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 § 102
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.
Claims 1 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cai et al. (CN 106445261 A).
As to claim 1, Cai discloses a display panel (touch display panel illustrated in fig. 1; see par. [0081]), comprising: a first substrate and a second substrate, disposed along a stacking direction (D3) and overlapping each other (par. [0081]); a liquid crystal layer (fig. 2, display layer; par. [0086]), disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a plurality of data lines (par. [0022]), arranged on the first substrate along a first direction (par. [0022]); a plurality of scan lines (par. [0022]), arranged on the first substrate along a second direction (par. [0022]), wherein the first direction intersects the second direction (par. [0022]); a plurality of touch signal lines (fig. 1, touch signal line 20), disposed on the first substrate (par. [0081]); a plurality of pixel structures, disposed on the first substrate, each of the plurality of pixel structures having an active element (fig. 2, TFT) and a pixel electrode (fig. 2, pixel electrode 18), wherein the active element is electrically connected to the pixel electrode (fig. 2), one of the plurality of data lines, and one of the plurality of scan lines (implicit); a plurality of bridge pads (fig. 2, touch signal pad 222), disposed on the first substrate and electrically connected to the plurality of touch signal lines (fig. 2; par. [0084]) respectively; a plurality of electrode patterns (fig. 2, touch electrode 36), arranged on the second substrate (fig. 2) at intervals along the first direction and the second direction (fig. 1) and overlapping the plurality of pixel electrodes of the plurality of pixel structures (fig. 2); and a plurality of first spacers (fig. 2, gap unit 35), disposed on the second substrate and located between the plurality of electrode patterns and the second substrate (fig. 2), wherein the plurality of first spacers respectively abut on the plurality of bridge pads along the stacking direction (fig. 2), and each of the plurality of electrode patterns covers one of the plurality of first spacers (fig. 2) to be electrically connected to one of the plurality of bridge pads (fig. 2; par. [0081]).
As to claim 6, Cai discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. Cai further discloses in par. [0099] and fig. 9 wherein the plurality of bridge pads (222) and the plurality of pixel electrodes (223) are of a same film layer.
As to claim 7, Cai discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. Cai further discloses in fig. 9 wherein each of the plurality of pixel structures further comprises a first transfer pattern (151a), disposed between the pixel electrode (223) and the active element (TFT), wherein the pixel electrode is electrically connected to the active element through the first transfer pattern, and a second transfer pattern (222a) is disposed between each of the plurality of bridge pads (222) and one of the plurality of touch signal lines (20), each of the plurality of bridge pads being electrically connected to the one of the plurality of touch signal lines through the second transfer pattern, wherein the first transfer pattern and the second transfer pattern are of a same film layer (both are formed in via holes in insulating layer 21).
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 2-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cai et al. (CN 106445261 A) in view of Tanase (US 2022/0107523).
As to claim 2, Cai does not disclose a plurality of second spacers, disposed on the second substrate, wherein a first height of each of the plurality of first spacers along the stacking direction is greater than a second height of each of the plurality of second spacers along the stacking direction. Tanase discloses in fig. 10, a plurality of second spacers (140A1), disposed on the second substrate (170), wherein a first height of each of the plurality of first spacers along the stacking direction is greater than a second height of each of the plurality of second spacers (140A2) along the stacking direction. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Cai by providing a plurality of second spacers, disposed on the second substrate, wherein a first height of each of the plurality of first spacers along the stacking direction is greater than a second height of each of the plurality of second spacers along the stacking direction, as disclosed by Tanase, in order to provide additional support when an external force is applied.
As to claim 3, Cai in view of Tanase discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 2. Tanase further discloses in fig. 2, wherien the plurality of first spacers (140A2) and the plurality of second spacers (140A1) are of a same film layer.
As to claim 4, Cai in view of Tanase discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 2. Cai further discloses in fig. 9, wherein the plurality of electrode patterns (36) covers the plurality of first spacers (35). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify Cai wherein the plurality of second spacers are disposed on a side of the plurality of electrode patterns facing away from the second substrate because the second spacers do not provide any touch function.
As to claim 5, Cai in view of Tanase discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 4. Furthermore, the plurality of second spacers would overlap the pixel electrodes given that the first spacers overlap the black matrix.
Claims 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cai et al. (CN 106445261 A) in view of Lin et al. (US 2019/0064403).
As to claim 8, Cai discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1, but does not disclose wherein each of the plurality of pixel structures further comprises a reflective layer, the reflective layer having an opening overlapping the pixel electrode, wherein the reflective layer defines a reflective region of each of the plurality of pixel structures, and the opening of the reflective layer defines a light-transmitting region of each of the plurality of pixel structures, wherein an orthogonal projection of the opening on a substrate surface of the first substrate falls within an orthogonal projection of the pixel electrode on the substrate surface. However, a transflective device wherein the transmissive portion is surrounded by the reflection portion was conventional as evidenced by par. [0037] of Lin. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Cai wherein each of the plurality of pixel structures further comprises a reflective layer, the reflective layer having an opening overlapping the pixel electrode, wherein the reflective layer defines a reflective region of each of the plurality of pixel structures, and the opening of the reflective layer defines a light-transmitting region of each of the plurality of pixel structures, wherein an orthogonal projection of the opening on a substrate surface of the first substrate falls within an orthogonal projection of the pixel electrode on the substrate surface, because conventional structures were known to be cost-effective and reliable.
As to claim 9, Cai in view of Lin discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 8, but does not disclose wherein the plurality of bridge pads and the reflective layer of each of the plurality of pixel structures are of a same film layer. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify Cai wherein the plurality of bridge pads and the reflective layer of each of the plurality of pixel structures are of a same film layer in order to simplify the manufacturing process.
As to claim 10, Cai in view of Lin discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 8. Cai further discloses in fig. 9, wherein a transfer pattern (222a) is disposed between each of the plurality of bridge pads (222) and one of the plurality of touch signal lines (20), each of the plurality of bridge pads being electrically connected to the one of the plurality of touch signal lines through the transfer pattern, wherein the transfer pattern and the pixel electrode (223) are of a same film layer.
Conclusion
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/DAVID Y CHUNG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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