DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, 9-10, 12, 15 and 17 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.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 5-8, 11, 13-14, 16 and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by WO 2022/165839 A1 to Liang.
As to claim 1, Liang discloses a method for synchronization between an active stylus and a touch screen, being implemented by the active stylus and comprising:
transmitting a pre-synchronization signal to the touch screen, wherein the pre-synchronization signal is used to determine a target region where the active stylus is located on the touch screen, so that the touch screen transmits an uplink signal in the target region (¶ 0002-0003; Liang discloses a stylus emits a coding signal (pre-synchronization signal) which is detected by a touchscreen for determining a position of a stylus. The touchscreen sends synchronization signal (uplink) to the stylus via the detection electrodes.);
detecting the uplink signal (¶ 0002-0003; Liang discloses the stylus receives these signals through the tip electrodes and/or ring electrodes.); and
performing, in response to the uplink signal being detected, time synchronization with the touch screen based on the uplink signal (¶ 0002-0003; Liang discloses the stylus receives these signals through the tip electrodes and/or ring electrodes enabling synchronization and command transmission between the touch screen and the stylus.).
As to claim 3, Liang discloses wherein the method further comprises: transmitting, in response to the uplink signal, a downlink signal to the touch screen, wherein the downlink signal is used to determine the position of the tip portion of the stylus (¶ 0063; Liang discloses in a downlink scenario, the stylus sends a coding signal which can be used for coordinate calculation.).
As to claim 5, Liang discloses wherein a frequency point of the pre-synchronization signal is different from a frequency point of the downlink signal; and/or encoding of the pre-synchronization signal is different from encoding of the downlink signal; and/or the pre-synchronization signal is not encoded, while the downlink signal is an encoded signal; and/or a format of the pre-synchronization signal is different from a format of the downlink signal (¶ 0002-0003; Liang discloses the stylus emits a coding signal which allows a stylus tip’s two-dimensional position coordinates to be calculated. Subsequently upon receiving synchronization signals from the touchscreen, the stylus emits a coding signal after a fixed delay which is sampled by the touchscreen for matching the timing of the touchscreen to the stylus.).
As to claim 6, Liang discloses wherein the touch screen comprises a plurality of regions for transmitting the uplink signal, and the plurality of regions include the target region (¶ 00063; Liang discloses the touch screen comprise a certain number of horizontal and vertical driving channels X and sensing channels Y. Further in ¶ 0002, Liang discloses these channels/electrodes sends the synchronization signals to the stylus.).
As to claim 7, the same rejection or discussion is used as in the rejection of claim 1.
As to claim 8, the same rejection or discussion is used as in the rejection of claim 6.
As to claim 11, the same rejection or discussion is used as in the rejection of claim 3.
As to claim 13, the same rejection or discussion is used as in the rejection of claim 5.
As to claim 14, Liang discloses an active stylus (See Fig. 2), comprising:
a transmission module (communication module 203) configured to transmit a pre-synchronization signal to a touch screen, wherein the pre-synchronization signal is used to determine a target region where the active stylus is located on the touch screen, so that the touch screen transmits an uplink signal in the target region (¶ 0002-0003; Liang discloses a stylus emits a coding signal (pre-synchronization signal) which is detected by a touchscreen for determining a position of a stylus. The touchscreen sends synchronization signal (uplink) to the stylus via the detection electrodes.); and
a receiving module (communication module 203) configured to detect the uplink signal, and perform, in response to the uplink signal being detected, time synchronization with the touch screen based on the uplink signal (¶ 0002-0003; Liang discloses the stylus receives these signals through the tip electrodes and/or ring electrodes.).
As to claim 16, the same rejection or discussion is used as in the rejection of claim 3.
As to claim 18, the same rejection or discussion is used as in the rejection of claim 5.
As to claim 19, the same rejection or discussion is used as in the rejection of claim 6.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS J LEE whose telephone number is (571)270-7354. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10-6PM.
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, Matthew Eason can be reached at 571-270-7230. 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.
/NICHOLAS J LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2624