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 .
Claims 1-3, 8-11, 13-15, and 20 have been elected and are currently under review. Claims 4-7, 12, and 16-19 are withdrawn from consideration.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species II directed to figure 11 and claims 1-3, 8-11, 13-15 and 20 in the reply filed on January 8, 2026 is acknowledged.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN 202211161648.8 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/20/2025 and 1/8/2026 are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “drive module” in claims 1-3, 8-9, 15, and 20, “storage module” in claims 1, 15, and 20, “coupling module” in claims 1, 3, 10, and 20, “first reset module” in claims 1, 3, and 15, “second reset module” in claims 1, 8, and 15, “discharge module” in claims 1, 3, and 15, “data write module” in claims 1, 3, and 15, and “light emission control module” in claims 1, 3, and 15.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
The corresponding structure is shown in figure 11
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities: typographic errors. Appropriate correction is required. The following is suggested.
Claim 1, lines 15-16: “a discharge module electrically connected to a second terminal of the drive module and
Claim 1, line 17: “the drive module discharges through the drive module and the discharge”
Claim 20, line 3: “potential at the first terminal of the drive module after discharging a potential”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 11, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ma (Pub. No.: US 2018/0090071 A1).
With respect to Claim 1, Ma discloses a pixel circuit (fig. 2; ¶44), comprising: a drive module (fig. 2, item DTFT; ¶53); a storage module (fig. 2, item C1; ¶53) electrically connected to a control terminal of the drive module (fig. 2, at point A) and a first terminal of the drive module (fig. 2, via item T3) and configured to store a potential difference between the control terminal of the drive module and the first terminal of the drive module (¶59, “in this case, the potential at the second node B is V.sub.ref1−V.sub.th, so that the threshold voltage V.sub.th of the driving transistor DTFT is stored across the first capacitor C1”); a coupling module (fig. 2, item C2), a first terminal (fig. 2, first terminal = terminal connected to item Ref2) of the coupling module electrically connected to the first terminal of the drive module (fig. 2, via terminal 1 to terminal 2 of C2 and via item T3), and the coupling module configured to couple a potential variation at a second terminal (fig. 2, at node B) of the coupling module to the first terminal of the coupling module (¶46); a first reset module (fig. 2, item T3) electrically connected to the second terminal of the coupling module (fig. 2, at node B) and configured to transmit a first reset signal (¶52, “in a reset period, … the charging control module 3 is in a turned-on status under control of the reset signal terminal RST, and the light emitting control module 5 is in a turned-on status under control of the light emitting signal terminal EM, so that a signal at the second level signal terminal Ref2 is connected to the second node B to charge the second node B “ – Ref2 is constantly transmitted to the second terminal of C2) to the second terminal of the coupling module to reset the second terminal of the coupling module before a data write phase (fig. 3; ¶73); a second reset module (fig. 2, item T1) electrically connected to the control terminal of the drive module and configured to transmit a second reset signal to the control terminal of the drive module in at least a threshold compensation phase and the data write phase (fig. 3; ¶73, “the first switching transistor T1, the second switching transistor T2, and the third switching transistor T3 are turned on, so that a signal at the first level signal terminal Ref1 is connected to the second node B”; ¶74, “the potential at the second node B jumps to V.sub.data from V.sub.ref1−V.sub.th, from the charge conservation principle of the capacitor, the potential at the first node A jumps to V.sub.data+V.sub.th accordingly”); a discharge module (fig. 2, item T2) electrically connected to a second terminal of the drive module and driving, by configured to be turned on in the threshold compensation phase, the first terminal of the drive module discharge through the drive module and the discharge module to store a threshold voltage of the drive module in the storage module (¶59, “the second switching transistor T2 is in a turned-on status under control of the reset signal terminal RST, so that the signal at the first level signal terminal Ref1 is applied to the output terminal 1e of the driving control module, i.e., the second electrode of the driving transistor DTFT, and thus the signal at the first level signal terminal Ref1 discharges the second node B through the second switching transistor T2, the driving transistor DTFT, and the charging control module 3, until the driving transistor DTFT is turned off; in this case, the potential at the second node B is V.sub.ref1−V.sub.th, so that the threshold voltage V.sub.th of the driving transistor DTFT is stored across the first capacitor C1”); a data write module (fig. 2, item T4) electrically connected to the second terminal of the coupling module and configured to receive a data voltage (¶63; ¶65); and a light emission control module (fig. 2, item T5; ¶66) connected to the drive module (fig. 2, item DTFT) and a light-emitting element (fig. 2, connected to item D1 via item DTFT) between a first power supply (fig. 2, item Ref2) and a second power supply (fig. 2, item Ref3).
