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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamazaki US 5187601.
Regarding claim 1, Yamazaki teaches a liquid crystal element comprising: a first substrate (fig. 2 glass substrate 1) on which a plurality of element sets are disposed, each element set including an electric resistance film (ITO film 2), a first electrode (metallic film 3 left), and a second electrode (metallic film 3 right), the first electrode and the second electrode being electrically coupled to the electric resistance film; a second substrate (glass substrate 1 upper) on which a third electrode (electrode arrangement 2) is disposed; and a liquid crystal layer (5) positioned between the first and second substrates, wherein each of the electric resistance films has a strip shape extending in a first direction in a plan view (see fig 3), in a plan view, the first electrode and the second electrode extend in the first direction and overlap the electric resistance film in a state in which the first electrode and the second electrode face each other in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the element sets are arranged in the second direction in a plan view, and the third electrode overlaps the electric resistance films in a plan view.
Regarding claim 2, Yamazaki teaches the liquid crystal element according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode (metallic film 3 left) and the second electrode (metallic film 3 right) contact the electric resistance film (ITO film 2).
Regarding claim 3, Yamazaki teaches the liquid crystal element according to claim 1, wherein a first potential is applied to the first electrode (metallic film 3), and a second potential higher (metallic film 3) than the first potential is applied to the second electrode. Since the claim does not express any magnitude any small deviation in voltage can be considered and since metallic film 3 refers two different films on the same resistance film the one with the higher voltage can be considered the second electrode.
Regarding claim 4, Yamazaki teaches a liquid crystal element comprising: a first substrate (glass substrate 1) on which an electric resistance film (ITO film 2), a plurality of first electrodes (metallic film 3 left or right), and a plurality of second electrodes (metallic film 3 other one of left or right) are disposed, the first and second electrodes being electrically coupled to the electric resistance film; a second substrate (glass substrate 3) on which a third electrode (electrode arrangement 2 top) is disposed; and a liquid crystal layer (liquid crystal layer 5) positioned between the first and second substrates, wherein in a plan view (see fig. 3), the first and second electrodes extend in a first direction and overlap the electric resistance film in a state in which the first electrode and the second electrode are alternately arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the third electrode (covers substantially the entire surface of top substrate 1) overlaps the electric resistance film in a plan view.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 5, Yamazaki teaches a liquid crystal element comprising: a first substrate (glass substrate 1) on which a plurality of element sets each element set including an electric resistance film (ITO film 2), a first electrode (metallic film 3 left or right), and a second electrode (other metallic film 3 left or right), the first electrode and the second electrode being electrically coupled to the electric resistance film; a second substrate (glass substrate 1) on which a third electrode is disposed; and a liquid crystal layer (liquid crystal layer 5) positioned between the first and second substrates, wherein the electric resistance films each have a strip shape extending in a first direction in a plan view (see fig. 3), in a plan view, the first electrode and the second electrode extend in the first direction and overlap the electric resistance film in a state in which the first electrode and the second electrode face each other in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction (see fig. 3) the element sets are arranged in the second direction in a plan view (see fig. 3), but does not teach in a plan view, each of the light-shielding layers has a strip shape extending in the first direction and overlaps a gap between two of the element sets adjacent to each other in the second direction, and the third electrode overlaps the electric resistance films in a plan view.
Conclusion
Conclusion
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/PHU VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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