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 .
DETAILED ACTION
In the response to this office action, the Examiner respectfully requests that support be shown for language added to any original claims on amendment and any new claims. That is, indicate support for newly added claim language by specifically pointing to page(s) and line numbers in the specification and/or drawing figure(s). This will assist the Examiner in prosecuting this application.
I. CONTINUED EXAMINATION UNDER 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 06/19/2026 has been entered.
II. ALLOWABLE SUBJECT MATTER
Claims 15-20 are allowable for reasons highlighted in the notice of allowability 03/19/2026.
Claim 2-7, 9-14 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. Claims 2-7, 9-14 are objected to for reasons outlined in the notice of allowability 03/19/2026.
III. 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention
Claims 1, 8, 21, and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Lin et al. US 20210201793.
Consider claim 1. Lin discloses a controller having an input and an output fig. 1 fig. 6 the controller is the processing unit 1 and the controller 2 input signal IN and output TX and CTG, the controller configurable to:
periodically provide pulse signals at the output responsive to a first signal indicative of a brightness setting [0021] the processing unit 1 can receive the input signal IN to generate an image signal PI and a data enable signal DE based on the input signal IN. The image signal PI includes contents of frames to be displayed by the display panel 5.[0023] PWM part has an initial PWM. also see fig. 5A-5B 7A-7B, in which a duration of each of the pulse signals reflects the brightness setting fig. 3[0022] while each frame period Pf is divided into a programming part and a PWM part. The programming part is configured for setting the pixel 51 to be ready for light emission, and the PWM part has a duty ratio for activating the pixel 51 to emit light during an on-duration of the PWM part. Also see S1 in fig. 4 [0023] PWM part has an initial duty ratio;
receive a second signal at the input indicative of an update of the brightness setting at a time[0022] when the refresh rate is changed. fig. 4 S2->Yes [0029] detect refresh change from image signal IP and adjust a duration of a first one of the pulse signals at the output after the time responsive to receiving the second signal [0022]The variation in the length of the programming part led by the change in refresh rate thus causes a change in the length of the PWM part since a total of lengths of the programming part and the PWM part…The following driving method is applied in the present disclosure, which can suppress the difference in the quantities of light emitted by the pixel 51 during the PWM parts before and after the refresh rate variation. Also see S3 fig. 4 [0023] This compensation procedure is applied for compensating the brightness difference of the organic light-emitting diode LED occurring due to the change in refresh rate by adjusting the initial duty ratio of the PWM part to a final duty ratio. also see fig. 7A-7B and 8A-8B.
Claim 8 is rejected for similar reasons, mutatis mutandis, to claim 1, in addition to having a display system including lighting elements see fig. 1 and fig. 6 with pixels 51 [0021], a driver circuit having outputs coupled to the lighting elements see fig. 1 and fig. 6 with pixels 51 are connected to data driver and gate driver [0021]and an input and the output(of the controller) coupled to the input of the driver circuit see fig. 1 and fig. 6 where output of the controller is connected to input of data driver and gate driver.
Consider claim 21. Lin discloses the apparatus of claim 8, wherein the display system has a variable refresh rate [0002] the disclosure relates to a light emitting diode (LED) display with variable refresh rate.
Consider claim 23. Lin discloses the apparatus of claim 8, disclose wherein the display system is part of a gaming display [0002] the disclosure relates to a light emitting diode (LED) display with variable refresh rate. this is considered as a gaming display because the display can adapt to an input image’s refresh rate.
Consider claim 24. Lin discloses the apparatus of claim 8, wherein the lighting elements are light emitting diodes (LEDs) [0002] the disclosure relates to a light emitting diode (LED) display with variable refresh rate.
IV. 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.
2. Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al. US 20210201793 in view of Robinson et al. US 20220051585.
Consider claim 22. Lin discloses the apparatus of claim 8, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the display system is part of an automotive heads- up display.
Robinson however discloses wherein the display system is part of an automotive heads- up display [0056][0163] the display maybe a Head-up display HUD. [0058] used in a vehicle and the rendering engine may have a variable refresh rate.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify the apparatus of Lin to include wherein the display system is part of an automotive heads- up display, as taught by Robinson, to provide an improved augmented reality system for vehicle [0003].
V. CONCLUSION
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IBRAHIM A KHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7998. The examiner can normally be reached on 10am-6pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nitin Patel can be reached on 571-272-7677. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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IBRAHIM A. KHAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2628
/IBRAHIM A KHAN/ 07/20/2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628
Prosecution Insights