Obviousness

The obviousness of US patent 8803836 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 can be analyzed by identifying combinations of prior art references that would render the claims obvious, along with the motivation a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) would have to combine them. The present patent, US8803836, aims to improve upon an existing touch panel technology developed by the applicants, specifically Japanese Patent Application 2007-149884, by addressing the issue of perceived surface unevenness from the metal lines and improving optical properties.

For the purpose of this analysis, "Japanese Patent Application 2007-149884" (or its U.S. counterpart, US8519969B2, which is the parent of US8803836 and shares the same priority date and inventor information) will be considered a primary prior art reference. This reference describes a touch panel based on metal lines. The problem US8803836 seeks to solve over this prior art is the "feeling of unevenness" that a user perceives when sliding a finger or pen across the touch surface due to the embedded metal lines. The solution proposed is the addition of a resin film, which can be a polarizing plate, to the outer surface of the touch panel.

Obviousness Analysis of Claim 1

Claim 1 of US8803836 describes a display device with a touch panel comprising:

• A touch panel with a first and second substrate, each having a detection area and an outside area with external terminals.
• Pluralities of first and second lines, made of metal, for coordinate detection, with the first lines being black in color.
• A polarizing plate arranged on the first substrate at a side opposite to the second substrate.
• The first substrate includes wiring groups, each combining at least two first lines.

Prior Art Combination:

1. Primary Reference: US8519969B2 (or Japanese Patent Application 2007-149884)
   This reference, as described in the background of US8803836 under "[Wiring Layout Mode 1]" and "[Wiring Layout Mode 4]", would teach:

   • A touch panel including a first substrate (SUB 1) and a second substrate (SUB 2) arranged to face each other with a gap.
   • First and second substrates each including a detection area and an outside area where external terminals (SC 1, SC 2) are formed.
   • The first substrate includes a plurality of first lines (MLINE) for coordinate detection, and the second substrate includes a plurality of second lines (MLINE) facing the first substrate in the detection area.
   • These first and second lines are constituted of metal.
   • The metal lines can be made black to increase the contrast of a display.
   • The first substrate includes wiring groups where at least two first lines are combined (e.g., using a terminal PAD) to enhance recognition rate when high accuracy is not needed, as described in "Wiring Layout Mode 4" and FIG. 14.

2. Secondary Reference(s): General knowledge of display device manufacturing and optical components, or specific references like US20020047969A1 or US20090086318A1.

   • US20020047969A1 describes a "Liquid crystal display device" that incorporates polarizing plates.
   • US20090086318A1 specifically relates to "Polarizing plate, manufacturing method therefor, optical film and image display".

Motivation to Combine:
A PHOSITA, intending to integrate the metal-line touch panel disclosed in US8519969B2 into a functional display device, would be motivated to include conventional display components. Liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, a common type of display panel, inherently require polarizing plates for their operation and to improve optical quality, such as contrast and glare reduction. The placement of a polarizing plate on the outermost surface of a display module (which, when integrated with the touch panel, would be on the first substrate at a side opposite to the second substrate) is a standard design choice to achieve these known benefits.

Furthermore, the patent US8803836 itself explicitly identifies a problem with the underlying metal-line touch panel: "when a user moves a pen on an operation surface in a sliding manner, the user feels the surface unevenness". The proposed solution is adhering a resin film, which "can be absorbed whereby the user can enjoy excellent touch feeling". The patent then states that "the resin film 26 constitutes a second polarizing plate (linear polarizing plate)". This directly shows that the use of a polarizing plate in this position serves a dual purpose: providing polarization for the display and mitigating the tactile unevenness of the touch panel. Therefore, a PHOSITA would be motivated to integrate a polarizing plate with the touch panel of US8519969B2 to create a functional display device, especially if they wished to improve user touch experience, which is an identified problem in the art.

Obviousness Analysis of Claim 8

Claim 8 of US8803836 describes a display device with a touch panel comprising:

• A touch panel including a first substrate, a plurality of first lines, and a plurality of second lines for coordinate detection, with the first lines traversing the second lines.
• An organic luminescence electric device panel (organic EL display panel) adhered to the touch panel.
• A circular polarizing plate adhered to the touch panel at a side opposite to the organic luminescence electric device panel.

Prior Art Combination:

1. Primary Reference: US8519969B2 (or Japanese Patent Application 2007-149884)
   This reference teaches the fundamental structure of the touch panel with first and second substrates and intersecting first and second lines for coordinate detection.

2. Secondary Reference(s): JP5103944B2 and general knowledge of organic EL display technology.

   • JP5103944B2 (Seiko Epson) teaches an "Organic electroluminescence device with input function and electronic device," directly showing the combination of an organic EL device with an input (touch) function.
   • General knowledge in the art at the time would teach that organic EL displays are prone to reflections from ambient light, and circular polarizing plates are commonly employed with such displays to effectively reduce these reflections and enhance visibility.

Motivation to Combine:
A PHOSITA would be motivated to integrate the metal-line touch panel (from US8519969B2) with an organic EL display panel. Given that organic EL displays are known to benefit from reflection reduction for improved visibility, it would be an obvious design choice to incorporate a circular polarizing plate on the outermost surface of the display assembly (adhered to the touch panel at a side opposite the organic EL display panel). The patent US8803836 itself, in its "Modification 3" (FIG. 5 & 6), explicitly details this combination, stating that "the resin film 126 is a circular polarizing plate and hence, the resin film 126 can enhance the visibility by preventing the reflection of light" when used with an organic EL display panel. This clearly articulates a known benefit and motivation for a PHOSITA to combine these elements. The specific arrangement is a straightforward application of known solutions for addressing a known problem (reflections) in organic EL displays, integrated with a touch panel structure.