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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 13 are objected to because of the following informalities: “plan view” should be changed to –plane view--. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-3, 10, 13-15 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2021/0326000 A1 to Yang et al. in view of U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2017/0228074 A1 to Du et al.
As to claim 1, Yang discloses a touch detection module comprising:
a touch sensing unit including touch electrodes and an inspection signal transmission line, the touch electrodes being in a touch sensing area of the touch sensing unit and being connected to touch lines that extend through a touch peripheral area of the touch sensing unit (Fig. 3, paragraphs 0093-0104, where input sensor (220) includes sensing electrodes (SE1, SE2) and inspection lines (IL)); and
a touch driving circuit supplying an inspection signal to the inspection signal transmission line and changing a voltage magnitude or a current amount of touch driving signals supplied to the touch electrodes, the changing being according to a voltage magnitude or a current amount of the inspection signal (Fig. 1B and 3, paragraphs 0078 and 0127, where driving IC (DIC) is the touch driving circuit),
wherein the touch driving circuit supplies the touch driving signals in which the voltage magnitude or the current amount has changed to the touch electrodes and detects touch sensing signals from the touch electrodes to detect coordinates of a touch location (Fig. 1B and 3, paragraph 0127, where the driving IC (DIC) supplies touch scan signals and receives a readout of the sensing signal).
Yang is deficient in disclosing an entire path along which the inspection signal transmission line extends is separated from each of the touch lines in plan view.
However, Du discloses an entire path along which the inspection signal transmission line extends is separated from each of the touch lines in plan view (Fig. 3, paragraphs 0037-0045, where test lines (270), which are the inspection signal transmission lines, are separate from touch lines (241, 242)).
At the time of filing, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the touch sensing unit as taught by Yang by including an inspection signal transmission line separated from touch lines as taught by Du. The suggestion/motivation would have been in order for the inspection signal transmission line to be controlled independently of the touch lines (Du, paragraphs 0037-0045).
As to claim 2, Yang discloses the touch detection module,
wherein the inspection signal transmission line is disposed in at least one of the touch sensing area or the touch peripheral area (Fig. 3, paragraphs 0093-0104, where inspection lines (IL) are disposed in the touch sensing area (AA) and peripheral area (A2, A4)), and
wherein the inspection signal transmission line is formed on the same process layer with the same metal material as at least one touch electrode among the touch electrodes or at least one touch line among the touch lines (Fig. 4B-5B, paragraph 0118, where inspection line (IL-1) includes the same material as sensing portion (SP1) on insulating layer (221)).
As to claim 3, Yang discloses he touch detection module,
wherein the inspection signal transmission line is disposed in a shape surrounding the touch lines and the touch sensing area along an outermost portion of the touch peripheral area (Fig. 3, paragraphs 0093-0104, where inspection lines (IL) surround signal lines (SL) and touch sensing area (AA) along the peripheral areas (A2, A4)).
As to claim 10, Yang discloses the touch detection module,
wherein the touch driving circuit supplies the inspection signal to a first end of the inspection signal transmission line in real time or for each preset period, detects change of the current amount or the voltage magnitude of the inspection signal through at least one of the first end or a second end of the inspection signal transmission line, and changes the current amount or the voltage magnitude of the touch driving signals to correspond to the change of the current amount or the voltage magnitude of the inspection signal (Fig. 1B and 3-7, paragraphs 0078 and 0126-0134, where driving circuit (DIC) supplies signals to inspection lines (IL) and signal lines (SL)).
As to claim 13, Yang and Du disclose limitations similar to claim 1. In addition, Yang discloses a display device comprising:
a display panel including a display area in which a plurality of subpixels are arranged (Fig. 2B, paragraph 0073, where display panel (200) has pixels (PX)); and
a touch detection module on the display panel and configured to sense touch of a user (Fig. 2B, paragraph 0073, where active area (AA) is the touch detection module). In addition, the same motivation is used as claim 1.
As to claims 14, 15 and 18, Yang discloses limitations similar to claims 2, 3 and 10, respectively.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2021/0326000 A1 to Yang et al. in view of U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2017/0228074 A1 to Du et al. as applied to claims 1-3 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2023/0141463 A1 to Huang et al.
As to claim 4, Yang discloses the touch detection module,
wherein the touch sensing unit further includes a pad unit in the peripheral area (Fig. 3, paragraph 0101, pad areas (PDA1, PDA2)).
Yang and Du are deficient in disclosing wherein one end of the inspection signal transmission line is electrically connected toa first touch pad disposed on one side of the pad unit, and the other end of the inspection signal transmission line is electrically connected to a second touch pad disposed on the other side of the pad unit.
However, Huang discloses wherein one end of the inspection signal transmission line is electrically connected to a first touch pad disposed on one side of the pad unit, and the other end of the inspection signal transmission line is electrically connected to a second touch pad disposed on the other side of the pad unit (Fig. 1A, paragraphs 0050-0052, where test pads (PAD1-PAD5) connect each end of the test lines).
At the time of filing, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the touch sensing unit with a pad unit as taught by Yang and Du by including a touch pad connected to each side of an inspection signal transmission line as taught by Huang. The suggestion/motivation would have been in order to transmit test signals around the entire touch display (Huang, paragraphs 0050-0054).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 is allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record alone, or in combination, fail to teach, disclose, or render obvious, “an inspection signal supply unit supplying the inspection signal of a preset voltage magnitude to the inspection signal transmission line; a current amount detection unit detecting a current amount flowing in the inspection signal transmission line; a comparison circuit unit that compares the current amount detected through the current amount detection unit with a preset reference current amount and that outputs a comparison signal corresponding to a current amount difference; a compensation value extraction unit extracting and outputting a compensation value that is inversely proportional to the current amount difference; and a signal control unit changing the current amount or voltage magnitude of the touch driving signals to correspond to the compensation value outputted from the compensation value extraction unit”, in combination with the other limitations set forth in claim 11.
Claim 19 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: Claim 19 has similar allowable limitations as claim 11.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-4, 10, 13-15 and 18 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 ANEETA YODICHKAS whose telephone number is (571)272-9773. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9-5.
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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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ANEETA YODICHKAS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2627
/ANEETA YODICHKAS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627
Prosecution Insights