DETAILED ACTION
This Final action is in response to an amendment filed 12/30/2025. Currently claims 1-9 and 12-16 are pending, but claims 5-7 and 12-16 remain withdrawn as directed to non-elected subject matter and claims 1-4 and 8-9 are examined as follows.
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
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.
Claims 1-2, 4 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. in US 2022/0206652 (hereinafter Lee) in view of Zhang et al. in US 2018/0247592 (hereinafter Zhang).
Regarding claim 1, Lee disclose a touch display device (Lee’s par. 2), comprising: a plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 58), each configured to provide a first signal (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 58: EVDD/EVSS); and a plurality of pixel circuits (Lee’s Fig. 1 and par. 60), wherein each of the plurality of pixel circuits (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 90) comprises:
a current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS), coupled between a driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 96: DT) and a corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 102: EVSS); a light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 101: OLED), set on the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS); and a switch (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 102: selector SEL), the switch is coupled between the light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 12: OLED) and a corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12: EVSS) on the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS); wherein the switch (Lee’s Fig. 12: see SEL) is configured to enable the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DDT to EVSS) during a display phase (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: SEL connecting to EVSS during display operation) to let the current path (Lee’s Fig. 14: from DT to EVSS) provide a driving current (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: IOLED) from the driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: DT), the driving current is transmitted to the corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 14: EVSS) through the light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 14: OLED) to light up the light emitting element (Lee’s par. 109: OLED emits light), wherein the switch (Lee’s Fig. 12: see SEL) is configured to disable the current path (Lee’s Fig. 15 and par. 110: the current path from DT to EVSS is disabled by the selector SEL floating the cathode of the OLED) during a touch phase (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 110: touch operation period) to let the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS) stop providing the driving current (Lee’s Fig. 15: DT and T4 are off, thus IOLED is not provided) from the driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 15: DT).
Lee fails to disclose the switch only coupled between the light emitting element and a corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes, the switch configured to be conducted, or the switch configured to be turned off.
However, in the related field of endeavor of display pixels, Zhang discloses that a transistor in a pixel (Zhang’s Fig. 1B: see T4 with gate terminal to G4, input terminal to VDD and output terminal to Td) is conducted to enable the path only between the input and output terminals (Zhang’s par. 52: T4 turned on and thus output VDD) and turned off to float the output terminal (Zhang’s par. 52: T4 turned off and thus output terminal is in the floating state).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, that Lee’s Fig. 12 selector SEL is implemented by a transistor that is turned-on to enable a current path only between the input and output terminal or turned-off to float the output of the path (Zhang’s Fig. 1B and par. 52: see T4 between conducting VDD when on, and floating the output of T4 [bottom terminal] when turned off), in order to obtain the predictable result of a known component in a pixel (Zhang’s Fig. 1B: transistor T4 in a pixel) that achieves the function of selecting between conducting and floating (Zhang’s par. 52 and Lee’s Fig. 12: see SEL), and given that Lee already discloses including the selector in the subpixel (Lee’s par. 102).
By doing such combination, Lee’s Fig. 12 selector SEL is a transistor with an input terminal connected to the cathode of the OLED, an output terminal connected to EVSS and the gate terminal connected to the signal MUX, where a conducting state between the cathode of the OLED and EVSS (Lee’s Fig. 14) is achieved by the transistor being turned on, and the floating state (Lee’s Fig. 15) is achieved by turning off the transistor (as disclosed for T4 in Zhang’s Fig. 1B and par. 52).
As such, Lee in view of Zhang disclose:
A touch display device (Lee’s par. 2), comprising:
a plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 58), each configured to provide a first signal (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 58: EVDD/EVSS); and
a plurality of pixel circuits (Lee’s Fig. 1 and par. 60), wherein each of the plurality of pixel circuits (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 90) comprises:
a current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS), coupled between a driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 96: DT) and a corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 102: EVSS);
a light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 101: OLED), set on the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS); and
a switch (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 102: selector SEL which upon combination is a transistor with a gate connected to MUX, an input terminal connected to the cathode of OLED, and an output terminal connected to EVSS per Zhang’s Fig. 1B and par. 52: see T4), the switch is only coupled between the light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 12: OLED) and a corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12: EVSS. Upon combination the selector is transistor with one current path between OLED and EVSS, the floating is achieved by turning of the selecting transistor as disclosed for T4 in Zhang’s par. 52) on the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS);
wherein the switch (Lee’s Fig. 12: see SEL) is configured to be conducted (Lee’s Fig. 12: SEL which upon combination is a transistor turned on to conduct such as T4 in Zhang’s Fig. 1 per par. 52) to enable the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS) during a display phase (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: SEL connecting to EVSS during display operation) to let the current path (Lee’s Fig. 14: from DT to EVSS) provide a driving current (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: IOLED) from the driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: DT), the driving current is transmitted to the corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 14: EVSS) through the light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 14: OLED) to light up the light emitting element (Lee’s par. 109: OLED emits light),
wherein the switch (Lee’s Fig. 12: see SEL) is configured to be turned off (Lee’s Fig. 12: SEL which upon combination is a transistor turned off to float such as T4 in Zhang’s Fig. 1 per par. 52) to disable the current path (Lee’s Fig. 15 and par. 110: the current path from DT to EVSS is disabled by the selector SEL floating the cathode of the OLED) during a touch phase (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 110: touch operation period) to let the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS) stop providing the driving current (Lee’s Fig. 15: DT and T4 are off, thus IOLED is not provided) from the driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 15: DT).
