CTNF 18/993,265 CTNF 92185 DETAILED ACTION Notice of AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. This action is in response to application 18993265 filed on 01/10/2025. Claims 1-17 are presented for examination. Priority Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copies of foreign priority documents, Application No. KR10-2022-0085415, filed in Korea on 07/12/2022, Application No. KR10-2023-0090383, filed in Korea on 07/12/2023, has been received. Claim Objections 07-29-01 AIA Claim s 1, 3, 7, 10 and 17 are objected to because of the following informalities: In claim 1, the acronym terms “LED”, “PWM” and “CCG” should first be defined before using them. In claims 1 and 17, they recite “the PWM data voltage” instead of “a PWM data voltage”. In claims 3 and 10, they recite “the threshold voltage” instead of “a threshold voltage”. In claim 7, it recites “the threshold sensing” instead of “a threshold sensing” . Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. 07-34-01 Claims 6 and 14 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claims 6 and 14 recite the limitation "the V SWEEP " in line 2 of the claims. There are insufficient antecedent bases for this limitation in the claims. 07-34-05 AIA Claim 6 recites the limitation " the CCG circuit capacitor " in line 3 . There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Prior Art Rejections 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis 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. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-12-aia AIA (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1, 2, 10 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Yamashita et al. (US Patent Pub. No. 2021/0358394 A1) Regarding claim 1, Yamashita teaches a micro LED driving circuit (Yamashita, Fig. 1, display device 1; Yamashita, [0066], circuit can be used in micro LED TV), comprising: a PWM circuit configured to control the emission time of the micro LED (Yamashita, Figs. 1-5, PWM controller 310; Yamashita, [0107]-[0109] and [0198], timing of emission and constant current controller 320 depends on the PWM signal); and a CCG circuit configured to control the supply of a constant current during the emission of the micro LED based on the PWM data voltage (Yamashita, Figs. 1-5, constant current controller 320; Yamashita, [0107]-[0109] and [0198], timing of emission and constant current controller 320 depends on the PWM signal). Regarding claim 2, Yamashita teaches the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the PWM circuit comprises a PWM circuit driving transistor (TPWM) and a PWM circuit capacitor (CPWM) (Yamashita, Fig. 3 for example, Tr4 and C2), and the CCG circuit comprises a CCG circuit driving transistor and a CCG circuit capacitor (Yamashita, Fig. 3 for example, Tr2 and C1). Regarding claim 10, Yamashita teaches the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches the PWM circuit capacitor (CPWM) stores the threshold voltage of the PWM circuit driving transistor (TPWM), and the CCG circuit capacitor (CCCG) stores the threshold voltage of the CCG circuit driving transistor (TCCG) (Yamashita Figs. 1-5, [0089], [0111] and [0221], the capacitors respectively store the threshold voltage of the transistors). Regarding claim 15, Yamashita teaches the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the driving circuit operates by being divided into a total of four stages from a first stage to a fourth stage (Yamashita, Fig. 6, PWM setting, constant current setting, emit blank and emission, four stages) . 07-15-03-aia AIA Claim s 1, 2, 11, 12, 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US Patent Pub. No. 2023/0230536 A1) Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches a micro LED driving circuit (Kim, Fig. 6, drive unit 500 and sub-pixel circuit 110), comprising: a PWM circuit configured to control the emission time of the micro LED (Kim, Fig. 6, PWM circuit 112); and a CCG circuit configured to control the supply of a constant current during the emission of the micro LED based on the PWM data voltage (Kim, Fig. 6, constant current circuit 111; Kim, [0015], drive current provided is based on PWM data voltage). Regarding claim 2, Kim teaches the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the PWM circuit comprises a PWM circuit driving transistor (TPWM) and a PWM circuit capacitor (CPWM) (Kim, Fig. 14A, T2 and C3), and the CCG circuit comprises a CCG circuit driving transistor and a CCG circuit capacitor (Kim, Fig. 14A, T7 and C2). Regarding claim 11, Kim teaches the limitations of claim 2 and further teaches the PWM circuit further comprises a data voltage storage capacitor (CDATA) (Kim, Fig. 14A, C1). Regarding claim 12, Kim teaches the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches the data voltage storage capacitor (CDATA) stores the data voltage (VDATA) through the switching transistor of the PWM circuit, which is directly connected to the data voltage (Kim, Fig. 14A, C1 stores voltage data through T2 which is connected directly to the voltage data). Regarding claim 16, Kim teaches a display device (Kim, Fig. 6, display apparatus 1000) including a micro LED (Kim, Fig. 6, inorganic light-emitting element 120; Kim, [0150], micro LED display panel), comprising: a display panel (Kim, [0150], micro LED display panel) including: a pixel array (Kim, Fig. 2, pixels 10) in which pixels composed of a plurality of inorganic light-emitting elements are arranged in a plurality of row lines (Kim, Fig. 2, pixels arranged in rows; Kim, Fig. 6, inorganic light-emitting element 120), and a sub-pixel circuit (Kim, Fig. 6, sub-pixel circuit 110) provided for each of the plurality of inorganic light-emitting elements and configured to supply a driving current to the inorganic light-emitting elements (Kim, [0147], inorganic light-emitting element emit light based on drive current provided from sub-pixel circuit 110); and a driving unit (Kim, Fig. 6, drive unit 500) configured to: set image data voltages in the sub-pixel circuits of the display panel in row line order during a data setting period (Kim, [0178], data setting period in row order), and drive the sub-pixel circuits such that the driving current is supplied to the inorganic light-emitting elements of the pixel array in row line order based on a sweep signal that sweeps from a first voltage to a second voltage during a light-emission period and the set image data voltage (Kim, [0188] and Fig. 7C, sweep signal may be applied at the same time as emitting period), wherein the sub-pixel circuit (Kim, Fig. 6, sub-pixel circuit 110) comprises: a PWM circuit configured to control the emission time of the micro LED (Kim, Fig. 6, PWM circuit 112); and a CCG circuit configured to control a constant current to flow during the emission of the micro LED (Kim, Fig. 6, constant current circuit 111; Kim, [0015], drive current provided is based on PWM data voltage). Regarding claim 17, Kim teaches the limitation of claim 16 and further teaches a PWM circuit configured to control the emission time of the micro LED (Kim, Fig. 6, PWM circuit 112); and a CCG circuit configured to control the supply of a constant current during the emission of the micro LED based on the PWM data voltage (Kim, Fig. 6, constant current circuit 111; Kim, [0015], drive current provided is based on PWM data voltage) . Allowable Subject Matter Claims 3-5, 7-9 and 13 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims and resolving the informalities as indicated above. Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022/0319397 A1 to Kim’397 et al. discloses a similar invention as recited, specifically the teaching of using a constant current circuit and PWM circuit in driving light-emitting units, see Fig. 6, PWM circuit and constant current generator circuit. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2023/0012927 A1 to Kim’927 et al. discloses a similar invention as recited, specifically the teaching of using a constant current circuit and PWM circuit in driving light-emitting units, see Fig. 6, PWM circuit and constant current generator circuit. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2023/0012711 A1 to Kim’711 et al. discloses a similar invention as recited, specifically the teaching of using a constant current circuit and PWM circuit in driving light-emitting units, see Fig. 8, PWM circuit and constant current generator circuit. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2023/0024912 A1 to Kim’912 et al. discloses a similar invention as recited, specifically the teaching of using a constant current circuit and PWM circuit in driving light-emitting units, see [0068], PWM circuit and constant current generator circuit. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DONG HUI LIANG whose telephone number is (571)272-0487. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7am-3pm EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, BENJAMIN C. LEE can be reached at (571)272-2963. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /DONG HUI LIANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2629 Application/Control Number: 18/993,265 Page 2 Art Unit: 2629 Application/Control Number: 18/993,265 Page 3 Art Unit: 2629 Application/Control Number: 18/993,265 Page 4 Art Unit: 2629 Application/Control Number: 18/993,265 Page 5 Art Unit: 2629 Application/Control Number: 18/993,265 Page 6 Art Unit: 2629 Application/Control Number: 18/993,265 Page 7 Art Unit: 2629 Application/Control Number: 18/993,265 Page 8 Art Unit: 2629 Application/Control Number: 18/993,265 Page 9 Art Unit: 2629 Application/Control Number: 18/993,265 Page 10 Art Unit: 2629
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