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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 13 November 2025 have been fully considered.
Applicant amended to include the subject matter of claim 4 in the independent claims. This claim was indicated as containing allowable subject matter, and therefore applicant argued this made the claims allowable. However, because of the newly cited reference Liu et al. (CN 115981581506A), the claims can no longer be considered allowable as follows.
As this is a new grounds of rejection, this Office Action has been made non-final.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 10, 15, and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu et al. (CN 115981581506A; machine translation relied upon).
Regarding claim 1 :
Liu discloses:
Claim 1
Liu
1. (Currently amended) A touch display module, comprising: a touch display panel and an acquisition processing module and a crack detection module;
"the touch chip TPIC…determines whether the touch screen is broken" (page 10)
wherein the touch display panel comprises a touch function layer and a target conductive layer that are spaced apart from each other along a thickness direction of the touch display panel,
Shown in Fig. 6: 201 and 202 are the touch function layer, 101 is the target conductive layer, where they are capacitively coupled as seen in the figure.
wherein a plurality of touch sensing electrodes and a plurality of first touch signal lines are arranged in the touch function layer,
The touch sensing electrodes are shown in Fig. 2, as are signal lines 203 and 204, where they are "on the first metal layer 105," as per page 6, which is the layer of the touch electrodes.
a conductive portion is arranged in the target conductive layer, and
This is "negative electrode 101"
at least one of the plurality of touch sensing electrodes is coupled to the conductive portion;
As shown in Fig. 6, or, e.g., page 7: "the parasitic capacitor Crl between the common negative electrode 101 and the sensing electrode 202"
wherein the touch display panel comprises a detection signal line, the detection signal line is electrically connected to the crack detection module and the detection signal line is coupled to the conductive portion; and
"the screen detection line (Panel Crack Defection, PCD) 205 is used as a noise channel" (page 10)
wherein the acquisition processing module is electrically connected to the detection signal line, and electrically connected to each of the plurality of touch sensing electrodes through a respective one of the plurality of first touch signal lines, and the acquisition processing module is configured to acquire first touch signals of the plurality of touch sensing electrodes and a first noise signal transmitted by the detection signal line, and remove a second noise signal from a first touch signal of a target touch sensing electrode based on the first noise signal.
See, e.g., Fig. 7a, where the lines Sig come from the signal line, and the signal Nos, where it uses the screen detection line 205 as a noise channel (page 10).
Regarding claim 2:
Liu discloses:
wherein the target touch sensing electrode comprises at least two of the plurality of touch sensing electrodes, and second noise signals removed from first touch signals of the at least two of the plurality of touch sensing electrodes are the same (page 8-9; Fig. 7A).
Regarding claim 3:
Liu discloses:
wherein the target touch sensing electrode comprises at least two of the plurality of touch sensing electrodes (as starting the last paragraph of page 6, it goes through the electrodes in sequence, so it is all of them by the end), and second noise signals removed from first touch signals of the at least two of the plurality of touch sensing electrodes are different (since this happens in sequence, the second noise signal is at a different time, and so may be different); and
wherein the target touch sensing electrode comprises a plurality of groups of touch sensing electrodes arranged along a first direction with spacings, and
one group of the plurality of groups of touch sensing electrodes comprises a plurality of touch sensing electrodes arranged along a second direction, wherein the first direction intersects with the second direction; and the plurality of groups of touch sensing electrodes comprises at least one of: second noise signals removed from first touch signals of at least two groups of the plurality of groups of touch sensing electrodes are different, or second noise signals removed from first touch signals of at least two touch sensing electrodes in a same group of the plurality of groups of touch sensing electrodes are different.
