Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/869,474

PIXEL CIRCUIT, DRIVING METHOD, DISPLAY SUBSTRATE, AND DISPLAY DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Nov 26, 2024
Examiner
LIANG, DONG HUI
Art Unit
2629
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 0m
To Grant
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allow Rate
325 granted / 418 resolved
+15.8% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+17.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
433
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.5%
-38.5% vs TC avg
§103
55.7%
+15.7% vs TC avg
§102
21.4%
-18.6% vs TC avg
§112
17.8%
-22.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 418 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §112
DETAILED ACTION Notice of 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 . This action is in response to application 18869474 filed on 11/26/2024 Claims 1-7, 12, 16-18, 20-22, 25, 31, 32 and 37-39 are presented for examination. Claim Objections Claim 37 is objected to because of the following informalities: the phrase “anyone of claim 20” should read “claim 20”. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. Claims 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. In lines 3-4 of claim 17, they recite “a third period” and “a fourth period.” However, the same phrases were used in lines 9-10 of claim 1, which claim 17 depend from. It is unclear whether the two instances of the phrases are referring to the same time periods or not. In lines 8-9 of claim 18, they recite “a first sub-node of first node” and “a second sub-node of first node.” However, the same phrases were used in lines 5-6 and 9-10 of claim 17, which claim 18 depend from. It is unclear whether the two instances of the phrases are referring to the same time periods or not. Prior Art Rejections In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to 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 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. Claims 1, 20 and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sang et al. (US Patent Pub. No. 2015/0379947 A1) Regarding claim 1, Sang teaches a pixel circuit (Sang, Figs. 4 and 5, pixel with WRGB subpixels), comprising: a first sub-pixel driving circuit configured to drive a first sub-pixel (Sang, Figs. 1, 4 and 5, e.g., subpixel W11 with structure as shown in Fig. 1); and a second sub-pixel driving circuit configured to drive a second sub-pixel (Sang, Figs. 1, 4 and 5, e.g., subpixel R11 with structure as shown in Fig. 1); wherein the first sub-pixel comprises a first light emitting sub-element, the second sub-pixel comprises a second light emitting sub-element (Sang, [0051], display device can be implemented as OLED), and the second sub-pixel is adjacent to the first sub-pixel in a first direction or a second direction intersecting with the first direction (Sang, Figs. 4 and 5, e.g., subpixel W11 is adjacent to subpixel R11), wherein the pixel circuit further comprises a first data signal line configured to provide a data signal to the first sub-pixel driving circuit and the second sub-pixel driving circuit (Sang, Figs. 4 and 5, e.g., S1 is shared by subpixel W11 and subpixel R11), wherein the data signal comprises a first data sub-signal generated by the first data signal line in a third time period and a second data sub-signal generated by the first data signal line in a fourth time period, and the third time period does not overlap with the fourth time period (Sang Fig. 6, timing for data for R11 and W11 are not overlap). Regarding claim 20, Sang teaches the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches a display substrate (Sang, [0055] and Fig. 1, display panel 100), comprising: a base substrate (Sang, [0055] and Fig. 1, lower substrate); the pixel circuit according to claim 1 on the base substrate, wherein the pixel circuit comprises a first sub-pixel driving circuit and a second sub- pixel driving circuit (Sang, Fig. 1, pixel circuit); and a light emitting element on the base substrate, wherein the light emitting element comprises a first light emitting sub-element coupled to the first sub-pixel driving circuit and a second light emitting sub-element coupled to the second sub-pixel driving circuit (Sang, [0051], display device can be implemented as OLED). Regarding claim 37, Sang teaches the limitations of claim 20 and further teaches a display device, comprising the display substrate according to claim 20 (Sang, [0053], display device). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 21, 22, 25, 31, 32, 38 and 39 are allowed. Claims 2-7, 12 and 16-18 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 and resolve the 35 U.S.C. 112 rejections cited above. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claims 2-7, 12 and 16, the prior art, whether considered alone or in combination, fail to disclose the technical features of the claimed invention in context as a whole. Specifically, respective components included in the claims and the sharing of the component connections the second node in the manner claimed as a whole, is not sufficiently taught or suggested in the prior art. Regarding claims 17 and 18, the prior art, whether considered alone or in combination, fail to disclose the technical features of the claimed invention in context as a whole. Specifically, the drive timing and the further inclusion of the compensation subj-circuits in the manner claimed as a whole, is not sufficiently taught or suggested in the prior art. Regarding claim 21, 22, 25, 31, 32, 38 and 39, the prior art, whether considered alone or in combination, fail to disclose the technical features of the claimed invention in context as a whole. Specifically, the stacking, interconnection and the overlapping of the various layers in the manner claimed as a whole, is not sufficiently taught or suggested in the prior art. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0001938 A1 to Lee et al. discloses a similar invention as recited, specifically the sharing of data line by adjacent pixels/subpixels, see Fig. 3. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021/0271142 A1 to Chen et al. discloses a similar invention as recited, specifically the sharing of data line by adjacent pixels/subpixels, see Fig. 1. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DONG HUI LIANG whose telephone number is (571)272-0487. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7am-3pm EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, BENJAMIN C. LEE can be reached at (571)272-2963. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /DONG HUI LIANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2629
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 26, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12603044
PIXEL CIRCUIT AND DISPLAY DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12592211
DUAL-VOLTAGE PIXEL CIRCUITRY FOR LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12586542
DISPLAY DEVICE, CONTROL CIRCUIT INCLUDED IN THE SAME, AND METHOD OF DRIVING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12579945
Shift Register, Gate Driver Circuit and Display Device
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12567378
GATE DRIVING PANEL CIRCUIT AND DISPLAY DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 03, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
78%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+17.4%)
2y 0m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 418 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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