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 .
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) 1-8, 11-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gary (US 20220020310).
Regarding claim 1 Gary teaches a distributed drive circuit (fig. 1A), comprising:
a control circuit (fig. 1A, 110), a drive circuit array (fig. 1A, [0031]9),
a command control interface (fig.2, 115), and a read-back line (fig. 1A, readback line 125, [0041]);
wherein the drive circuit array comprises a plurality of drive circuit groups (fig. 1A, a plurality of 120), and each drive circuit group comprises a plurality of drive circuits ([0046] FIG. 1C);
the control circuit (fig. 1A, 110) is used for sending a control signal (fig.2, 215) and a command signal (fig. 1A, PWr1, Add1) to the drive circuit ([0047]);
the command control interface (fig.2, 115) is arranged in the control circuit (fig.1, 110), and the command control interface is used for outputting signals (Pwr, Addr) sent by the control circuit (fig. 1A, 2, 110) for transmission to the drive circuit (fig.1A, 120);
the drive circuit is used for driving a light-emitting element (fig. 1A, LWD zone) in response to the control signal, and is also used for selecting a corresponding alarm mode in response to the command signal ([0082]), and
generating read-back data in the alarm mode to the control circuit; and the read-back line is used for transmitting the read-back data in the alarm mode generated by the drive circuit back to the control circuit ([0041]).
Regarding claim 2 Gary teaches wherein when the drive circuit has an alarm condition in the alarm mode, the read-back data generated in the alarm mode comprises an alarm signal ([0084] If the address signal is received at the alternate data input pin 131, but not at the data input pin 122, the control logic 600 determines 625 that the prior driver circuit coupled to the Di pin 122 is non-operational and activates 627 the fault mode of the driver circuit 120. During the fault mode, the driver circuit 120 obtains the address signal from the alternate data pin 131. During the fault mode, the next address is sent to the subsequent driver circuit via the data output pin 132 and the control logic 600 sets an internal auxiliary flag).
Regarding claim 3 Gary teaches wherein the control circuit is further configured for sending a query signal to the drive circuit; the drive circuit is also used for generating read-back data in a query mode in response to the query signal; and the read-back line is also used for transmitting the read-back data in the query mode generated by the drive circuit back to the control circuit ([0107] In FIG. 10, during the addressing phase, the power supply circuit 907 may provide power 1001 to rows of driver circuits 901 connected to a single power suply line (e.g., Pwr1) and does not provide power to all other rows of driver circuits 901 thereby disabling the other rows of driver circuits 901. The addressing circuit 909 sends a query via the data input lines Di (e.g., Di1 and Di2) connected to the data input pin (Di) of the driver circuits 901 that are enabled. The enabled driver circuits 901 performs 1003 a self test as previously described above to determine whether the driver circuits 901 are operational or non-operational. If the driver circuits 901 are operational, the driver circuits 901 are placed in the normal mode and output signals to the data output lines Do (e.g., Do1 and Do2) alerting the addressing circuit 909 the driver circuits 901 are operational. The addressing circuit 909 determines 1005 that the driver circuits 901 are operational based on the received output signals).
Regarding claim 4 Gary teaches wherein the alarm signal comprises address information of the drive circuit in case of failure ([0084] [0107]).
Regarding claim 5 Gary teaches wherein the control circuit is also used for recording the alarm signal and/or reporting the alarm signal ([0084] [0095]).
Regarding claim 6 Gary teaches wherein the control circuit is further used for sending a processing signal to the drive circuit according to the alarm signal, enabling an alarm condition occurring in the drive circuit to be processed ([0095]).
Regarding claim 7 Gary teaches further comprising serial communication lines, wherein the serial communication line is in one-to-one correspondence with the drive circuit group; the control circuit, the serial communication line and the read-back line form a loop, and the drive circuit of each group is connected in series in the serial communication line; and the read-back data of the drive circuit is transmitted to the read-back line via the serial communication line ([0041] [0047] fig. 1A).
Regarding claim 8 Gary teaches wherein the drive circuit of a second one in each drive circuit group is also used for parsing the read-back data (fig. 10) transmitted by a previous drive circuit, and continuously transmitting the parsed read-back data and the read-back data generated by itself ([0041] [0042]).
