DETAILED ACTION
Status
1. This Office Action is responsive to claims filed for app no. 18744770 on March 27, 2006. Please note claims 1-20 are pending and have been examined.
America Invents Act
2. 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 § 102
3. 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.
4. Claims 1 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Roberts (US 20030206162 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Roberts discloses: A touch positioning method (see Fig. 1, Figs. 6 discloses methods of determining touch location), the method comprising:
acquiring touch signals collected by sensors disposed on a touch apparatus and generated after the touch apparatus is touched (see Fig. 1, Fig. 6A, [0079]. step 605 discloses acquiring a touch signal corresponding to a touch on the touch screen 605);
determining a positioning region according to the touch signals collected by the sensors, and determining a touch position according to calibration signals of the sensors corresponding to a preset position point in the positioning region (see Fig. 1, Figs. 6A, [0079], discloses step 610 and Step 615 discloses first occurrence of a touch signal shape in the touch signal is detected 610. Touch location is determined using touch signal information obtained in response to detecting the touch signal shape 615. Figs. 6, Fig. 10 and corresponding descriptions disclose when a stylus, finer or other touching device presses the touch surface, touch screen control system 550 acquires a touch signal corresponding to a touch on the touch screen. The touch signals are sampled, processed/evaluated based on relative slope of sample touch signal (i. e., calibrated) according to preset position/location of the touch sensors in which user’s touch operation is performed for obtaining the touch location information); and
controlling the touch apparatus to execute a corresponding function based on the touch position (Fig. 1, Fig. 16, [0013] discloses display system including a touch screen system, a display for displaying information, and a processor coupled to the touch screen and the display for processing data displayed on the display and information received from the touch screen control system. Also see [0099]).
Regarding claim 18, Roberts discloses: A non-transient computer-readable storage medium (see Fig. 5, [0059], discloses memory circuitry 586), storing program instructions capable of implementing the touch positioning method according to claim 1 when the program instructions are executed (see rejection of claim 1 above).
Regarding claim 19, Roberts discloses: A touch positioning device (see Fig. 1, Fig. 5) comprising a processor (see Fig. 5, [0059], processor 580) and a memory (see Fig. 5, [0059], discloses memory circuitry 586) storing a computer program runnable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the touch positioning method according to claim 1 when executing the program (see rejection of claim 1 above).
Regarding claim 20, Roberts discloses: A touch apparatus (see Fig. 1, Fig. 5), comprising: sensors (Fig. 5, [0058], discloses sensors 501-504); and the touch positioning device according to claim 19 configured to receive touch signals collected by the sensors (see rejection of claim 19 above).
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 2-17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Du et. al. (US 20150317027 A1) discloses a method for measuring touching position, touching energy and display device thereof. While touching position is measured, at least two sensors are installed in dispersing form under the sensing panel of touch control equipment. The sensing panel is divided into a plurality of grids. The unit energy distribution vector of the touching signal is compared with the unit energy distribution vector of the benchmark signal of each grid, therefore touching position is obtained. While touching energy is measured, at least one sensor is installed under the sensing panel. The sensing panel is divided into a plurality of grids. Touching position would be obtained by the above method for measuring touching position or other methods. The touching energy could be calculated by comparing the detected touching signal energy with energy of benchmark signal at touching position in corresponding grid (Abstract, Figs. 1-3 and corresponding descriptions).
Lee et al. (US 20110037727 A1) discloses general teachings of a touch sensor device and a pointing coordinate determination method thereof. The touch sensor device includes a touch panel, a touch sensing unit that receives a touch signal, senses touch information according to a simple touch or touch strength of a touch object, and outputs an electrical signal, a touch data storage that stores touch data in response to the electrical signal, a template storage that pre-stores templates for various outlines of the touch object in response to the electrical signal, and a touch data processor that senses an outline of the touch object according to a distance difference related to the touch object by receiving the touch data, and determines pointer coordinates of a pointing device by receiving and mapping a stored template of the touch object (Abstract, 2-Fig. 8).
Feng (US 11163403 B2) discloses general teachings of a touch positioning method applied to an electronic device having a touch unit, the method comprises: acquiring a plurality of touch regions when touch action occurs on the touch unit, wherein each of the touch regions comprises a plurality of candidate points, and each of the candidate points has a sensing value; compensating the sensing values of the candidate points in an intersection region when the touch regions form the intersection region with other touch regions; calculating touch coordinates of the touch regions according to a position and a compensated sensing value of each of the candidate points in the touch regions (Abstract, Figs. 1-4)
As per claim 2, none of the prior art, whether considered alone or in combination, fail to disclose the technical features of determining an initial positioning region of the touch position based on the touch signals collected by the sensors and calibration signals of sensors corresponding to preset first-category position points in the signal distribution region; and continuing to determine the touch position based on the touch signals collected by the sensors and calibration signals of sensor corresponding to preset second-category position points in the initial positioning region, in the context of determining a touch position according to calibration signals of sensors corresponding to a present position point in the positioning region for improving the touch accuracy, as a whole in the manner claimed is not sufficiently teach/suggested in the prior art.
Dependent claims 3-17 are objected based on their claim dependency.
Response to Arguments
6. Applicant's arguments filed 03/27/2026 with respect to claim 1 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Specifically, applicant argues that Roberts fails to disclose the feature "determining a touch position according to calibration signals of the sensors corresponding to a preset position point in the positioning region". Examiner respectfully disagrees. Robert teaches a method and system for detecting the location of a touch on a touch sensor in which plurality of touch sensors are arranged in touch surface, and when a stylus, finer or other touching device presses the touch surface as shown in figure 3, touch screen control system 550 acquires a touch signal corresponding to a touch on the touch screen. The touch signals are sampled, processed/evaluated based on relative slope of sample touch signal (i. e., calibrated) according to preset position/location of the touch sensors in which user’s touch operation is performed for obtaining the touch location information (see Figs. 6, Fig. 10 and corresponding descriptions). Additionally, under the broadest reasonable interpretation in claim 1, the applicant’s current claim limitations do not require detailed process/function of how the signals are calibrated for determining the touch position. As such, applicant’s arguments do not deem persuasive and claim rejection is maintained.
Applicant’s argument with respect to claim 2 is fully considered and persuasive and withdrawn. See above for full details.
Conclusion
7. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KRISHNA P. NEUPANE whose telephone number is (571)270-7291. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 8:30am-5:30pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, BENJAMIN C. LEE can be reached on (571) 272-2963. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KRISHNA P NEUPANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2629