Regarding claim 5:
Liu discloses:
wherein the touch display panel comprises a display region and a non-display region (seen in, e.g., Fig. 2),
wherein the non-display region comprises a first non-display region, a second non-display region, a third non-display region and a fourth non-display region (this is just the four sides of the display region in, e.g., Fig. 2);
the first non-display region, the display region and the second non-display region are arranged in sequence along a first direction (this could be the bottom, the display, and top);
the third non-display region, the display region and the fourth non-display region are arranged in sequence along a second direction (the left side, the display, and the right side), and the first direction intersects with the second direction (as seen in Fig. 2); and
the detection signal line is arranged as one of that:
the detection signal line extends through the first non-display region, the third non-display region, the second non-display region, the fourth non-display region, and the first non-display region in sequence (as can be seen in Fig. 2, line 205 extends from the first, through the third (left), the second (top), the fourth (right), and back to the first); or
the detection signal line comprises a first sub-detection signal line and a second sub-detection signal line, the first sub-detection signal line extends through the first non-display region, the third non-display region, the second non-display region, the third non-display region, and the first non-display region in sequence, and the second sub-detection signal line extends through the first non-display region, the fourth non-display region, the second non-display region, the fourth non-display region, and the first non-display region in sequence.
Regarding claim 10:
Liu discloses:
wherein the touch display module further comprises a switch selection circuit, and the detection signal line comprises a first wire section, a second wire section and a third wire section; the first wire section is electrically connected to the second wire section or the third wire section through the switch selection circuit, the second wire section is electrically connected to the acquisition processing module, and the third wire section is electrically connected to a crack detection signal pin of the crack detection module; the switch selection circuit is configured to selectively connect the first wire section to the second wire section or is configured to selectively connect the first wire section to the third wire section; and the first wire section is coupled to the conductive portion (although Liu does not show this circuit, this much follows from the description of page 10: it connects to detect the resistance of the line 205 or it connects 205 to the noise signal input).
Regarding claim 15:
Liu discloses:
wherein the acquisition processing module comprises a differential input port and a first differential operation unit (e.g., Fig. 7a);
wherein the differential input port is electrically connected to the detection signal line and configured to receive a target signal transmitted by the detection signal line (this is the line Sig for the Cpi electrode in Fig. 7a); and
a first input terminal of the first differential operation unit is electrically connected to the differential input port (this is the first terminal in Ap1),
a second input terminal of the first differential operation unit receives an initial signal of the detection signal line (this is the line Nos to Ap1),
the first differential operation unit is configured to calculate a first differential signal between the target signal and the initial signal (Ap1 is a differential amplifier), and the first noise signal comprises the first differential signal (again, it is the line Nos); and
wherein the acquisition processing module further comprises a plurality of first touch signal ports and a plurality of second differential operation units;
wherein the plurality of first touch signal ports are electrically connected to the plurality of first touch signal lines in one-to-one correspondence and are configured to receive the first touch signals, respectively; a first input terminal of each of the plurality of second differential operation units is electrically connected to a respective one of the plurality of first touch signal ports, a second input terminal of each of the plurality of second differential operation units is electrically connected to an output terminal of the first differential operation unit; and each of the plurality of second differential operation units is configured to calculate a second differential signal between the first touch signal of the target touch sensing electrode and the first differential signal to obtain a first touch signal with the second noise signal removed, and the second noise signal comprises the first differential signal (this is the other part of the circuit of Fig. 7a).
Regarding claim 17:
Liu discloses:
wherein the acquisition processing module comprises a touch chip, the touch chip comprises a differential input port and a first touch signal port, the detection signal line is electrically connected to the differential input port, and a first touch signal line of the plurality of first touch signal lines is electrically connected to the first touch signal port (as seen in, e.g., Fig. 7a).
Regarding claims 18-20:
All elements positively recited have already been identified with respect to earlier rejections. No further elaboration is necessary.
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) 7-9 and 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu in view of Yun et al. (US 2022/0317803)
Regarding claim 7:
Liu discloses a touch display module as discussed above.
Liu discloses:
wherein the touch display panel comprises a display region and a non-display region (see in, e.g., Fig. 2).
Liu does not disclose:
“the touch display panel comprises a substrate, a driver layer, a light-emitting device layer and the touch function layer that are disposed along the thickness direction of the touch display panel, wherein each of the driver layer and the light-emitting device layer comprises at least one conductive layer, and the target conductive layer is any one of the at least one conductive layer in the driver layer or the light-emitting device layer.”
