DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
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Claims 1, 9, and 17 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1, 9, and 18 of U.S. Patent No. 12,236,918. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because they are generic to all that is recited in Patent 12,236,918 claims 1, 9, and 18 as seen in the table below. The remaining claims are rejected for their dependence to one of the independent claims.
Instant Application 19/061419
Patent 12,236,918
Claim 1:A display device, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
transmit specific Enhanced Extended Display Identification Data (E-EDID) to a repeater device via a Display Data Channel (DDC) of a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable, wherein
the specific E-EDID includes a first Vendor Specific Data Block (VSDB) and a second VSDB,
the second VSDB includes a specific field that includes a value changeable from a first value to a second value by the repeater device based on support of at least one extended function,
the first VSDB includes four fields that correspond to a physical address of the repeater device, and
the specific field is different from each of the four fields;
receive an output from the repeater device via at least one Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) channel of the HDMI cable, wherein the output corresponds to an output of a transmission device based on the value of the specific field; and
output the received output via a display screen.
Claim 1:A display device, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
transmit first Enhanced Extended Display Identification Data (E-EDID) to a repeater device via a Display Data Channel (DDC) of a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable, wherein the first E-EDID includes a first Vendor Specific Data Block (VSDB) and a second VSDB, the first VSDB includes four fields that correspond to a physical address of the repeater device, and the second VSDB includes a specific field that includes a value changeable from a first value to a second value by the repeater device based on support of at least one extended function, the specific field being different from each of the four fields;
receive an output from the repeater device via at least one Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) channel of the HDMI cable, the output from the repeater device corresponding to an output of a transmission device, wherein a value of the specific field in E-EDID based on the first E-EDID is for notifying the transmission device of compatibility status to output the output of the transmission device based on compatibility information associated with the at least one extended function; and
output the received output via a display screen.
Claim 9:
A first repeater device, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
receive first Enhanced Extended Display Identification Data (E-EDID) from a display device via a Display Data Channel (DDC) of a first High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable;
transmit a second E-EDID to one of a second repeater device or a transmission device via a DDC of a second HDMI cable, wherein
the first E-EDID includes a first Vendor Specific Data Block (VSDB) and a second VSDB,
the second VSDB includes a specific field that includes a value changeable from a first value to a second value by the first repeater device based on support of at least one extended function,
the first VSDB includes four fields that correspond to a physical address of the first repeater device, and
the specific field is different from each of the four fields;
receive an output of the transmission device, based on the value of the specific field, from one of the second repeater device or the transmission device via at least one Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) channel of the second HDMI cable; and
transmit an output corresponding to the received output of the transmission device via at least one TMDS channel of the first HDMI cable.
Claim 9:
A first repeater device, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
receive first Enhanced Extended Display Identification Data (E-EDID) from a display device via a Display Data Channel (DDC) of a first High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable;
transmit second E-EDID to one of a second repeater device or a transmission device via a DDC of a second HDMI cable, wherein the first E-EDID includes a first Vendor Specific Data Block (VSDB) and a second VSDB, the first VSDB includes four fields that correspond to a physical address of the repeater device, and the second VSDB includes a specific field that includes a value changeable from a first value to a second value by the first repeater device based on support of at least one extended function, the specific field being different from each of the four fields;
receive an output of the transmission device from one of the second repeater device or the transmission device via at least one Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) channel of the second HDMI cable, wherein a value of the specific field in E-EDID based on the second E-EDID is for notifying the transmission device of compatibility status to output an output based on compatibility information associated with the at least one extended function; and
transmit an output corresponding to the received output of the transmission device via at least one TMDS channel of the first HDMI cable
Claim 17:
A system, comprising:
a display device; and
a first repeater device that includes first circuitry configured to:
receive first Enhanced Extended Display Identification Data (E-EDID) from the display device via a Display Data Channel (DDC) of a first High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable;
transmit a second E-EDID to one of a second repeater device or a transmission device via a DDC of a second HDMI cable, wherein
the first E-EDID includes a first Vendor Specific Data Block (VSDB) and a second VSDB,
the second VSDB includes a specific field having a value changeable from a first value to a second value by the first repeater device based on support of at least one extended function,
the first VSDB includes four fields that correspond to a physical address of the first repeater device, and
the specific field is different from each of the four fields;
receive an output of the transmission device, based on the value of the specific field, from one of the second repeater device or the transmission device via at least one Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) channel of the second HDMI cable; and
transmit an output based on the received output of the transmission device via at least one TMDS channel of the first HDMI cable, wherein the display device includes second circuitry configured to:
transmit the first E-EDID to the first repeater device via the DDC of the first HDMI cable;
receive the output corresponding to the output of the transmission device from the first repeater device via the at least one TMDS channel of the first HDMI cable; and
output the received output through a display screen.
Claim 18:
A system, comprising:
a first repeater device that includes first circuitry configured to:
receive first Enhanced Extended Display Identification Data (E-EDID) from a display device via a Display Data Channel (DDC) of a first High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable;
transmit second E-EDID to one of a second repeater device or a transmission device via a DDC of a second HDMI cable, wherein the first E-EDID includes a first Vendor Specific Data Block (VSDB) and a second VSDB, the first VSDB includes four fields that correspond to a physical address of the repeater device, and the second VSDB includes a specific field having a value changeable from a first value to a second value by the first repeater device based on support of at least one extended function, the specific field being different from each of the four fields;
receive an output of the transmission device from one of the second repeater device or the transmission device via at least one Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) channel of the second HDMI cable, wherein a value of the specific field in E-EDID based on the second E-EDID is for notifying the transmission device of compatibility status to output an output based on compatibility information associated with the at least one extended function; and
transmit an output based on the received output of the transmission device via at least one TMDS channel of the first HDMI cable; and
the display device including second circuitry configured to:
transmit the first E-EDID to the first repeater device via the DDC of the first HDMI cable;
receive the output corresponding to the output of the transmission device from the first repeater device via the at least one TMDS channel of the first HDMI cable; and
output the received output through a display screen.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW D SALVUCCI whose telephone number is (571)270-5748. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 7:30-4:00PT.
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/MATTHEW SALVUCCI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2613
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