Prior art

Here is an analysis of the most relevant prior art cited by US patent 8391020, based on the references listed in the authoritative patent text and further detail retrieved from Google Patents. For the purpose of identifying "which claim(s) it potentially anticipates," the "Applications" described in the "SUMMARY" section of US8391020 are used as a proxy for the patent's claims, as the full claims were not explicitly provided in the initial patent text. This analysis is a high-level assessment based on available abstracts and summaries.

Cited Prior Art for US8391020

1. JP-A-11-295747

• Full Citation: JP 11-295747 A
• Publication/Filing Date: Published: October 29, 1999. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP11295747A/en]
• Brief Description: This patent describes a liquid crystal display device and its manufacturing method. The device includes a liquid crystal panel with a peripheral circuit, a flexible substrate connected to the panel, and an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) for electrical connection. It focuses on improving inspection efficiency during manufacturing, specifically by using a test pad on the flexible substrate connected to the peripheral circuit for checking the connection reliability between the flexible substrate and the liquid crystal panel. It also mentions providing a display circuit for displaying test patterns, and having the peripheral circuit and test circuit formed on the same substrate as the liquid crystal element. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP11295747A/en]
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • Application 1: JP 11-295747 A broadly discloses an electro-optical device (liquid crystal display device) with an electro-optical panel (liquid crystal panel) and a circuit substrate (flexible substrate) connected via an anisotropic conductive film. It also discusses inspecting electrical connections between the panel and the substrate using a test pad on the flexible substrate. This general concept of an electro-optical device with a panel and a circuit substrate connected for inspection is present. However, it does not explicitly detail the specific configuration of two adjacent terminal portions on the panel, each with specific terminals (first, second, third, fourth) connected by first and second connection wirings on the panel, and two circuit substrates with corresponding external terminals as described in Application 1 of US8391020. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP11295747A/en]
  • The "Related Art" section of US8391020 directly cites JP-A-11-295747, noting that it "discloses a method of providing connection terminals to a liquid crystal panel and a flexible substrate (Flexible Printed Circuits (FPC)) as a relay substrate and pressing the connection terminals with Anisotropic Conductive Film (ACF) interposed therebetween so as to electrically connect conductive particles configuring the ACF and connection terminals by contact." This implies that the core connection method is known. US8391020 then identifies a problem with this prior art regarding the inability to easily check electrical reliability after bonding, particularly with elastic conductive particles that don't leave marks. This suggests that the specific inspection methodology and wiring configurations of US8391020 (e.g., Application 1, 2, 3) are meant to overcome the deficiencies of JP-A-11-295747's approach.

2. JP-A-2005-274844

• Full Citation: JP 2005-274844 A
• Publication/Filing Date: Published: October 6, 2005. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2005274844A/en]
• Brief Description: This patent describes an electro-optical device and an electronic apparatus that aim to suppress generation of parasitic capacitance and reduce power consumption. It features a structure where a wiring on a substrate and a flexible printed circuit (FPC) are connected by an anisotropic conductive film (ACF). The patent details a configuration where the flexible printed circuit is arranged such that a connection region and a device mounting region overlap with each other, thereby reducing the occupied area and parasitic capacitance. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2005274844A/en]
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • While JP 2005-274844 A relates to an electro-optical device using an FPC and ACF, its primary focus is on reducing parasitic capacitance and power consumption through a specific arrangement of the FPC and device mounting region. It does not appear to explicitly disclose the detailed internal panel wiring for connection inspection involving multiple terminal portions and cross-connections between them using dedicated connection wirings, as described in US8391020's Applications 1, 5, 8, or 11. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2005274844A/en]

3. JP-A-2007-065116

• Full Citation: JP 2007-065116 A
• Publication/Filing Date: Published: March 15, 2007. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2007065116A/en]
• Brief Description: This patent describes a liquid crystal display device and its manufacturing method, aiming to reduce manufacturing cost and improve reliability. It includes a liquid crystal panel, a connection wiring board (e.g., flexible printed wiring board) electrically connected to the liquid crystal panel via an anisotropic conductive film (ACF), and a driving IC. The patent focuses on a specific terminal structure on the liquid crystal panel and the wiring board to ensure stable electrical connection even when the terminal pitch is narrow, possibly by adjusting terminal width or shape. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2007065116A/en]
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • JP 2007-065116 A addresses reliability and cost in LCD manufacturing, specifically regarding terminal connections with ACF. However, its focus is on the physical structure of the terminals to ensure reliable contact, rather than the specific internal connection wiring scheme for comprehensive connection inspection across multiple distinct terminal portions using external terminals, as is the inventive concept in US8391020's Applications 1, 5, 8, or 11. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2007065116A/en]

4. JP-A-2007-286088

• Full Citation: JP 2007-286088 A
• Publication/Filing Date: Published: November 1, 2007. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2007286088A/en]
• Brief Description: This patent describes a display device and a display module that prevent damage to connection portions during manufacturing and improve yield. It focuses on a structure where a wiring board is connected to a display panel via an anisotropic conductive film. The invention aims to prevent cracking of the display panel that can occur due to stress during the bonding process, for example, by providing a reinforcement member or specific bonding arrangements. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2007286088A/en]
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • JP 2007-286088 A is concerned with preventing physical damage (cracking) to the display panel during the bonding of the wiring board with ACF, thereby improving manufacturing yield. This is a different problem and solution compared to US8391020, which focuses on an electrical inspection method using specific internal wiring configurations to verify electrical connections after bonding. Therefore, it does not appear to anticipate US8391020's Applications 1, 5, 8, or 11. [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2007286088A/en]

Overall Assessment:

The cited Japanese prior art documents generally relate to electro-optical devices, liquid crystal panels, flexible substrates, and their electrical connection using anisotropic conductive films (ACF), often addressing manufacturing efficiency, cost reduction, or reliability (electrical contact or physical integrity). These form the general technical background.

However, none of the abstracts of the Japanese patents explicitly disclose the specific interconnection scheme for inspection as comprehensively detailed in US8391020's Applications (e.g., Application 1, 5, 8, 11). US8391020 specifically addresses the problem of verifying electrical connections through the circuit substrates themselves by using dedicated internal connection wirings on the electro-optical panel, particularly those extended around the display region (Application 2, 6) or between opposed terminal portions (Application 8, 9), and connecting "test" terminals at the end sides of terminal groups (Application 3, 7, 10) to detect connection failures. This detailed approach to inspectability through dedicated wired connections on the panel, rather than just the physical connection method or basic electrical testing, appears to be the novel contribution claimed by US8391020 over this cited prior art.