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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Drawings
The drawings were received on 09/16/2025. These drawings are accepted by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-3, 5-6, and 8-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (US Patent Publication No. 2008/0284354; hereinafter Chen) in view of Hsiao (US Patent Publication No. 2020/0302857) and Li (US Patent Publication No. 2023/0143518).
With reference to claims 1, 6 and 13, Chen discloses a driving circuit (240/250) for driving a light emitting diode (LED) backlight module (210) (see paragraphs 32-33; Fig. 6), the LED backlight module (210) comprising k horizontally-arranged backlight sections (212) (in teaching M-rows of LED units; see paragraphs 32-33; Fig. 6), each of the backlight sections comprising a plurality of light emitting units (in teaching that each LED unit includes one light emitting diode or many serially connected LEDs; see paragraph 32-33; Fig. 6); and the driving method using the driving circuit comprising: a gate driver (240) configured to, in each frame display period, provide the m scan signals according to a predetermined timing and sequentially scan m rows of the light emitting units of the mini LED backlight module according to the m scan signals (see paragraphs 32-33; Fig. 7); and a source driver (250) configured to, in each frame display period, driving a LED backlight module (210) (see paragraph 32; Fig. 6), the LED backlight module comprising k horizontally-arranged backlight sections (212), each of the backlight sections comprising a plurality of light emitting units arranged in an array of m rows and n columns, wherein each of m, n and k is an integer greater than or equal to 2 (see paragraphs 32-33; Fig. 6); and the driving circuit comprising:
in each frame display period (Tf) (see Fig. 11), when ones of the light emitting units (212) of the LED backlight module (210) in an i-th row (serially connected LEDs) are being scanned, inputting of the data signal to the first backlight section (212) to either be simultaneously illuminated or non-illuminated; inputting the data signal to the second backlight section (212) to be simultaneously illuminated or not illuminated; repeating the input data signal to the backlight sections (212), ensuring consistent illumination control of the i-th row across all the k backlight sections, wherein K is an integer greater than or equal to 2 (see paragraphs 32-33, 35-38; Figs. 7, 11).
While Chen discloses the LED backlight module including one light emitting diode or many serially connected LEDs, there fail to be disclosure of driving only an i-th row as recited.
Hsiao discloses a display panel having an array of m columns (C1-Cm) and n rows (R1-Rn) of digital pixels (DP) (see paragraph 28; Fig. 1), wherein the digital pixels (DP) are made of red, green, and blue micro-LEDs arranged in an array of m rows and n columns, wherein each of m and n, is an integer greater than or equal to 2 (see paragraphs 28-30; Figs. 1-3), in each frame display period (see paragraph 28), when ones of the light emitting units of the mini LED backlight module in only an i-th row (120) being scanned, inputting of the data signal (IRD) to the first backlight section (R1) to only drive its i-th row of the n light emitting diodes to be either simultaneously illuminated or non-illuminated (see paragraphs 31-32; Fig. 3), inputting the data signal to the second backlight section (next row) to drive the i-th row of the n light emitting diodes to be either simultaneously illuminated or not illuminated (see paragraphs 31-32; Figs. 3, 6-9), and repeating inputting the data signal to the k-th backlight section, ensuring consistent illumination control of only the i-th row across all the k backlight sections (see paragraphs 28-78, 84-86; Figs. 3-7); and wherein i is an integer and 1<1<m (see paragraph 31-32; Figs. 3, 6).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to allow a driving method for each of the LEDs of the array of LEDs similar to that which is taught by Jung to be carried out in a display device having LED backlight similar to that which is taught by Chen to thereby provide constant driving currents which thereby improve the light output efficiency of the LEDs (see Hsiao; paragraphs 53).
Further while Chen and Hsiao disclose the LED backlight module including one light emitting diode or many serially connected LEDs, there fail to be disclosure of mini LEDs as recited.
Li discloses a driving method for driving a mini light emitting diode (LED) backlight module (see paragraphs 44-45; Figs. 1-2), the mini LED backlight module comprising k horizontally-arranged backlight sections (9) see paragraphs 41, 55; Figs. 1-4), each of the backlight sections comprising light emitting units arranged in an m x n array, wherein m, n and k are integers (see paragraphs 41-42, 44; Figs. 1-2);
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to allow the usage of mini-LEDs similar to that which is taught by Li to be carried out in a device similar to that which is taught by Chen and Hsiao to thereby reduce device weight while increasing brightness uniformity (see Li; paragraph 3).
With reference to claim 3, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 1, wherein Chen further discloses that there is a unit time interval between successively driving n light emitting units of two backlight sections (212) in the i-th row, and the unit time interval is a time period for illuminating a row of the light emitting units of each backlight section (see paragraphs 48-49; Fig. 10).
