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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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 1-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Jung et al. (hereinafter “Jung”), US Pub. No. 2024/0257689, in view of Kim et al. (hereinafter “Kim”), US Pub. No. 2022/0198977.
The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2).
This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C.102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B); or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement. See generally MPEP § 717.02.
Regarding claim 1, Jung teaches an optical compensation device (fig. 1A) comprising: a first optical measurer which measures first optical information of a first area of a display device (fig. 1A, OA1) and a second optical information of a second area of the display device next to the first area (fig. 1A, NA); a target calculator which calculates first target optical information by compensating the second optical information based on a difference between the first area and the second area (figs. 19-21; [0459]); a gamma determiner which determines a first reference gamma voltage for the first area so that a difference between the first optical information and the first target optical information is within a reference range (figs. 16-18, Gamma 1-3, OA, NA; [0446]).
Jung fails to explicitly teach compensating the second optical information based on an offset lookup table including an offset related to a difference between the first area and a second area.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Kim teaches an optical compensation device including a luminance measurer and compensator wherein the compensator determines or stores an adjusted voltage as a reference gamma voltage when the luminance level becomes within a reference range. The compensator may generate a gamma lookup table including predetermined gamma voltages (see fig. 2A, [0062]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effecting filing date of the invention to modify Jung to incorporate the feature of Kim. As such, a person having ordinary skill in the art would appreciate the motivation for doing so would have been to prevent luminance deviation ([0005]).
Regarding claim 2, Jung teaches wherein the first optical information includes at least one of a luminance and a color coordinate of the first area, and wherein the second optical information includes at least one of a luminance and a color coordinate of the second area (fig. 4, [0160-0166]).
Regarding claim 3, Jung teaches wherein the first area displays an image and transmits external light (fig. 1A, OA1), and wherein the second area displays the image and does not transmit the external light (fig. 1A, NA).
Regarding claim 4, Jung teaches wherein the first optical measurer includes a first probe which measures the first optical information (fig. 1A, OA1) and a second probe which measures the second optical information (fig. 1A, OA2), and wherein a length of a first light path from the first probe to the first area is different from a length of a second light path from the second probe to the second area (fig. 1B).
Regarding claim 5, Jung teaches wherein the first optical measurer further includes a camera module for automatically aligning the first probe to the first area ([0070]).
Regarding claim 6, Kim teaches wherein the offset is set for each of reference grayscales included in each of display brightness values of the display device ([0062]).
Regarding claim 7, Kim teaches wherein the offset lookup table includes: a luminance offset lookup table including a luminance offset related to a luminance difference between the first area and the second area ([0073]); and a color coordinate offset lookup table including a color coordinate offset related to a color coordinate difference between the first area and the second area ([0073-0079]).
Regarding claim 8, Jung teaches wherein the luminance offset represents a luminance deviation rate of the first area to the second area, and wherein the color coordinate offset represents a color coordinate deviation amount of the first area to the second area ([0445]).
Regarding claim 9, Jung teaches wherein the target calculator calculates the first target optical information by increasing or decreasing the second optical information by the offset ([0464]).
Regarding claim 10, Jung teaches a second optical measure which measures third optical information of a third area of the display device, wherein the gamma determiner determines a second reference gamma voltage for the third area so that a difference between the third optical information and second target optical information is within the reference range (figs. 1B, 1C, OA2).
Regarding claim 11, Jung teaches wherein the third area and the first area constitute a display area of the display device and do not overlap each other (fig. 2).
Regarding claim 12, it is a display device of claim 1 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Regarding claim 13, it has similar limitations to those of claim 2 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Regarding claim 14, it has similar limitations to those of claim 3 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Regarding claim 15, Jung teaches an optical module disposed under the display panel and overlapping the first area (fig. 1A, OA1).
Regarding claim 16, it is a method of claim 1 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Regarding claim 17, it has similar limitations to those of claim 2 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Regarding claim 18, it has similar limitations to those of claim 3 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Regarding claim 19, Jung teaches measuring third optical information of a third area of the display device; and determining a second reference gamma voltage for the third area so that a difference between the third optical information and second target optical information is within the reference range (fig. 19, Gamma 1-3, P1-P4).
Regarding claim 20, it has similar limitations to those of claim 11 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Regarding claim 21, it is an electronic apparatus of claim 1 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Park et al. (US Pub. No. 2022/0165201) teaches compensating first and second display areas with different luminance values.
Lim et al. (US Pub. No. 2015/0161941) teaches luminance offset, gamma reference, and LUT.
Jin et al. (US Pub. No. 2021/0248950) teaches reference gamma voltage in a first display area.
Mi et al. (US Pub. No. 2023/0335059) teaches adjusting luminance based off first display area and second display area being within a preset range.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH B LEE JR whose telephone number is (571)270-3147. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9am-5pm.
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, William Boddie can be reached at 571-272-0666. 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.
/KENNETH B LEE JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625