Detailed Action
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
2. A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/07/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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 of this title, 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.
4. Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Park (CN 118038818 A) in view of Li (CN 117351901 A).
Regarding claim 1, Park (e.g., Figs. 1-5) discloses a driving device suitable for driving a display panel, comprising: a driver, coupled to a pixel circuit and a backlight circuit of the display panel (backlight driver of backlight unit 100 and display driver of display panel 200); and a timing controller, coupled to the driver (timing controller 300 coupled to backlight driver of backlight unit 100 and display driver of display panel 200; [0055]), comprising a buffer ([0128]), wherein the timing controller outputs output image data to the driver according to the input image data after a delayed interval (e.g., Figs. 2 and 4-5; timing controller 300 receives an input image at time T0 and outputs an output image to the display driver of the display panel 200 and the display panel 200 displays image at T1, time delay is T1-T0; [0067] and [0070]), and the driver simultaneously drives a pixel circuit according to the output image data and drives the backlight circuit according to backlight image data generated based on the input image data (e.g., Fig. 5 and [0067] and [0070]; display panel 200 is driven to display image and backlight unit 100 is driven to emit light at the same time T1), wherein the delayed interval is set according to the input image data required for each frame cycle (e.g., Fig. 5 and [0067]; frame cycle Fn and time delay for each frame cycle Fn) and comprises time duration which the timing controller calculates the backlight duty cycle data, time duration which the timing controller transmits the backlight duty cycle data to the driver, and time duration which the driver transmits the backlight image data to the backlight circuit to enable the backlight circuit (e.g., Fig. 5 and [0067]; time delay T1-T0).
Park discloses the timing controller 300 comprising a buffer ([0128]), but does not disclose wherein the buffer is configured to store input image data corresponding to at least one area of the display panel during a frame cycle, wherein the buffer is configured to store the input image in a first frame cycle, and in a second frame cycle subsequently after the first frame cycle, the timing controller is configured to access the buffer to obtain the stored input image in the first frame cycle for calculating the output image data. However, Li (e.g., Figs. 2-6) discloses a display device, wherein the timing controller comprising a buffer (frame memory 301), wherein the buffer is configured to store input image data corresponding to at least one area of the display panel during a frame cycle ([0098]-[0099]), and wherein the buffer is configured to store the input image in a first frame cycle (frame buffer 301 stores an image in a first frame period), and in a second frame cycle subsequently after the first frame cycle, the timing controller is configured to access the buffer to obtain the stored input image in the first frame cycle for calculating the output image data ([0108] and [0112]-[0115]; if the image processing delay is greater than the backlight value acquisition delay, a preset backlight delay frame number δ= frame number corresponding to the image processing delay—frame number corresponding to the backlight value acquisition delay, when a preset backlight delay frame number δ=1 frame period, the controller is configured to obtain and process the stored input image in a second frame period, which is subsequently after the first frame cycle, as a result, the display panel displays an image and the backlight emits a light at a same time). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching from Li to the display device of Park store the input image data by frame. The combination/motivation would be to control a time delay of a display device so that the display panel displays an image and the backlight emits a light at a same time to improve the quality of display images.
Regarding claim 2, Park in view of Li discloses the driving device according to claim 1, Park (e.g., Figs. 1-5) discloses wherein the delayed interval is less than or equal to the frame cycle (e.g., Fig. 5; time delay T1-T0 is less than a frame cycle F).
Regarding claim 3, Park in view of Li discloses the driving device according to claim 1, Park (e.g., Figs. 1-5) discloses wherein in the frame cycle, the timing controller is configured to calculate backlight duty cycle data according to the input image data to generate the backlight image data ([0061]-[0063]; calculation of local dimming data in accordance with input image data).
