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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/18/2026 and 02/28/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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, 3, 5, 7, 11, 20, 22, 24 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fletcher et al. (“Fletcher”, US 2010/0315450) in view of Kim et al. (“Kim”, US 2014/0092270).
Regarding claim 20, Fletcher discloses an electronic device (10), comprising a processor (18) and a memory (44) storing an application executable by the processor to perform operations comprising:
when a camera application of the electronic device is in operation, to obtain photosensitive data forming each frame of an image (Fletcher: see par. [0067], wherein a camera application 48G of the electronic device is in operation to obtain photosensitive data forming each frame of an image as reading RGB data for each pixel of the frame);
obtaining the photosensitive data, and determining an ambient light brightness value at where the electronic device is located based on the photosensitive data (Fletcher: see par. [0072], in which obtaining the photosensitive data and determining an ambient light brightness value at where the electronic device is located based on the photosensitive data as grayscale value);
obtaining current screen brightness value of the electronic device and the ambient light brightness value through the camera application (Fletcher: see pars. [0067], [0072], [0080], in which obtaining current screen brightness value of the electronic device as backlight intensity and the ambient light brightness value as average grayscale through the camera application 48G); and
adjusting a screen backlight brightness corresponding to a camera application interface of the electronic device when the camera application is in operation based on the ambient light brightness value and the current screen brightness value (Fletcher: see fig. 3 and par. [0080], adjusting a screen backlight brightness as step 310 corresponding to a camera application interface of the electronic device when the camera application 48G is in operation based on the ambient light brightness value as greyscale average and the current screen brightness value as the backlight intensity).
Fletcher does not explicitly disclose driving an image sensor corresponding to the camera application through a kernel layer of the electronic device, obtaining the photosensitive data through a hardware abstraction layer of the camera application.
However, Kim teaches driving an image sensor corresponding to the camera application through a kernel layer of the electronic device, obtaining the photosensitive data through a hardware abstraction layer of the camera application (Kim: see fig. 3 and pars. [0054], [0085], wherein the camera driver 133 corresponding to the camera application 131 through a kernel layer of the electronic device, obtaining the photosensitive data through a hardware abstraction layer 132 of the camera application 131).
One would have been modified to include a kernel, a hardware abstraction layer as taught by Kim in the apparatus of Fletcher to provide modularity, device independence and high performance.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Kim with the Fletcher’s system to include driving an image sensor corresponding to the camera application through a kernel layer of the electronic device, obtaining the photosensitive data through a hardware abstraction layer of the camera application.
Regarding claim 22, Fletcher in the combination with Kim discloses the electronic device of claim 20.
Fletcher further teaches that the photosensitive data comprises first photosensitive data corresponding to a front camera; and the operation of determining the ambient light brightness value at where the electronic device is located based on the photosensitive data comprises: determining the ambient light brightness value at where the electronic device is located based on the first photosensitive data (Fletcher: see par. [0072]).
Regarding claim 24, Fletcher in the combination with Kim discloses the electronic device of claim 20, wherein the operation of adjusting the screen backlight brightness corresponding to the camera application interface of the electronic device when the camera application is in operation based on the ambient light brightness value and the current screen brightness value comprises:
determining whether the current screen brightness value is greater than a minimum screen brightness value (Fletcher: see par. [0071], at step 306, convert the adjusted greyscale value to a backlight percentage value, the backlight percentage value can be greater than a minimum screen brightness value or not);
when the current screen brightness value is not greater than the minimum screen brightness value, adjusting the screen backlight brightness corresponding to the camera application interface of the electronic device when the camera application is in operation to the minimum screen brightness value (Fletcher: see pars. [0071], [0079], wherever the current screen brightness value is greater than the minimum screen brightness value or not, adjust the screen backlight brightness to minimum bright values); and
when the current screen brightness value is greater than the minimum screen brightness value, linearly adjusting or non-linearly adjusting the screen backlight brightness corresponding to the camera application interface of the electronic device when the camera application is in operation based on the ambient light brightness value (Fletcher: see pars. [0071], [0079], in which the current screen brightness value is greater than the minimum screen brightness value or not, adjust the screen backlight brightness based on the ambient light brightness value as the greyscale average).
Regarding claim 26, Fletcher in the combination with Kim discloses the electronic device of claim 20, wherein before the operation of driving the image sensor corresponding to the camera application through the kernel layer of the electronic device to obtain the photosensitive data forming each frame of the image (see the analysis of claim 20).
Fletcher in the combination with Kim does not explicitly disclose that the method further comprises: determining whether the electronic device has a light sensor, whether the light sensor is disabled, and whether the electronic device has enabled an automatic brightness adjustment function; when the electronic device has no light sensor or the light sensor is disabled or the electronic device has not enabled a brightness adjustment function, performing the operation of driving the image sensor corresponding to the camera application through the kernel layer of the electronic device to obtain the photosensitive data forming each frame of the image; and when the electronic device has the light sensor and the electronic device has enabled the brightness adjustment function, the camera application not performing any processing, and adjusting the screen backlight brightness of the electronic device according to the light sensor by the electronic device.
The Examiner takes Official Notice that the method further comprises: determining whether the electronic device has a light sensor, whether the light sensor is disabled, and whether the electronic device has enabled an automatic brightness adjustment function; when the electronic device has no light sensor or the light sensor is disabled or the electronic device has not enabled a brightness adjustment function, performing the operation of driving the image sensor corresponding to the camera application through the kernel layer of the electronic device to obtain the photosensitive data forming each frame of the image; and when the electronic device has the light sensor and the electronic device has enabled the brightness adjustment function, the camera application not performing any processing, and adjusting the screen backlight brightness of the electronic device according to the light sensor by the electronic device” is well known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate that teaching into Fletcher and Kim system to perform adjusting the screen brightness.
The rational/ motivation to do so is to obtain plurality of methods to adjust the screen brightness.
Regarding claim 11, Fletcher in the combination with Kim discloses the method of claim 3.
Fletcher in the combination with Kim does not explicitly disclose comprising: obtaining the first photosensitive data corresponding to the front camera and the second photosensitive data corresponding to the rear camera through a same image sensor.
The Examiner takes Official Notice that obtaining the first photosensitive data corresponding to the front camera and the second photosensitive data corresponding to the rear camera through a same image sensor is well known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate that teaching into Fletcher and Kim’s system to obtain the photosensitive data.
The rational/motivation to do so is to measure the ambient light more accurate.
Regarding claims 1, 3, 5 and 7, claims 1, 3, 5 and 7 are directed to a method corresponding to the apparatus claimed in claims 20, 22, 24 and 26, respectively. Claims 1, 3, 5 and 7 are similar scope to claims 20, 22, 24 and 26, respectively, and are therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, 6, 8-9, 21, 23, 25 and 27-28 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHAN T H NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-3452. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-4PM.
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, Lin Ye can be reached at 571-272-7372. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHAN T NGUYEN/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2638
/LIN YE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2638
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