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 Amendments and Arguments
Amendments and arguments filed on 06/25/2026 have been fully considered and are not found to place the application in a condition for allowance. The applicant asserts that each “of the 28R/G/B outputs a single offset value corresponding to the input component grayscale data … rather than outputting different offset values corresponding to different display colors”. The Office respectfully disagrees. Morita clearly teaches in fig. 18 and 19A-C that the R/G/B offset value is output individually from each 28R/G/B component, having a different value according the input grayscale data (see ¶ 237-244).
The applicant further asserts that “Morita is clearly silent with regard to the features related to the offset value generator generating color offset information corresponding to the gray level of the selected color including different color offset values.” The Office respectfully disagrees. Morita clearly teaches such limitations in, for example, fig. 19A wherein the offset value generator generates color offset information such as Roffset corresponding to the gray level of the selected color (red is selected and Roffset corresponds to RSUM which corresponds to the gray level of red) including different color offset values (values such as GSUM and BSUM which per fig. 18 are output from 28G and 28B to 28R).
Accordingly, upon further review, Morita is found to teach the limitations as amended and the application is not found to be placed in a condition for allowance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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, 3-5, 8-11, 13-14 and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Morita, US 2009/0079767 A1, hereinafter “Morita”.
Regarding claim 1, Morita teaches a display image compensation device (fig. 10, source driver 100 performs such image compensation), comprising: a signal receiver (fig. 14, element 30 including elements 1221 to 122N; ¶ 214), receiving a display image (¶ 214); a first offset information generator (fig. 10, any one of elements 28R, 28G, or 28B, ¶ 184), coupled to the signal receiver, based on a first selected color selected from different display colors of the display image (¶ 214), generating first color offset information corresponding to a gray level of the selected color according to each of a plurality of gray levels of the different display colors of the display image (¶ 191), wherein the first color offset information corresponding to the gray level of the selected color includes different color offset values, respectively corresponding to the different display colors (see fig. 18, wherein offset value conversion section of 28R receives different color offset values from 28G and 28B; ¶ 234), wherein the different color offset values are generated by the first offset information generator based on the gray level of the first selected color of the display image (see fig. 19A-C, ¶ 238-244); and a color value compensator (fig. 10, elements 30 and 32), generating each of a plurality of compensated gray levels by adding each of the different color offset values to each of the gray levels of the different display colors of the display image respectively, according to the first color offset information (fig. 14, ¶ 217).
Regarding claim 3, Morita teaches that the first offset information generator comprises: a look-up table, for storing the first color offset information corresponding to a plurality of defined gray levels of the first selected color (fig. 13, ¶ 207-209).
Regarding claim 4, Morita teaches that the look-up table is implemented in a memory device (memory 164R storing LUT of element 118R of fig. 11, ¶ 251-252).
Regarding claim 5, Morita teaches that the color value compensator comprises: a plurality of arithmetic circuits (fig. 14, elements 32), generating each of a plurality of compensated gray levels by adding each of the gray levels of the display image with the corresponding first color offset information (fig. 14, ¶ 217).
Regarding claim 8, Morita teaches that the first selected color is green (fig. 15, at a period starting when GSEL is set high, the first selected color is green).
Regarding claim 9, Morita teaches a second offset information generator (fig. 10, assuming 28G is the first offset information generator, either one of 28R or 28B may be considered a second offset information generator), coupled to the signal receiver, based on a second selected color, generating second color offset information according to each of a plurality of gray levels of the display image corresponding to the second selected color (¶ 214), wherein the color value compensator generating each of the plurality of compensated gray levels by adjusting each of the gray levels of the display image according to the corresponding first color offset information and the second color offset information (191-194 wherein elements 32 perform correction based on the first and second color offset information).
Regarding claim 10, Morita teaches that the first offset information generator comprises a plurality of offset information sub-generators (see the combination of elements 121 and each 321 to 32N element being a sub-generator), the offset information sub-generators are respectively corresponding to a plurality of display areas of a display device (fig. 10, each of elements 321 to 32N are connected to a column of pixels corresponding to a plurality of display areas, ¶ 196-197).
Regarding claim 11, Morita teaches a display image compensation method, comprising: receiving a display image (fig. 14, element 30 including elements 1221 to 122N, ¶ 214); based on a first selected color selected from different display colors of the display image (¶ 214), generating first color offset information corresponding to a gray level of the selected color by a first offset information generator according to each of a plurality of gray levels of the different display colors of the display image (¶ 191); wherein the first color offset information corresponding to the gray level of the selected color includes different color offset values, respectively corresponding to the different display colors (see fig. 18, wherein offset value conversion section of 28R receives different color offset values from 28G and 28B; ¶ 234), wherein the different color offset values are generated by the first offset information generator based on the gray level of the first selected color of the display image (see fig. 19A-C, ¶ 238-244); and generating, by a color value generator (fig. 10, elements 30 and 32), each of a plurality of compensated gray levels by adding each of the different color offset values to each of the gray levels of the different display colors of the display image respectively, according to the first color offset information (fig. 14, ¶ 217).
Claims 13-14 and 16-17 are rejected similarly to claims 2-3, 5 and 8-9, as provided above, because the limitations are similar.
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.
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.
Claims 6-7 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morita, in view of Huang, US 2011/0227941 A1, hereinafter “Huang”.
Regarding claims 6 and 15, Morita teaches a plurality of arithmetic circuits (fig. 14, elements 32), generating each of a plurality of compensated gray levels by adding each of the gray levels of the display image with the color offset information (fig. 14, ¶ 217).
Morita does not specifically teach that the color value compensator comprises: an interpolator, performing an interpolation operation on first selected color offset information and second selected color offset information to generate an interpolated color offset information; and a plurality of arithmetic circuits, generating each of a plurality of compensated gray levels by adding each of the gray levels of the display image with the interpolated color offset information.
Huang, however, teaches a similar look up table providing information regarding color correction (see fig. 7). Huang further teaches an interpolator, performing an interpolation operation on first selected color offset information and second selected color offset information to generate an interpolated color offset information (¶ 36-37).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of Morita and Huang. The references teach the use of LUTs for color correction and Huang further teaches that interpolation is performed using two adjacent table values in order to determine a corresponding value which is not included in the LUT. As such one would have been motivated to make such a combination in order to increase the accuracy of the compensation process by determining the values that are not included in the LUT while reducing the memory required to store large amounts of data in the LUT.
Regarding claim 7, Morita teaches that each of the arithmetic circuits is an adder (fig. 14, elements 32, ¶ 219).
Conclusion
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/SEPEHR AZARI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2621
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