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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A (Figs. 9 and 14) in the reply filed on 1/05/2026 is acknowledged. Currently, claims 1-20 are pending, but claims 6-7, 12-13 and 19-20 are withdrawn from consideration as directed to non-elected subject matter, and claims 1-5, 8-11 and 14-18 are examined as follows.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: “Display device and method with touch coordinates determined based on elapsed time from vertical synchronization signal”.
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, 8-10 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bae et al. in US 2021/0055848 (hereinafter Bae) in view of Nohno et al in US 6,239,788 (hereinafter Nohno).
Regarding claim 1, Bae disclose a display device (Bae’s Fig. 1: see 160) comprising: a display panel (Bae’s Fig. 3 and par. 72) comprising touch driving electrodes (Bae’s par. 74-75: x-axis line sensors that are charged [driven]); and a touch driver circuit (Bae’s Fig. 3: see 340) comprising a driving signal output unit (Bae’s par. 75: x-axis transmitters) configured to output driving signals (Bae’s par. 75: charging the plurality of x-axis line sensors) supplied to the touch driving electrodes (Bae’s par. 74: x-axis line sensors), and a touch control unit (Bae’s par. 73: touch AFE, ADC, DSP or MCU) configured to control the driving signal output unit (Bae’s par. 75), wherein the touch driver circuit (Bae’s Fig. 3: see 340) is configured to: output the driving signals in response to a vertical synchronization signal (Bae’s Fig. 5 and par. 88-89: drive the touch AFE upon receiving vertical synchronization signal); receive a detection signal associated with a touch input on the display panel (Bae’s par. 89: sense plurality of sensors to detect touch input).
Bae fails to disclose the touch driver circuit is configured to: sequentially output the driving signals in response to a vertical synchronization signal; or calculate an elapsed time from a first time when the vertical synchronization signal is output until a second time when the detection signal is received; and determine touch coordinates of the touch input based on the elapsed time.
However, in the same field of endeavor of touch detection in touch panels based on clock signals, Nohno discloses sequentially outputting driving signals (Nohno’s Fig. 1 and col. 13 lines 26-30: sequentially making a source electrode for scan) in response to a clock signal that sets a touch period and a display period (Nohno’s Fig. 6 and col. 17 line 41-44); receiving a detection signal (Nohno’s Fig. 1 and col. 13 lines 46-64: x-coordinate or y-coordinate detection voltage) associated with a touch input (Nohno’s col. 13 line 65 to col. 14 line 10: peak detection of the detection voltage); calculating an elapsed time (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6: count value of number of clocks from the start of the scanning of the source electrode to the peak detection of the X-coordinate detection voltage, see also col. 25 lines 17-26) from a start of the coordinate detection (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6, col. 25 lines 17-26: start of coordinate detection) until a second time when the detection signal is received (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6: peak detection of the X-coordinate detection voltage); and determining touch coordinates of the touch input based on the elapsed time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 6: x-coordinate value [from count value]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, that Bae’s outputting of the driving signals is sequential, and that the touch input coordinate information is determined based on the elapsed time from the start of the scan [Vsync] to when the detection signal is received (as disclosed by Nohno), in order to obtain the predictable result of sequential operation (Bae’s par. 51) and the predictable result of the touch input coordinate information based on the time when a synchronization signal is received (Bae’s par. 111).
By doing such combination, Bae in view of Nohno disclose:
A display device (Bae’s Fig. 1: see 160) comprising:
a display panel (Bae’s Fig. 3 and par. 72) comprising touch driving electrodes (Bae’s par. 74-75: x-axis line sensors that are charged [driven]); and
a touch driver circuit (Bae’s Fig. 3: see 340) comprising a driving signal output unit (Bae’s par. 75: x-axis transmitters) configured to output driving signals (Bae’s par. 75: charging the plurality of x-axis line sensors) supplied to the touch driving electrodes (Bae’s par. 74: x-axis line sensors), and a touch control unit (Bae’s par. 73: touch AFE, ADC, DSP or MCU) configured to control the driving signal output unit (Bae’s par. 75).