With reference to claim 5, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 1, wherein Li further discloses that each of the backlight sections has an identical area and an identical shape (see paragraphs 42, 55; Figs. 1-4).
With reference to claim 8, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 1, wherein Li further discloses that each of the backlight sections (backlight portions (9) connected to parallel traces (1, 2); see Figs. 1-4) comprises a plurality of horizontally and/or vertically arranged backlight plates (9), each of the backlight plates comprises a driving unit (capacitor) and ones of the plurality of light emitting units (LEDs), the driving unit is connected respectively to the ones of the light emitting units and the source driver (240), and the source driver controls a time period for illuminating ones of the light emitting units and a luminance of the ones of the light emitting units through the driving unit (see paragraphs 32-33; Fig. 6).
With reference to claim 9, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 6, wherein Li further discloses that the light emitting units are organic LEDs (see paragraph 2).
With reference to claim 10, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 6, wherein Li further discloses that each backlight section has an identical area and an identical shape (see paragraphs 42, 55; Figs. 1-4).
With reference to claim 11, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 8, wherein Li further discloses that each backlight section has an identical area and an identical shape (see paragraphs 42, 55; Figs. 1-4).
With reference to claim 12, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 8, wherein Li further discloses wherein each of the backlight plates has an identical number of the light emitting units that (see paragraphs 42, 55; Figs. 1-4).
With reference to claim 14, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 13, wherein Li further discloses that each of the backlight sections (backlight portions (9) connected to parallel traces (1, 2); see Figs. 1-4) comprises a plurality of horizontally and/or vertically arranged backlight plates (9), each of the backlight plates comprises a driving unit (capacitor) and ones of the plurality of light emitting units (LEDs), the driving unit is connected respectively to the ones of the light emitting units and the source driver (240), and the source driver controls a time period for illuminating the ones of the light emitting units and a luminance of the ones of the light emitting units through the driving unit (see paragraphs 32-33; Fig. 6).
With reference to claim 15, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 13, wherein Li further discloses that the light emitting units are organic LEDs (see paragraph 2).
With reference to claim 16, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 13, wherein Li further discloses that each backlight sections has an identical area and an identical shape (see paragraphs 42, 55; Figs. 1-4).
With reference to claim 17, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 14, wherein Li further discloses that each backlight section has an identical area and an identical shape (see paragraphs 42, 55; Figs. 1-4).
With reference to claim 18, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the driving method of claim 14, wherein Li further discloses wherein each of the backlight plates has an identical number of the ones of the light emitting units that (see paragraphs 42, 55; Figs. 1-4).
Claims 4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen, Hsiao, and Li as applied to claim 1 or 6 above, and further in view of Xiao (US Patent Publication No. 2022/0358888).
With reference to claim 4 and 7, Chen, Hsiao, and Li disclose the device and method of claim 1 or 6, and while Hsiao only an i-th row as required, there fails to specifically teach determining backlight grayscale information as recited.
Xiao discloses a backlight signal processing method and display device comprised of a mini-LED backlight module (see abstract, paragraphs 54, 61-62; Figs. 1-3), wherein [the] each of the light emitting units in the LED back light module has been driven to work comprises: determining backlight grayscale information according to the luminance information (backlight data) (see paragraphs 65-66; Figs. 5-6), and controlling a time period for illuminating a row of the n light emitting units of each of the backlight sections such that a backlight source provided by the mini LED backlight module reaches a backlight grayscale required by the backlight grayscale information (see paragraphs 65, 68, 76-77; Fig. 7).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to allow the usage of a backlight grayscale information similar to that which is taught by Xiao to be carried out in a display similar to that which is taught by Chen, Hsiao, and Li to thereby improved grayscale brightness of the display (see Xiao; paragraphs 3-4).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 3-18 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
LIU et al. (US2022/0319451) discloses a backlight module having a plurality of sections and a display device wherein the light emitting units are arranged in an array (see paragraphs 41-57; Figs. 1-4).
JI(US20200279534) discloses an image display processing method for a display device wherein each of a plurality of LED backlight blocks include one or more LED units and can be controlled independently of other backlight blocks (see paragraphs 52-54; Figs. 1A-B).
KATSU (US2010/0066713) discloses an image display device including an illumination means and a display means, wherein the illumination means has a light source including a plurality of partial lighting sections, such that the backlight control section determines whether or not the sequential lighting operation with each partial lighting section in the light source is finished on the basis of the control signal (see abstract; paragraphs 29-39, 44-69; Figs. 1-8).
Conclusion
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/ADE/Examiner, Art Unit 2625
/WILLIAM BODDIE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2625
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