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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 March 20, 2026 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 1-2, 7-9, 13, 18-19, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20210272495 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20120120067 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 18, and 21, Park teaches an electronic device (Fig. 1, Abstract, an electronic display device) comprising:
a processor providing input image data ([0052], Fig. 1, The driving controller 200 receives input image data IMG and an input control signal CONT from an external apparatus), and
a display device displaying an image based on the input image data (Title, Fig. 1, Display panel),
wherein the display device including:
a display panel including pixels (Fig. 1, [0050], “The display panel 100 includes…a plurality of pixels”); and
a display panel driver configured to drive the display panel (Fig. 1, [0052], driving controller 200),
wherein the display panel driver is configured to determine a compensation frame in a compensation frame mode ([0028], “when the image transition of the input data signal occurs in the low frequency driving mode, a proper number of afterimage compensation frames may be inserted”), and to display a compensation grayscale on a portion of the display panel in the compensation frame (Fig. 6, [0058], The driving controller 200 may insert an afterimage compensation frame. [0011-0014], “the number of the afterimage compensation frames may be determined using a change of grayscale values between the first static image and the second static image”). Park is not relied upon for teaching to display a compensation grayscale on a first portion of the display panel in the compensation frame and to not display the compensation grayscale on a second portion of the display panel in the compensation frame.
Kim teaches a display device (Title, Fig. 1) wherein a display panel driver (Fig. 1 shows drivers such as data driver 140 and gate driver 120) is configured to determine a compensation frame in a compensation frame mode (0014], “ The first image frame is converted to a first compensation frame and the second image frame is converted to a second compensation frame. The first compensation frame is converted to a left-eye data voltage and the second compensation frame is converted to a right-eye data voltage.") and to display a compensation grayscale on a portion of the display panel in the compensation frame and to not display the compensation grayscale on a second portion of the display panel in the compensation frame (See figs. 7A-7B which shows each of a left eye/right eye compensation frame comprising black portion and white portion which corresponds to a compensation frame displaying a compensation grayscale on a portion of the display panel not displaying a compensation on a second portion of the display panel).
Kim teaches the purpose of his compensation method is to provide a display apparatus capable of removing an afterimage, to improve image quality (Kim, [0007]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Park with Kim to implement Kim’s compensation frame method as this will remove an afterimage and improve image quality.
Regarding claims 2 and 19, Park teaches the display device of claims 1 and 18, wherein the compensation frame is repeated K times, and wherein K is a positive integer (Figs. 4, 7, and 9, “number of compensation frames.” [0028], “when the image transition of the input data signal occurs in the low frequency driving mode, a proper number of afterimage compensation frames may be inserted.” Note: compensation frames indicates a compensation frame is repeated K times).
Regarding claim 7, Park teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the compensation frame is repeated K times, wherein a number of times the compensation frame is repeated becomes larger as an accumulated degradation amount of the first portion of the display panel becomes larger, and wherein K is a positive integer ([0010-0014] teaches as the number of data changed pixels is great the number of afterimage compensation frames is great thereby teaching a number of compensation frames increases as degradation, or afterimage, increases).
Regarding claim 8, Park teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the display panel driver is configured to operate in the compensation frame mode from a next frame based on the display panel including an area at which a load of a current frame is a reference load or more ([0010-0014] teaches as the number of data changed pixels is great the number of afterimage compensation frames is great thereby teaching a number of compensation frames increases as degradation, or afterimage, increases. Examiner notes load is being interpreted as a number of data changed pixels increases. The reference load is the number of data pixels of the first static image to which the second static image is compared).
Regarding claim 9, Park teaches wherein the compensation frame is repeated K times, wherein a number of times the compensation frame is repeated becomes larger as a load of the first portion of the display panel becomes larger, and wherein K is a positive integer (([0010-0014] teaches as the number of data changed pixels is great the number of afterimage compensation frames is great thereby teaching a number of compensation frames increases as degradation, or afterimage, increases. Examiner notes load is being interpreted as a number of data changed pixels increases.).
Regarding claim 13, Park teaches the compensation grayscale is a minimum grayscale ([0017] teaches the compensation grayscale is based on the difference between grayscale values of a first static image and a second static image. [0122] provides a detailed example wherein adjacent static images may have a grayscale value difference of 0. This results in a minimum grayscale compensation value. See [0122], “the difference between the grayscale value of the fifth previous static image and the grayscale value of a sixth previous static image which is immediately previous from the fifth previous static image is 0, the difference between the grayscale value of the sixth previous static image and the grayscale value of a seventh previous static image which is immediately previous from the sixth previous static image is 0.” In these instances, the compensation grayscale is a minimum value of 0).
