Prior art

Most Relevant Prior Art for US Patent 11126025

Prior art is crucial for determining the novelty and non-obviousness of an invention. Under 35 U.S.C. § 102, an invention is not patentable if it was 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. For US patent 11126025, the following prior art documents were cited.

US Patent Citations

1. US 2017/0213173 A1

   • Full Citation: US 2017/0213173 A1 to Hiroshi Takao et al.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication date: July 27, 2017. Filing date: January 20, 2017.
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes an in-cell liquid crystal display device with a touch function. It includes gate lines, data lines, pixel electrodes, common electrodes (counter electrodes), and signal lines connected to the common electrodes as touch lines. A touch drive signal is supplied to the counter electrode, and a touch detection signal is received via the signal line to sense the touch position. The disclosure specifically mentions that two common electrodes adjacent in the column direction are separated by an area on a gate line.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant to Claim 1, particularly the aspects describing an in-cell touch panel with pixels, transistors, pixel electrodes, common electrodes arranged in a matrix, gate lines, data lines, and touch lines connected to common electrodes. The disclosure of common electrodes being separated with an area on a gate line as a separation area directly anticipates the context and problem addressed by Claim 1, which seeks to prevent image quality degradation even when common electrodes are provided over a plurality of pixels and separated. The novel aspect of US11126025 is how it addresses the "common distortion" problem by dividing common electrodes into segment electrodes and connecting them via touch lines formed in a different layer.

2. US 2016/0062402 A1

   • Full Citation: US 2016/0062402 A1 to Tomokatsu Ikeda
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication date: March 3, 2016. Filing date: August 27, 2015.
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes a display device including a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of pixel electrodes. It also mentions a common electrode, which may be divided into a plurality of blocks to function as touch electrodes. The common electrode lines are electrically connected to each other to form a common electrode for display.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is relevant to the general concept of an in-cell touch panel where common electrodes also function as touch electrodes and are divided into blocks. While it provides a broader concept of dividing common electrodes for touch functionality, it does not appear to explicitly detail the specific structural solution for connecting segment electrodes across gate lines as taught by Claim 1 of US11126025. It could be considered relevant for establishing the general state of the art regarding in-cell touch panels with segmented common electrodes for touch sensing.

3. US 9,335,807 B2

   • Full Citation: US 9,335,807 B2 to Takahiro Saegusa et al.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Issue date: May 10, 2016. Filing date: January 18, 2012.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a display device with an in-cell touch function. It includes pixel electrodes, common electrodes, data lines, and scanning lines (gate lines). The common electrode is configured to function as a touch electrode, and a plurality of common electrodes are arranged in a matrix. The description indicates that the common electrodes can be divided to form sensing electrodes for touch detection.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US 2016/0062402 A1, this patent establishes the state of the art concerning in-cell touch panels where common electrodes are segmented for touch sensing. It highlights the general concept of segmenting common electrodes in a matrix arrangement. However, it does not appear to specifically disclose the precise arrangement of segment electrodes divided by an area on the gate line and connected by touch lines in the manner claimed by US11126025.

4. US 2015/0123910 A1

   • Full Citation: US 2015/0123910 A1 to Takahiro Saegusa et al.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication date: May 7, 2015. Filing date: September 17, 2014.
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes a liquid crystal display device with a touch detection function. It includes pixel electrodes, a common electrode, and switching elements (transistors). The common electrode may be divided into a plurality of common electrodes in a matrix form, and these common electrodes can be used for touch detection.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference also broadly contributes to the understanding of in-cell touch technologies where common electrodes are segmented for touch detection. Its relevance lies in demonstrating the existing knowledge of using segmented common electrodes for touch functionality. However, it likely does not delve into the specific structural details of segmenting common electrodes across gate lines and connecting them with dedicated touch lines as claimed in US11126025.

Foreign Patent Citations

1. WO 2017/213173 A1
   • Full Citation: WO 2017/213173 A1 (International Publication) to Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co Ltd.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication date: December 14, 2017. International Filing date: June 8, 2017. Priority date: June 10, 2016.
   • Brief Description: This international publication corresponds to US 2017/0213173 A1 and describes an in-cell type liquid crystal display device with a touch function. It includes gate lines, data lines, pixel electrodes, common electrodes, and signal lines connected to the common electrodes as touch lines. A touch drive signal is supplied to the common electrodes to detect a touch position. The description indicates that common electrodes are separated in the column direction by an area on a gate line.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): As the international counterpart to US 2017/0213173 A1, this document holds the same relevance in potentially anticipating aspects of Claim 1, particularly the separation of common electrodes by gate lines and their use in touch sensing.

Non-Patent Literature Citations

There are no non-patent literature citations listed for US Patent 11126025 in the provided patent text.

Summary of Most Relevant Prior Art

The most relevant prior art appears to be US 2017/0213173 A1 and its international counterpart WO 2017/213173 A1. These documents directly address the configuration of an in-cell touch panel with common electrodes separated by gate lines, which is a key aspect of the background and the problem statement in US11126025. The novelty of US11126025, as articulated in Claim 1, seems to lie in the specific solution for preventing image quality degradation by dividing common electrodes into segment electrodes over gate lines and connecting these segments with touch lines. The other cited US patents provide a broader context for in-cell touch panel technology with segmented common electrodes but do not appear to offer the specific structural solution claimed in US11126025.