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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on October 1, 2025 has been considered by the examiner.
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 1-5 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 8-12 of U.S. Patent No. 12,455,662.
Claim 1 of the Pending Application
Claim 10 of U.S. Patent 12,455,662
An electronic device comprising:
A sensor controller connected to
a touch sensor having a plurality of detection electrodes; and
a touch sensor having a plurality of detection electrodes,
a sensor controller connected to the touch sensor, the sensor controller including:
the sensor controller comprising:
a plurality of transmission drivers each having a negative power supply terminal supplied with a first potential and a positive power supply terminal supplied with a second potential higher than the first potential, wherein each of the plurality of transmission drivers, in operation, generates a signal waveform that transitions between the first potential and the second potential and outputs the signal waveform as a transmission signal to a corresponding one of the detection electrodes, and
a plurality of transmission drivers each having a negative power supply terminal supplied with a first potential and a positive power supply terminal supplied with a second potential higher than the first potential, wherein each of the plurality of transmission drivers, in operation, generates a signal waveform that transitions between the first potential and the second potential and outputs the signal waveform as a transmission signal to a corresponding one of the detection electrodes; and
an intermediate potential supply unit that, in operation, generates an intermediate potential between the first potential and the second potential, supplies the intermediate potential to at least one of the positive power supply terminal or the negative power supply terminal of at least one of the transmission drivers in a period from a time point that a potential of the signal waveform generated by the at least one of the transmission drivers starts to transition from the first potential to the second potential or from the second potential to the first potential to a time point that a potential of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers reaches the intermediate potential, and stops supplying the intermediate potential at a timing at which the potential of at least one of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers reaches the intermediate potential,
an intermediate potential supply unit that, in operation, generates an intermediate potential between the first potential and the second potential, supplies the intermediate potential to at least one of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of at least one of the transmission drivers in a period from a time point that a potential of the signal waveform generated by the at least one of the transmission drivers starts to transition from the first potential to the second potential or from the second potential to the first potential to a time point that a potential of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers reaches the intermediate potential, and stops supplying the intermediate potential at a timing at which the potential of at least one of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers reaches the intermediate potential,
wherein the intermediate potential supply unit includes:
wherein the intermediate potential supply unit includes:
a plurality of first output control circuits, wherein each of the first output control circuits, in operation, discharges electricity from a corresponding transmission driver at a timing at which the potential of the signal waveform of a corresponding transmission driver falls, and
a plurality of first output control circuits, wherein each of the first output control circuits, in operation, discharges electricity from a corresponding transmission driver at a timing at which the potential of the signal waveform of a corresponding transmission driver falls, and
a plurality of second output control circuits, wherein each of the second output control circuits, in operation, supplies the intermediate potential to the corresponding transmission driver at a timing at which the potential of the signal waveform of the corresponding transmission driver rises.
a plurality of second output control circuits, wherein each of the first output control circuits, in operation, supplies the intermediate potential to the corresponding transmission driver at a timing at which the potential of the signal waveform of the corresponding transmission driver rises.
Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the scope of protection of Claim 1 sought by the pending application is encompassed by the scope of Claim 10 of U.S. Patent 12,455,662. As such, Claim 1 of the pending application is anticipated by Claim 10 of the ‘662 Patent.
The following table maps claims of the pending application to claims of U.S. Patent ‘662.
