DETAILED ACTIONNotice 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 § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6 and 8-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by SCHULTZ et al (2019/0102011) (herein “SCHULTZ”). In regards to claims 1, SCHULTZ teaches a touch sensor panel, comprising: a substrate (See; Fig. 7c for substrate 790); a plurality of conductive layers including a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer; a plurality of vias from the first conductive layer to the second conductive layer (See; Fig. 9A for 3 conductive layers 910, 920 and 930 with vias 984, 974 there between); and control circuitry mounted to a printed circuit; wherein: the control circuitry includes touch sensing circuitry (See; p[0062] for routing traces coupled to touch electrodes to form connections in the bond bad region to touch circuitry); the first conductive layer includes a plurality of touch electrodes (See; Fig. 7c for touch electrodes 710); the second conductive layer is separated from the substrate by at least the first conductive layer and includes a bonding region with a plurality of bond pads for interconnection with the plurality of touch electrodes(See; Fig. 9A and p[0071] for a bond pad region having bond pads 750); and the printed circuit is separated from the substrate by at least the plurality of conductive layers and is bonded to the plurality of bond pads by a conductive bonding material between the second conductive layer and the printed circuit (See; p[0062] where the touch electrodes are bonded to touch circuitry through bond pads using conductive materials such as ITO, AZO, etc.). Claim 20 is rejected for the same reasons above with addition of an electronic device, comprising: an energy storage device; wireless communication circuitry; a display (See; p[0036]-p[0038] for a display, wireless communications (telephone communications) and energy storage devices (CRM examples) which are all well-known components of smart electronic devices). In regards to claim 2, SCHULTZ teaches wherein the plurality of touch electrodes is interconnected with the touch sensing circuitry through the plurality of vias and the plurality of bond pads (See; p[0062], p[0071]). In regards to claim 3, SCHULTZ teaches wherein the plurality of conductive layers further comprises a third conductive layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer (See; Fig. 9A for three conductive layers). In regards to claim 6, SCHULTZ teaches wherein the plurality of vias from the first conductive layer to the second conductive layer include a first plurality of vias from the first conductive layer to the third conductive layer and a second plurality of vias from the second conductive layer to the third conductive layer (See; Fig. 7B and 9A for a plurality of each vias 780, 770).
In regards to claim 8, SCHULTZ teaches wherein the plurality of conductive layers includes one or more silver nanowire electrodes formed in the first conductive layer (See; p[0004]).
In regards to claim 9, SCHULTZ teaches wherein the plurality of conductive layers includes one or more carbon electrodes formed in the second conductive layer (See; p[0004]).
In regards to claim 10, SCHULTZ teaches wherein the conductive bonding material includes an anisotropic conductive film, an anisotropic conductive adhesive, or an anisotropic conductive paste (See; p[0079], p[0090] for using conductive paste).
In regards to claim 11, SCHULTZ teaches wherein the substrate includes polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (See; p[0075] where the substrate can be a transparent insulating material layer, where PET is a well-known transparent insulating material used in substrates for touch display devices).
In regards to claim 12, SCHULTZ teaches further comprising a plurality of insulating layers including a first insulating layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, and a second insulating layer between the second conductive layer and the printed circuit (See; Fig. 9A and p[0085] for substrates 950, 960 with insulating materials between the conductive layers). In regards to claim 13, SCHULTZ teaches further comprising one or more stiffeners at least partially in the same layer as the printed circuit (See; p[0085] where the substrates can include multiple substrates including supportive layers).
In regards to claim 14, SCHULTZ teaches further comprising: one or more stiffeners (See; p[0085] where the substrates can include multiple substrates including supportive layers).; wherein: the plurality of touch electrodes defines an active touch sensing area having a first surface area; and the one or more stiffeners defines a stiffening area having a second surface area less than the first surface area (See; Fig. 7E for bonding areas having smaller areas than the active touch sensing area 740).
In regards to claim 15, SCHULTZ teaches further comprising a passivation layer and an adhesive layer between the printed circuit and the second conductive layer (See; p[0085, p[0095]-p[0100] for passivation layers and adhesive layers).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SCHULTZ et al (2019/0102011) (herein “SCHULTZ”). In regards to claim 16, SCHULTZ teaches further comprising: a plurality of insulating layers (See; Fig. 9A and p[0085] for substrates 950, 960 with insulating materials between the conductive layers). SCHULTZ fails to explicitly teach wherein: a combined thickness of the substrate, the plurality of conductive layers, and the plurality of insulating layers is between 140 and 155 microns. However since the disclosure offers no criticality and no unexpected results from having this particular thickness then it is deemed a design choice. Therefore it would have obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to use materials to meet the thickness above as a mere design choice based on the specific device that it will be used for.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SCHULTZ et al (2019/0102011) (herein “SCHULTZ”) in view of CHEN et al (2018/0136773) (herein “CHEN”). In regards to claim 17, SCHULTZ teaches a touch See; Fig. 7c for substrate 790); a plurality of conductive layers including a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer; a plurality of vias from the first conductive layer and the third conductive layer to the second conductive layer (See; Fig. 9A for 3 conductive layers 910, 920 and 930 with vias 984, 974 there between); and control circuitry mounted to a printed circuit; wherein: the control circuitry includes touch sensing circuitry See; p[0062] for routing traces coupled to touch electrodes to form connections in the bond bad region to touch circuitry); the first conductive layer includes a plurality of touch electrodes (See; Fig. 7c for touch electrodes 710); the second conductive layer is separated from the substrate by the first conductive layer and the third conductive layer (See; Fig. 9A), and includes a bonding region with a plurality of bond pads for interconnection with the plurality of touch electrodes (See; Fig. 9A and p[0071] for a bond pad region having bond pads 750); and the printed circuit is separated from the substrate by at least the plurality of conductive layers and is bonded to the plurality of bond pads by a conductive bonding material between the second conductive layer and the printed circuit (See; p[0062] where the touch electrodes are bonded to touch circuitry through bond pads using conductive materials such as ITO, AZO, etc.). SCHULTZ fails to explicitly teach a force sensor panel and force sensing circuitry. However CHEN teaches a touch display panel with integrated force sensors (See; Abstract p[0027], Figs. 2 and 7 for touch electrodes and force electrodes connected to a control unit). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify SCHULTZ to include integrated force sensors so as to accurately measure pressure enacted on the touch panel to enable additional user control over the device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 7, 18 and 19 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. While CHEN teaches force electrodes and ground electrodes, CHEN does not teach the particular layering arrangements claimed in the objected claims.
Conclusion
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/JONATHAN A BOYD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627