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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 04/27/2026 has been entered.
Claim status
Claims 1-4, 6-11, 13-18 and 20-23 are pending; claims 1, 8 and 15 are independent. Claims 5, 12 and 19 have been cancelled.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/27/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s argument that Nho does not disclose or teach “calculating, using a line subtractor, a data voltage transition between each line of pixel of a plurality of lines of pixels to determine a spatial interpolated voltage transition calculation”, as recited in claims 1, 8 and 15.
However, the examiner respectfully disagrees, Nho clearly taught fig. 121 and Para 0476, wherein the scaling factor may be determined in a calibration of the display panel to determine an output of each channel in response to an aggressor image/injected signal to determine channel properties to determine a common-mode error between channels. In Paras 0483-0484, the scaling factor may be determined in a calibration of the display panel to determine an output of each channel in response to an aggressor image/injected signal to determine channel properties to determine a common-mode error between channels. In Para 0307, Conversion of the correction map may be undertaken via interpolation (e.g., Gaussian, linear, cubic, or the like), extrapolation (e.g., linear, polynomial, or the like), or other conversion techniques being applied to the data of the correction map. This may allow for accounting of, for example, boundary conditions of the correction map and may yield compensation driving data that may be applied to raw display content (e.g., image data) so as to generate compensated image data 352 that is transmitted to the pixels 366.
The reminder applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-4, 6-11, 13-18 and 20-23 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.
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) 1-4, 6-11, 13-18 and 20-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nho (US 2018/0075798), and further in view of Gao (US 2020/0143750).
Regarding claims 1, 8 and 15, Nho teaches an electronic apparatus (fig. 108, a display 18), a computer-implemented method of operating an electronic apparatus (figs 120, 122 and 124) and one or more non-transitory computer readable media comprising computer-executable instructions (fig. 108 and Paras 0450-0451) that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic apparatus, cause the electronic apparatus to perform operations comprising:
a memory comprising computer-executable instructions (fig. 108, a memory 1962 and Para 0451); and
a display driver integrated circuit configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to perform operations (fig. 108, a source driver 1934 and Para 0450) comprising:
receiving an input signal frame comprising lines of pixels (fig. 108, a source driver 1934 and Para 0445, wherein the source driver 1934 may receive image data that indicates desired luminance of one or more display pixels 1940 for displaying the image frame);
calculating, using a line subtractor, a data voltage transition between each line of pixel of a plurality of lines of pixels to determine a spatial interpolated voltage transition calculation (figs 120-121 and Para 0474-0476, wherein in a sensing channel of a display, a current is sensed through the sensing channel from a target current is driven from a current source (block 2122). The current sensed on the observation channel is scaled based on a scaling factor determined during calibration (block 2126). the calibration may be repeated prior to each sensing operation to ensure accuracy of the calculations using the scaling factor. The scaled current is then subtracted from the current found in the sensed channel to determine a compensated output (block 2128);
compensating per the scan phase by correcting using the aggressor value and an input sub-pixel value by aligning with a corresponding first-in first-out (FIFO) buffer to determine compensation correction voltage values (fig. 122, wherein the scaled current sense is subtracted from the sensed channel to determine a compensated output (block 2176). The compensated output is used to drive compensation operations of the display (block 2178, see also figs 124-125 and Paras 0483);
summing the compensation correction voltage values with the input signal frame to determine a compensated output image frame (fig. 123 and Para 0481, wherein a sensed observation current 2202 is scaled at scaling circuitry 2204 and subtracted from a sensed current 2206 at summing circuitry 2208 to generate a compensated output 2210 indicative of current through the sensing channel 2186 substantially attributable to the current provided by the current source 2182); and
a display panel (fig. 108, a display panel 1932) configured to display the compensated output image frame (fig. 122 and Para 0478, wherein the compensated output is used to drive compensation operations of the display (block 2178).
Nho does not expressly disclose averaging a voltage across each column within each line of pixel of the plurality of lines of pixels to determine in a group average voltage and calculating an aggressor value for a scan phase using, as inputs, the spatial interpolated voltage transition calculation and the group average voltage.
