Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 19/021,084

DRIVING DEVICE, PROJECTION DEVICE AND DRIVING METHOD THEREOF

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jan 14, 2025
Examiner
KHAN, IBRAHIM A
Art Unit
2628
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Coretronic Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
82%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 2m
To Grant
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 82% — above average
82%
Career Allow Rate
447 granted / 546 resolved
+19.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+12.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
563
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.7%
-37.3% vs TC avg
§103
66.5%
+26.5% vs TC avg
§102
10.7%
-29.3% vs TC avg
§112
11.1%
-28.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 546 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . DETAILED ACTION In the response to this office action, the Examiner respectfully requests that support be shown for language added to any original claims on amendment and any new claims. That is, indicate support for newly added claim language by specifically pointing to page(s) and line numbers in the specification and/or drawing figure(s). This will assist the Examiner in prosecuting this application. ALLOWABLE SUBJECT MATTER Claims 2-12 and 19-22 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. Claim 2-5 and 19-22 are objected because the cited references do not disclose “wherein the control element is configured to calculate a difference between the position information and initial position information to obtain movement information of the optical path shift element of the optical actuator, the control element is configured to calculate a weighted average value of a portion of the movement information according to weighted information to obtain a first peak value and a second peak value corresponding to the portion of the movement information, and the control element is further configured to calculate an average value of the first peak value and the second peak value and generate an offset value of the movement information.” Claims 6-12 are objected to because the cited references do not disclose “wherein the control element comprises: an error information calculator configured to receive the position information from the sensor and calculate error information; a control circuit coupled to the error information calculator and configured to receive the error information and execute a control algorithm for the error information to generate offset information and gain information corresponding to the waveform information; and a waveform information generator coupled to the control circuit and configured to generate updated waveform information according to the offset information and the gain information”. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT The information disclosure statements filed 01/14/2025 and 06/09/2025, have been acknowledged and considered by the examiner. Initialed copies of the PTO-1449 forms are included in this correspondence. 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. 1. Claims 1, 15-18, and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hirakura US 20210096449 in view of Gyoten et al. US 20160306269. Consider claim 1. Hirakura disclose driving device fig. 3 control circuit 120 and drive circuit 121, configured to be coupled to an optical actuator fig. 3 - fig. 5 optical device 2, wherein the optical actuator is configured to receive an image beam fig. 3-5 [0031] The optical section 30 has a light incident surface on which the video light LL is incident [0029] image signal Vid supplied and has a sensor fig. 4-5 [0030] sensor 7 and an optical path shift element fig. 4-5 actuator 6a of optical device 2, the driving device comprises a driving waveform signal generator [0028] drive circuit generates DSx DSy and a control element fig 3 fig. 11 control circuit 120, and the waveform signal generator is coupled to the control element and the optical actuator [0027-0028] fig. 3 control circuit 120 coupled drive circuit 121 performing control and producing drive signals and is coupled to optical device 2. wherein, the driving waveform signal generator is configured to provide a driving waveform signal to the optical actuator according to waveform information[0027-0028] fig. 3 control circuit 120 coupled drive circuit 121 performing control and producing drive signals and is coupled to optical device 2. wave information being information necessary to produce DSx DSy , and the optical actuator is configured to drive the optical path shift element to operate according to the driving waveform signal to shift the image beam fig. 2-3 [0024-0025] producing 4k image using shifted 2k images. [0036] actuator 6 is driven according to drive signals DSx DSy. Also fig. 7 [0046-0048] and the control element is configured to generate updated waveform information based on a synchronization signal and position information received from the sensor fig. 8 [0050-0054]describe how updated waveform are generated according synch signal SAx Say and position detection signal PS; and the driving waveform signal generator is configured to provide an updated driving waveform signal to the optical actuator according to the updated waveform information fig. 8 [0052] adjuster 1220x and fig. 11 [0061]describe how updated waveforms are generated according synch signal SAx Say and position detection signal PS; and, wherein the optical actuator, the driving waveform signal generator, and the control element form a first closed loop fig.11 [0057] The control method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 is carried out whenever the displayed pixel is switched as follows: pixel A[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel B[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel C[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel D[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel A and so on . Thus, feedback is used to continuously monitor the system and make updates to the signals. wherein a period during which the optical actuator drives the optical path shift element to operate comprises an initial period and a stable period in order fig. 7 [0047-0049] initial period is 0-B and stable period is from B-C for DSx and initial period 0-C and stable period C-D for DSy. Hirakura does not explicitly disclose and the control element is configured to control a maximum amplitude value of the driving waveform signal in the initial period to be less than or equal to a maximum amplitude value of the driving waveform signal in the stable period. Gyoten however discloses and the control element is configured to control a maximum amplitude value of the driving waveform signal in the initial period to be less than or equal to a maximum amplitude value of the driving waveform signal in the stable period fig. 10 S10-20 setting servo gain small value[Wingdings font/0xE0]gain adjustment to positive maximum shifting and negative maximum shifting. [0074]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the projection device of Hirakura to include and the control element is configured to control a maximum amplitude value of the driving waveform signal in the initial period to be less than or equal to a maximum amplitude value of the driving waveform