wherein the touch driver circuit (Bae’s Fig. 3: see 340) is configured to:
sequentially output the driving signals in response to a vertical synchronization signal (Bae’s Fig. 5 and par. 88-89: drive the touch AFE upon receiving vertical synchronization signal, which upon combination is sequential per Nohno’s Fig. 1 and col. 13 lines 26-30: sequentially making a source electrode for scan);
receive a detection signal associated with a touch input on the display panel (Bae’s par. 89: sense plurality of sensors to detect touch input, which upon combination is detecting a peak of an x or y coordinate detection voltage per Nohno’s col. 13 line 46 to col. 14 line 10);
calculate an elapsed time (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6: count value of number of clocks from the start of the scanning of the source electrode to the peak detection of the X-coordinate detection voltage) from a first time when the vertical synchronization signal is output (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6, col. 25 lines 17-26: start of coordinate detection which upon combination is the vertical synchronization signal of Bae’s Fig. 5 and par. 88-89) until a second time when the detection signal is received (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6: peak detection of the X-coordinate detection voltage); and
determine touch coordinates of the touch input based on the elapsed time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 5: x-coordinate value [from count value] which is equivalent to detecting input from synchronization signal in Bae’s par. 111).
Regarding claim 8, Bae disclose a display device (Bae’s Fig. 1: see 160) comprising: a host (Bae’s Figs. 1, 3 and par. 42, 50: see server 108 or processor); a display panel (Bae’s Fig. 3 and par. 72) comprising touch driving electrodes (Bae’s par. 74-75: x-axis line sensors that are charged [driven]); and a touch driver circuit (Bae’s Fig. 3: see 340) comprising a driving signal output unit (Bae’s par. 75: x-axis transmitters) configured to output driving signals (Bae’s par. 75: charging the plurality of x-axis line sensors) supplied to the touch driving electrodes (Bae’s par. 74: x-axis line sensors), and a touch control unit (Bae’s par. 73: touch AFE, ADC, DSP or MCU) configured to control the driving signal output unit (Bae’s par. 75), wherein the touch driver circuit (Bae’s Fig. 3: see 340) is configured to: output the driving signals in response to a vertical synchronization signal of the display panel (Bae’s Fig. 5 and par. 88-89: drive the touch AFE upon receiving vertical synchronization signal); receive a detection signal associated with a touch input on the display panel (Bae’s par. 89: sense plurality of sensors to detect touch input).
Bae fails to disclose the touch driver circuit is configured to: sequentially output the driving signals in response to a vertical synchronization signal; or transmit an elapsed time until a second time when the detection signal is received measured from a first time when the vertical synchronization signal is output by the host of the display device; and wherein the host determines touch coordinates of the touch input based on the elapsed time received from the touch driver circuit.
However, in the same field of endeavor of touch detection in touch panels based on clock signals, Nohno discloses sequentially outputting driving signals (Nohno’s Fig. 1 and col. 13 lines 26-30: sequentially making a source electrode for scan) in response to a clock signal that sets a touch period and a display period (Nohno’s Fig. 6 and col. 17 line 41-44); receiving a detection signal (Nohno’s Fig. 1 and col. 13 lines 46-64: x-coordinate or y-coordinate detection voltage) associated with a touch input (Nohno’s col. 13 line 65 to col. 14 line 10: peak detection of the detection voltage); transmitting an elapsed time (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6: count value of number of clocks from the start of the scanning of the source electrode to the peak detection of the X-coordinate detection voltage, see also col. 25 lines 17-26) until a second time when the detection signal is received (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6: peak detection of the X-coordinate detection voltage) from a start of the coordinate detection (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6, col. 25 lines 17-26: start of coordinate detection); and determining touch coordinates of the touch input based on the elapsed time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 6: x-coordinate value [from count value]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, that Bae’s outputting of the driving signals is sequential, and that the touch input coordinate information is determined based on the elapsed time from the start of the scan [Vsync] to when the detection signal is received (as disclosed by Nohno), in order to obtain the predictable result of sequential operation (Bae’s par. 51) and the predictable result of the touch input coordinate information based on the time when a synchronization signal is received (Bae’s par. 111).
