DETAILED ACTION
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) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Qiao (US 2012/0127087).
Regarding claim 1, Qiao discloses a sensor system comprising:
a first integrated circuit (12, fig. 2) that transmits a first uplink signal (see different drive signals applied to matrix 30 in para. 49; also see para. 61) via a first sensor electrode group (30 in fig. 2 and para. 50, 32); and
a second integrated circuit (14, fig. 2) that transmits a second uplink signal (para. 49, 61; wherein a second different drive signal is applied to matrix 32) via a second sensor electrode group (32 in fig. 2 and para. 50, 32);
wherein the first uplink signal and the second uplink signal are made up of signals modulated by using code strings orthogonal to each other (para. 61, 78, 59; wherein the different drive signals are orthogonal to each other), and
wherein a first range of the first uplink signal overlaps with ta second range of a the second uplink signal (para. 49-50; wherein the stylus receives both drive/sync signals from both displays a the same time, further wherein stylus is within range of both drive/syn signals at the same time).
Regarding claim 2, Qiao discloses further comprising a stylus (400, fig. 4 and para. 31-32) that receives the first uplink signal and the second uplink signal (para. 32), wherein the stylus calculates correlation with each of the orthogonal code strings stored in advance (para. 32, 12, 50).
Regarding claim 3, Qiao discloses wherein the first integrated circuit transmits the first uplink signal at the same time of the transmission of the second uplink signal from the second integrated circuit (para. 40, 42).
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.
Claim(s) 4-5 and 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiao in view of Ma (US 2012/0127087).
Regarding claim 4, Qiao discloses wherein the first sensor electrode group is disposed under a first panel surface and the second sensor electrode group is disposed under a second panel surface different from the first panel surface (see 30 and 32 in fig. 2 and para. 63, 74).
Qiao fails to disclose wherein the first and second display are rotatable.
Ma discloses wherein the first panel surface is rotatable with respect to the second panel surface (see fig. 2-4 and para. 26; wherein the two displays are connected by a hinge and are rotatable).
When the invention was made (pre-AIA ) or before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include the teachings of Ma in the device of Qiao. The motivation for doing so would have been to have the seem of Qiao be rotatable (Ma; para. 26 and fig. 4), such that the two screen device can be positioned as desired by the user (Ma; fig. 2-4) for optimal use. Further wherein the device can be closed for storage (Ma; fig. 3).
Regarding claim 5, Qiao discloses wherein when the first panel surface, from which the first uplink signal is transmitted and second panel surface, from which the second uplink signal is transmitted (para. 61, 78, 49; wherein the stylus receives drive/sync signals from both displays at a same time).
Qiao fails to disclose wherein the first and second display are rotatable.
Ma discloses when the first panel surface, from which the first uplink signal is transmitted, is rotated to assume an angle less than 180 degrees relative to the second panel surface, from which the second uplink signal is transmitted (see fig. 2-4 and para. 26; wherein the two displays are connected by a hinge and are rotatable).
The same rational to combine as disclosed in claim 4 applies to claim 5.
Regarding claim 12, Qiao fails to disclose wherein the first and second display are rotatable.
Ma discloses wherein the first sensor electrode group (118, fig. 5) s disposed under a first panel surface (526, fig. 5) and the second sensor electrode group (116, fig. 5) is disposed under a second panel surface (506, fig. 5) different from the first panel surface, and the first panel surface is rotatable with respect to the second panel surface (see fig. 2-4).
When the invention was made (pre-AIA ) or before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include the teachings of Ma in the device of Qiao. The motivation for doing so would have been to have the seem of Qiao be rotatable (Ma; para. 26 and fig. 4), such that the two screen device can be positioned as desired by the user (Ma; fig. 2-4) for optimal use. Further wherein the device can be closed for storage (Ma; fig. 3).
Claim 13 is rejected for the same reasons stated for claim 5. See above rejection.
Claim(s) 6-9 and 15-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiao in view of Seo (US 2019/0179475).
Regarding claim 6, Qiao fails to disclose wherein the first and second uplink signals are sent at different times.
Seo discloses wherein the first integrated circuit (TG1, fig. 9) transmits the first uplink signal (ULS in N frame in fig. 9) at a first time and the second integrated circuit (TG2, fig. 9) transmits the second uplink signal (ULS in N+1 frame in fig .9) at a second time different from the first time (see fig. 9 and para. 118-119).
When the invention was made (pre-AIA ) or before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include the teachings of Seo in the device of Qiao. The motivation for doing so would have been to allow the pen to be sensed even while a user’s palm rests on the screen (Seo; para. 120; such that a user’s pen drawing may be seamlessly sensed, even when inadvertent errant touches occur).
Regarding claim 7, Seo discloses further comprising: a host processor (8 in fig. 3) connected to the first and second integrated circuits (para. 88, 91), wherein the host processor schedules transmission of the first and second uplink signals (para. 88, 91).
The same rational to combine as disclosed in claim 6 applies to claim 7.
Regarding claim 8, Seo discloses wherein the first and second integrated circuits communicate with each other so as not to transmit the first uplink signal and the second uplink signal at the same time (see fig. 9 and para. 118-119).
The same rational to combine as disclosed in claim 6 applies to claim 8.
Regarding claim 15, Seo discloses further comprising a screen (100, fig. 2), wherein the first time and the second time are synchronized with a vertical synchronization signal (Vsync in fig. 5) corresponding to a screen rewriting timing (para. 75, 89).
The same rational to combine as disclosed in claim 6 applies to claim 15.
Regarding claim 16, Seo discloses wherein the screen employs an in-cell system (para. 56), and the first and second uplink signals are transmitted only during a blank period (TP, fig. 9) of the screen (para. 118).
The same rational to combine as disclosed in claim 6 applies to claim 16.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiao in view of Seo in further view of Qiao (US 2017/0344171), hereinafter referred to as “171”.
Regarding claim 14, Qiao fails to disclose wherein the first circuit shares the pairing information with the second circuit.
171 discloses wherein, when the first integrated circuit is paired with a stylus, the first integrated circuit shares pairing information regarding the pairing with the second integrated circuit (para. 23-24).
When the invention was made (pre-AIA ) or before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include the teachings of 171 in the device of Qiao. The motivation for doing so would have been to speed up the pairing negations between a multiple displays and stylus (171; para. 24; wherein faster pairings result in reduced latency and a better user experience).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-11 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims have been considered but are moot in view of new grounds of rejection. See new citations above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ROBIN J MISHLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628
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