Regarding claim 2, Lee in view of Zhang disclose further comprising:
a plurality of first touch electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 6 and par. 68: see TE), each configured to provide a touch control signal (Lee’s par. 64: touch driving voltage), wherein the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12: EVDD or EVSS which are part of subpixel SP of Figs. 1-2 per par. 60 and located in substrate 150 of Figs. 1, 6) and the plurality of first touch electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 6: TE shown located in substrate 150) are disposed on a same substrate (Lee’s Fig. 6: subpixels SP and touch electrodes TE are located in substrate 150, where subpixels SP include power electrodes EVDD or EVSS per Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4, Lee in view of Zhang disclose wherein the plurality of first touch electrodes are rectangular and arranged in an array (Lee’s Fig. 6: see array of rectangular TE).
Regarding claim 8, Lee discloses an operating method, for a touch display device (Lee’s par. 2), wherein the touch display device comprises a plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 58) and a plurality of pixel circuits (Lee’s Fig. 1 and par. 60), wherein each of the pixel circuits comprises a current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS), a light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 101: OLED) and a switch (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 102: selector SEL), wherein the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS) is coupled between a driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 96: DT) and a corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 102: EVSS), the light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 101: OLED) is set on the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS), and the switch (Lee’s Fig. 12: selector SEL) is coupled between the light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 12: OLED) and a corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12: EVSS) on the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS), wherein the operating method comprises: providing a first signal by each of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12: EVSS); the switch (Lee’s Fig. 12: SEL) enabling the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS) during a display phase (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: SEL connecting to EVSS during display operation) to let the current path (Lee’s Fig. 14: from DT to EVSS) provide a driving current (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: IOLED) from the driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: DT), wherein the driving current is transmitted to the corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 14: EVSS) through the light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 14: OLED) to light up the light emitting element (Lee’s par. 109: OLED emits light); and the switch (Lee’s Fig. 12: SEL) disabling the current path (Lee’s Fig. 15 and par. 110: the current path from DT to EVSS is disabled by the selector SEL floating the cathode of the OLED) during a touch phase (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 110: touch operation period) to let the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS) stop providing the driving current (Lee’s Fig. 15: DT and T4 are off, thus IOLED is not provided) from the driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 15: DT).
Lee fails to disclose the switch only coupled between the light emitting element and a corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes, the switch configured to be conducted, or the switch configured to be turned off.
However, in the related field of endeavor of display pixels, Zhang discloses that a transistor in a pixel (Zhang’s Fig. 1B: see T4 with gate terminal to G4, input terminal to VDD and output terminal to Td) is conducted to enable the path only between the input and output terminals (Zhang’s par. 52: T4 turned on and thus output VDD) and turned off to float the output terminal (Zhang’s par. 52: T4 turned off and thus output terminal is in the floating state).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, that Lee’s Fig. 12 selector SEL is implemented by a transistor that is turned-on to enable a current path only between the input and output terminal or turned-off to float the output of the path (Zhang’s Fig. 1B and par. 52: see T4 between conducting VDD when on, and floating the output of T4 [bottom terminal] when turned off), in order to obtain the predictable result of a known component in a pixel (Zhang’s Fig. 1B: transistor T4 in a pixel) that achieves the function of selecting between conducting and floating (Zhang’s par. 52 and Lee’s Fig. 12: see SEL), and given that Lee already discloses including the selector in the subpixel (Lee’s par. 102).
By doing such combination, Lee’s Fig. 12 selector SEL is a transistor with an input terminal connected to the cathode of the OLED, an output terminal connected to EVSS and the gate terminal connected to the signal MUX, where a conducting state between the cathode of the OLED and EVSS (Lee’s Fig. 14) is achieved by the transistor being turned-on, and the floating state (Lee’s Fig. 15) is achieved by turning-off the transistor (as disclosed for T4 in Zhang’s Fig. 1B and par. 52).