Yun discloses:
the touch display panel comprises a substrate, a driver layer, a light-emitting device layer and the touch function layer that are disposed along the thickness direction of the touch display panel, wherein each of the driver layer and the light-emitting device layer comprises at least one conductive layer, and the target conductive layer is any one of the at least one conductive layer in the driver layer or the light-emitting device layer (Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to include in Liu the elements taught by Yun.
The rationale is as follows:
Liu and Yun are directed to the same field of art.
Liu does not show the light-emitting components in any detail, but discloses that they are present. Yun shows how they could be implemented. One of ordinary skill in the art could have included this with predictable results.
Regarding claim 8:
Liu in view of Yun discloses:
wherein the light-emitting device layer comprises an anode layer, a light-emitting material layer and a cathode layer, wherein an anode of a light-emitting element is disposed in the anode layer, and a cathode of the light-emitting element is disposed in the cathode layer; and the target conductive layer comprises the cathode layer, and the conductive portion comprises the cathode of the light-emitting element (Yun Fig. 8, where Liu discloses the target portion is the cathode of the light-emitting layer as element above).
Regarding claim 9:
Liu in view of Yun discloses:
wherein the detection signal line also serves as a crack detection signal line, and the crack detection signal line is located at at least one of the driver layer or the touch function layer ("the screen detection line (Liu page 10: “Panel Crack Defection, PCD) 205 is used as a noise channel").
Regarding claim 12:
Most elements of this claim have already been discussed with respect to earlier rejection.
Liu in view of Yun discloses:
the driver layer is located at the display region and at least a portion of the non-display region, and the switch selection circuit is located at the driver layer in the portion of the non-display region (the circuit driving layer is shown in Fig. 3 of Yun, and the driving chip 20 is shown in this same place in Fig. 2, and in Liu the driving chip is what controls the lines).
Regarding claim 13:
Liu in view of Yun discloses:
wherein the first wire section is located at the touch function layer and is electrically connected to the switch selection circuit located at the driver layer; and wherein the second wire section is located at the touch function layer and is electrically connected to the switch selection circuit located at the driver layer through a first via; or the second wire section is located at the driver layer (Yun already taught that the control chip be at the driver layer; the first wire section is located at the touch function layer as per Liu Fig. 1; it has to be connected to the switch in order to function; the second wire section at least starts from the same noise detection line and so it is in the same place).
Regarding claim 14:
Liu in view of Yun discloses:
wherein the first wire section and the conductive portion are located in different films (one is in the same layer as the touch lead lines and one is the cathode electrode, which are shown in different layers in, e.g., Liu Fig. 1); and wherein the first wire section is electrically connected to the conductive portion through a third via; or along the thickness direction of the touch display panel, an orthographic projection of the first wire section on the substrate and an orthographic projection of the conductive portion on the substrate at least partially overlap (this follows from Liu Fig. 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 11:
Liu does not give any details of the switch selection circuit, and therefore does not teach or suggest wherein the switch selection circuit comprises: a first switch unit and a second switch unit; wherein a control terminal of the first switch unit is electrically connected to a first control signal line, a first terminal of the first switch unit is electrically connected to the first wire section, a second terminal of the first switch unit is electrically connected to the second wire section, and the first switch unit is configured to be turned on or off under control of the first control signal line; wherein a control terminal of the second switch unit is electrically connected to a second control signal line, a first terminal of the second switch unit is electrically connected to the first wire section, a second terminal of the second switch unit is electrically connected to the third wire section, and the second switch unit is configured to be turned on or off under control of the second control signal line; and wherein the first switch unit comprises a p-type transistor, and the second switch unit comprises an n-type transistor; or the first switch unit comprises an n-type transistor, and the second switch unit comprises a p-type transistor; and wherein the first control signal line also serves as the second control signal line. These elements in combination with the other elements of the claim render it allowable over the prior art of record.
Conclusion
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/CHRISTOPHER R LAMB/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622