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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`17/391,056
`
`08/02/2021
`
`Seung Lyong BOK
`
`P7061USC1C1
`
`4304
`
`H.C. PARK & ASSOCIATES, PLC
`1894 PRESTON WHITE DRIVE
`RESTON, VA 20191
`
`BEKELE, MEKONEN T
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2699
`
`PAPER NUMBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`05/23/2023
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`Thetime period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`PATENT @PARK-LAW.COM
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`) )
`
`Application Papers
`10) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)0) The drawing(s) filedon__ is/are: a)(J accepted or b)( objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)1) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)Z None ofthe:
`b)() Some**
`a)C All
`1... Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1) Certified copies of the priority documents have beenreceived in Application No.
`3.1.) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
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`1) ([] Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`2) (J Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`4) (J Other:
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20230517
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`17/391 ,056
`BOK, Seung Lyong
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`MEKONEN T BEKELE
`2699
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEof this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 2 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
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`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 08/02/2021.
`C} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
`2a)() This action is FINAL.
`2b) (J This action is non-final.
`3)02 An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on__; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporatedinto this action.
`4)\0) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-14 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`Cj] Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
`= Claim(s
`s)__is/are rejected.
`() Claim(s)
`is/are objected to.
`Claim(s) 1-14 are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http://Awww.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) )
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/391,056
`Art Unit: 2699
`
`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AlA or AIA Status
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined underthe
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`first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`1.
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`Restriction to one of the following inventions is required under 35 U.S.C. 121:
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`Election/Restrictions
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`I. Group 1, Claims 1-11 , drawn to a method of controlling a touch display panel of a
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`fingerprint sensor device. First embodiment see Fig. 2
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`
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`ll. Group : Claims 12-14 are drawn to a hardwareelectronic structures design of a
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`touch display panel of a fingerprint sensor. Second embodiment, see Fig. 4B
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`
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/391,056
`Art Unit: 2699
`
`Page 3
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`2.
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`The inventions are independentor distinct, each from the other because:
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`Inventions | and II are related as subcombinations disclosed as usable together in a
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`single combination. The subcombinations are distinct if they do not overlap in scope and are not
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`obvious variants, andif it is shown that at least one subcombination is separately usable. In the
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`instant case:
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`a. There is no overlap in scope, because as pointed out by the examiner, the claims are
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`drawnto entirely different embodiment having mutually exclusive features;
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`b. There is no indication of record asof yet that these embodiments are obvious
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`variants.
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`c. Subcombination group 1 has separateutility in that it does not require the hardware
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`structure design of a fingerprint sensor described in in Fig.4 . See MPEP § 806.05(d).
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`d. Subcombination group II has separateutility in that it does not require a sensor
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`control unit to control an operation of the fingerprint sensor and the touch sensor; See MPEP §
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`806.05(d).
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`3.
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`The examiner has required restriction between subcombinations usable together.
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`Whereapplicant elects a subcombination and claims thereto are subsequently found allowable,
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`any claim(s) depending from or otherwise requiring all the limitations of the allowable
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`subcombination will be examined for patentability in accordance with 37 CFR 1.104. See MPEP
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`§ 821.04(a). Applicant is advised that if any claim presented in a continuation or divisional
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`application is anticipated by, or includesall the limitations of, a claim that is allowable in the
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`present application, such claim may be subject to provisional statutory and/or non-statutory
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`double patenting rejections over the claims of the instant application.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/391,056
`Art Unit: 2699
`
`Page 4
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`4.
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`Restriction for examination purposes asindicated is proper becauseall the inventions
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`listed in this action are independentor distinct for the reasons given above and there would be a
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`serious search and/or examination burden if restriction were not required because one or more
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`of the following reasons apply : Different embodiment_and searches as indicatedin the listing
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`above.
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`5.
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`Applicant is advised that the reply to this requirement to be complete must include(I)
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`an election of an invention to be examined even though the requirement maybe traversed (37
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`CFR 1.148) and(ii) identification of the claims encompassing the elected invention.
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`6.
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`The election of an invention may be made with or without traverse. To reserve a right
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`to petition, the election must be made with traverse. If the reply does notdistinctly and
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`specifically point out supposederrorsin the restriction requirement, the election shall be treated
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`as an election without traverse. Traversal must be presentedat the time of election in order to
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`be consideredtimely. Failure to timely traverse the requirementwill result in the loss of right to
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`petition under 37 CFR 1.144. If claims are added after the election, applicant must indicate
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`which of these claims are readable upon the elected invention.
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`7.
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`Should applicant traverse on the ground that the inventions are not patentably distinct,
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`applicant should submit evidenceor identify such evidence nowof record showing the
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`inventions to be obvious variants or clearly admit on the record that this is the case. In either
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`instance, if the examiner finds one of the inventions unpatentable overthe prior art, the
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`evidence or admission maybe usedin a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 or pre-AlA 35 U.S.C.
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`103(a) of the other invention.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/391,056
`Art Unit: 2699
`
`Page 5
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`8.
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`Applicant is reminded that upon the cancellation of claims to a non-elected invention, the
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`inventorship must be corrected in compliance with 37 CFR 1.48(a) if one or more of the
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`currently namedinventors is no longer an inventor of at least one claim remaining in the
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`application. A request to correct inventorship under 37 CFR 1.48(a) must be accompanied by an
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`application data sheet in accordance with 37 CFR 1.76that identifies each inventor by his or her
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`legal name and bythe processing fee required
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`Contact Information
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`Anyinquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner
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`should be directed to Mekonen Bekele whose telephone numberis (469) 295-9077.The
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`examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 9:00AM to 6:50 PM Eastern Time.
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`If attempt to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's
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`supervisor Eng, George can be reached on (571) 272-7495.The fax phone numberfor the
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`organization where the application or proceeding is assigned is 571-237-8300.
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`Information
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`regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the patent Application Information
`
`Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published application may be obtained from
`
`either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
`
`Status information for unpublished application is available through Privet PAIR only.
`
`For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should
`
`you have question on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business
`
`Center (EBC) at 866.217-919 (tool-free)
`
`/MEKONEN T BEKELE/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2699
`
`