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 1-6, 8-13, 17, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al (US 2021/0407418; hereinafter Yang), in view of Park et al (US 2016/0086544; hereinafter Park), Yuan et al (US 2021/0134230; hereinafter Yuan), and Kim et al (US 2018/0144717; hereinafter Kim).
• Regarding claims 1, 2, 8, 9, and 17, Yang discloses an electronic device (¶ 2) comprising:
a display panel including a plurality of pixels (figure 11);
a gate driver connected to the display panel through a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of sensing scan lines, and a plurality of initialization scan lines (¶ 60 and SCAN1, SENS, and RST1 in figures 3 and 4);
a source driver connected to the display panel through a plurality of data lines¶ 60); and
a controller which controls the gate driver and the source driver to display an image on the display panel (inherent in ¶s 55 and 60 for providing the necessary signals to the gate driving circuit and the data driving circuit in order for them to control the pixels to display an image; see also element 108 in figure 2 of Park),
wherein each of the plurality of pixels includes:
a driving transistor including a gate electrode connected to a first node, and connected between a first power voltage and a second node (element TD1 in figure 3 and ¶s 74, 75, and 78);
a light-emitting element connected between the second node and a second power voltage (element D1 in figure 3 and ¶s 74 and 75);
a first switching transistor including a gate electrode connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of scan lines, and connected between a corresponding one of the plurality of data lines and the first node (element Tw1 in figure 3 and ¶ 77);
a storage capacitor connected between the first node and the second node (element C1 in figure 3 and ¶ 79);
a second switching transistor including a gate electrode connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of sensing scan lines, and connected between the second node and a corresponding one of the plurality of readout lines, which supplies a third power voltage (element Ts in figure 3 and ¶ 80); and
a third switching transistor including a gate electrode connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of initialization scan lines, and connected between the second node and a corresponding one of the plurality of initialization lines, which supplies a fourth power voltage (element Tr1 in figure 3 and ¶ 76).
However, Yang fails to disclose the additional details of the electronic device.
In the same field of endeavor, Park discloses where the source driver [is] connected to the display panel through a plurality of data lines, a plurality of readout lines, and a plurality of initialization lines (elements DL and RL in figure 3 and ¶s 33 and 35; where, when Yang is modified according to the teachings of Park, element 104 in figure 3 of Park supplies DATA1, VINT1, and VSEN in figure 3 of Yang).
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 Yang according to the teachings of Park, for the purpose of compensating characteristics of light emitting elements in a display (¶s 10 and 32). However, Park also fails to disclose the additional details of the electronic device.
In the same field of endeavor, Yuan discloses where the second switching transistor is turned on during a first period, and the third switching transistor is turned on during a second period different from the first period (figure 6 and ¶s 70, 83, and 84, in view of the preceding teachings of Yang).
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 Yang, as modified by Park, according to the teachings of Yuan, for the purpose of compensating the mobility of a driving transistor (¶s 3 and 87). However, Yuan also fails to disclose the additional details of the electronic device.
In the same field of endeavor, Kim discloses where an initialization operation performed on the pixel is independent of a charging operation simultaneously performed on another pixel located in a same column and connected to a same readout line (note where Vref is supplied to a pixel on the (n+1)-th line independently from and simultaneously with Vini being provided to a pixel on the n-th line in figure 4 and ¶s 62-64).
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 Yang, as modified by Park and Yuan, according to the teachings of Kim, for the purpose of reducing the number of control signal lines connected to the pixels of a display (¶ 63).
• Regarding claims 3-6, 10-13, and 18, Yang, in view of Park, Yuan, and Kim, discloses everything claimed, as applied to claims 1, 8, and 17. Additionally, Yang discloses where:
Claims 3, 10 & 18: the charging operation is performed during the first period to set a gate-source voltage of the driving transistor (step S120 in figure 14 and ¶ 203), and
the initialization operation is performed during the second period to initialize a voltage of the second node (step S140 in figure 14 and ¶ 205, in view of the preceding teachings of Yuan).
Claims 4 & 11: during the first period (the combination of periods P1 and P2 in figure 4), while the second switching transistor is turned on, the third switching transistor is turned off (RST1 during periods P1 and P2 in figure 4 and ¶s 88-93, in view of the preceding teachings of Yuan), and
during the second period (the combination of periods P3 and P4 in figure 4), while the third switching transistor is turned on, the second switching transistor is turned off (SENS during period P4 in figure 4 and ¶s 97-100, in view of the preceding teachings of Yuan).
Claims 5 & 12: during the charging operation, the first switching transistor is turned on (SCAN1 during at least period P2 in figure 4 and ¶s 88-93).
Claims 6 & 13: during the initialization operation, the first switching transistor is turned off (SCAN1 during at least period P4 in figure 4 and ¶s 97-100).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 14-16, 19, and 20 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 8, and 17 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.
Closing Remarks/Comments
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN DANIELSEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4248. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
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/NATHAN DANIELSEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622
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