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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “the common electrode being located in the first area of each of the plurality of individual areas and the connection area and being opposed to the plurality of patch electrodes in a direction parallel to a Z-axis orthogonal to each of the X-axis and the Z-axis”. The meaning of this limitation is unclear because it is unclear how the Z-axis can be orthogonal to itself. For examination, this limitation will be interpreted such that the Z-axis is orthogonal to each of the X-axis and the Y-axis. Claims 2-10 are rejected based on their dependency.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 5-6 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP07113731 in view of Suzuki et al. (US 2002/0080320).
As to claim 1, JP07113731 discloses in figures 1-2: a plurality of individual areas (pixel apertures) arranged in a matrix along each of an X-axis and a Y-axis orthogonal to each other, each of the plurality of individual areas including a first area (overlapping frame shaped electrode 32) and one or more second areas other than the first area (area inside the frame shaped electrode 32); a connection area located in gaps between the plurality of individual areas (overlapping black mask 35), the connection area having a grating shape and being connected to the plurality of individual areas; a first substrate 21 including a plurality of patch electrodes (frame shaped electrode 32), each of the plurality of patch electrodes being located in the first area of a corresponding individual area among the plurality of individual areas; a second substrate 22 including a common electrode 34, the common electrode being located in the first area of each of the plurality of individual areas and the connection area and being opposed to the plurality of patch electrodes in a direction parallel to a Z- axis orthogonal to each of the X-axis and the Y-axis; a liquid crystal layer held between the first substrate and the second substrate and opposed to the plurality of patch electrodes.
JP07113731 does not disclose a plurality of spacers located between the first substrate and the second substrate, each of the plurality of spacers being located in the second area of a corresponding individual area among the plurality of individual areas. Suzuki discloses in figure 2A, a spacer 119 located between the first substrate 107 and the second substrate 101, each of the plurality of spacers being located in the center of the pixel (second area). Suzuki discloses in paragraph [0069], that the spacer 119 located in the center of the pixel provides support against external forces and allows the viewing angle to be increased. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify JP07113731 by providing a plurality of spacers located between the first substrate and the second substrate, each of the plurality of spacers being located in the second area of a corresponding individual area among the plurality of individual areas in order to provide support against external forces and increase the viewing angle.
As to claim 3, JP07113731 in view of Suzuki discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. JP07113731 further discloses in figures 1-2, wherein a shape of a portion of the common electrode 34 (frame shaped portion overlapping black mask 35), which is located in each of the plurality of individual areas, is the same as a shape of each of the plurality of patch electrodes (frame shaped electrode 32), and the portion of the common electrode, which is located in each of the plurality of individual areas, overlaps with a corresponding patch electrode among the plurality of patch electrodes in plan view.
As to claim 5, JP07113731 in view of Suzuki discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. JP07113731 further discloses in figures 1-2, wherein the first area is a frame-shaped area, the second area is an area surrounded by the first area, each of the plurality of patch electrodes (frame shaped electrode 32) has the frame shape and is located in the first area, and a portion of the common electrode 34 (frame shaped portion overlapping black mask 35), which is located in each of the plurality of individual areas, has the frame shape and is located in the first area.
As to claim 6, JP07113731 in view of Suzuki discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 5. JP07113731 further in figures 1-2, wherein each of the patch electrodes (frame shaped electrode 32) includes a first aperture overlapping with the second area and a first inner periphery corresponding to a contour of the first aperture, the portion of the common electrode 34 (frame shaped portion overlapping black mask 35), which is located in each of the plurality of individual areas, includes a second aperture overlapping with the second area, and a second inner periphery corresponding to a contour of the second aperture, and each of the plurality of spacers is located with gaps in each of the first inner periphery of the patch electrode and the second inner periphery of the common electrode in plan view.
As to claim 9, JP07113731 in view of Suzuki discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. JP07113731 further in figures 1-2, wherein a shape of each of the plurality of patch electrodes (frame shaped electrode 32) and a portion of the common electrode 34 (framed shaped portion overlapping black mask 35), which is located in each of the plurality of individual areas, is rotational symmetry at 90 degrees in plan view.
As to claim 10, JP07113731 in view of Suzuki discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 9. JP07113731 further in figures 1-2, wherein the shape has square contour.
Conclusion
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/DAVID Y CHUNG/Examiner, Art Unit 2871