DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either 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 1-10 are pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities: the term “OELD” in line 3 should read “OLED”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-2, and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi (US 2005/0140606).
Regarding Claims 1 and 9 (Original), Choi teaches a temperature protection device and method in OLED display device, comprising:
a temperature detection element [fig. 4 @500] and an overheat protection module [fig. 4 @400],
the temperature detection element is configured to detect an ambient temperature of the display device [¶0028, “The temperature sensor 500 for sensing the temperature of … its surrounding environment”], and
send a temperature signal that is detected to the overheat protection module [¶0029, “The power supply voltage generator 400 generates power supply voltages VDD and VSS corresponding to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 500”];
the overheat protection module is configured to send a voltage control signal to a power supply module according to the temperature signal that is detected [¶0034, “ … the controller 400 may control the digital voltage controller 440 to output the controlled voltages VDD' and VSS' when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 500 exceeds the predetermined temperature”], and
adjust a first voltage [figs. 2 and 4 @VSS] provided by the power supply module to a light emitting device in the display device [fig. 2 @OELD] by the voltage control signal.
Regarding Claim 2 (Original), Choi teaches the temperature protection method according to Claim 1, further comprising:
controlling the power supply module power-down [construed as reduction in supply voltage VDD] by the voltage control signal when the ambient temperature is in a non-predetermined range [construed as the range between the predetermined temperature taught by ¶0034 and the measured ambient temperature].
Regarding Claim 10 (Original), Choi teaches an OLED display device, comprising a temperature protection device in OLED display device according to Claim 9, wherein
an OLED array in the OLED [fig. 2 teaches an OLED pixel] display device comprises any one of micro OLED [alternate limitation not addressed] and AMOLED [fig. 3 illustrates the OLED pixels in an active matrix OLED display or AMOLED].
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 3-4, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi in view of Park (US 2011/0273427). All reference is to Choi unless otherwise indicated.
Regarding Claim 3 (Original), Choi teaches the temperature protection method according to Claim 1
Choi does not teach obtaining current-voltage characteristic curves of the light emitting device in the display device at different ambient temperatures, and importing them into an overheat protection module; establishing a temperature feedback parameter control model of the light emitting device; obtaining a corresponding voltage control signal according to the temperature signal that is detected according to the temperature feedback parameter control model
Park teaches obtaining current-voltage characteristic curves [fig. 3 @a and b and C] of the light emitting device in the display device at different ambient temperatures [¶0044, “FIG. 3 illustrates a graph of the voltage of a second power source in accordance with a change in a temperature and a change in the amount of current that flows through a pixel. Referring to FIG. 3, "a" illustrates a change in the voltage of the second power source at a high temperature, i.e., higher than room temperature, and the amount of current that flows to the pixel; "b" illustrates a change in the voltage of the second power source at a room temperature and the amount of current that flows to the pixel; and "c" illustrates a change in the voltage of the second power source at a low temperature, i.e., lower than room temperature, and the amount of current that flows through the pixel”],
importing them into an overheat protection module [fig. 4 @212, ¶0049, “The lookup table 212 stores the voltage of the second power source ELVSS and the digital value corresponding to the temperature of a panel”];
establishing a temperature feedback parameter control model of the light emitting device [¶0050, “In the lookup table 212, values of the voltage of the second power source are stored in accordance with the ambient temperature”];
obtaining a corresponding voltage control signal [fig. 4 @213] according to the temperature signal that is detected according to the temperature feedback parameter control model [¶0051, “The control signal output circuit 213 generates the control signal having the number of pulses stored in the lookup table 212”]
Before the application was filed it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the concept of modeling the relationship between display current and driving voltage at several ambient temperatures, as taught by Park, into the temperature protection method, taught by Choi, in order to control the temperature of an OLED display panel without negatively affecting display image quality.
Regarding Claim 4 (Original), Choi in view of Park teaches the temperature protection method according to Claim 3, wherein
the temperature feedback parameter control model is a control curve of relationship of the first voltage [Park: fig. 3 teaches ELVSS which is equivalent to VSS] changing with temperature.