Regarding claim 4, Park in view of Li discloses the driving device according to claim 3, wherein in the frame cycle, after the delayed interval, the driver drives the backlight circuit according to the backlight image data, and the timing controller accesses the buffer to output the input image data as the output image data (e.g., Fig. 5 and [0067] and [0070]; after the time delay T1-T0, backlight unit 100 emits light and display panel 200 receives and displays image).
5. Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Park (CN 118038818 A) in view of Li (CN 117351901 A) and further in view of Wei (US 20140327704 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Park in view of Li discloses the driving device according to claim 1, Li (e.g., Figs. 2-6) discloses wherein the buffer is configured to store the input image data in a first frame cycle, wherein in a second frame cycle after the first frame cycle, the timing controller is configured to calculate backlight duty cycle data according to the input image data to generate the backlight image data (Fig. 5 and [0098]-[0109]), Li does not disclose calculate the output image data according to a compensation lookup table, the input image data and the backlight duty cycle data. However, Wei (Figs. 1-2) discloses a display device, wherein the timing controller is configured to calculate backlight duty cycle data according to the input image data to generate the backlight image data (Fig. 2), calculate the output image data according to a compensation lookup table, the input image data and the backlight duty cycle data (Fig. 2). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching from Wei to the display device of Park in view of Li. The combination/motivation would be to simultaneously compensate the intensity loss due to local dimming and the non-uniformity of backlight intensity distribution.
Regarding claim 7, Park in view of Li discloses the driving device according to claim 6, wherein in the second frame cycle, the timing controller is configured to calculate gain data according to the compensation lookup table and the backlight duty cycle data (Wei, Fig. 2), and to access the buffer to calculate the output image data according to the input image data and the gain data (Li, Fig. 5 and [0098]-[0109]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching from Li and Wei to the display device of Park for the same reason above.
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 8-11 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The present invention is directed to a backlight driving method of a display device. The closet prior arts, Park (CN 118038818 A), Li (CN 117351901 A), and Kim (US 20180330656 A1), individually or in combination, discloses a driving device suitable for driving a display panel, comprising: a driver, coupled to a pixel circuit and a backlight circuit of the display panel; and a timing controller, coupled to the driver, configured to calculate backlight image data and output image data according to input image data corresponding to at least one area of the display panel during a frame cycle, wherein the backlight image data comprises dummy data and valid data, wherein in the frame cycle, the driver drives the backlight circuit according to the valid data after an interval based on the dummy data when the driver drives the pixel circuit according to the output image data, but fails to teach wherein the dummy data is grayscale data for not driving the backlight circuit disposed in an area during the frame cycle, and the valid data is grayscale data for driving the backlight circuit disposed in the area during the frame cycle.
Response to Arguments
7. Applicant's arguments filed 05/07/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
8. Regarding claim 1, applicant has amended claim 1. Applicant further argues that the cited references do not disclose the new limitations “wherein the buffer is configured to store the input image in a first frame cycle, and in a second frame cycle subsequently after the first frame cycle, the timing controller is configured to access the buffer to obtain the stored input image in the first frame cycle for calculating the output image data” of amended claim 1.
The examiner respectfully disagrees with applicant’s arguments. Li (e.g., Figs. 2-6) discloses a driving method of a display device including a backlight, wherein a frame buffer 301 stores an image in a first frame period. Li ([0108] and [0112]-[0115]) further discloses if the image processing delay is greater than the backlight value acquisition delay, a preset backlight delay frame number δ= frame number corresponding to the image processing delay—frame number corresponding to the backlight value acquisition delay, when a preset backlight delay frame number δ=1 frame period, the controller is configured to obtain and process the stored input image in a second frame period, which is subsequently after the first frame cycle, so that the display panel displays an image and the backlight emits a light at a same time to improve the quality of the display image.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. (FP 7.96)
Hsieh (US 20230137374 A1) discloses a backlight driving method of a display device.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YUZHEN SHEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1407. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:00-18:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chanh Nguyen can be reached on 571-272-7772. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YUZHEN SHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2623
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