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 .
Remarks
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on 08/30/24. Examiner acknowledged that claims 1-15 are pending.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/30/24 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 9-11 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Toma (US 2009/0058322) in view of Tang (CN 110164384A).
Regarding Claim 1, Toma teaches a lighting device, comprising: a plurality of light panels (Fig. 1: LED Gr1-Grx), wherein each light panel comprises: a plurality of light-emitting diodes (Fig. 1: CHAN1-CHANy); a driving circuit (Fig. 1: 110, 120, 130), configured to drive the plurality light-emitting diodes and detect a forward voltage value of at least one light-emitting diode of the plurality light-emitting diodes as a forward voltage value corresponding to the light panel (Fig. 2A: 235); and a storage circuit ([0031] “computing device can include or be operatively connected to memory”), configured to store the forward voltage value of the at least one light-emitting diode (‘The memory can be used to store data and control instructions”); and a control circuit (Fig. 1: 114, 112), electrically coupled to the plurality of light panels,
Toma does not explicitly teach the plurality of light panels comprises at least one reference light panel; wherein in response to a target light panel replacing one of the plurality of light panels, forward voltage values of the target light panel and the at least one reference light panel become consistent. However, Fig. 2A: 215 provides a predetermined voltage value. [0048] teaches “the control apparatus automatically calibrate the voltage requirement upon replacement or addition of LED elements.” It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Toma in order to drive the LEDs uniformly so that new or old LED elements have consistent brightness since it is desirable to maintained desired light output for the LED elements [0048].
Toma does not teach a display device.
Tang is in the field of lighting and teaches an electroluminescent display.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling of the claimed invention to modify the device of Toma with a display as taught by Tang in order to drive the LEDs with consistent brightness since LEDs are mainly used in display devices today.
Regarding Claim 2, the combination of Toma and Tang teach the display device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the driving circuit of the target light panel (Fig. 1: LED Gr1-GRx) to adjust a driving current of the target light panel according to the forward voltage value (Fig. 2A: 235) of the target light panel and at least one forward voltage value of the at least one reference light panel.
Regarding Claim 9, the combination of Toma and Tang teach the display device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reference light panel is a light panel adjacent to the target light panel (Fig. 1: GRx can be a reference to any replacement LED group).
Regarding Claim 10, Toma teaches a brightness adjustment method of a display device, wherein the display device comprises a plurality of light panels (Fig. 1: LED Gr1-Grx), each light panel comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes (Fig. 1: CHAN1-CHANy), and the brightness adjustment method comprises: detecting a forward voltage value (Fig. 2A: 235) of at least one light-emitting diode of at least one reference light panel (Fig. 2A: any of the panel that is being sensed) among the plurality of light panels as a forward voltage value of the at least one reference light panel;
Toma does not explicitly teach detecting a forward voltage value of at least one light-emitting diode in a target light panel as a forward voltage value of the target light panel; and allowing forward voltage values of the target light panel and the at least one reference light panel to become consistent in response to the target light panel replacing one of the plurality of light panels. However, Fig. 2A: 215 provides a predetermined voltage value. [0048] teaches “the control apparatus automatically calibrate the voltage requirement upon replacement or addition of LED elements.” It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Toma in order to drive the LEDs uniformly so that new or old LED elements have consistent brightness since it is desirable to maintained desired light output for the LED elements [0048].
Regarding Claim 11, Toma teaches the brightness adjustment method of a display device according to claim 10, comprising: adjusting a driving current of the target light panel according to the forward voltage value of the target light panel and the forward voltage value of the at least one reference light panel (Fig. 2A: 240), so that forward voltage values of the target lamp panel and the at least one reference lamp panel become consistent.
Regarding Claim 15, The brightness adjustment method of a display device according to claim 10, wherein the at least one reference light panel is a light panel adjacent to the target light panel (Fig. 1: GRx can be a reference to any replacement LED group).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-8 and 12-14 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HENRY T LUONG whose telephone number is (571)270-7008. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday: 8:00-6:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Regis Betsch can be reached at (571) 270-7101. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Henry Luong/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844