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 § 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) 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 13, 15, 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo (US 20210405819 A1) in view of KO (US 20240192791).
Regarding claim 1, Seo discloses an electronic device (see Fig. 1, Fig. 4, electronic device 1000) comprising:
a display layer comprising a display area (fig. 5, PXA) configured to display an image, and a non-display area (fig.8, peripheral region 200N) adjacent to the display area ([0122]); and
a sensor layer on the display layer ([0127] A successive process may be employed to form the sensor layer 200 on the display layer 100), and comprising:
a plurality of first electrodes along a first direction (see Fig. 8, first electrode 211_1);
a plurality of second electrodes along a second direction crossing the first direction (see Fig. 8, first cross electrode 221_1);
a plurality of third electrodes along the first direction (see Fig. 8, second electrode 212_1), and [[overlapping with the plurality of first electrodes]]; and
a plurality of fourth electrodes along the second direction (see Fig. 8, second cross electrode 222_1), and [[overlapping with the plurality of second electrodes]], wherein at least a part of the plurality of first electrodes, the plurality of second electrodes, the plurality of third electrodes, and the plurality of fourth electrodes (Fig. 8, first electrode 211_1, second electrode 212_1, second electrode 212_1, second cross electrode 222_1 are all inside detection region 200A which) overlaps with the non-display area (fig. 8, peripheral region 200N).
Seo is silent on third electrodes along the first direction and overlapping with the plurality of first electrodes;
fourth electrodes along the second direction and overlapping with the plurality of second electrodes (see Fig. 8, second cross electrode 222_1);
However, KO teaches third electrodes (fig.14, PSE1) along the first direction and overlapping with the plurality of first electrodes (fig. 14, SE1);
fourth electrodes (fig.14, PSE2) along the second direction and overlapping with the plurality of second electrodes (fig. 14, SE2);
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art to combine Seo in light of KO teaching so that it may include third electrodes along the first direction and overlapping with the plurality of first electrodes;
fourth electrodes along the second direction and overlapping with the plurality of second electrodes;
The motivation is to provide a display device having an input sensor to detect a user's touch inputs and to detect the input of a stylus pen.
Regarding claim 2, Seo in view of KO teach wherein a length of each of the plurality of first electrodes (KO: fig. 14, length of SE1) in the second direction is larger than a width of the display area (KO: fig. 13, DA) in the second direction.
Regarding claim 3, Seo teaches wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes (fig. 8 211_1) comprises a first edge (red circle) aligned with a boundary (black arrow) between the display area and the non-display area, and a second edge (blue circle) spaced from the first edge in the second direction (DR2).
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Regarding claim 5, Seo in view of KO teach wherein at least a part of the plurality of first electrodes, the plurality of second electrodes, the plurality of third electrodes, and the plurality of fourth electrodes comprises an extended portion overlapping with the non-display area, and wherein a plurality of openings are defined in the extended portion (KO: fig. 7, below in blue rectangle).
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Regarding claim 6, Seo in view of KO teach wherein each of the plurality of openings has a circular shape (KO: fig. 11, [0179] as current specification states each of the openings 200OP may have a variety of suitable shapes, such as rectangular shape, a polygonal shape, or a non-rectangular shape).
Regarding claim 7, Seo in view of KO teach wherein the plurality of first electrodes comprises a plurality of first type electrodes in an area overlapping with the display area, and a second type electrode in an area overlapping with the non-display area (KO: fig. 7).
Regarding claim 13, Seo in view of KO teach wherein the plurality of second electrodes comprises a plurality of first type electrodes in an area overlapping with the display area, and a second type electrode in an area overlapping with the non-display area (KO: fig. 7).
Regarding claim 15, Seo discloses further comprising a sensor driver configured to drive the sensor layer, and selectively operate in a first mode for sensing a touch input and a second mode for sensing a pen input, wherein the second mode comprises a charging driving mode and a pen sensing driving mode, wherein, in the charging driving mode, the sensor driver is configured to provide a first signal to at least one third electrode among the plurality of third electrodes, and provide a second signal to at least another third electrode among the plurality of third electrodes, and wherein, in the pen sensing driving mode, the sensor driver is configured to receive first reception signals from the plurality of first electrodes, and receive second reception signals from the plurality of second electrodes (fig.4-5, [0097]- [0103] ).
Regarding claim 16, Seo in view of KO discloses a plurality of fourth electrodes (KO: fig.14, PSE2) along the second direction, and overlapping with the plurality of second electrodes (KO: fig. 14, SE2) at least a part of the plurality of fourth electrodes (fig. 8, electrode 222_1) being electrically connected to each other (KO: fig. 14), a plurality of openings are defined in the extended portion (KO: [0179] fig.11).
The other limitations are significantly similar to the limitations of claim 1 so rejected same way.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-20 allowed.
Claims 4, 8-12, 14, 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
-Kim US 20220147212
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/TOWFIQ ELAHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625
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