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 .
Response to Arguments
Arguments and amendments filed 17 June 2026 have been fully considered, but are moot in view of a new rejection.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1 and 13-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Woo (US 2016.0019841) in view of Kim (US 2015.0022513).
Regarding claim 1, Woo disclose:
display apparatus comprising: a display panel including a first repair pixel block, a second repair pixel block and a plurality of pixels; a gate driver configured to output a gate signal to the display panel; a data driver configured to apply a data voltage based on a data signal to the display panel (see Fig. 1, 4-5, 8-10; [0045-0048]; display panel 140; first repair block R_Px (left column); second repair block R_Px (right column); gate driver 220 with gate signal via SL; data driver 230 with data signals via DL/R_DL)
a driving controller circuitry connected to the gate driver and the data driver, and configured to output the data signal based on input image data to the data driver, wherein the data signal output from the driving controller circuitry includes a pixel data signal, a first repair data signal and a second repair data signal, and each of the first repair data signal and the second repair data signal is a distinct data signal from the pixel data signal, and either the first repair pixel block or the second repair pixel block applies a repair driving current to at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels based on the first repair data signal or the second repair data signal, and a location of the at least one pixel (see Fig. 1, 4-5, 8-10; [0045-0048]; driving controller 240 to control 220/230 to output data signal based on input image data (e.g., how display image is determined); where repair block (via repair pixels R_Px) apply driving current to OLED of pixel D_Px based on the data signal via R_DL and location of the defective pixel; further each column of pixels receives its own, separate data signal (e.g., R_DL (left pixel repair block), R_DL (right pixel repair block) and DL[1, 2, 3, etc.] for the central pixels)).
Woo is not explicit as to, but Kim disclose:
the repair driving current applied to the at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels is determined based on a color of the at least one pixel (see Fig. 12-14; [0114, 0123-0124, 0128]; where repair driving signal is determined based on pixel color).
Therefore, prior to the effective filing date of applicant’s invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the known techniques of Kim to that of Woo to predictably provide a targeted approach to repair defective pixels with the same or similar components within the repair pixel circuits.
Regarding claim 13, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. Woo further disclose:
the first repair pixel block and the second repair pixel block are connected with each of the plurality of pixels through a repair line (see Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 14, the rejection of claim 13 is incorporated herein. Woo further disclose:
the first repair pixel block includes a plurality of first repair pixels and the second repair pixel block includes a plurality of second repair pixels, wherein the at least one pixel includes a light emitting element, wherein a repair pixel among the plurality of first repair pixels or the plurality of second repair pixels is connected with and applies the repair driving current to the light emitting element through the repair line, and wherein the light emitting element emits light based on the repair driving current (see Fig. 1, 8; [0045-0048]).
Regarding claim 15, the rejection of claim 13 is incorporated herein. Woo further disclose:
the display panel includes a gate line receiving the gate signal, a data line receiving the data voltage and the repair line, and wherein the gate line and the repair line extend in a first direction, and the data line extends in a second direction different from the first direction (see Fig. 1, 8; gate line SL in first direction; data line DL in second direction different from first direction; repair line RL in first direction).
Regarding claim 16, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. Woo further disclose:
the first repair pixel block is located in a first side of the display panel and the second repair pixel block is located in a second side of the display panel different from the first side of the display panel (see Fig. 8).
Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Woo in view of Kim and in further view of Park (US 2017.0296398).
Regarding claim 2, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. While Woo at Fig. 8 provides first and second repair data voltages via first and second repair blocks vi R_DL, separate from the data voltages to the central pixels via DL, Woo and Kim are not explicit as to, but Park disclose:
the data driver includes: a first repair amplifying circuitry connected to at least one of first repair pixels of the first repair pixel block, and configured to apply a first repair data voltage to the first repair pixel block; a second repair amplifying circuitry connected to at least one of second repair pixels of the second repair pixel block, and configured to apply applying a second repair data voltage to the second repair pixel block; and a data amplifying circuitry connected to the plurality of pixels, and configured to apply a pixel data voltage to the plurality of pixels (see Fig. 1; [0052]; where data driver 140 has first repair amplifying block RDB to supply repair data voltage via RDL to repair pixels R_Px (left column of Woo); data amplifying block DB to supply pixel data voltage to pixels PX; where a second amplifying block RDB to supply a second repair pixels R_Px (right column of Woo) would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working part of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of applicant’s invention, to combine the known techniques of Park to that of Woo and Kim to predictably provide an output buffer from the driving circuit to provide the required data voltages to the pixels or repair pixels of the display device.
Regarding claim 3, the rejection of claim 2 is incorporated herein. Park further disclose:
the first repair pixel block generates a first repair driving current based on the first repair data voltage, and wherein the second repair pixel block generates a second repair driving current based on the second repair data voltage (see [0052]; where first repair block driving current generated based on data voltage output from RDB; where as shown above in claim 2, a secondary repair block driving current generation would also be present in the display device of Woo as modified by Park ).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-12 and 17-20 are allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH BUKOWSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-7913. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday // 0730-1530.
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/kenneth bukowski/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2621
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