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
Claim 4 is objected to because it lacks a preamble. Appropriate correction is required. For purposes of examination, claim 4 has been interpreted as properly depending from claim 1 in accordance with the original claim set filed 14 January 2025 and not the amended claim set filed 14 January 2025.
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, 16, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Unseld et al (US 2018/0260050; hereinafter Unseld).
• Regarding claim 1, Unseld discloses a mutual capacitive touch-control screen (figures 1-4 and ¶ 56) comprising:
a first dielectric layer comprising a first surface and a second surface, the first surface and the second surface being arranged opposite to each other (“substrate” in ¶ 84);
a first electrode unit arranged on the first surface of the first dielectric layer (element 416 in figure 4 and ¶ 84); and
a second electrode unit arranged on the second surface of the first dielectric layer and cooperated with the first electrode unit to form a coupling mutual capacitance (element 412 in figure 4 and ¶s 83 and 84);
wherein the first electrode unit comprises a first state and a second state (¶s 83 and 84),
when the first electrode unit is in the first state, the first electrode unit and the second electrode unit form a combination of driving electrode and receiving electrode, and a coordinate of a touch point is obtained by detecting the coupling mutual capacitance between the first electrode unit and the second electrode unit (¶s 56, 83, and 84);
when the first electrode unit is in the second state, the first electrode unit and the second electrode unit form a resonance circuit (element 224 in figures 2-4 and ¶s 58, 59, 83, and 84).
• Regarding claims 16 and 17, Unseld discloses everything claimed, as applied to claim 1. Additionally, Unseld discloses where:
Claim 16: the mutual capacitive touch-control screen further comprises:
a cover plate arranged on a side of the second electrode unit that is far away from the first dielectric layer (¶ 38).
Claim 17: a touch-control device comprises:
a driver chip (¶s 44 and 55); and
a mutual capacitive touch-control screen in claim 1 electrically connected with the driving chip (¶s 2, 44, and 55).
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 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Unseld, in view of Trent et al (US 2004/0252109; hereinafter Trent).
• Regarding claims 6-9, Unseld discloses everything claimed, as applied to claim 1. Additionally, Unseld discloses where:
Claim 6: the first electrode unit is in a spiral shape (elements 422, 426, 428, 432, 434, 438, and 440 in figure 4).
Claim 7: the first electrode unit is in a concentric circle shape (elements 422, 426, 428, 432, 434, 438, and 440 in figure 4).
Claim 8: the first electrode unit is in a concentric circle shape (elements 422, 426, 428, 432, 434, 438, and 440 in figure 4).
However, Unseld fails to disclose the additional details of the mutual capacitive touch-control screen.
In the same field of endeavor, Trent discloses where:
Claim 6: the second electrode unit comprises a plurality of azimuth electrodes (at least figures 4-6 and ¶s 79-83), and
each of the plurality of azimuth electrodes is in a shape of whole block (at least figures 4-6 and ¶s 79-83).
Claim 7: the azimuth electrode is in a fan shape, and extends along a radial direction of a circumference (at least figures 4-6 and ¶s 79-83).
Claim 8: an edge of the azimuth electrode is in a jagged shape (figure 5 and ¶ 81).
Claim 9: the azimuth electrode defines a plurality of openings and slots (note the spaces between each of elements 31-33 in figure 4 and elements 36-39 in figure 6).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Unseld according to the teachings of Trent, for the purpose of interpolating the input object's position accurately (¶ 80).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Unseld, in view of Jin (US 2016/0328047; hereinafter Jin).
• Regarding claim 11, Unseld discloses everything claimed, as applied to claim 1. However, Unseld fails to disclose the additional details of the mutual capacitive touch-control screen.
