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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 12/26/2025 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(3)(i) because it does not include a concise explanation of the relevance, as it is presently understood by the individual designated in 37 CFR 1.56(c) most knowledgeable about the content of the information, of each reference listed that is not in the English language. It has been placed in the application file, but the non-English information referred to therein has not been considered.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 04/13/2026. These drawings are not acceptable.
Separate figures are not separately labeled. See Fig. 5, for example. See also Fig. 6. The Examiner suggests Figs. 5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B.
Furthermore, the number of pulses listed in each proposed table do not match the number of peaks of PWMCLK_REF for the corresponding grayscale value. For example, in Fig. 5, fewer than 15 pulses of PWMCLK_REF appear for “3”, though grayscale “3” appears next to “15” in the proposed table.
New corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in this application because the objections mailed 11/12/2025 remain outstanding against the original drawings. Applicant is advised to employ the services of a competent patent draftsperson outside the Office, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office no longer prepares new drawings. The corrected drawings are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The requirement for corrected drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The amendment filed 04/13/2026 has been entered; however, the amended SPEC is objected to under 35 U.S.C. 132(a) because it introduces new matter into the disclosure. 35 U.S.C. 132(a) states that no amendment shall introduce new matter into the disclosure of the invention.
The added material which is not supported by the original disclosure is as follows: “novelty, progressiveness, and industrial applicability, undoubtedly meeting the patent application requirements of U.S. patent law.”
Applicant is required to cancel the new matter in the reply to this Office Action. The Examiner suggests striking the entirety of the paragraph containing new matter.
In order to clarify paragraph numbers applicable to the amended SPEC, the Examiner suggests that Applicant may please file a clean copy and a marked-up copy of the SPEC reflecting any amendments which will be made in response to this office action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim 10 is 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.
Claim 10 recites “driver receives the data signal according to the data clock signal.” This is misdescriptive of the appearance of data clock signals PWMCLKON_2 and PWMCLKON_3 in originally filed Fig. 4, wherein PWMCLKON_2 is already high prior to a time of receiving data signal with grayscale value 2 and PWMCLKON_3 is already high prior to a time of receiving data signal with grayscale value 3.
Regarding claim 10: In the absence of a reasonably definite interpretation of a claim, it is improper to rely on speculative assumptions regarding the meaning of a claim and then base a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 on these assumptions (In re Steele, 305 F.2d 859,134 USPQ 292 (CCPA 1962)). See MPEP 2143.03.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1 and 3-9 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding independent claim 1: The prior art of record neither shows nor suggests “the controller adjusts a frequency of the display clock signal to correspond the grayscale value of the data signal” in combination with “at least one driver, disposed on the display panel, receiving the data signal and the display clock signal, wherein the frequency of the display clock signal is adjusted by the controller”.
Regarding independent claim 3: The prior art of record neither shows nor suggests “the controller adjusts a frequency of the display clock signal to correspond the data signal” in combination with “at least one driver, disposed on the display panel, receiving the data signal and the display clock signal, wherein the frequency of the display clock signal is adjusted by the controller”.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/13/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Fewer than all indefiniteness rejections have been addressed by amendment and/or argument.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Julie Anne Watko whose telephone number is (571)272-7597. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Tuesday 9AM-5PM, Wednesday 10:30AM-5PM, Thursday-Friday 9AM-5PM, and occasional Saturdays.
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, Ke Xiao can be reached at 571-272-7776. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
JULIE ANNE WATKO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2627
/Julie Anne Watko/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627
06/05/2026
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