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 .
Claims 1-21 are currently pending and prosecuted.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 21 October 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues the prior art reference Lee fails to teach each limitation. The Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Specifically, applicant contends Lee does not teach “the plurality of segments is configured to shield the plurality of touch electrodes from the display.” However, [0142] notes that the strain gauge may be located within an insulating layer, which is between a plurality of touch electrodes and the display. The term “shield”, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “a device or part that serves as a . . . barrier.” Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, the strain gauge, being located within the insulating layer, may be considered as part of a barrier between a plurality of touch electrodes and display, which would encompass a definition for the term shield. Additionally, as noted in the interview, dated 14 October 2025, the use of a Wheatstone bridge with a strain gauge is commonly known. A Wheatstone bridge was commonly known to be enclosed in order to absorb electromagnetic waves, which would be a form of shielding.
As such, Applicant’s arguments are not considered persuasive.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al., US PG-Pub 2020/0241664, hereinafter Lee.
Regarding Claim 1, Lee teaches a touch and force sensitive touch screen device (display device 1) comprising:
a display (display unit DU);
a plurality of touch electrodes (touch electrodes TE1 and TE2);
a conductive layer (pressure detector 250) disposed between the display and the plurality of touch electrodes (Figs. 6-14 and 19, and corresponding descriptions), wherein the conductive layer is patterned into a plurality of segments (Figs. 6-11 and 19, and corresponding descriptions, showing a plurality of segments; [0143]), wherein in a first period the plurality of segments is configured to shield the plurality of touch electrodes from the display (Figs. 6-11 and 19, and corresponding descriptions, [0142], noting the strain gauge may be in the insulating layer and the term “shield”, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “a device or part that serves as a . . . barrier.” Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, the strain gauge, being located within the insulating layer, may be considered as part of a barrier between a plurality of touch electrodes and display, which would encompass a definition for the term shield), and wherein in a second period the plurality of segments is configured as one or more strain gauges (Figs. 6-11 and 19, and corresponding descriptions, showing the strain gauge, [0125], noting the pressure detector includes the strain gauge); and
processing circuitry (controller 200) coupled to the plurality of touch electrodes and the plurality of segments ([0121]), the processing circuitry configured to detect a location of a touch on the touch screen using measurements of the plurality of touch electrodes and detect a force of the touch on the touch screen using measurements of the plurality of segments ([0121]).
Regarding Claim 2, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen device of claim 1, wherein a first segment of the plurality of segments of the conductive layer includes one or more silver nanowires ([0136], “Examples of the transparent conductive material may include silver nanowire (AgNW)”).
Regarding Claim 3, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen device of claim 1, wherein a first segment of the plurality of segments has a serpentine pattern (Figs. 8-10, and corresponding descriptions, showing a serpentine pattern).
Regarding Claim 4, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen device of claim 1, further comprising:
switching circuitry (switching circuit; [0175]) coupled to the plurality of segments of the conductive layer and to sensing circuitry (Figs. 5 and 17, and corresponding descriptions; [0175]), the processing circuitry further configured to:
in the first period, couple the plurality of segments of the conductive layer to the sensing circuitry via the switching circuitry to determine the force of the touch on the touch screen (Figs. 5 and 17, and corresponding descriptions; [0165]-[0176]); and
in the second period, different from the first period, couple the plurality of segments of the conductive layer via the switching circuitry to an electrical potential of the touch and force sensitive touch screen (Figs. 5 and 17, and corresponding descriptions; [0165]-[0176]).
Regarding Claim 5, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen device of claim 1, further comprising force sensing circuitry couplable to the plurality of segments, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to, in the first period, determine the force of the touch on the touch screen using measurements of the plurality of segments from the sensing circuitry (Figs. 5 and 17, and corresponding descriptions; [0165]-[0176]).
