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 .
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.
Claims 1-5, 7-9, 11-17, 19, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al (US 2016/0005383; hereinafter Lee), in view of Chen et al (US 2022/0036792; hereinafter Chen).
• Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses a display device (figure 1) comprising:
a display panel comprising pixels (figure 1);
a scan driver configured to provide a scan signal to the display panel (element 200 in figure 1 and ¶ 45);
a data driver configured to provide a data signal corresponding to the pixels to the display panel (element 300 in figure 1 and ¶ 45);
a timing controller configured to control the driving of the scan driver and the data driver (element 400 in figure 1 and ¶ 45); and
a data converter configured to convert image data output from the timing controller to conversion data corresponding to a first pixel of the pixels based on whether the first pixel is defective, and to generate the data signal (element 400 including element 430 in figure 3 and ¶s 140 and 141).
However, Lee fails to disclose the additional details of the display device.
In the same field of endeavor, Chen discloses where:
the timing controller is configured to transmit a driving frequency of the display device and location data corresponding to image data (¶ 104), and
wherein the control signal is generated based on the location data and the driving frequency of the display device, the location data indicating whether the first pixel is defective (¶ 104).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Lee according to the teachings of Chen, for the purpose of reducing the difference between the brightness of certain pixels and the brightness around the certain pixels (¶ 103).
• Regarding claim 12, Lee discloses a method of operating a display device (figure 4), the method comprising:
receiving image data corresponding to a first pixel among pixels in a display panel (step S606 in figure 4 and ¶s 126-132);
determining the first pixel is defective (step S608 in figure 4 and ¶s 126-133); and
generating conversion data from the image data (step S608 in figure 4 and ¶s 126-133).
However, Lee fails to disclose the additional details of the method.
In the same field of endeavor, Chen discloses where the method comprises:
receiving location data corresponding to the image data and a driving frequency of the display device (¶ 104);
generating a control signal to control generating conversion ata from the image data based on the driving frequency of the display device when the first pixel is defective (¶ 104); and
generating the conversion data from the image data based on the control signal (¶ 104).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Lee according to the teachings of Chen, for the purpose of reducing the difference between the brightness of certain pixels and the brightness around the certain pixels (¶ 103).
• Regarding claim 20, Lee discloses an electronic device (figure 1 and ¶ 64), comprising:
a processor to provide input image data (“external system” in ¶ 64); and
a display device to display an image based on the input image data (figure 1),
wherein the display device comprises:
a display panel comprising pixels (element 100 in figure 1);
a scan driver configured to provide a scan signal to the display panel (element 200 in figure 1);
a data driver configured to provide a data signal corresponding to the pixels to the display panel (element 300 in figure 1);
a timing controller configured to control the driving of the scan driver and the data driver (element 400 in figure 1); and
a data converter configured to convert image data output from the timing controller to conversion data corresponding to a first pixel of the pixels based on whether the first pixel is defective, and to generate the data signal (element 400 including element 430 in figure 3 and ¶s 140 and 141).
However, Lee fails to disclose the additional details of the electronic device.
In the same field of endeavor, Chen discloses where:
the timing controller is configured to transmit location data corresponding to the image data and a driving frequency of the display device (¶ 104);
the data converter is configured to convert the image data based on a control signal (¶ 104), and
the control signal is generated based on the location data nd the driving frequency of the display device, the location data indicating whether the first pixel is defective (¶ 104).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Lee according to the teachings of Chen, for the purpose of reducing the difference between the brightness of certain pixels and the brightness around the certain pixels (¶ 103).
• Regarding claims 2-5, 7-9, 11, 13-17, and 19, Lee, in view of Chen, discloses everything claimed, as applied to claims 1, 12, and 20. Additionally, Lee discloses where:
Claim 2: the data converter is configured to:
generate the conversion data having a lower grayscale than a grayscale of the image data when the control signal is generated (¶s 140 and 141), and
to generate the conversion data having a same grayscale as the image data when the control signal is not generated (¶ 141).
