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 .
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.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 2-5, 9-12, 14-17, and 20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 23 March 2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species III, corresponding to originally filed Claims 1, 6-8, 13, and 18-19, in the reply filed on 23 March 2026 is acknowledged.
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, 6, 8, 13, and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (hereinafter “Kim” US 2022 / 0068194).
As pertaining to Claim 1, Kim discloses (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 6) a display device (100) comprising:
a display panel (110) comprising a plurality of pixels (PX); and
a panel driver (120, 130, 150) configured to drive the display panel (110) at a variable frame frequency (see Fig. 6 for frame frequencies of 240 Hz and 80 Hz, for example; see Page 3, Para. [0045] and [0047]; and Page 4, Para. [0057]), and to:
in an active period (AP) of a frame period (FP), perform an active scan operation (i.e., an operation in which (S1) and (S2) are high or active; see (AP4) in Fig. 6, for example) to initialize (see (VREF) in Fig. 2) light emitting elements (LED) of the plurality of pixels (PX), while providing data voltages (i.e., when (S1) is high or active; see Fig. 6) to the plurality of pixels (PX), and
in a blank period (VBP) of the frame period (again, see Fig. 6), perform an initialization scan operation (i.e., an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) to initialize (again, see (VREF) in Fig. 2) the light emitting elements (LED) without providing the data voltages (i.e., when (S1) is low or inactive; see Fig. 6) to the plurality of pixels (PX),
wherein a time interval from a start time point (i.e., a start time of (FP4) in Fig. 6, for example) of the frame period (FP) to a time point at which the initialization scan operation is performed (i.e., an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) is different from a time length of a minimum frame period (i.e., see (AP1, AP1, AP3), for example) corresponding to a maximum frame frequency (i.e., see 240 Hz, for example) of the variable frame frequency (see Page 5 through Page 6, Para. [0064]-[0067]).
As pertaining to Claim 6, Kim discloses (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 6) that the panel driver (120, 130, 150) is configured to determine blank initialization time points at which the initialization scan operation is performed (i.e., time points at which an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) within the blank period (VBP) to reduce a variation in a number of times the light emitting elements (LED) are initialized per unit time as the variable frame frequency changes (see Fig. 7; and see Page 5, Para. [0062]-[0063]; and Page 6, Para. [0067]).
As pertaining to Claim 8, Kim discloses (see Fig. 5) that the blank initialization time points (i.e., time points at which an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) are adjusted by measuring a luminance of the display panel (see Fig. 5 and see Page 5, Para. [0062]-[0063]; and Page 6, Para. [0067]).
As pertaining to Claim 13, Kim discloses (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 6) a method of operating a display device (100) to drive (see (120, 130, 150)) a display panel (110) comprising a plurality of pixels (PX) at a variable frame frequency (see Fig. 6 for frame frequencies of 240 Hz and 80 Hz, for example; see Page 3, Para. [0045] and [0047]; and Page 4, Para. [0057]), the method comprising:
performing an active scan operation (i.e., an operation in which (S1) and (S2) are high or active; see (AP4) in Fig. 6, for example) in an active period (AP) of a frame period (FP) to initialize (see (VREF) in Fig. 2) light emitting elements (LED) of the plurality of pixels (PX), while providing data voltages (i.e., when (S1) is high or active; see Fig. 6) to the plurality of pixels (PX), and
performing an initialization scan operation (i.e., an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) in a blank period (VBP) of the frame period (again, see Fig. 6) to initialize (again, see (VREF) in Fig. 2) the light emitting elements (LED) without providing the data voltages (i.e., when (S1) is low or inactive; see Fig. 6) to the plurality of pixels (PX),
wherein a time interval from a start time point (i.e., a start time of (FP4) in Fig. 6, for example) of the frame period (FP) to a time point at which the initialization scan operation is performed (i.e., an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) is different from a time length of a minimum frame period (i.e., see (AP1, AP1, AP3), for example) corresponding to a maximum frame frequency (i.e., see 240 Hz, for example) of the variable frame frequency (see Page 5 through Page 6, Para. [0064]-[0067]).
