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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1,9,17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2006/0017106 A1 to Suh et al., “Suh”, “Li”, in view of US 2007/0278076 A1 to MUROOKA, “Murooka”.
Regarding claims 1 and 9, Suh discloses (claim 1) an array (driving and switching TFTs 51 and 52 in FIG. 12, ¶ [0084],[0085]) substrate and (claim 9) a display panel (FIG. 11), comprising (FIG. 1): a pixel electrode (FIG. 12 drain of driving TFT 51, ¶ [0086], FIG. 1 drain 16, ¶ [0036]); a data line (FIG. 12 “Data”), wherein the data line is spaced apart from the pixel electrode; and a conductive unit (TFT 51), wherein one end of the conductive unit is connected to the pixel electrode, and the other end of the conductive unit is connected to the data line (i.e. a driving TFT).
Suh fails to clearly teach wherein the conductive unit comprises an accommodating member and a plurality of conductive particles, wherein the accommodating member is located between the data line and the pixel electrode, and the accommodating member defines an accommodating cavity; the plurality of conductive particles, part of the pixel electrode, and part of the data line are accommodated in the accommodating cavity; and the plurality of conductive particles are moveable under control of a control electric-field; wherein the conductive unit is operable in a first state or a second state; in response to the conductive unit being in the first state, the data line and the pixel electrode are conducted by the plurality of conductive particles under the control of the control electric-field; and in response to the conductive unit being in the second state, an electrical connection between the data line and the pixel electrode is disconnected by the plurality of conductive particles under the control of the control electric-field.
Murooka teaches (FIG. 15A-15C, ¶ [0183]-[0185]) wherein a conductive unit (switch) comprises an accommodating member (FIG. 15C cavity inside of 9) and a plurality of conductive particles (8), and the accommodating member defines an accommodating cavity (FIG. 15C cavity inside of 9); the plurality of conductive particles (8), part of a first electrode (6), and part a second electrode (7) are accommodated in the accommodating cavity; and the plurality of conductive particles (8) are moveable under control of a control electric-field (from control electrode 10, ¶ [0154],[0183],[0184]); wherein the conductive unit is operable in a first state (e.g. FIG. 4) or a second state (e.g. FIG. 3); in response to the conductive unit being in the first state (e.g. FIG. 4), the first electrode (6) and the second electrode (7) are conducted by the plurality of conductive particles (8) under the control of the control electric-field; and in response to the conductive unit being in the second state (e.g. FIG. 3), an electrical connection between the first electrode (6) and the second electrode (7) is disconnected (disarrayed ¶ [0181]) by the plurality of conductive particles under the control of the control electric-field (control electrode 10).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one having ordinary skill in the art to have formed the array (or display) of Suh by replacing at least the driving switching element (TFT 51) of Suh with the switching element of Murooka in order to achieve smaller areas with precise fabrication sizes and easy control of arrangement (Murooka ¶ [0008],[0185]).
Regarding claim 17, Suh further teaches a display device (FIG. 11, FIG.12), comprising a processor (FIG. 12 driver CMOS 61 and/or switching TFT 52, ¶ [0085],[0086])) and the display panel of claim 9 (when applying the teachings of Murooka as discussed above), wherein the processor (61) is configured to control the control electric-field to conduct or disconnect the electrical connection between the data line (“Data”) and the pixel electrode (drain of driving TFT 51).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 and 10-16 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:
Prior art e.g. generally teaches a cavity wherein conductive particles are movable from one side to another in response to an electric field in display devices known as “paper look-alike” or “e-ink” displays, e.g. US 7,053,882 B2 to Weisbuch et al. FIG. 1 to FIG. 2 conductive particles 4 aligning to voltage + and voltage –.
Suh in view of Murooka yields the array substrate of claim 1 as discussed above, and Murooka further teaches: a control line (10, ¶ [0154],[0183],[0184]) wherein the control line is disposed at a side of the accommodating member, and the control line (10) is configured to load the control electric-field; in response to the conductive unit being in the first state (e.g. the state similar to FIG. 4), the control line loads a first control signal to generate the control electric-field, wherein the plurality of conductive particles (8) are located at a first position adjacent to the control line (10), and the data line and the pixel electrode (electrodes 6 and 7 when applied to Suh) are conducted by the plurality of conductive particles (8).
However, prior art fails to additionally teach or suggest in response to the conductive unit being in the second state, the control line loads a second control signal to generate the control electric-field, wherein the plurality of conductive particles are located at a second position facing away from the control line, and the plurality of conductive particles are spaced apart from and insulated from the data line and the pixel electrode, as claimed in claim 2 together with all of the limitations of claim 1. Claims 3-5,8 are objected to as allowable insofar as they depend upon and include all the limitations of claims 2 and 1. Claim 10 is objected to for similar reasons to claim 2 and claims 11-13, 16 are objected to insofar as they depend upon and include all the limitations of claims 10 and 9.
Additionally, prior art fails to reasonably teach or suggest wherein the accommodating member has a bottom wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, a third side wall, a fourth side wall, and a top wall, which define the accommodating cavity; the first side wall is connected to the bottom wall in a bent manner, the second side wall is connected to the bottom wall in a bent manner and is opposite to the first side wall, the third side wall is connected to the first side wall in a bent manner and faces away from the bottom wall, the fourth side wall is connected to the second side wall in a bent manner and is opposite to the third side wall, and the top wall is connected to the third side wall and the fourth side wall in a bent manner and is opposite to the bottom wall; part of the pixel electrode is disposed at a part of the first side wall adjacent to the third side wall, and the data line is disposed at the second side wall; and in response to the conductive unit being in the first state, the plurality of conductive particles abut against one another and are electrically connected to one another, part of the plurality of conductive particles cover and are electrically connected to the pixel electrode, part of the plurality of conductive particles cover one end of the first side wall facing away from the third side wall, part of the plurality of conductive particles cover the bottom wall, and part of the plurality of conductive particles cover and are electrically connected to the data line, as claimed in claim 6 together with all the limitations of claim 1. Claim 7 is objected to as allowable insofar as it depends upon and includes all the limitations of claims 6 and 1. Claim 14 is objected to for similar reasons to claim 6 and claims 15 is objected to insofar as it depends upon and includes all the limitations of claims 14 and 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 8,759,811 B2 to Xin et al. teaches (Abstract) a conductive unit including a cavity (carbon nanotube 100) encapsulating two movable conductive particles (105, 110).
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/Eric A. Ward/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891 10/08/2026
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