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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for domestic priority based on 371 of PCT/CN2023/093319 application filed on 5/10/2023.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement has been considered and placed in the record on file and is in compliance with USPTO requirements.
Drawings
The Drawings have been considered and placed in the record on file and are in compliance with USPTO requirements.
Claim Objections
Claims 2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 14, and 19 recite the conjunction "if" when reciting steps in conjunction with a conditional step. In view of the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claims as required by MPEP 2111, these limitations may be interpreted in the sense that the limitations occur when the condition step occurs, but also introduces the possibility that the conditional step may not occur, thereby rendering the limitation to be not positively recited. Since the claim fails to recite any specific limitations regarding the possibility that the conditional step may not occur, the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim allows for the possibility wherein no functionality is achieved when the conditional step is not achieved. Therefore, the above interpretation has been considered during the examination of the claims. If the Applicant wishes the limitations to be positively recited, the claims must be amended to either recite limitation in the case wherein the conditional step does not occur or remove such a case from consideration. The examiner recommends replacing the word “if” with the word “when”.
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, 23, and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nam et al. (US 2021/0304689 A1 hereinafter Nam).
In regards to claim 1, Nam discloses a backlight adjustment method for a display device, comprising:
inputting a plurality of frames of images to the display device (see figure 3 and paragraph 0106, frame rate converter converts a frame rate of an image input);
acquiring a backlight matrix corresponding to each of the plurality of frames of images, wherein the backlight matrix comprises a plurality of backlight values (see paragraphs 0204 and 0207, backlight dimming controller may divide each of a plurality of blocks into a plurality of unit blocks and calculates diming values for the plurality of unit blocks);
acquiring a connected domain consisting of the backlight value which is a positive number, according to the backlight matrix (see paragraph 0014, the backlight dimming controller is configured to correct a dimming value of a unit block corresponding to a boundary region between a bright portion and a dark portion, therefore determining a connected domain the bright portion); and
determining an adjustment scheme of the backlight value at a boundary position of the connected domain according to the connected domain (see paragraph 0014, the backlight dimming controller is configured to correct a dimming value of a unit block corresponding to a boundary region between a bright portion and a dark portion).
In regards to claim 23, Nam discloses a computer system (see figure 2), comprising a memory (see figure 2, storage unit 140), a processor (see figure 2, control unit 170) and a computer program stored on the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer program to realize a backlight adjustment method, wherein the backlight adjustment method for a display device comprises:
the inputting a plurality of frames of images to the display device (see figure 3 and paragraph 0106, frame rate converter converts a frame rate of an image input);
acquiring a backlight matrix corresponding to each of the plurality of frames of images, wherein the backlight matrix comprises a plurality of backlight values (see paragraphs 0204 and 0207, backlight dimming controller may divide each of a plurality of blocks into a plurality of unit blocks and calculates diming values for the plurality of unit blocks);
acquiring a connected domain consisting of the backlight value which is a positive number, according to the backlight matrix (see paragraph 0014, the backlight dimming controller is configured to correct a dimming value of a unit block corresponding to a boundary region between a bright portion and a dark portion, therefore determining a connected domain the bright portion); and
determining an adjustment scheme of the backlight value at a boundary position of the connected domain according to the connected domain (see paragraph 0014, the backlight dimming controller is configured to correct a dimming value of a unit block corresponding to a boundary region between a bright portion and a dark portion).
In regards to claim 24, Nam discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon (see figure 2, storage unit 140), wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor (see figure 2, control unit 170), is configured to realize steps of a backlight adjustment method, wherein the backlight adjustment method for a display device comprises:
acquiring a backlight matrix corresponding to each of the plurality of frames of images, wherein the backlight matrix comprises a plurality of backlight values (see paragraphs 0204 and 0207, backlight dimming controller may divide each of a plurality of blocks into a plurality of unit blocks and calculates diming values for the plurality of unit blocks);
acquiring a connected domain consisting of the backlight value which is a positive number, according to the backlight matrix (see paragraph 0014, the backlight dimming controller is configured to correct a dimming value of a unit block corresponding to a boundary region between a bright portion and a dark portion, therefore determining a connected domain the bright portion); and
determining an adjustment scheme of the backlight value at a boundary position of the connected domain according to the connected domain (see paragraph 0014, the backlight dimming controller is configured to correct a dimming value of a unit block corresponding to a boundary region between a bright portion and a dark portion).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-16, 18, and 19 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER J KOHLMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5503. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5:30.
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, NITIN PATEL can be reached at (571) 272-7677. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/CHRISTOPHER J KOHLMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628