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 allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). 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, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on [ 1 ] has been entered.
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.
Claims 1-3, 6-7 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kitamura et al. (US 2019/0043410) in view of Kong et al. (US 20170309219).
Regarding claim 1, Kitamura discloses a display device (100A, fig. 12A, para.
0151), comprising:
a plurality of pixels (8, para. 0151) arranged in a two-dimensional array of lines
and columns;
a first signal line (6, para. 0043) extending along a direction of the line and
connected to the plurality of pixels belonging to the line;
a first circuit (5, para. 0043) connected to the first signal line;
a second signal line (71, 72 and 73) extending along a direction of the column and connected to the plurality of pixels belonging to the column;
a second circuit (601) connected to the second signal line (71, 7₂ and 73);
a third signal line (74, 75 and 76) extending along a direction of the column and
connected to the plurality of pixels belonging to a column;
a third circuit (602) connected to the third signal line (74, 75 and 76).
Kitamura does not specifically disclose a switch configured to switch an electrical
connection between the second signal line and the third signal line; wherein, in a first state, the second circuit is connected to the second signal line and is disconnected from the third signal line and in a second state, the second circuit is connected to both signal line and the third signal line.
In a similar field of endeavor of display device, Kong discloses a switch (CSW1, fig. 3,) configured to switch an electrical connection between the second signal line (DL1) and the third signal line (DL2); wherein, in a first state (a normal mode, the low power enable signal LPMEN may be at a logic low level, and the output enable signals OEN1 to OEN3 may be at a logic high level. Therefore, the connection switches CSW1 and CSW2 may be turned off, and the output switches OSW1 to OSW3 may be turned on, para. 0074), the second circuit (11) is connected to the second signal line (DL1) and is disconnected from the third signal line (DL2) and in a second state (a low power mode, the low power enable signal LPMEN may be at a logic high level, and the first to third output enable signals OEN1 to OEN3 may be sequentially shifted to a logic high level. Therefore, the connection switches CSW1 and CSW2 may be turned on, para. 0080), the second circuit (11) is connected to both second signal line (DL1) and the third signal line (DL2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate the switch as taught by Kong
in the system of Kitamura in order to operate display panel at different modes with lower power consumption (para. 0004).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Kitamura and Kong discloses the first signal line (6, para. 0043) is arranged for each line, and
the second signal line (71, 7₂ and 73) and the third signal line (74, 75 and 76)
connected through the switch (61, 62 and 63) are arranged every two columns (fig.
12A of Kitamura).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Kitamura and Kong discloses the pixel includes a light emitting element (para. 0231 of Kitamura) that emits light of a plurality of colors (para. 0154 of Kitamura), and
the second signal line (71, 7₂ and 73) extends along a column direction for each
of a plurality of colors with respect to the same pixel (10, figs. 12A-B, paras. 0044 and
0151-0154), and
the third signal line (74, 75 and 76) extends along a column direction for each of a plurality of colors with respect to the same pixel (10), and is connectable to the second signal line connected to the light emitting elements of the same color through the switch (figs. 12A-B, paras. 0044 and 0151-0154 of Kitamura).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Kitamura and Kong discloses the third signal line connected to the pixel belonging to the predetermined region is electrically
disconnected from the second signal line (figs. 1 and 12A-B, paras. 0151-0154 of Kitamura), and
the third signal line not connected to the pixel belonging to the predetermined
region is electrically connected to the second signal line through the switch (figs. 1 and
12A-B, paras. 0040, 0151-0154 of Kitamura).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Kitamura and Kong discloses the third circuit does not output a signal for controlling the light emission intensity of the pixel to the third signal line not connected to the pixel belonging to the predetermined region (figs. 1 and 12A-B, paras. 0040, 0151-0154 of Kitamura).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Kitamura and Kong discloses the switch (61, 62 and 63) switches connection between one of the second circuit and the third circuit, and the third signal line (paras. 0151-0152 of Kitamura).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Kitamura and Kong discloses the second
circuit is connected to the second signal line and the corresponding third signal line
through a same amplifier (16, fig. 15, paras. 0192-0193 of Kitamura).
Claims 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Kitamura in view of Kong and further in view of Igarashi et al. (US 2023/0043411).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Kitamura and Kong discloses the first
circuit (5, para. 0043) outputs a signal for driving the pixel (8), the first circuit outputs a
drive signal for each of the first signal lines (6) and a predetermined region (source
amplifiers on region, fig. 1 of Kitamura).
The combination of Kitamura and Gao does not specifically disclose driving first
signal lines connected to the plurality of pixels belonging to a predetermined region, and
the first circuit outputs a drive signal for each predetermined number of the first
signal lines to the first signal lines not connected to the pixels belonging to the
predetermined region.
In a similar field of endeavor of light emitting device, Igarashi discloses driving
signal lines (3-6, fig. 6B) connected to the plurality of pixels belonging to a
predetermined region (D(5,3) to D(8,6)), and the circuit outputs a drive signal for each
predetermined number of the first signal lines to the first signal lines not connected to
the pixels belonging to the predetermined region (paras. 0075-0076).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate the driving as taught by
Igarashi in the system of Kitamura and Kong in order to reduce power consumption
(para. 0157).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Kitamura, Gao and Igarashi discloses the
first circuit outputs a drive signal for performing doubler driving in the first signal line not
connected to the pixel belonging to the predetermined region (paras. 0075-0076 of
Igarashi).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10 and 13-14 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.
Claim 8 identifies the distinct limitations "a fourth circuit that switches the switch,
wherein the fourth circuit switches the switch, and electrically disconnects the third
signal line connected to the pixel belonging to the predetermined region from the second signal line, and the fourth circuit connects the third signal line not connected to
the pixel belonging to the predetermined region to the second circuit directly or through
the second signal line".
Claim 9 identifies the distinct limitations "a fifth circuit that is connected to the
third circuit and compares a voltage output from the third circuit with a predetermined
voltage, wherein the third circuit outputs, to the third signal line connected to the pixel
belonging to the predetermined region, a signal for controlling light emission intensity of
the pixel of the predetermined voltage or higher, or a first offset voltage, and outputs, to
the third signal line not connected to the pixel belonging to the predetermined region, a
signal lower than the predetermined voltage or a second offset voltage, and the fifth
circuit switches the switch on a basis of a result of the comparison to selectively connect
the third signal line to the second circuit".
Claims 10 and 13-14 are objected for their dependence upon claims 8 and 9.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-7 and 11-12 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JENNIFER T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-7696. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:00-5:00.
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/JENNIFER T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2629
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