DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 02/10/2026 has been entered.
Applicant’s amendment dated 02/10/2026 has also been received and entered. By the amendment, claims 1-20 are remaining pending in the application.
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.
Claims 1-6 and 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Matsumoto, US 2002/0021398 A1.
Claim 1 is anticipated by Matsumoto’s figures 1-2 and accompanying text which discloses a circuit substrate, comprising:
. a substrate 21 including an active area 30 and a peripheral area surrounding the active area
. a signal transmitting structure 27/29 disposed on the active area and the peripheral area
. a conductive structure 35-36 connected to the signal transmitting structure 27/29, and including first conductive wiring 36 (upper side), second conductive wiring 36 (lower side), and converging wiring 35a1
. wherein the converging wiring 35a1 is electrically connected to the first conductive wiring and the second conductive wiring, the converging wiring has a first end (left side) and a second end (right side)
. a first signal from the first conductive wiring 36 (upper side) and a second signal from the second conductive wiring 36 (lower side) are transferred to the converging wiring 35a1 through the first end of the converging wiring; and the converging wiring outputs a third signal to the signal transmitting structure 27/29 through the second end (fig 2).
. the first conductive wiring (upper 36) extends to left half of a long side of the circuit substrate (it is noted that long side of the Matsumoto’s substrate along Y-direction, so as the upper wire 36 would be corresponding to the Applicant’s left side of the substrate) and the second conductive wiring (lower 36) extends to right half of the long side of the circuit substrate (the lower wire 36 would be corresponding to the Applicant’s right side of the substrate)
. wherein the first conductive wiring (upper 36) and the second conductive wiring (lower 36) are mirrored wirings converged to the converging wiring 35 (fig 2).
Re claim 2, wherein the signal transmitting structure 27/29 includes a conductive ring 29 disposed on the peripheral area and adjacent to at least three sides of the active area; and the signal transmitting structure receives the third signal at the second end of the converging wiring (figs 1, 2).
Re claim 3, wherein the signal transmitting structure 27/29 further includes a transparent conductive layer 27 disposed on the active area and a part of the peripheral area, and is electrically connected to the conductive ring 29 (figs1, 2).
Re claim 4, wherein the third signal is a common voltage ([0065]).
Re claims 5-6, wherein: the converging wiring is divided into a first portion and a second portion; a width of the first portion is not narrower than 30% of a maximum width of the converging wiring; a width of the second portion is narrower than 30% of the maximum width; the first portion and the second portion have an overall length; and a ratio of a length of the first portion to the overall length is greater than or equal to 50% or 70% (35a1, fig 8).
Re claim 10, further comprising a plurality of pads 34 disposed on the peripheral area; wherein the first conductive wiring is electrically connected to at least two pads (fig 2).
Re claim 11, Matsumoto also disclose an active component 26 and a pixel electrode 24, wherein the pixel electrode and the signal transmitting structure overlap each other (according to an active matrix display structural).
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 7-9 and 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumoto, US 2002/0021398 A1.
Re claim 7, Matsumoto discloses the claimed invention as described above except for an electrostatic protection component, electrically connected to the converging wiring. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the display art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to employ an electrostatic protection component (electrically connected to the a conductive wiring), since it is known practice in the display art to prevent high voltage or static electricity failures.
Re claim 8, Matsumoto discloses the claimed invention as described above except for a bridge structure electrically connecting the first end of the converging wiring with the first conductive wiring, and electrically connecting the first end of the converging wiring with the second conductive wiring. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the display art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to employ a bridge structure over the Masumoto’s conductive structure, since it is known structure in a display art for wires connecting purposes.
Re claim 9, the modification to Matsumoto discloses the claimed invention as described above except for the bridge structure being built in a first layer of the circuit substrate; the first conductive wiring, the second conductive wiring, and the converging wiring are built in a second layer of the circuit substrate; and the first layer and the second layer is each a different distance away from the substrate. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to arrange a bridge structure, conductive wiring(s), a converging wiring over two different layers since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art.
Re claim 12, Matsumoto discloses the claimed invention as described above except for first and second circuit boards. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing dated of the claimed invention to employ first and second circuit boards for each first and second conductive wirings and bonding over a (main) circuit board, since it has been held that constructing a formerly integral structure into various elements, without producing any new and unexpected result, involves only routine skill in the art.
Re claims 13 and 14, the modification to Matsumoto further including a display device with a color filter; and a liquid-crystal layer, disposed between the circuit substrate and the color filter ([0013]).
Re claim 15, the modification to Matsumoto would including the signal transmitting structure includes a conductive ring disposed on the peripheral area and adjacent to at least three sides of the active area; the signal transmitting structure receives the third signal at the second end of the converging wiring; and the signal transmitting structure further includes a transparent conductive layer disposed on the active area and a part of the peripheral area, and is electrically connected to the conductive ring (figs 1-2).
Re claim 16, wherein the converging wiring is divided into a first portion and a second portion; a width of the first portion is not narrower than 30% of a maximum width of the converging wiring; a width of the second portion is narrower than 30% of the maximum width; the first portion and the second portion have an overall length; and a ratio of a length of the first portion to the overall length is not less than 50% or not less than 70% (fig 8).
Re claim 17, the modification to Matsumoto discloses the claimed invention as described above except for an electrostatic protection component, electrically connected to the converging wiring. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the display art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to employ an electrostatic protection component (electrically connected to a conductive wiring), since it is known practice in the display art to prevent high voltage or static electricity failures.
Re claim 18, the modification to Matsumoto discloses the claimed invention as described above except for a bridge structure electrically connecting the first end of the converging wiring with the first conductive wiring, and electrically connecting the first end of the converging wiring with the second conductive wiring, and the bridge structure being built in a first layer of the circuit substrate; the first conductive wiring, the second conductive wiring, and the converging wiring are built in a second layer of the circuit substrate; and the first layer and the second layer is each a different distance away from the substrate. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the display art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to employ a bridge structure over the Masumoto’s conductive structure, since it is known structure in a display art for wires connecting purposes. In addition, it would have been obvious to arrange a bridge structure, conductive wiring(s), a converging wiring over two different layers since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art.
Re claim 19, the modification to Matsumoto would including a plurality of pads 34 disposed on the peripheral area; wherein the first conductive wiring is electrically connected to at least two pads (Matsumoto, fig 2).
Re claim 20, the modification to Matsumoto also disclose an active component 26 and a pixel electrode 24, wherein the pixel electrode and the signal transmitting structure overlap each other (according to an active matrix display structural).
Conclusion
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/DUNG T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871