By doing such combination, Bae in view of Nohno disclose:
A display device (Bae’s Fig. 1: see 160) comprising:
a host (Bae’s Figs. 1, 3 and par. 42, 50, 55: see server 108 or processor)
a display panel (Bae’s Fig. 3 and par. 72) comprising touch driving electrodes (Bae’s par. 74-75: x-axis line sensors that are charged [driven]); and
a touch driver circuit (Bae’s Fig. 3: see 340) comprising a driving signal output unit (Bae’s par. 75: x-axis transmitters) configured to output driving signals (Bae’s par. 75: charging the plurality of x-axis line sensors) supplied to the touch driving electrodes (Bae’s par. 74: x-axis line sensors), and a touch control unit (Bae’s par. 73: touch AFE, ADC, DSP or MCU) configured to control the driving signal output unit (Bae’s par. 75).
wherein the touch driver circuit (Bae’s Fig. 3: see 340) is configured to:
sequentially output the driving signals in response to a vertical synchronization signal of the display panel (Bae’s Fig. 5 and par. 88-89: drive the touch AFE upon receiving vertical synchronization signal, which upon combination is sequential per Nohno’s Fig. 1 and col. 13 lines 26-30: sequentially making a source electrode for scan);
receive a detection signal associated with a touch input on the display panel (Bae’s par. 89: sense plurality of sensors to detect touch input, which upon combination is detecting a peak of an x or y coordinate detection voltage per Nohno’s col. 13 line 46 to col. 14 line 10);
transmit an elapsed time (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6: count value of number of clocks from the start of the scanning of the source electrode to the peak detection of the X-coordinate detection voltage) until a second time when the detection signal is received (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6: peak detection of the X-coordinate detection voltage) from a first time when the vertical synchronization signal is output (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6, col. 25 lines 17-26: start of coordinate detection which upon combination is the vertical synchronization signal of Bae’s Fig. 5 and par. 88-89) by the host of the display device (Nohno’s Fig. 3 and par. 84: Vsync output by circuit 320, par. 42: all operations of device 101 executed by external device 108 [server]); and
wherein the host (Bae’s par. 42: all operations of device 101 executed by external device 108 [server]) determines touch coordinates of the touch input based on the elapsed time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 5: x-coordinate value [from count value] which is equivalent to detecting input from synchronization signal in Bae’s par. 111).
Regarding claim 14, Bae in view of Nohno disclose a method for driving a display device as described for claim 1.
Regarding claims 2, 10 and 15, Bae in view of Nohno disclose wherein the display panel further comprises touch sensing electrodes (Bae’s par. 74, 76: y-axis line sensors, receivers) disposed intersecting with the touch driving electrodes (Bae’s par. 74: x vs. y), and wherein the touch driver circuit (Bae’s Fig. 3: see 340) receives the detection signal through the touch sensing electrodes (Bae’s par. 74-76, 88: receive at receivers when y-axis are receivers and x-axis are transmitters).
Regarding claim 9, Bae in view of Nohno disclose wherein the host is a processor (Bae’s Figs. 1, 3: see server 108 or processor).
Claims 3-5, 11 and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bae in view of Nohno as applied above, in further view of Kang in US 2022/0206660 (hereinafter Kang).
Regarding claims 3, 11 and 16, Bae in view of Nohno disclose wherein the touch driver (Bae’s Fig. 3) or the host (Bae’s par. 42: all operations of device 101 executed by external device 108 [server]) is further configured to: store a plurality of first output times (Nohno’s Fig. 8: XCK) until the driving signals are sequentially output measured from the first time (Nohno’s Figs. 6, 8 and col. 18 lines 17-43: XCK result in sequential output of signals to electrodes Sn from the start of the detection period); store a plurality of second output times (Nohno’s Fig. 8: YCK) until scanning of gate electrodes is sequentially performed measured from the start of the scanning (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 7-10: count value of number of clocks [YCK in Fig. 10] from the start of the scanning of the gate electrode to the peak detection of the y-coordinate detection voltage); determine a first counting time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 2-10: number of clocks [XCK in Fig. 8] for X) corresponding to the elapsed time among the plurality of first output times (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6: count value of number of clocks [XCK in Fig. 8] from the start of the scanning of the source electrode to the peak detection of the X-coordinate detection voltage), to determine an x coordinate of the touch coordinates based on the first counting time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 5: x-coordinate value [from count value] which is equivalent to detecting input from synchronization signal in Bae’s par. 111); and determine a second counting time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 2-10: number of clocks [YCK in Fig. 10] for Y) corresponding to the elapsed time among the plurality of second output times (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 7-10: count value of number of clocks [YCK in Fig. 10] from the start of the scanning of the gate electrode to the peak detection of the Y-coordinate detection voltage), to determine a y coordinate of the touch coordinates based on the second counting time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 10: y-coordinate value [from count value] which is equivalent to detecting input from synchronization signal in Bae’s par. 111).