Claims 3, 5, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20210272495 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20120120067 A1), as applied to claims 2 and 18 above, and further in view of Pyun et al. (US 20220406235 A1).
Regarding claims 3 and 19, Park and Kim are not relied upon for teaching the claim limitations.
In an analogous art, Pyun teaches a display device comprising a temperature sensor configured to measure a peripheral temperature of the display panel (Fig. 1, [0057], “the display apparatus 1000 may further include a temperature sensor 600 that detects an ambient temperature BT of the display panel 100”),
wherein the display panel driver is configured to determine a predicted temperature of the display panel, based on the peripheral temperature, for each measurement cycle (Figs. 1-3, [0069], “the display panel driver 500 may generate the predicted temperature BET of the panel block based on the ambient temperature BT”. Regarding the limitation “for each measurement cycle,” see figs. 1-2 wherein in image signal IMG is continually fed into the display load calculator and temperature predictor).
Regarding the final limitation, “wherein a time when the compensation frame is repeated a maximum number of times is shorter than or equal to the measurement cycle from among the plurality of measurement cycles, wherein the compensation frame is repeated K times, and wherein K is a positive integer,” the combination of Park and Kim with Pyun teaches this limitation. Pyun fig. 2 teaches that a temperature prediction and compensation occurs with every frame as Pyun fig. 2 shows the load calculator is updated with each image IMG input.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park and Kim with Pyun such that that a compensation frame is generated with every image or measurement cycle as Pyun teaches this allows for the display to perform ambient temperature compensation on each display block thereby improving luminance uniformity (Pyun, [0004, 0008]).
Regarding claim 5, Park and Kim are not relied upon for teaching the claim limitations.
In an analogous art, Pyun teaches a display device comprising a temperature sensor configured to measure a peripheral temperature of the display panel (Fig. 1, [0057], “the display apparatus 1000 may further include a temperature sensor 600 that detects an ambient temperature BT of the display panel 100”),
wherein the display panel driver is configured to determine a predicted temperature of the display panel, based on the peripheral temperature (Figs. 1-3, [0069], “the display panel driver 500 may generate the predicted temperature BET of the panel block based on the ambient temperature BT”).
Regarding the final limitation, “wherein the display panel driver is configured to operate in the compensation frame mode when the display panel includes an area at which the predicted temperature is a reference temperature or higher,” the combination of Park with Pyun teaches this limitation. Park teaches the compensation frame mode. Pyun teaches at [0019] that temperature compensation temperature occurs when a sensing current is greater than a first reference which corresponds to a temperature weight.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park and Kim with Pyun such that the display operates in a compensation frame mode when sensing currents related to temperatures are above a reference value as Pyun teaches this allows for the display to perform ambient temperature compensation on each display block thereby improving luminance uniformity (Pyun, [0004, 0008]).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20210272495 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20120120067 A1), as applied to claims 2 and 18 above, and further in view of Pyun et al. (US 20220406235 A1) and Choi (US 20060111865 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Park and Kim are not relied upon for teaching the claim limitations.
In an analogous art, Pyun teaches a display device comprising a temperature sensor configured to measure a peripheral temperature of the display panel (Fig. 1, [0057], “the display apparatus 1000 may further include a temperature sensor 600 that detects an ambient temperature BT of the display panel 100”),
wherein the display panel driver is configured to determine a predicted temperature of the display panel, based on the peripheral temperature (Figs. 1-3, [0069], “the display panel driver 500 may generate the predicted temperature BET of the panel block based on the ambient temperature BT”).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park and Kim with Pyun to include temperature compensation and prediction circuitry as Pyun teaches this allows for the display to perform ambient temperature compensation on each display block thereby improving luminance uniformity (Pyun, [0004, 0008]).
Regarding the final limitation, “wherein a number of times the compensation frame is repeated becomes larger as the predicted temperature of the first portion of the display panel becomes higher,” the combination of Park and Kim with Pyun and Choi teaches this limitation. Pyun fig. 2 teaches that a temperature prediction and compensation occurs with every frame as Pyun fig. 2 shows the load calculator is updated with each image IMG input. Choi teaches in electronic devices it may be desirable increase or decrease operating frequency to compensate for changes in operating temperature ([0005]).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park and Kim with Pyun and Choi such that a number of times the compensation frame is repeated becomes larger as the predicted temperature of the first portion of the display panel becomes higher as Pyun teaches ambient temperature compensation on each display block thereby improving luminance uniformity (Pyun, [0004, 0008]). Modifying Park, Kim, and Pyun with Choi such that operating frequency, which can include Park’s operations of inserting the number of compensation frames, is increased with increasing temperature will further improve Pyun’s ability to improve luminance uniformity in real time.