signal in the stable period, as taught by Gyoten, so that drving apparatus can move an image in two directions orthogonal to each other with simple control [0005] and [0008]. Consider claim 15. Hirakura as modified by Gyoten disclose the driving device of claim 1, further comprising another driving waveform signal generator and another control element, wherein the optical actuator has another sensor, wherein the optical actuator, the other driving waveform signal generator[0027-0028] fig. 3 control circuit 120 coupled drive circuit 121 performing control and producing drive signals and is coupled to optical device 2. wave information being information necessary to produce DSx DSy; either DSx or DSy can be other drive signal generated by the signal generator , and the other control element form a second closed loop fig.11 [0057] The control method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 is carried out whenever the displayed pixel is switched as follows: pixel A[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel B[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel C[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel D[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel A and so on . Thus, feedback is used to continuously monitor the system and make updates to the signals. ., the optical actuator is configured to drive the optical path shift element to swing around a first axial direction according to the driving waveform signal from the first closed loop, drive the optical path shift element to swing around a second axial direction according to the driving waveform signal from the second closed loop, and the first axial direction is different from the second axial direction [0027-0028] fig. 3 control circuit 120 coupled drive circuit 121 performing control and producing drive signals and is coupled to optical device 2. wave information being information necessary to produce DSx DSy; either DSx or DSy can be other drive signal generated by the signal generator. fig.11 [0057] The control method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 is carried out whenever the displayed pixel is switched as follows: pixel A[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel B[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel C[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel D[Wingdings font/0xE0]pixel A and so on . Thus, feedback is used to continuously monitor the system and make updates to the signals DSx and DSy. Consider claim 16. Hirakura as modified by Gyoten disclose the projection device Hirakura fig. 1 projector 1, comprising: the driving device of claim 1; and the optical actuator Hirakura fig. 3 optical device 2 , comprising the sensor and the optical path shift Hirakura fig. 4-5 actuator 6a of optical device 2 and sensor 7 , wherein the optical actuator is configured to receive the image beam from a light valve and to output the image beam to a projection lens Hirakura fig. 1 projector 1, Consider claim 17. Hirakura as modified by Gyoten disclose the driving device of claim 16, wherein the sensor of the optical actuator is a magnetic flux sensor. Hirakura [0044] the sensor 7 fig. is a Hall sensor fig. 6. claim 18 is rejected mutatis mutandis for similar reasons to claim 1. Consider claim 23. Hirakura as modified by Gyoten disclose the driving method of claim 18, further comprising: generating a clock signal according to the synchronization signal through the control element Hirakura [0028] Hsync Vsync signals SAx and SAy. Note that synch signals require a clock signal as a master timing reference; and controlling a duration of offset information and gain information of the waveform information in each time segment based on segment length information and the clock signal through the control element Hirakura see fig. 7 and figs. 9-10 DSx DSy require [0028][0051] Hsync Vsync signals SAx and SAy which in turn require a clock signal as a master timing reference. 2. Claims 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hirakura US 20210096449 in view of Gyoten et al. US 20160306269 and further in view of Wakabayashi et al. US 20200159093. Consider claim 13. Hirakura as modified by Gyoten disclose the driving device of claim 1, but do not disclose wherein the driving waveform signal generator comprises: a signal format converter coupled to the control element and configured to convert a signal format of the waveform information and generate converted waveform information; and an amplifier coupled to the signal format converter and configured to amplify the converted waveform information to generate the driving waveform signal. Wakabayashi however discloses a signal format converter coupled to the control element and configured to convert a signal format of the waveform information and generate converted waveform information; and an amplifier coupled to the signal format converter and configured to amplify the converted waveform information to generate the driving waveform signal [0061] The D/A conversion unit 143 converts the reference signal SB into an analog voltage and outputs the analog voltage to the amplifier 150. The amplifier 150 amplifies the D/A-converted reference signal SB and thus generates an amplified signal. The amplified signal is the drive signal DS supplied to the actuator 6. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the projection device of Hirakura as modified by Gyoten to include and the control element is configured to control a maximum amplitude value of the driving waveform signal in the initial period to be less than or equal to a maximum amplitude value of the driving waveform signal in the stable period, as taught by Wakabayashi, to convert the digital position signal (move left, move up, etc.) from the projector's processor into the precise voltage required to move the actuator, ensuring rapid, accurate displacement of pixels to increase image resolution. Consider claim 14. Hirakura as modified by Gyoten and Wakabayashi disclose the driving device of claim 13, wherein the waveform information is a digital signal, and the converted waveform information is an analog signal Wakabayashi [0061] The D/A conversion unit 143 converts the reference signal SB into an analog voltage and outputs the analog voltage to the amplifier 150. The amplifier 150 amplifies the D/A-converted reference signal SB and thus generates an amplified signal. The amplified signal is the drive signal DS supplied to the actuator 6. CONCLUSION Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IBRAHIM A KHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7998. The examiner can normally be reached on 10am-6pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nitin Patel can be reached on 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 an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. IBRAHIM A. KHAN Primary Examiner Art Unit 2628 /IBRAHIM A KHAN/ 03/13/2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628
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Prosecution Timeline

Jan 14, 2025
Application Filed
Mar 13, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
82%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+12.0%)
2y 2m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 546 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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