In the same field of endeavor, Jin discloses where:
Claim 11: the mutual capacitive touch-control screen further comprises:
a bottom coil layer group formed by a bottom dielectric layer and a bottom charging coil (elements 20 in figures 1 and 2 and ¶ 54);
the mutual capacitive touch-control screen forms a stacked structure of the second electrode unit, the first dielectric layer, the first electrode unit, the bottom dielectric layer, and the bottom charging coil (inherent in the combination of Unseld and Jin),
the bottom dielectric layer defines at least one bottom through hole (element 30 in figure 2 and ¶ 54), and
the first electrode unit is connected with the bottom charging coil through the bottom through hole (¶ 54).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Unseld according to the teachings of Jin, for the purpose of reducing a thickness of a display device (abstract).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 10, 12-15, 18, 19, and 21 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of record, either alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest:
a. In claim 2, where “when excitation signals are applied to the first end and the second end, the first electrode unit is in the first state” and “when the excitation signals are applied to the first end or the second end, the first electrode unit is in the second state”, in combination with all the remaining limitations in the claim and all the limitations in claim 1.
b. In claim 3, where “the resonance circuit is formed by a plurality of equivalent capacitances being in parallel with the equivalent inductance”, in combination with all the remaining limitations in the claim and all the limitations in claim 1.
c. In claim 4, where “the first electrode unit comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, a switch is arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode is connected or disconnected with the second electrode by the switch”, in combination with all the limitations in claim 1.
d. In claim 5, where “the first electrode extends in a direction around a center point, and is arranged in a rectangular shape, the second electrode unit comprises a plurality of strip electrodes”, in combination with all the limitations in claim 1.
e. Claim 10 is objected to based on its dependence from claim 5.
f. In claim 12, where the mutual capacitive touch-control screen further comprises “at least one middle coil layer group comprising a middle dielectric layer and a middle charging coil; wherein the middle coil layer group is arranged between the first electrode unit and the bottom coil layer group, the middle dielectric layer in each middle coil layer group is arranged above the middle charging coil”, in combination with all the remaining limitations in the claim and all the limitations in claims 1 and 11.
g. In claim 13, where “the circuit dielectric layer is arranged above the first wiring, the circuit layer group and the bottom coil layer group is adjacent, and the circuit layer is arranged above the bottom coil layer; the first wiring is connected with the first electrode unit and/or the second electrode unit”, in combination with all the remaining limitations in the claim and all the limitations in claims 1 and 11.
h. Claims 14 and 15 are objected to based on their dependence from claim 13.
i. In claim 18, where “the touch-control device dynamically switches a resonant circuit formed by a first electrode unit and a second electrode unit to a preset frequency point, and transmits or receives energy with an external device at a same frequency point”, in combination with all the remaining limitations in the claim and all the limitations in claim 1.
j. Claim 19 is objected to based on their dependence from claim 18.
k. In claim 21, where “a first end of each of the plurality of switches is connected with the first electrode unit, a second end of each of the plurality of switches is connected with the touch driving chip, and a third end of each of the plurality of switches is connected with the wireless control chip, a first state and a second state of the first electrode unit are switched by each of the plurality of switches”, in combination with all the remaining limitations in the claim and all the limitations in claim 1.
Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
a. Takahashi et al (US 2015/0193080) disclose a display device comprising touch electrodes and a coil (see at least figure 3).
b. Yao et al (US 2016/0154511) disclose a display device in which first, second, and coil electrodes are used for touch detection (see at least figure 1 and ¶ 23).
c. Lu et al (US 2017/0300157) disclose a display device in which coil-shaped electrodes are used to detect touch/pressure (see at least figure 14 and ¶ 43).
d. Yoon et al (US 2017/0308198) disclose a display device in which coil-shaped electrodes are used to detect touch/pressure (see at least figure 11 and ¶ 76).
e. David et al (US 2017/0371473) disclose a display device in which strip-shaped touch detection electrodes and coils form resonant circuits (see at least ¶ 79).
f. Wang et al (TW I671673) disclose a touch device including azimuth electrodes (see at least figure 3).
g. Astley et al (US 2022/0137767) disclose a touch panel including azimuth electrodes (see at least figures 19-23).
Closing Remarks/Comments
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN DANIELSEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4248. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Patrick Edouard can be reached at (571) 272-7603. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHAN DANIELSEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622
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