Claims of the Pending Application
Claims of U.S. Patent 12,455,662
Claim 2
Claim 11
Claim 3
Claim 12
Claim 4
Claim 8
Claim 5
Claim 9
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-17 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: As to Claim 6, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest, either alone or in combination, “A control method of a sensor controller connected to a touch sensor having a plurality of detection electrodes, the control method comprising: generating, by a plurality of transmission drivers each having a negative power supply terminal supplied with a first potential and a positive power supply terminal supplied with a second potential higher than the first potential, a signal waveform that transitions between the first potential and the second potential; outputting the signal waveform generated by each of the transmission drivers as a transmission signal to a corresponding one of the detection electrodes; outputting, from an intermediate potential supply unit having a potential generation circuit including a voltage source or a capacitive element separate from the transmission drivers, an intermediate potential between the first potential and the second potential at first timings at which a potential of the signal waveform generated by at least one of the transmission drivers starts to transition from the first potential to the second potential or from the second potential to the first potential; supplying the intermediate potential to at least one of the positive power supply terminal or the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers; transmitting, by a control circuit, a control signal, wherein an output side of the potential generation circuit is connected to two or more of the plurality of transmission drivers, wherein each of the transmission drivers has an output mode for outputting the transmission signal and a stop mode for stopping supply of the second potential from a power supply line to the positive power supply terminal and supply of the first potential from a reference line to the negative power supply terminal to shift a state of output to a high impedance state; controlling, by the control circuit, the transmission drivers to enter the stop mode at the first timings and controls the transmission drivers to enter the output mode at second timings after a predetermined time period from the first timings, and wherein the intermediate potential supply unit includes: a plurality of first short-circuit control elements, wherein each of the first short-circuit control elements has two ends short-circuited or opened according to the control signal, a first one of the two ends being connected to a corresponding positive power supply terminal, and a second one end of the two ends being connected to the output side of the potential generation circuit, and a plurality of second short-circuit control elements, wherein each of the second short-circuit control elements has two ends short-circuited or opened according to the control signal, a first one of the two ends being connected to a corresponding negative power supply terminal, and a second one end of the two ends being connected to the output side of the potential generation circuit; controlling, by the control circuit, at least one of the first short-circuit control elements or the second short-circuit control elements to short-circuit at the first timings; and controlling, by the control circuit, the at least one of the first short-circuit control elements or the second short-circuit control elements short-circuited at the first timings to open at the second timings.”. (As claimed, emphasis added)
Claims 7-11 depend upon Claim 6 and thus are also allowed.
As to Claim 12, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest, either alone or in combination, “A control method of a sensor controller connected to a touch sensor having a plurality of detection electrodes, the control method comprising: generating, by a plurality of transmission drivers each having a negative power supply terminal supplied with a first potential and a positive power supply terminal supplied with a second potential higher than the first potential, a signal waveform that transitions between the first potential and the second potential; outputting the signal waveform generated by each of the transmission drivers as a transmission signal to a corresponding one of the detection electrodes; generating, by an intermediate potential supply unit, an intermediate potential between the first potential and the second potential; supplying, by the intermediate potential supply unit, the intermediate potential to at least one of the positive power supply terminal or the negative power supply terminal of at least one of the transmission drivers in a period from a time point that a potential of the signal waveform generated by the at least one of the transmission drivers starts to transition from the first potential to the second potential or from the second potential to the first potential to a time point that the potential of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers reaches the intermediate potential; and stopping, by the intermediate potential supply unit, the supplying of the intermediate potential at a timing at which the potential of at least one of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers reaches the intermediate potential, wherein the intermediate potential supply unit includes a plurality of first output control circuits and a plurality of second output control circuits, discharging, by each of the first output control circuits, electricity from a corresponding transmission driver at a timing at which the potential of the signal waveform of a corresponding transmission driver falls; and supplying, by each of the second output control circuits, the intermediate potential to the corresponding transmission driver at a timing at which the potential of the signal waveform of the corresponding transmission driver rises.”. (As claimed, emphasis added)
Claims 13-17 depend upon Claim 12 and thus are also allowed.
The closest prior art is Reynolds (USPGPUB 2013/0257745—hereinafter “Reynolds”). Reynolds teaches a sensor controller (Fig. 2 at 110) connected to a touch sensor (Fig. 1 at 120) having a plurality of detection electrodes (Fig. 2 at 360 and 370), the sensor controller comprising:
a plurality of transmission drivers each having a negative power supply terminal supplied with a first potential and a positive power supply terminal supplied with a second potential higher than the first potential (Pg. 5, ¶’s 48-49 and Pg. 6, ¶’s 55 and 58), wherein each of the plurality of transmission drivers, in operation, generates a signal waveform that transitions between the first potential and the second potential and outputs the signal waveform as a transmission signal to a corresponding one of the detection electrodes (Pg. 5, ¶’s 48-49 and Pg. 6, ¶’s 55 and 58); and
an intermediate potential supply unit that, in operation, generates an intermediate potential between the first potential and the second potential (Fig. 5 at 610), supplies the intermediate potential to at least one of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of at least one of the transmission drivers in a period from a time point that the potential of the signal waveform generated by the at least one of the transmission drivers starts to transition from the first potential to the second potential or from the second potential to the first potential to a time point that the potential of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers reaches the intermediate potential (Pg. 6, ¶ 57-59), and stops supplying the intermediate potential at a timing at which the potential of at least one of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission driver reaches the intermediate potential (Pg. 6, ¶ 57-59). Reynolds, however, fails to teach the above underlined limitations.
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/RODNEY AMADIZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622