Regarding claim 11 Gary teaches a control method of distributed drive circuit (fig. 1A), comprising:
sending, by a control circuit (fig. 1A), a command signal (fig. 1A, PWr1, Add1) to each drive circuit group (fig. 1A, a plurality of 120);
selecting, by each drive circuit in the drive circuit group, a corresponding alarm mode in response to the command signal, and generating read-back data in the alarm mode to the control circuit; and receiving, by the control circuit, the read-back data in the alarm mode ([0041], fig. 1A, also see fig. 6A-6B).
Regarding claim 12 Gary teaches wherein when the read-back data in the alarm mode received by the control circuit comprises an alarm signal, the method further comprises: sending, by the control circuit, a query signal to the drive circuit group; generating, by each drive circuit in the drive circuit group, read-back data in a query mode in response to the query signal; and receiving, by the control circuit, the read-back data in the query mode ([0084] If the address signal is received at the alternate data input pin 131, but not at the data input pin 122, the control logic 600 determines 625 that the prior driver circuit coupled to the Di pin 122 is non-operational and activates 627 the fault mode of the driver circuit 120. During the fault mode, the driver circuit 120 obtains the address signal from the alternate data pin 131. During the fault mode, the next address is sent to the subsequent driver circuit via the data output pin 132 and the control logic 600 sets an internal auxiliary flag).
Regarding claim 13 Gary teaches wherein when the read-back data in the alarm mode generated by the drive circuit to the control circuit comprises an alarm signal, the alarm signal comprises address information of the drive circuit in case of failure ([0084] [0107]).
Regarding claim 14 Gary teaches wherein the alarm signal is determined by the control circuit: when the alarm signal is of a first type, recording and/or reporting the alarm signal by the control circuit; and
when the alarm signal is of a second type, sending a processing signal to the drive circuit by the drive circuit, enabling an alarm condition occurring in the drive circuit to be processed ([0084] [0095]).
Regarding claim 15 Gary teaches a light-emitting element zone array, a distributed drive circuit; wherein the light-emitting element zone array comprises a plurality of groups of light-emitting element zones, and each group of light-emitting element zones ([0004] In one embodiment, a display device comprises an array of light emitting diode zones each comprising one or more light emitting diodes that generate light in response to respective driver currents, a control circuit to generate driver control signals and address signals, and a group of driver circuits including a plurality of driver circuits. Each driver circuit in the group is configured to drive a respective light emitting diode zone from the array of light emitting zones by controlling a respective driver current responsive to all of the plurality of driver circuits operating in a first mode. Responsive to a first driver circuit from the plurality of driver circuits having a fault condition, a second driver circuit included in the plurality of driver circuits is switched to a second mode during which the second driver circuit is reconfigured to drive the faulty first driver circuit's respective light emitting diode zone) comprises a plurality of light-emitting element zones; the light-emitting element zone is in one-to-one correspondence with the drive circuit; and the distributed drive circuit is the distributed drive circuit ([0041] [0047] fig. 1A).
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) 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gary (US 20220020310) in view of Bi (US 20230316963).
Regarding claim 9 Gary does not teach wherein there are a plurality of the alarm modes in each drive circuit.
However, Bi teaches wherein there are a plurality of the alarm modes in each drive circuit ([0047] FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram of a method for adjusting a ghost reduction potential provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the flow of the method firstly executes Step S1: receiving, by a row driver chip, an open-circuit detection signal and a short-circuit detection signal from a row driving side of the LED display panel).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art to combine Gary in light of Bi teaching so that it may include wherein there are a plurality of the alarm modes in each drive circuit.
The motivation is to provide a method for adjusting a ghost reduction potential which efficiently solves constant bright problems caused by an open-circuited/short circuited LED lamp bead.
Regarding claim 10 Gary in view of Bi teach herein the alarm modes include any one or more of a drive voltage detection mode of light-emitting element, an open circuit detection mode of light-emitting element, a short-circuit detection mode of light-emitting element and an overheat detection mode (Bi: [0047] FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram of a method for adjusting a ghost reduction potential provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the flow of the method firstly executes Step S1: receiving, by a row driver chip, an open-circuit detection signal and a short-circuit detection signal from a row driving side of the LED display panel.).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
-Wei US 20210366391
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/TOWFIQ ELAHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625
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