DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 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.
Claim Objections
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 9 contains an unnecessary space between “a timing controller configured to” and the colon. Appropriate 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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, 9-10, 12, 15-16, and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tann et al. (US 2016/0267881).
Regarding claim 1, Tann teaches: A method comprising:
storing, by a processor (Tann Fig. 8: processor 802), data associated with an image to a frame buffer in response to detecting a signal to switch to a display mode (Tann [0029]-[0030] “a change indication can be provided to the TCON … a final image frame is received from the host device and stored in a memory” [0022] “the host device 204 can provide a first signal to a host interface 210 of the TCON 206 indicating that the resolution of the video stream to the TCON 206 is going to change”);
reading the data associated with the image from the frame buffer after the storing the image subsequent to the detecting the signal (Tann [0029] “the TCON is caused to enter a panel self refresh (PSR) mode, in which the TCON can drive a display panel using the final image frame, or an image frame stored in a memory of the TCON” [Driving the display panel meets the reading.]);
providing the data associated with the image to a display panel for display during a transition to the display mode (Tann [0017] “During the PSR mode, the TCON will effectively be driving a display panel of the display device with the image frame stored in the memory until the host device indicates to the TCON that the video transition has completed”);
maintaining the image in the display panel until the transition to the display mode is complete (Tann [0017] “During the PSR mode, the TCON will effectively be driving a display panel of the display device with the image frame stored in the memory until the host device indicates to the TCON that the video transition has completed”); and
updating the image in the display panel with another image from video data associated with the display mode (Tann [0029] “a second video stream, different than the first video stream, can be provided to the TCON. The second video stream can be associated with a different resolution or different video dimensions compared to the first video stream”).
Regarding claim 2, Tann teaches: The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the signal in response to receiving a command to switch to the display mode (Tann [0022] “the host device 204 can provide a first signal to a host interface 210 of the TCON 206 indicating that the resolution of the video stream to the TCON 206 is going to change” [0017] “a resolution of the video stream can change as a result of a user selecting a setting for a video stream”).
Regarding claim 4, Tann teaches: The method of claim 1, wherein the image is a last known image of video data currently displayed (Tann [0030] “a final image frame is received from the host device and stored in a memory”).
Regarding claim 5, Tann teaches: The method of claim 1, wherein the reading of the image from the frame buffer is initiated after the storing of the image in the frame buffer is finished (Tann [0029] “the TCON is caused to enter a panel self refresh (PSR) mode, in which the TCON can drive a display panel using the final image frame, or an image frame stored in a memory of the TCON”).
Claims 9-10 and 12 recite limitation(s) similar in scope to those of claims 1-2 and 4, respectively, and are rejected for the same reason(s). Tann further teaches a display panel; a frame buffer; and a timing controller (Tann Fig. 2A: display panel 208 and timing controller 206; [0018] “a TCON that includes a frame buffer (e.g., a memory)”).
Claims 15-16 and 18-19 recite limitation(s) similar in scope to those of claims 1-2 and 4-5, respectively, and are rejected for the same reason(s). Tann further teaches a non-transitory computer-readable medium to store instructions (Tann Fig. 8: ROM 820 and/or RAM 822).
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(s) 3, 6-7, 11, 13-14, 17, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tann et al. (US 2016/0267881).
Regarding claim 3, Tann is silent regarding: The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is analog. However, the concept and advantages of an analog signal are well known and expected in the art (Official Notice). It would have been obvious that the signal of Tann is analog for continuous-time signaling.
Regarding claim 6, Tann teaches/suggests: The method of claim 1, wherein the frame buffer is included in a timing controller includes a frame buffer (e.g., a memory)”). Tann is silent regarding a timing controller package. However, the concept and advantages of a timing controller package are well known and expected in the art (Official Notice). It would have been obvious that the timing controller of Tann is included in such a package for packaging it.
Regarding claim 7, Tann teaches/suggests: The method of claim 1, wherein the frame buffer is included in a timing controller a timing controller die. However, the concept and advantages of a timing controller die are well known and expected in the art (Official Notice). It would have been obvious that the timing controller of Tann is included in such a die for packaging it.
Claims 11 and 13-14 recite limitation(s) similar in scope to those of claims 3 and 6-7, respectively, and are rejected for the same reason(s).
Claims 17 and 20 recite limitation(s) similar in scope to those of claims 3 and 6, respectively, and are rejected for the same reason(s).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tann et al. (US 2016/0267881) in view of Kondoh et al. (US 2011/0187735).
Regarding claim 8, Tann does not teach/suggest: The method of claim 1, further comprising reading display information associated with the display mode from an electronically erasable programmable read-only memory. Kondoh, however, teaches/suggests reading display information associated with the display mode from an electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (Kondoh [0292] “the color adjustment parameters for each video display mode may be previously recorded in a memory such as the EEPROM 82, so that the MPU 81 automatically selects the color adjustment parameters supporting the video display mode”). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify parameters associated with the display resolution (the display mode) of Tann to be stored in the EEPROM of Kondoh to support it.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2013/0162682 – timing controller with frame buffer
US 2016/0210034 – switch display mode
US 2022/0130320 – display switching
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH-TUAN V NGUYEN whose telephone number is 571-270-7513. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9AM-5PM ET.
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/ANH-TUAN V NGUYEN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2619