Claim 3: the data converter is configured to generate the conversion data corresponding to a grayscale of black when the control signal is generated (¶ 149).
Claim 4: the data converter is configured to:
multiply the image data by a correction coefficient that is greater than 0 and that is less than 1 (at least suggested by ¶ 140), and
generate a result of a multiplication as the conversion data, when the control signal is generated (¶ 140).
Claim 7: the data converter comprises:
an edge data determiner configured to determine whether the first pixel is defective, and configured to generate the control signal based on the location data and the driving frequency (element 400 including element 410 in figure 3 and ¶ 133); and
a data generator configured to selectively convert the image data based on the control signal, and configured to generate the conversion data (element 400 including element 430 in figure 3 and ¶ 133).
Claim 8: the data converter further comprises a digital-to-analog converter configured to convert the conversion data into the data signal (element 300 in figure 1 and ¶s 85 and 87 in view of ¶ 95).
Claim 13: the conversion data has a lower grayscale than a grayscale of the image data (¶s 140 and 141).
Claim 14: the conversion data corresponds to a grayscale of black (¶ 149).
Claim 15: the generating the conversion data based on the control signal comprises:
providing a correction coefficient corresponding to a grayscale of the image data and the driving frequency of the display device by referring to a lookup table (at least suggested by ¶s 140 and 141); and
applying the correction coefficient to the image data to generate the conversion data (¶s 140 and 141).
Claim 16: the correction coefficient is greater than 0 and is less than 1 (at least suggested by ¶s 140 and 141).
Claim 19: the generating the conversion data comprises:
multiplying the image data by a correction coefficient that is greater than 0 and that is less than 1 (at least suggested by ¶ 140); and
generating a result of a multiplication as the conversion data (¶ 140).
However, Lee fails to disclose the additional details of the method/apparatus.
In the same field of endeavor, Chen discloses where:
Claim 4: the data converter is configured to:
multiply the image data by a correction coefficient that is greater than 0 and that is less than 1 (¶ 111), and
generate a result of a multiplication as the conversion data, when the control signal is generated (¶ 111).
Claim 5: the correction coefficient is based on a driving frequency of the display device and the grayscale of the image data (¶ 111).
Claim 9: the data converter further comprises a lookup table storage configured to store a lookup table comprising correction coefficients corresponding to the driving frequency of the display device and the grayscale of the image data (¶s 110-112).
Claim 11: a size of a corresponding one of the correction coefficients decreases as the driving frequency of the display device decreases (at least suggested by ¶ 111).
Claim 15: the generating the conversion data based on the control signal comprises:
providing a correction coefficient corresponding to a grayscale of the image data and the driving frequency of the display device by referring to a lookup table (¶ 111); and
applying the correction coefficient to the image data to generate the conversion data (¶ 111).
Claim 16: the correction coefficient is greater than 0 and is less than 1 (¶ 111).
Claim 17: the generating the control signal comprises:
determining the driving frequency of the display panel is less than a reference frequency (¶ 111).
Claim 19: the generating the conversion data comprises:
multiplying the image data by a correction coefficient that is greater than 0 and that is less than 1 (¶ 111); and
generating a result of a multiplication as the conversion data (¶ 111).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Lee according to the teachings of Chen, for the purpose of ensuring an image is displayed correctly at any refresh rate (¶s 5 and 6).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, in view of Chen, and further in view of Kim et al (US 2020/0211502; hereinafter Kim).
• Regarding claim 10, Lee, in view of Chen, discloses everything claimed, as applied to claim 9. However, Lee, in view of Chen, fails to disclose the additional details of the display device.
In the same field of endeavor, Kim discloses where:
Claim 10: a size of a corresponding one of the correction coefficients decreases as a grayscale of the image data increases (figure 6 and ¶s 72 and 73).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the invention of Lee, as modified by Chen, according to the teachings of Kim, for the purpose of improving image quality by detecting and correcting Mura defects (¶s 5 and 6).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 12, and 20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/NATHAN DANIELSEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622
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