As such, Lee in view of Zhang disclose:
An operating method, for a touch display device (Lee’s par. 2), wherein the touch display device comprises a plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 58) and a plurality of pixel circuits (Lee’s Fig. 1 and par. 60), wherein each of the pixel circuits comprises a current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS), a light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 101: OLED) and a switch (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 102: selector SEL which upon combination is a transistor with a gate connected to MUX, an input terminal connected to the cathode of OLED, and an output terminal connected to EVSS per Zhang’s Fig. 1B and par. 52: see T4), wherein the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS) is coupled between a driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 96: DT) and a corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 102: EVSS), the light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 101: OLED) is set on the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS), and the switch (Lee’s Fig. 12 and par. 102: selector SEL which upon combination is a transistor with a gate connected to MUX, an input terminal connected to the cathode of OLED, and an output terminal connected to EVSS per Zhang’s Fig. 1B and par. 52: see T4) is only coupled between the light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 12: OLED) and a corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12: EVSS. Upon combination the selector is transistor with one current path between OLED and EVSS, the floating is achieved by turning of the selecting transistor as disclosed for T4 in Zhang’s par. 52) on the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS), wherein the operating method comprises:
providing a first signal by each of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12: EVSS);
conducting the switch (Lee’s Fig. 12: SEL which upon combination is a transistor turned on to conduct such as T4 in Zhang’s Fig. 1 per par. 52) to enable the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS) during a display phase (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: SEL connecting to EVSS during display operation) to let the current path (Lee’s Fig. 14: from DT to EVSS) provide a driving current (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: IOLED) from the driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 109: DT), wherein the driving current is transmitted to the corresponding one of the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 14: EVSS) through the light emitting element (Lee’s Fig. 14: OLED) to light up the light emitting element (Lee’s par. 109: OLED emits light); and
turning off the switch (Lee’s Fig. 12: SEL which upon combination is a transistor turned off to float such as T4 in Zhang’s Fig. 1 per par. 52) to disable the current path (Lee’s Fig. 15 and par. 110: the current path from DT to EVSS is disabled by the selector SEL floating the cathode of the OLED) during a touch phase (Lee’s Fig. 14 and par. 110: touch operation period) to let the current path (Lee’s Fig. 12: from DT to EVSS) stop providing the driving current (Lee’s Fig. 15: DT and T4 are off, thus IOLED is not provided) from the driving circuit (Lee’s Fig. 15: DT).
Regarding claim 9, Lee in view of Zhang disclose wherein the touch display device further comprises a plurality of first touch electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 6 and par. 68: see TE), the operating method further comprises:
utilizing each of the plurality of first touch electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 6 and par. 68: see TE) to provide a touch control signal (Lee’s par. 64: touch driving voltage), wherein the plurality of power electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 12: EVDD or EVSS which are part of subpixel SP of Figs. 1-2 per par. 60 and located in substrate 150 of Figs. 1, 6) and the plurality of first touch electrodes (Lee’s Fig. 6: TE shown located in substrate 150) are disposed on the same substrate (Lee’s Fig. 6: subpixels SP and touch electrodes TE are located in substrate 150, where subpixels SP include power electrodes EVDD or EVSS per Fig. 2).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Zhang as applied above, in further view of Chen et al. in US 2015/0234520 (hereinafter Chen).
Lee in view of Zhang fail to disclose a plurality of second touch electrodes, wherein the plurality of first touch electrodes are parallel to a Y-axis and comprise a plurality of first electrode blocks connected in series, the plurality of second touch electrodes are parallel to an X-axis and comprise a plurality of second electrode blocks connected in series, and the X-axis is orthogonal to the Y-axis.
However, in the same field of endeavor of touch panels, Chen discloses:
a plurality of second touch electrodes (Chen’s Fig. 1: see first touch electrodes 121 and second touch electrodes 122 which upon combination are part of TSP in Lee’s Figs. 3, 6), wherein the plurality of first touch electrodes are parallel to a Y-axis and comprise a plurality of first electrode blocks connected in series (Chen’s Fig. 1 and par. 23: see series 121 in the vertical), the plurality of second touch electrodes are parallel to an X-axis and comprise a plurality of second electrode blocks connected in series (Chen’s Fig. 1 and par. 23: see series 122 in the horizontal), and the X-axis is orthogonal to the Y-axis (Chen’s Fig. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, for Lee in view of Zhang’s touch sensor (Lee’s Figs, 3, 6: see TSP) to include an array of touch electrodes as described by Chen, in order to obtain Lee’s predictable result of a mutual capacitive touch panel (Lee’s par. 51) with a known configuration that achieves mutual capacitance (Chen’s Fig. 1 and par. 25).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 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. See above rejection in view of Lee and Zhang as necessitated by the amendment for details on how each limitation maps to the prior art.
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.
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/LILIANA CERULLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2621