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 .
Claims 1-19 are present for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 01/26/2024, 05/19/2025 and 03/10/2026, respectively, are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because some of the drawings are not clear enough, not legible, as its ink are fading out, for example, figures 4A, 8, 9B, 10B, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E, 11F, 15. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
RE claim 18, the limitations of “I2C” in line 2 and line 3, respectively, are vague and rendering claim 18 indefinite. What is “I2C”? “I2C” is not defined in the claim. Correction is required.
RE claim 19, the limitation of “I2C” in line 3 is vague and rendering claim 19 indefinite. “I2C” is not defined in the claim. What is “I2C”? Correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, 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.
Claims 1-3, 7, 8, 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sato et al (US 2010/0253856), hereinafter as Sato.
RE claim 1, Sato discloses that an image display apparatus (see figure 1 and section [0074]; i.e., Audio Visual system 200) comprising: a display (see figures 1&3 and sections [0075], [0088]; i.e., display 263 of TV receiver 250); and a signal processing device configured to output data to the display (see figures 1/2/3 and sections [0075], [0077], [0078], [0082], [0088]-[0090], [0104]; i.e., the set up box 310 containing graphic operation circuit 325 for signal processing, configured to output processed image data to the display 263 of TV receiver 250, the set up box 310 being connected to TV receiver 250 by bi-directional communication cable HDMI cable 351), wherein a first interface in the signal processing device includes a first terminal and a second terminal, for bidirectional communication (see figures 1&2 and sections [0075], [0077], [0078], [0084], [0086]; i.e., the interface 313 in the set up box 310 includes a first terminal HDMI terminal 311 and a second terminal network terminal 323, for bidirectional communication through bi-directional communication HDMI cable 351), wherein at least one of the first or second terminals shares an interface monitor signal and a system control signal (see figures 1/2/3 and sections [0086], [0087]; i.e., the HDMI terminal 311 shares high speed data line interface monitor signal from interface 313 and remote control code as a system control signal).
RE claim 2, Sato discloses that wherein the first interface in the signal processing device is configured to transmit the data to the second interface in the display by using a plurality of first direction communication lanes and receives data from the second interface in the display by using at least one second direction communication lane (see figure 1 and sections [0074], [0075], [0078], [0090]; i.e., the first interface 313 in the signal processing device 310 to transmit data to the second interface 254A in the display 250 by using bi-directional communication HDMI cable 351, wherein the HDMI cable 351 including predetermined lines and HPD line).
RE claim 3, Sato discloses that wherein the plurality of first direction communication lanes, the at least one second direction communication lane, and the first and second transmission lanes respectively corresponding to the first and second terminals are disposed in the same cable (see figure 1 and sections [0074], [0075], [0078], [0090]; i.e., the bi-directional communication cable HDMI cable 351, along with first terminal 311 and second terminal HDMI terminal 251A).
RE claim 7, Sato discloses that wherein the data transmitted to the display by using the plurality of first direction communication lanes includes video data and audio data (see figure 1 and sections [0074], [0075], [0078], [0081], [0082]; i.e., the HDMI transmitting unit 312 to transmit image/video data and audio data from the HDMI terminal 311 to bi-directional communication cable 351).
RE claim 8, Sato discloses that wherein the data received by the signal processing device by using the at least one second direction communication lane includes audio data converted through a microphone in the display or touch input data or body information data (see figure 3 and its associated depiction and section [0081]).
RE claim 13, Sato discloses that wherein the first interface in the signal processing device is configured to output a data frame through the plurality of first direction communication lanes, wherein the data frame includes video data, audio data, line end information, additional data, and frame end information (see section [0263]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato et al (US 2010/0253856), hereinafter as Sato, in view of Jung et al (US 2016/0119577), hereinafter as Jung.
RE claim 9, Sato discloses the invention substantially as claimed.
However, Sato does not specifically disclose that wherein the plurality of first direction communication lanes and the at least one second direction communication lane are driven by unidirectional communication.
Jung teaches that a digital-image system in high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) form, comprising of host device 31 and display device 32, wherein host device 31 including lanes L1-L4, and display device 32 including lanes L1-L4, the lanes L1-L4 are unidirectional communication (see figure 3 and its associated depictions). The motivation of Jung is for better self-diagnosis and control purpose.
Sato and Jung are combinable because they are from the same field of endeavor. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify Sato by including the teaching from Jung in order to achieve better self-diagnosis and control purpose.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6, 10-12, 14-17 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Han (US 2022/0319468)
Sato et al (USPN 9,668,017)
Any inquiry concerning this communication from the examiner should be directed to FRED TZENG whose telephone number is 571-272-7565. The examiner can normally be reached on weekdays from 2:0 pm to 10:00 pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William Boddie can be reached on 571-272-0666. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are 571-273-8300 for regular communications and 571-273-7565 for After Final communications.
Informal regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docs for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like
assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000 (IN USA).
/FRED TZENG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625
FFT
June 27, 2026
Prosecution Insights