Bae in view of Nohno fail to disclose the second output times until horizontal synchronization signals of the display panel are sequentially output measured from the first time [when the vertical synchronization signal is output].
However, in the related field of endeavor of touch display devices, Kang discloses that horizontal synchronization signals are reference signals indicating that one gate line is driven (Kang’s par. 51).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, that the YCK clock for driving Nohno’s gate electrodes is a horizontal synchronization signal (per Kang’s par. 51), in order to obtain the predictable result of a clock that drives gate electrodes in a touch display device (Nohno’s Fig. 10 and Kang’s par. 51).
By doing such combination, Bae in view of Nohno and Kang disclose:
wherein the touch driver (Bae’s Fig. 3) or the host (Bae’s par. 42: all operations of device 101 executed by external device 108 [server]) is further configured to:
store a plurality of first output times (Nohno’s Fig. 8: XCK) until the driving signals are sequentially output measured from the first time (Nohno’s Figs. 6, 8 and col. 18 lines 17-43: XCK result in sequential output of signals to electrodes Sn from the start of the detection period, which is Vsync upon combination with Bae’s Fig. 5);
store a plurality of second output times (Nohno’s Fig. 8: YCK) until horizontal synchronization signals (Nohno’s Fig. 10: YCK equivalent to Hsync of Kang’s par. 51 and Bae’s Fig. 5) of the display panel are sequentially output measured from the first time (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 7-10: count value of number of clocks [YCK in Fig. 10] from the start of the scanning of the gate electrode to the peak detection of the y-coordinate detection voltage, where the start of the scanning matches Vsync per Kang’s Fig. 2 and Bae’s Fig. 5);
determine a first counting time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 2-10: number of clocks [XCK in Fig. 8] for X) corresponding to the elapsed time among the plurality of first output times (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 3-6: count value of number of clocks [XCK in Fig. 8] from the start of the scanning of the source electrode to the peak detection of the X-coordinate detection voltage), to determine an x coordinate of the touch coordinates based on the first counting time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 5: x-coordinate value [from count value] which is equivalent to detecting input from synchronization signal in Bae’s par. 111); and
determine a second counting time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 2-10: number of clocks [YCK in Fig. 10] for Y) corresponding to the elapsed time among the plurality of second output times (Nohno’s col. 14 lines 7-10: count value of number of clocks [YCK in Fig. 10] from the start of the scanning of the gate electrode to the peak detection of the Y-coordinate detection voltage, where the start of the scanning matches Vsync per Kang’s Fig. 2 and Bae’s Fig. 5), to determine a y coordinate of the touch coordinates based on the second counting time (Nohno’s col. 14 line 10: y-coordinate value [from count value] which is equivalent to detecting input from synchronization signal in Bae’s par. 111).
Regarding claims 4 and 17, Bae in view of Nohno and Kang disclose wherein the touch driver circuit (Bae’s Fig. 3: see 340) transmits the x coordinate and the y coordinate of the touch coordinates (Bae’s par. 88-89: coordinate information which upon combination includes XY coordinates per Nohno’s col. 14 lines 5 and 10) to a host of the display device (Bae’s Fig. 1 and par. 42, 50: client-server computing technology used for an external device 104 requesting functions where communication is through the server [host], Fig. 3: processor).
Regarding claims 5 and 18, Bae in view of Nohno and Kang disclose wherein the host is a processor (Bae’s Figs. 1, 3: see server 108 or processor).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kim et al. in US 2008/0180400 directed to a touch panel where a coordinate is determined based on time from a Vsync to a sensing signal (Fig. 7) and Ishihara in US 2006/0221063 also directed to using the elapsed time of a clock to determine input (Fig. 6).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Liliana Cerullo whose telephone number is (571)270-5882. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM to 3PM MT.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amr Awad can be reached at 571-272-7764. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/LILIANA CERULLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2621