Regarding Claim 6, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen of claim 5, wherein the force sensing circuitry is configured to sense one or more Wheatstone bridge circuits (Figs. 18-19, and corresponding descriptions; [0181], “The pressure detector 250 may include a Wheatstone bridge circuit unit WB”), the one or more Wheatstone bridge circuits including a first Wheatstone bridge circuit including a first plurality of resistors corresponding to a subset of the plurality of segments of the conductive layer (Figs. 18-19, and corresponding descriptions; [0189]-[0192]).
Regarding Claim 7, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen of claim 6, wherein the force sensing circuitry includes one or more sense lines couplable to respective resistors of a plurality of resistors included in the first Wheatstone bridge circuit (Figs. 18-19, and corresponding descriptions; [0177]-[0192]).
Regarding Claim 8, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch electrodes includes a first plurality of electrodes in a first metal layer ([0136], “The first touch electrodes TE1 may include a conductive material”) and a second plurality of electrodes in a second metal layer ([0136],-[0138], “The second touch electrodes TE2 . . . may be made of the same material as the first touch electrodes TE1”), and the touch and force sensitive touch screen further comprises a dielectric layer (Figs. 2 and 16, and corresponding descriptions).
Regarding Claim 9, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen of claim 8, further comprising:
a plurality of metal bridges (first connection electrodes BE1) formed in the second metal layer (Figs. 6-7 and 12-14, and corresponding descriptions), configured to couple one or more pairs of electrodes of the first plurality of electrodes ([0132], “The first connection electrodes BE1 may be formed as a bridge-type connection pattern”).
Regarding Claim 10, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of strain gauges formed in the second metal layer configured to detect the force of the touch on the touch and force sensitive touch screen at a plurality of locations (Figs. 6-7 and 18-23, and corresponding descirptions).
Regarding Claim 11, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch electrodes is patterned in a first pattern (Figs. 6-7, and corresponding descriptions, showing the touch electrodes in a mesh pattern), and the plurality of segments of the conductive layer is patterned in a second pattern (Figs. 6-11, and corresponding descriptions, showing the strain gauge in a serpentine pattern), different from the first pattern (Figs. 6-11, and corresponding descriptions, showing the patterns are different).
Regarding Claim 12, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen of claim 11, wherein the first pattern corresponds to a mesh pattern (Figs. 6-7, and corresponding descriptions, showing the touch electrodes in a mesh pattern), and the second pattern corresponds to a serpentine pattern (Figs. 6-11, and corresponding descriptions, showing the strain gauge in a serpentine pattern).
Regarding Claim 13, Lee teaches the touch and force sensitive touch screen of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the plurality of segments of the conductive layer is configured with a first pattern (Figs. 6-11, and corresponding descriptions, showing the different patterns of the segments), and second portion, different from the first portion, of the plurality of segments of the conductive layer is configured with a second pattern (Figs. 6-11, and corresponding descriptions, showing the different patterns of the segments), different from the first pattern (Figs. 6-11, and corresponding descriptions, showing the patterns are different).
Regarding Claim 14, Lee teaches a method ([0055]) comprising:
at a touch and force sensitive touch screen (display device 1) comprising a display (display unit DU), a plurality of touch electrodes (touch electrodes TE1 and TE2), and a conductive layer (pressure detector 250) patterned into a plurality of segments (Figs. 6-11 and 19, and corresponding descriptions, showing a plurality of segments; [0143]) and disposed between the display and the plurality of touch electrodes (Figs. 6-14 and 19, and corresponding descriptions):
detecting a location of a touch on the touch screen using measurements from the plurality of touch electrodes ([0121]);
in a first period, configuring the plurality of segments of the conductive layer to shield noise coupling between the display and the plurality of touch electrodes (Figs. 6-11 and 19, and corresponding descriptions, [0142], noting the strain gauge may be in the insulating layer and the term “shield”, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “a device or part that serves as a . . . barrier.” Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, the strain gauge, being located within the insulating layer, may be considered as part of a barrier between a plurality of touch electrodes and display, which would encompass a definition for the term shield); and
in a second period, different from the first period, configuring the plurality of segments of the conductive layer to detect a force of the touch on the touch screen (Figs. 6-11 and 19, and corresponding descriptions, showing the strain gauge, [0125], noting the pressure detector includes the strain gauge).