With respect to Claim 2, claim 1 is incorporated, Ma discloses wherein the storage module (fig. 2, item C1) comprises a first capacitor (¶53), wherein a first terminal (fig. 2, first terminal of C1 is at node A) of the first capacitor is electrically connected to the control terminal of the drive module (fig. 2, item DTFT = drive module), and a second terminal of the first capacitor (fig. 2, at node B) is electrically connected to the first terminal of the drive module (fig. 2, via item T3); and the coupling module (fig. 2, item C2) comprises a second capacitor (¶56), wherein a first terminal of the second capacitor serves as the first terminal of the coupling module (fig. 2), and a second terminal of the second capacitor serves as the second terminal of the coupling module (fig. 2).
With respect to Claim 3, claim 1 is incorporated, Ma discloses wherein a control terminal (fig. 2, item 3a) of the first reset module (fig. 2, item T3) is configured to receive a first control signal (fig. 2, RST), and the first reset module is configured to, in response to the first control signal, be turned on in a reset phase and the threshold compensation phase (¶72) to transmit the first reset signal to the second terminal of the coupling module (fig. 2, Ref2 is constantly transmitted to the second terminal of the coupling module); a control terminal (fig. 2, item 2b) of the discharge module (fig. 2, item T2) is configured to receive the first control signal (fig. 2, RST), and the discharge module is configured to, in response to the first control signal, be turned in the reset phase to transmit the second reset signal to the second terminal of the drive module (¶72) and be turned on in the threshold compensation phase to make the first terminal of the drive module discharge through the drive module and the discharge module (¶73); a control terminal (fig. 2, item 4a) of the data write module (fig. 2, item T4) is configured to receive a second control signal (fig. 2, Item SCAN), and the data write module is configured to, in response to the second control signal, be turned in the data write phase to write the data voltage to the second terminal of the coupling module (¶74); and a control terminal (fig. 2, item 5a) of the light emission control module (fig. 2, item T5) is configured to receive a light emission control signal (fig. 2, item EM), and the light emission control module is configured to, in response to the light emission control signal, be turned in the reset phase and a light emission phase (fig. 3; ¶72; ¶75).
With respect to Claim 11, claim 1 is incorporated, Ma discloses wherein the first reset signal and the second reset signal are each a direct-current voltage signal (¶58; ¶61; T2 and T3 can be N-type or P-type transistors that have a DC voltage applied at the gate).
With respect to Claim 13, claim 1 is incorporated, Ma discloses wherein a first power signal generated by the first power supply also serves as the first reset signal (fig. 2, Ref2 at C2 is the same as Ref2 at the source of T5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15 and 20 are allowed.
