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.
1. Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Knowles (US 20020126104 A1) in view of Lee (US 20140232691 A1).
Regarding claim 1:
Knowles (US 20020126104 A1) A touch screen control device (in Fig. 9) consisting of a control unit (touch pad driving voltage control applied to a driving capacitor, corresponding to amplifier 44, Fig. 9) installed on a printed circuit board ([0044] FIG. 9 is a diagram of a touch detection circuit for a panel 10, [0052] The mesas 22 can be formed integrally with the substrate 14 for the touch panel 10 in a flexible circuit board, see Fig. 15) ([0044], [0050, 0052],
a harmonic oscillator amplifier (42,44) with positive feedback through a feedback circuit (feedback circuit corresponding to the positive side of the amplifier 44) and a capacitor (56) containing two plates (see Fig. 9, [0044]), with one plate of the capacitor connected closer to the input (positive input) of the amplifier and the other plate closer to the output of the amplifier (see Fig. 9), wherein the capacitor plates are located in the same plane ([0044]).
Lee (US 20140232691 A1) discloses a coplanar capacitor (Ct) is ([0201], Fig. 12-13).
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 Knowles with the teaching of Lee, thereby providing high efficient data transmission in the touchpad display device.
Regarding claim 2:
Note that Knowles does not specifically disclose wherein the capacitor is designed to be applied to the touch screen in parallel or perpendicular or in intermediate positions, adjacent or at a distance not exceeding 1 mm from the surface of the touch screen.
Lee (US 20140232691 A1) discloses a capacitor (Ct) is designed to be applied to the touch screen (10) in parallel or perpendicular or in intermediate positions, adjacent or at a distance not exceeding 1 mm from the surface of the touch screen ([0201], Fig. 12-13). Same motivation as applied to claim 1.
Regarding claim 3:
Knowles in view of Lee discloses wherein the capacitor has a base (24, Fig. 12) that is made of a dielectric material and is either inseparable from the device board or made as a separate element ([0199-0200]). Same motivation as applied to claim 1.
Regarding claim 4:
Knowles in view of Lee discloses wherein the dimensions of the coplanar capacitor plates are selected in such a way that the distance between their geometric centers (i.e. centers at touch pad 10, see Fig. 14A) coincides with the distance between the centers of the touch screen sensors ([0023-0024][0166]). Same motivation as applied to claim 1.
2. Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Knowles (US 20020126104 A1) Lee (US 20140232691 A1) further in view of Erkan (WO 2018119153 A2).
Regarding claim 5:
Note that Knowles discloses wherein the capacitor plates have connectors with the feedback circuit ([0044-0046], Fig. 9).
However, Knowles does not specifically disclose the length of the connectors is not more than 2 mm.
However, Erkan WO 2018119153 A2 discloses a length of the connectors is not more than 2 mm (i.e. copper strips approximately2mm length) ([01301]).
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 Knowles with the teaching of Lee, and Erkan thereby providing accurate data transmission in the touchpad display device.
3. Claim(s) 6-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Knowles (US 20020126104 A1) Lee (US 20140232691 A1) further in view of Wessendorf (US 6169459 B1).
Regarding claim 6:
Knowles and Lee do not specifically disclose wherein the harmonic oscillator amplifier is assembled in three transistor stages in a common emitter amplifier circuit.
However, Wessendorf (US 6169459 B1) discloses wherein the harmonic oscillator amplifier (see Fig. 4) is assembled in three transistor stages (TRQ1, TrQ2, TRQ3) in a common emitter amplifier circuit (FIG. 4 is a simplified an oscillator schematic of the invention. A differential amplifier includes common emitter amplifier see column 4, lines 37-65).
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 Knowles with the teaching of Lee, and Wessenford, thereby providing accurate data transmission in the touchpad display device.
Regarding claim 7:
Wessendorf (US 6169459 B1) discloses wherein the harmonic oscillator amplifier is built according to a non-inverting configuration with a zero phase shift at the frequency of excitation autogeneration in the feedback circuit (see column 4, lines 37-65). Same motivation as applied to claim 6.
4. Claim(s) 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Knowles (US 20020126104 A1) Lee (US 20140232691 A1) further in view of WIlliams (US 20190373687 A1).
Regarding claim 8:
Knowles does not specifically disclose wherein the harmonic oscillator amplifier (301) is inverted at the frequency of excitation autogeneration with a 180-degree phase shift feedback circuit
WIlliams (US 20190373687 A1) discloses wherein the harmonic oscillator amplifier (301) is inverted at the frequency of excitation autogeneration with a 180-degree phase shift feedback circuit ([0258-0259], [0344], (Fig. 17D)).
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 Knowles with the teaching of Lee, and Williams, thereby desired requency could be calibrated in the touchpad device.
Regarding claim 9:
Knolws in view of Le and WIlliams (US 20190373687 A1) discloses wherein the harmonic oscillator amplifier is inverted, but with a 180-degree phase shift feedback circuit at the frequency of excitation autogeneration and a zero phase shift, or a 360-degree phase shift when combined with the shift of the amplifier multiple times (([0258-0259], [0344], (Fig. 17D)). Same motivation as applied to claim 8.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 10-14 are 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.
Regarding claim 10:
The closest art of record Knowles (US 20020126104 A1) discloses consisting of the following steps:- the voltage is supplied from the control unit to the generator-amplifier of the control device (([0044], [0050, 0052], Fig. 9 ), forming an electromagnetic field between the plates of the capacitor (56) located in the same plane (the circuit oscillates and in the presence of a touch and forming electromagnetic field in capacitor 56, in a parallel plate capacitor, the space between the plates is filled with an electric field due to the separation of positive and negative charges on the plates. When the capacitor is charging or discharging, this electric field can change with time); when harmonic voltage fluctuations occur on the plates of the capacitor located in the plane ([0044], [0050, 0052], Fig. 9 ), the touch screen is affected (increase of decreasing voltage gain) by applying the capacitor to the sensors of the touch screen in parallel or perpendicular or in intermediate positions (touch position), adjacent or at a distance from the surface of the touch screen ([0044-0045]),
Lee (US 20140232691 A1) discloses a coplanar capacitor (Ct) is ([0201], Fig. 12-13).
However, closest art of record singly or in combination fails to teach or suggest the limitations “the variable electromagnetic field formed in the auto-oscillation mode of the amplifier affects the fields formed by the sensors of the touch screen,
increasing or decreasing their capacitance depending on the operating mode of the touch screen controller; the touch screen controller is used to determine the change in the capacitances of the touch screen sensors relative to the pre-established rest level, and touch screen events at a point located inside, or at the minimum distance from, the area of projection on the screen of the capacitor plates are recorded” with all other limitations as recited in claim 10 (see Applicant’s disclosure page 8-9, Fig. 7).
Pertinent art
The pertinent art of record US 20120268413 A1 discloses capacitive sensing touch screen.
Inquiry
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner should be directed to Shaheda Abdin whose telephone number is (571) 270-1673.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ke Xiao could be reached at (571) 272-7776. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHAHEDA A ABDIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627
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