Regarding Claim 15, Lee teaches the method of claim 14, wherein a first segment of the plurality of segments of the conductive layer includes one or more silver nanowires ([0136], “Examples of the transparent conductive material may include silver nanowire (AgNW)”).
Regarding Claim 16, Lee teaches the method of claim 14, wherein a first segment of the plurality of segments has a serpentine pattern (Figs. 8-10, and corresponding descriptions, showing a serpentine pattern).
Regarding Claim 17, Lee teaches the method of claim 14, wherein the touch screen further comprises switching circuitry (switching circuit; [0175]) coupled to the plurality of segments of the conductive layer and to sensing circuitry (Figs. 5 and 17, and corresponding descriptions; [0175]), the method further comprising:
in the first period, coupling the plurality of segments of the conductive layer to the sensing circuitry via the switching circuitry to determine the force of the touch on the touch screen (Figs. 5 and 17, and corresponding descriptions; [0165]-[0176]); and
in the second period, different from the first period, coupling the plurality of segments of the conductive layer via the switching circuitry to an electrical potential of the touch and force sensitive touch screen (Figs. 5 and 17, and corresponding descriptions; [0165]-[0176]).
Regarding Claim 18, Lee teaches a non-transitory computer readable medium ([0063], [0176]) comprising:
memory storing instructions ([0063], [0176]), wherein the instructions are configured to be executed by a processor (controller 200) in communication with a touch and force sensitive touch screen (display device 1) comprising a display (display unit DU), a plurality of touch electrodes (touch electrodes TE1 and TE2), and a conductive layer (pressure detector 250) patterned into a plurality of segments (Figs. 6-11 and 19, and corresponding descriptions, showing a plurality of segments; [0143]) disposed between the display and the plurality of touch electrodes (Figs. 6-14 and 19, and corresponding descriptions), and wherein the instructions when executed by the processor cause the touch and force sensitive touch screen to:
detect a location of a touch on the touch screen using measurements from the plurality of touch electrodes ([0121]);
in a first period, configure the plurality of segments of the conductive layer to shield noise coupling between the display and the plurality of touch electrodes (Figs. 6-11 and 19, and corresponding descriptions, [0142], noting the strain gauge may be in the insulating layer and the term “shield”, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “a device or part that serves as a . . . barrier.” Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, the strain gauge, being located within the insulating layer, may be considered as part of a barrier between a plurality of touch electrodes and display, which would encompass a definition for the term shield); and
in a second period, different from the first period, configure the plurality of segments of the conductive layer to detect a force of the touch on the touch screen (Figs. 6-11 and 19, and corresponding descriptions, showing the strain gauge, [0125], noting the pressure detector includes the strain gauge).
Regarding Claim 19, Lee teaches the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising of claim 18, wherein a first segment of the plurality of segments of the conductive layer includes one or more silver nanowires ([0136], “Examples of the transparent conductive material may include silver nanowire (AgNW)”).
Regarding Claim 20, Lee teaches the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising of claim 18, wherein a first segment of the plurality of segments has a serpentine pattern (Figs. 8-10, and corresponding descriptions, showing a serpentine pattern).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 21 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 21, the prior art of record fails to teach the limitations, “a plurality of switches, wherein: the plurality of switches is configured to couple the plurality of segments to first circuitry in the first time period to shield the plurality of touch electrodes from the display; and the plurality of switches is configured to couple the plurality of segments to second circuitry in the second time period to detect the force of the touch.” Support for these limitations can be found in Fig. 5D, and corresponding descriptions. Thus, Claim 21 is objected to as being dependent upon rejected Claim 1.
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN T REED whose telephone number is (571)272-7234. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 0800-1800.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ke Xiao can 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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STEPHEN T. REED
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2627
/Stephen T. Reed/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627
Prosecution Insights