Claims 6 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20210272495 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20120120067 A1), as applied to claims 2 and 18 above, and further in view of Furukawa et al. (US 20230368708 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Park teaches a compensation frame mode but is not relied upon for teaching the mode is based on the display panel including an area at which an accumulated degradation amount is a reference degradation amount or more.
Furukawa teaches a display device screen compensation mode based on the display panel including a portion at which an accumulated degradation amount is a reference degradation amount or more ([0104], “when variations in the degree of degradation X are relatively large, compensation is performed with reference to a luminance level corresponding to a degree of degradation greater than the average degree of degradation of all pixels as shown in FIG. 11.” Regarding the limitation stating, “a portion,” see [0105], “Note that the degree-of-degradation calculating circuit 110 may calculate a degree of degradation X for some of the N×M pixel circuits 310.”).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park and Kim with Furukawa such that a compensation mode is based on an accumulated degradation amount as Furukawa teaches his method achieves a decreases degradation and maintains uniformity of luminance (Furukawa, [0011]).
Regarding claim 15, Park teaches adjusting compensation grayscale values, but does not teach the compensation grayscale becomes smaller as an accumulated degradation amount of the first portion of the display panel becomes larger is not relied upon for teaching the claim limitations.
The combination of Park, Kim, and Furukawa teaches a display device screen compensation method wherein the display device of claim 1, wherein the compensation grayscale becomes smaller as an accumulated degradation amount of the first portion of the display panel becomes larger (Furukawa, [0124], “when variations in the degree of degradation X are relatively small, the reference luminance SB is set to pre-compensation average luminance Bave. In this case, the magnitude of compensation current is relatively small, and thus, speeding-up of degradation of pixels (degradation of compensation-target circuit elements) is suppressed.” Examiner notes this effect will take place over any portion or size display region including as the display panel becomes larger. Examiner also notes while Furukawa discloses compensation of luminance Park teaches compensation using grayscale).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park and Kim with Furukawa such that the compensation grayscale becomes smaller as an accumulated degradation amount of the portion of the display panel becomes larger as Furukawa teaches his method achieves a decreases degradation and maintains uniformity of luminance (Furukawa, [0011]).
Regarding claim 16, Park teaches a method of compensation based on changing grayscale values, but is not relied upon for teaching the claim limitations.
The combination of Park, Kim, and Furukawa teaches a display device screen compensation method wherein the compensation grayscale becomes smaller as a load of the first portion of the display panel becomes larger ([0124], “in this case, the magnitude of compensation current is relatively small, and thus, speeding-up of degradation of pixels (degradation of compensation-target circuit elements) is suppressed. When the variation coefficient CV is greater than the threshold value, i.e., when variations in the degree of degradation X are relatively large, the reference luminance SB is set to luminance lower than the pre-compensation average luminance Bave. In this case, even if there is a remarkably degraded pixel compared to other pixels, since supply of large compensation current to the remarkably degraded pixel is suppressed, speeding-up of degradation of the pixel is suppressed.” Examiner notes “Load” becoming larger is equated with “the variation coefficient CV is greater than the threshold value.” If applicant has a different intended meaning for “load,” the claim should be amended to state the intended meaning. Examiner also notes while Furukawa discloses compensation of luminance Park teaches compensation using grayscale).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park and Kim with Furukawa such that a compensation grayscale becomes smaller as a load of the portion of the display panel becomes larger as Furukawa teaches his method achieves a decreases degradation and maintains uniformity of luminance (Furukawa, [0011]).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20210272495 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20120120067 A1), as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Takada et al. (US 20040183792 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Park is not relied upon for teaching the claim limitations.
Takada teaches a display device wherein the compensation frame mode includes first and second modes, and wherein the first and second modes fixedly display the compensation grayscale in different areas (Abstract, fig. 3, the first mode corresponds to a data driver supplies a tone voltage corresponding to black data to the first four row of pixels at a time and a second mode corresponds to sequentially supplies a tone voltage corresponding to display data to the second four rows of pixels).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park and Kim with Takada such that compensation grayscale is displayed in different areas as Takada teaches this eliminates blur without damaging the display brightness of moving images (Takada, Abstract, [0018]).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20210272495 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20120120067 A1) and Takada et al. (US 20040183792 A1) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Zhuang et al. (US 20170287391 A1).
Regarding claim 11, Park, Kim, and Takada are not relied upon for teaching wherein, in the compensation frame mode, the display panel driver is configured to operate in one of the first and second modes, which is set by a user.