As pertaining to Claim 18, Kim discloses (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 6) determining blank initialization time points at which the initialization scan operation is performed (i.e., time points at which an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) within the blank period (VBP) to reduce a variation in a number of times the light emitting elements (LED) are initialized per unit time as the variable frame frequency changes (see Fig. 7; and see Page 5, Para. [0062]-[0063]; and Page 6, Para. [0067]).
As pertaining to Claim 19, Kim discloses (see Fig. 5) that the blank initialization time points (i.e., time points at which an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) are adjusted by measuring a luminance of the display panel (see Fig. 5 and see Page 5, Para. [0062]-[0063]; and Page 6, Para. [0067]).
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 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Yun et al. (hereinafter “Yun” US 2024 / 0221680).
As pertaining to Claim 7, Kim discloses (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 6) that the maximum frame frequency is 240 Hz (see Page 4, Para. [0057]), and that a blank initialization time point at which the initialization scan operation is performed (i.e., an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) from among the blank initialization time points corresponds to any frequency (i.e., a frequency from about 48 Hz to about 240 Hz; see Page 4, Para. [0054] and [0057]) that is less than the maximum frame frequency of 240 Hz (see Page 5 through Page 6, Para. [0064]-[0067], for example, for a frame frequency of 80 Hz).
Thus, Kim discloses (see Fig. 6, for example) a first blank initialization time point at which the initialization scan operation is first performed (i.e., an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) from among the blank initialization time points corresponds to a frame frequency between 230 Hz and 240 Hz (i.e., a frequency from about 48 Hz to about 240 Hz; again, see Page 4, Para. [0054] and [0057]),
a second blank initialization time point at which the initialization scan operation is performed (i.e., an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) for a second time from among the blank initialization time points corresponds to a frame frequency between 140 Hz and 150 Hz (i.e., a frequency from about 48 Hz to about 240 Hz; again, see Page 4, Para. [0054] and [0057]),
a third blank initialization time point at which the initialization scan operation is performed (i.e., an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) for a third time from among the blank initialization time points corresponds to a frame frequency between 110 Hz and 120 Hz (i.e., a frequency from about 48 Hz to about 240 Hz; again, see Page 4, Para. [0054] and [0057]),
a fourth blank initialization time point at which the initialization scan operation is performed (i.e., an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) for a fourth time from among the blank initialization time points corresponds to a frame frequency between 80 Hz and 90 Hz (i.e., a frequency from about 48 Hz to about 240 Hz; again, see Page 4, Para. [0054] and [0057]), and
a fifth blank initialization time point at which the initialization scan operation is performed (i.e., an operation in which (S2) is high or active while (S1) is low or inactive; again, see (VBP4) in Fig. 6, for example) for a fifth time from among the blank initialization time points corresponds to a frame frequency between 60 Hz and 70 Hz (i.e., a frequency from about 48 Hz to about 240 Hz; again, see Page 4, Para. [0054] and [0057]).
Kim does not explicitly disclose that the maximum frame frequency is 360 Hz.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Yun discloses that it was well-known in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement ultra-high definition displaying of images using a frame frequency of 360 Hz in order to minimize degradation in image quality (see Page 4 through Page 5, Para. [0070] and Page 1, Para. [0006]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kim with the teachings of Yun, such that the maximum frame frequency is 360 Hz, in order to support ultra-high definition displaying of images to minimize degradation in image quality.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Choe et al. (US 2023 / 0005431) discloses (see Fig. 2, Figs. 3A-3C, and Figs. 10A-10B) a display panel operating at a variable frame frequency and comprising a frame period that includes an active period and a blank period, wherein an initialization scan operation is performed in the blank period.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON M MANDEVILLE whose telephone number is (571)270-3136. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 7:30AM-4:00PM.
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/JASON M MANDEVILLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2623
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