However, Gao discloses averaging a voltage across each column within each line of pixel of the plurality of lines of pixels to determine in a group average voltage, see Paras 0054-0056, and “calculating an aggressor value for a scan phase using, as inputs, the spatial interpolated voltage transition calculation and the group average voltage”, see figs 6-11, a voltage adjustment system 30 and Para 0038 and Para 0052-0062.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have modified an electronic apparatus of Nho with teaching of Gao to include a voltage adjustment system 30 (fig. 6), which may adjust a pixel data value provided to a pixel of the display 26 or adjust a gamma voltage used by pixel circuitry of the display 26. However, due to current-resistance (IR) drop across the rows and columns of the display 26, the same voltage being applied to a number of pixels may result in a variety of different gray levels depicted across the number of pixels. As such, the voltage adjustment system 30 may modify the pixel data value or the gamma voltage provided to the pixels to compensate for the expected IR drop. The voltage adjustment system 30 may interpolate a gain value based on the gain values provided in the lookup table that has an average picture level, a DBV, and a respective gray value that most closely matches the input pixel (Paras 0062 and 0067), as a known technique to yield a predictable result.
Regarding claims 2, 9 and 16, Nho in view of Gao teaches the electronic apparatus of claim 1, the computer-implemented method of claim 8 and the one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the display panel is a light-emitting diode (LED) or liquid crystal display (LCD) display (fig. 1 and Para 0205, wherein the electronic display 18 is a liquid crystal display (LCD), Nho).
Regarding claims 3, 10 and 17, Nho in view of Gao teaches the electronic apparatus of claim 1, the computer-implemented method of claim 8 and the one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the display panel is an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display (fig. 1 and Para 0205, wherein the electronic display 18 is an organic light emitting diodes (OLED), Nho ).
Regarding claims 4, 11, Nho in view of Gao teaches the electronic apparatus of claim 1 and the computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the display panel is a computer (fig. 2, a notebook computer 10A and Para 0207, Nho).
Regarding claim 18, Nho in view of Gao teaches the one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the display panel is a computer or mobile phone or tablet computer (fig. 2, a notebook computer 10A and Para 0207, Nho).
Regarding claims 6 and 13, Nho in view of Gao teaches the electronic apparatus of claim 1 and the computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the display panel is a mobile phone (fig. 3, a portable phone 10B and Para 0208, Nho).
Regarding claims 7, 14 and 20, Nho in view of Gao teaches the electronic apparatus of claim 1, the computer-implemented method of claim 8 and the one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the display panel is a digital watch or augmented reality headset (fig. 3, Apple Watch 10E, Paras 0202 and 0212, Nho).
Regarding claim 21, Nho in view of Gao teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein calculating the aggressor value includes calculating the aggressor value for each line of pixel of the lines of pixels (figs 6, 8-11, Paras 00038, 0052-0062, wherein due to current-resistance (IR) drop across the rows and columns of the display 26, the same voltage being applied to a number of pixels may result in a variety of different gray levels depicted across the number of pixels. As such, the voltage adjustment system 30 may modify the pixel data value or the gamma voltage provided to the pixels to compensate for the expected IR drop, Gao).
Regarding claim 22, Nho in view of Gao teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein calculating the aggressor value includes calculating the aggressor value prior to outputting the input signal frame for display (fig. 11 and Paras 0062-0063, Gao).
Regarding claim 23, Nho in view of Gao teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein calculating the data voltage transition includes calculating the data voltage transition between each subsequent line of pixel of the plurality of lines of pixels+ (Para 0052, Gao).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yum (US 2019/0340980), relates to a display driver, a display system, and an operation method of the display driver, and more particularly, to a display driver for adjusting pixel values of an input image, a display system, and an operation method of the display driver.
Park (US 2023/0386390), relate to a display device and a display driving method, which are capable of reducing a characteristic value compensation error appearing at a time when a driving frequency changes and improving image quality.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAIFELDIN E ELNAFIA whose telephone number is (571)270-5852. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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/S.E.E/Examiner, Art Unit 2625 5/14/2026
/WILLIAM BODDIE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2625
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