Claims 8-10 and 14 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: With respect to Claim 8, none of the prior art teaches a data write auxiliary unit electrically connected to the control terminal of the drive module and configured to, in response to the second control signal, be turned on in the data write phase to transmit the second reset signal to the control terminal of the drive module including all the base limitations. With respect to Claim 10, none of the prior art teaches the light emission control module comprises a seventh transistor and an eighth transistor, wherein a first electrode of the eighth transistor is electrically connected to the second electrode of the drive transistor, and a second electrode of the eighth transistor is electrically connected to a first electrode of the light-emitting element including all the base limitations.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance with respect to claim 15: Gao (Pub. No.: US 2021/0366386) teaches a pixel circuit comprising a drive module, a storage module, a second rest module, a discharge module, a data write module, and a light emission control module, however fails to teach a coupling module and a first reset module, the first reset module electrically connected to a second terminal of the coupling module, the data write module electrically connected to the second terminal of the coupling module. Ma teaches a method of driving a pixel circuit (see figs. 2 and 9) wherein the method of driving the pixel circuit comprises: in a reset phase (fig. 3, reset period; fig. 9, item S901), controlling the first reset module (fig. 2, item T3) to transmit the first reset signal (fig. 2, Ref2) to the second terminal of the coupling module (¶52, “in a reset period, … the charging control module 3 is in a turned-on status under control of the reset signal terminal RST, and the light emitting control module 5 is in a turned-on status under control of the light emitting signal terminal EM, so that a signal at the second level signal terminal Ref2 is connected to the second node B to charge the second node B “); controlling the second reset module (fig. 2, item T1) to transmit the second reset signal (fig. 2, item Ref1) to the control terminal of the drive module (¶52, “in a reset period, the resetting control module 2 is in a turned-on status under control of the reset signal terminal RST, a signal at the first level signal terminal Ref1 is connected to the first node A and the light emitting element D1, and the first node A and the light emitting element D1 are reset by the first level signal terminal Ref1” – note that resetting control module 2 is comprised of T1); controlling the discharge module (fig. 2, item T2) to transmit the second reset signal to the second terminal of the drive module (¶59, “the second switching transistor T2 is in a turned-on status under control of the reset signal terminal RST, so that the signal at the first level signal terminal Ref1 is applied to the output terminal 1e of the driving control module, i.e., the second electrode of the driving transistor DTFT”); and controlling the light emission control module (fig. 2, item T5) to transmit a first power signal (fig. 2, item Ref2) provided by the first power supply to the first terminal (fig. 2, item 1a) of the drive module (fig. 2, item DTFT; ¶52, “in a reset period, …and the light emitting control module 5 is in a turned-on status under control of the light emitting signal terminal EM, so that a signal at the second level signal terminal Ref2 is connected to the second node B to charge the second node B” – since Ref2 was provided to node b, it would be provided to a point common to 3b, 5c, and 1a and therefore provided to the first terminal of the drive module); in a threshold compensation phase (fig. 3, compensation period), controlling the first reset module (fig. 3, item T3); controlling the second reset module (fig. 2, item T1) to transmit the second reset signal (fig. 2, item Ref1) to the control terminal of the drive module; and controlling the discharge module (fig. 2, item T2) to turn on to make the first terminal of the drive module discharge through the drive module and the discharge module to make the storage module store a threshold voltage of the drive module until the drive module is turned off when a potential difference between the control terminal of the drive module and the first terminal of the drive module is equal to the threshold voltage of the drive module (¶59); and controlling the data write module to write a data voltage to the second terminal of the coupling module (¶52); and in a light emission phase (fig. 3, light emitting period), controlling the light emission control module to turn on, making the drive module generate a drive current based on a voltage at the control terminal of the drive module and a voltage at the first terminal of the drive module, and transmitting the drive current to the light-emitting element (fig. 9, item S904; ¶52, “in a light emitting period, the light emitting control module 5 is in a turned-on status under control of the light emitting signal terminal EM, so that the signal at the second level signal terminal Ref2 is applied to the driving control module 1, and the driving control module 1 is controlled by the second level signal terminal Ref2 to drive the light emitting element D1 to emit light”; ¶68; ¶81). However the prior art does not teach method comprising: controlling the light emission control module to transmit the second reset signal to a first electrode of the light-emitting element; in a threshold compensation phase, controlling the first reset module to transmit the first reset signal to the second terminal of the coupling module; in the data write phase, controlling the second reset module to transmit the second reset signal to the control terminal of the drive module; nor and controlling the coupling module to couple a potential variation at the second terminal of the coupling module to the first terminal of the coupling module including all the base limitations.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Gao (Pub. No.: US 2021/0366386).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DONNA V Bocar whose telephone number is (571)272-0955. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30am to 5pm EST.
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/DONNA V Bocar/ Examiner, Art Unit 2621