Regarding Claim 8 (Original), Choi in view of Park teaches the temperature protection method according to Claim 3, wherein
a step of establishing the temperature feedback parameter control model of the light emitting device [Park: ¶0049, “The lookup table 212 stores the voltage of the second power source ELVSS and the digital value corresponding to the temperature of a panel”]
Choi in view of Park does not teach placing the light emitting device in different ambient temperatures in advance to obtain its parameters when working in different ambient temperatures
Before the application was filed it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that there were a limited number of methods that could have been used to generate a table of ambient temperatures and the display parameters existing at those ambient temperatures. The desired parameter values could have been calculated and stored in the look up table, the parameters could have been measured while the display panel warms up internally and externally, recording data at fixed temperatures or the display panel could have been placed in a series of fixed ambient temperatures while the desired display parameters were recorded. One of ordinary skill in the display art would understand how to experimentally collect the desired lookup table data with a reasonable expectation of success.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi in view of Park and Zheng (US 2018/0330669). All reference is to Choi unless otherwise indicated.
Regarding Claim 5 (Original), Choi in view of Park teaches the temperature protection method according to Claim 4
Choi in view of Park does not teach when the ambient temperature rises in the predetermined range a slope of the relationship of the first voltage changing with temperature is adjusted, and a current of the light emitting device with adjusted first voltage is consistent with a normal operating current
Zheng teaches when ambient temperature rises in a predetermined range [construed as moving horizontally from room temperature (25C) to above room temperature (60C) in fig. 5 at a constant Vds],
a slope of the relationship of the first voltage changing with temperature is adjusted [fig. 6 illustrates the change in slope moving from the 25°C curve to the 60°C curve at a constant Vds which is equivalent to a constant ELVSS, ¶0042, “FIG. 2a is a table of I-V data of the OLED in condition of a constant Vss and different temperatures. FIG. 2b is a diagram of I-V curves of the OLED corresponding to FIG. 2a”], and
a current of the light emitting device with adjusted first voltage [fig. 5 @VSS after] is consistent with a normal operating current [¶0043, “… As can be seen from FIG. 2b, the OLED current is inversely proportional to Vds, i.e., Vdd subtracted by Vss; hence, the influence of the temperature variation on the OLED current may be neutralized by adjusting Vss”, reducing Vss to compensate for increased thermal current is equivalent to reducing the slope of the voltage-current-temperature curve]
Before the application was filed it would have been obvious to incorporate the concept of adjusting a first voltage to maintain the same pixel current as circuit temperature increases, as taught by Zheng, into the temperature protection method, taught by Choi in view of Park, in order to prevent thermal runaway and maintain a consistent image brightness.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi in view of Zhang. All reference is to Choi unless indicated otherwise.
Regarding Claim 7 (Currently Amended), Choi teaches the temperature protection method according to Claim 2
Choi does not teach the predetermined range is greater than or equal to 30°C and less than or equal to 50°C, and the non-predetermined range is greater than 50°C
Zheng teaches a predetermined range is greater than or equal to 25°C and less than or equal to 60°C [fig. 5 illustrates a reference value at 25C and effects of VSS correction at 60C effects of temperature are not analyzed above 60C], and
the non-predetermined range is greater than 60°C [any measured temperature greater than 60C is in a range that is not corrected by adjusting VSS]
Before the application was filed it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the temperature ranges taught by Zhang into the temperature protection method taught by Choi in order to demonstrate correction of the power supply voltage on preventing display panel thermal runaway and possible physical damage
MPEP 2144.05.I states: In the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191 USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976)
Zhang teaches a first range of 25°C to 60°C and a second range of greater than 60°C. The first and second ranges taught by Zhang overlap with the claimed temperature ranges.
Before the application was filed it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the claimed temperature ranges of 30°C to 50°C and greater than 50°C to the prior art ranges of 25°C to 60°C and greater than 60°C without significant effect on the claimed invention.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is 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.
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/Douglas Wilson/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622
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