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 .
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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Claims 1-7 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims of U.S. Patent No. 12216850. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because Co-pending claim 1 (of US Patent No. 12,216,850) meets all the claimed limitations of current claim 1 except that, instead of claiming “a first base part protruding from the sensor wire to a first side relative to the sensor wire in the first direction” in the co-pending claim 1, current claim 1 further specifies “a first base part protruding from a main portion of the sensor wire to a first side relative to the main portion of the sensor wire in the first direction”. However, it would have been obvious to an artisan of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention that in order for “the first base part” to be considered “protruding from the sensor wire from the first side” in co-pending claim 1, the first base part could be protruding from at least a main portion of the sensor wire from the first side.
Current Application
Co-pending 12,216,850
Claim 1. A display device comprising:
a first insulating film including a first surface and a second surface opposed to the first surface;
a first video signal line on the first surface;
a second video signal line provided next to the first video signal line in a first direction, on the first surface;
a sensor wire provided between the first video signal line and the second video signal line in the first direction, on the first surface; and
a detection electrode on the second surface, wherein the sensor wire includes a first base part protruding from a main portion of the sensor wire to a first side relative to the main portion of the sensor wire in the first direction, and the detection electrode is connected to the first base part via a first contact hole that is disposed in the first insulating film.
Claim 1. A display device comprising:
a first insulating film including a first surface and a second surface opposed to the first surface;
a first video signal line on the first surface;
a second video signal line provided next to the first video signal line in a first direction, on the first surface;
a sensor wire provided between the first video signal line and the second video signal line in the first direction, on the first surface; and
a detection electrode on the second surface, wherein the sensor wire includes:
a first base part protruding from the sensor wire to a first side relative to the sensor wire in the first direction; and
a second base part protruding from the sensor wire to a second side relative to the sensor wire in the first direction, the first side being opposite to the second side, and the detection electrode is connected to the first base part via a first contact hole and a second contact hole that are disposed in the first insulating film.
Claims 8-11 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,947,750. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other as the scope of the limit are similar.
Current Application
US 11,947,750
Claim 8. A display device comprising: a first substrate; a common electrode disposed above the first substrate; a plurality of wires each coupled to the common electrode; a plurality of pixels arrayed in a matrix in the first direction and the second direction; a plurality of scanning lines configured to scan switching elements of the pixels and extending in the first direction; and a plurality of signal lines coupled to the switching elements of the pixels and extending in the second direction, wherein the switching elements of two of the pixels disposed side by side in the first direction each are coupled to one of the signal lines and the signal line is superimposed on the common electrode that straddles the two pixels, and the wires are disposed between corresponding pixels among the pixels and superimposed on slits of the detection electrode.
Claim 1 (original): A display device with a sensor comprising: a first substrate; a plurality of detection electrodes arrayed in a matrix in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction above the first substrate; a plurality of sensor wires each coupled to the respective detection electrodes; a plurality of pixels each including a plurality of pixels and arrayed in a matrix in the first direction and the second direction; a plurality of scanning lines configured to scan switching elements of the pixels and extending in the first direction; and a plurality of signal lines coupled to the switching elements of the pixels and extending in the second direction, wherein the sensor wires and the signal lines are alternately disposed in the first direction and provided in a same layer, the switching elements of two of the pixels are disposed side by side in the first direction, the signal line is superimposed on the corresponding detection electrode that straddles the two pixels, and the sensor wires are disposed between the two pixels disposed side by side in the first direction and superimposed on respective slits of two of the detection electrodes disposed side by side in the first direction.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art Kida (US Pub: 2021/0173520 A1) is cited to teach a similar type of sensor wire structure with detection system in figure 2-3 embodiments. The prior art Kono et al. (US Pub: 2020/0363906 A1) is cited to teach another type of touch sensing display system with complex electrode design in figures 1-4 embodiments.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CALVIN C. MA whose telephone number is (571)270-1713. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM-5:00PM.
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/CALVIN C MA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2629 February 6, 2026