive layer 24, lower electrodes 40, and lower adhesive connected to the display panel see paragraphs 61 and paragraph 74 from Ishii) is a plurality of birefringent material layers (Ishii teaches two substrates 35) stacked from the color blocks of different colors (red 8R, blue 8B, and green 8G color filters in Ishihara) to the touch panel (cover layer 28, adhesive layer 25, and upper electrodes 40 from Ishii).
As per claim 8, Ishihara in view of Ishii teaches that the display panel is provided with an electrode layer (common transparent electrode 12a in Ishihara) on one side close to the touch panel (cover layer 28, adhesive layer 25, and upper electrodes 40 from Ishii), and the color blocks of different colors (red 8R, blue 8B, and green 8G color filters in Ishihara) directly contact the electrode layer.
As per claim 9, Ishihara in view of Ishii teaches that the birefringent material layer (substrates 35, adhesive layer 24, lower electrodes 40, and lower adhesive connected to the display panel see paragraphs 61 and paragraph 74 from Ishii) is disposed between the touch panel (cover layer 28, adhesive layer 25, and upper electrodes 40 from Ishii) and the light guide plate (light guide panel 32/33 in Ishihara), and directly contacts the light guide plate (see paragraph 61 in Ishii).
As per claim 10, Ishihara in view of Ishii teaches that the birefringent material layer (substrates 35, adhesive layer 24, lower electrodes 40, and lower adhesive connected to the display panel see paragraphs 61 and paragraph 74 from Ishii) directly contacts the touch panel (cover layer 28, adhesive layer 25, and upper electrodes 40 from Ishii).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Bao (CN 106569368) is cited for teaching (in figure 6) a display device, comprising: a electrophoretic display panel (400a); a plurality of color blocks (421-243) with different colors, distributed on the electrophoretic display panel.
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/ALEXANDER P GROSS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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