Zhuang teaches a display wherein a switch between different compensation modes may be triggered by various factors, including user selection of a particular mode ([0026]).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park, Kim, and Takada with Zhuang such that a user can operate in one of the first and second modes, which is set by a user a Zhuang allows for the compensation mode to be triggered by a plurality of factors thereby allowing compensation to be automatically or manually initiated (Zhuang, [0026]).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20210272495 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20120120067 A1) and Takada et al. (US 20040183792 A1) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Kuang et al. (US 20180108288 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Park and Kim are not relied upon for teaching in the compensation frame mode, the display panel driver is configured to select one of the first and second modes according to a kind of image on the display panel.
Takada teaches first and second compensation modes, but does not specify selecting one of the first and second modes according to a kind of image on the display panel.
Kuang teaches a display device which selects one of a first and second mode according to a kind of image on the display panel ([0011], “using different compensation calculation approaches for low grayscale, static and dynamic images”).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park, Kim, and Takada with Kuang to use different compensation calculation approaches for low grayscale, static and dynamic images so as to improve the compensation effectiveness on the static image and low grayscale image and reduce the speed requirements on the memory (DDR) (Kuang, [0011]).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20210272495 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20120120067 A1), as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Pyun et al. (US 20220406235 A1) and Choi et al. (US 20220157225 A1, hereinafter Choi 2nd).
Regarding claim 14, Park and Kim are not relied upon for teaching the claim limitations.
In an analogous art, Pyun teaches a display device comprising a temperature sensor configured to measure a peripheral temperature of the display panel (Fig. 1, [0057], “the display apparatus 1000 may further include a temperature sensor 600 that detects an ambient temperature BT of the display panel 100”),
wherein the display panel driver is configured to determine a predicted temperature of the display panel, based on the peripheral temperature, for each measurement cycle (Figs. 1-3, [0069], “the display panel driver 500 may generate the predicted temperature BET of the panel block based on the ambient temperature BT”. Regarding the limitation “for each measurement cycle,” see figs. 1-2 wherein in image signal IMG is continually fed into the display load calculator and temperature predictor).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park and Kim with Pyun to include temperature compensation and prediction circuitry as Pyun teaches this allows for the display to perform ambient temperature compensation on each display block thereby improving luminance uniformity (Pyun, [0004, 0008]).
Park, Kim, and Pyun are not relied upon for the final limitation stating wherein the compensation grayscale becomes smaller as the predicted temperature of the first portion of the display panel becomes higher.
Choi 2nd teaches a display device (Title, fig. 1) wherein a compensation grayscale becomes smaller as the predicted temperature of the first portion of the display panel becomes higher ([0006], “the compensator scales the grayscale values of the input image data in a way such that the grayscale values of the input image data decrease when the ambient temperature is greater than a reference temperature”).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park, Kim, and Pyun with Choi 2nd such that a compensation grayscale becomes smaller as the predicted temperature of the portion of the display panel becomes higher as Choi 2nd teaches this method allows an image to be displayed on the display panel is desired to be controlled to be displayed with a target luminance regardless of change in the ambient temperature of the display panel (Choi 2nd, [0004]).
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 20210272495 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20120120067 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kim et al. (US 20230169915 A1, hereinafter, Kim 2nd).
Regarding claim 17, Park and Kim are not relied upon for teaching the claim limitations.
Kim 2nd teaches a display device wherein the display panel includes a display area in which an image is displayed (Fig. 6A, See entirety of display panel 110 area which includes both DA and LA areas. [0049], “image display area DA is an area where images are displayed.“), wherein, in the compensation frame, the display area includes a first area in which the compensation grayscale is displayed (Fig. 6A, DA2 and DA1) and a second area (Figs. 2 and 6A, letterbox area LA) except the first area, and wherein the compensation grayscale becomes smaller as becoming more distant from the second area ([0051], In the region DA1 the image is normally displayed meaning no compensation grayscale is applied. [0101], “the luminance of the boundary luminance variable area DA2 may be reduced by gradation.” The art teaches compensation is performed such that luminance may be reduced by gradation in region DA2 and no compensation occurs in DA1. This results in compensation grayscale becoming smaller as becoming more distant from letterbox area LA).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Park and Kim with Kim 2nd such that luminance compensation gradation decreases when moving away from a region of the display as Kim teaches this helps reduce an afterimage (Kim 2nd, [0002]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed February 27, 2026 are directed towards the newly amended subject matter. As detailed in the rejection above, Park in view of Kim teach the each and all the claim limitations of the independent claims and currently presented.
Conclusion
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/NATHAN P BRITTINGHAM/Examiner, Art Unit 2629
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