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 § 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 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bi et al. (US 20170256199 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20200142563 A1, hereafter Kim).
Regarding claim 1, Bi teaches a display device comprising:
a display panel (60) including a display area in which pixels (62) and touch electrodes are disposed and a non-display area surrounding the display area ([0035], where the display may be a touch screen; Fig. 7, [0042]-[0043], where components such as driver ICs are disposed in a non-display area around the display panel area 60);
a ground line configured to apply a ground voltage to the display panel during display driving and touch driving (Fig. 16, [0060]-[0061], where there is a ground connected to sensing channels of the device); and
a compensation circuit (192) configured to receive a feedback signal from the ground line and output an inverted signal having an anti-phase of the feedback signal to the ground line ([0061], where additional panel ground noise 192 applies the ground noise signal with inverted phase to the ground line; Fig. 17, [0093], where the panel ground noise 192 originates from a neighboring column and is provided through a comparison voltage buffer 210).
But, Bi does not explicitly teach the display device wherein the ground line is in the non-display area. However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Kim (Figs. 1 and 4, [0199]-[0200], where there are guard wiring G1, G2, G4, G5 in the non-display area NDA that are connected to a reference voltage such as ground). Both Bi and Kim teach touchscreen devices with display noise sensing and compensation capabilities. Bi teaches the application of an anti-phase signal to compensate for ground noise but does not teach the presence of a ground line. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add guard lines to the peripheral area of the display device of Bi to reduce electrical noise and interference.
Regarding claim 17, Bi teaches a display device comprising:
a display panel (60) including a display area in which pixels (62) and touch electrodes are disposed and a non-display area surrounding the display area ([0035], where the display may be a touch screen; Fig. 7, [0042]-[0043], where components such as driver ICs are disposed in a non-display area around the display panel area 60);
a ground line configured to apply a ground voltage to the display panel during display driving and touch driving (Fig. 16, [0060]-[0061], where there is a ground connected to sensing channels of the device); and
a compensation circuit (192) configured to receive a feedback signal from the ground line and output an inverted signal having an anti-phase of the feedback signal to the ground line ([0061], where additional panel ground noise 192 applies the ground noise signal with inverted phase to the ground line; Fig. 17, [0093], where the panel ground noise 192 originates from a neighboring column and is provided through a comparison voltage buffer 210).
But, Bi does not explicitly teach the display device wherein the ground line is the non-display area and wherein the compensation circuit uses a ground voltage directly applied from an external host as a reference voltage which is used for comparing with the feedback signal to derive the inverted signal. However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Kim (Figs. 1 and 4, [0199]-[0200], where there are guard wiring G1, G2, G4, G5 in the non-display area NDA that are connected to a reference voltage such as ground; [0199]-[0200], where the ground signal is received through the pad portions). Both Bi and Kim teach touchscreen devices with display noise sensing and compensation capabilities. Bi teaches the application of an anti-phase signal to compensate for ground noise but does not teach the presence of a ground line. Furthermore, Bi teaches the use of a ground signal in determining the additional ground noise 192 (Bi [0062]-[0063]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add guard lines to the peripheral area of the display device of Bi to reduce electrical noise and interference.
Claims 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bi et al. (US 20170256199 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20200142563 A1, hereafter Kim ‘563) in view of Kim et al. (US 20190107909 A1, hereafter Kim ‘909).
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Bi and Kim ‘563 would show the display device of claim 17. But, the combination does not explicitly teach the display device further comprising: a source printed circuit board connected to the display panel through a circuit film; and a control printed circuit board connected to the source printed circuit board through a connection cable to receive the ground voltage from the external host through a ground input terminal. However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Kim ‘909 (Fig. 5, [0096]-[0100], where the ground wire 240 connects the source printed circuit S-PCB to the touch printed circuit board such that the touch printed circuit board receives the external ground voltage). Both Bi and Kim ‘909 teach touchscreen devices. Bi is silent with respect to the specific usage of printed circuit boards or the disposition of components on circuit boards. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to place the circuitry of Bi on circuit boards as taught by Kim ‘909 and to ensure access to ground for proper electrical operation.
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Bi, Kim ‘563, and Kim ‘909 would show the display device of claim 18. Bi in the combination further teaches the display device wherein the compensation circuit is on the source printed circuit board (Figs. 11 and 17, [0056], [0063], where buffer 210 is a part of the sensing channel 150 which is a portion of the measurement circuitry 100 disposed in the source driver IC 90).
Regarding claim 20, the combination of Bi, Kim ‘563, and Kim ‘909 would show the display device of claim 18. Kim ‘909 in the combination further teaches the display device wherein the compensation circuit is directly connected to the ground input terminal of the control printed circuit board (Fig. 5, [0096]-[0100], where in the combination with Bi, the compensation circuit’s ground is the ground wire 240 that connects the source printed circuit S-PCB to the touch printed circuit board such that the touch printed circuit board receives the external ground voltage).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-16 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER D MCLOONE whose telephone number is (571)272-4631. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 AM - 5 PM.
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/PETER D MCLOONE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2621