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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/17/2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 7, 8, and 13 are objected to because of the following informalities: the claim recite “Wherein” in the limitation of the claim. The typographical error should be corrected. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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, 6, 8, 10, and 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US Patent Publication No. 2023/0298528) in view of Lee (US Patent Publication No. 2023/0155366).
With reference to claims 1 and 15, Lee et al. discloses a display device (DD) (see paragraph 33; Figs. 1-2) and a method for reducing power consumption of a display device including a display module (DP) comprising: a sensing part (400) sensing an output current (Ie) supplied to a display module (DP) (see paragraph 69-70; Fig. 3); a voltage changing part (500) changing an output voltage supplied to the display module (see paragraphs 69-70; Fig. 3); a compensation part (300) compensating for a loss of the sensing part due (Ie) to a change in the output voltage (ELVDD) (see paragraphs 68-69; Fig. 3); and a control part (520) controlling the voltage changing part (500) and the compensation part (300) (see paragraphs 69-70, 87-88; Figs. 3, 6), wherein the control part (520) determines whether to change the output voltage supplied to the display module based on the output current value (Ie) sensed by the sensing part (400), and controls the voltage changing part (500) to change the output voltage if the change in the output voltage is determined (see paragraphs 88; Fig. 6).
While disclosing a protection operation unit (540) (see paragraphs 90-91; Figs. 6-7), Lee et al. fails to disclose counting as recited.
Lee discloses an electronic device (201) having an overcurrent protection function (see abstract) comprising: a voltage changing part (230) changing an output voltage supplied to the display module (160/ 241-244) (see paragraphs 58-60; Fig. 2), wherein a control part (420) determines whether to change the output voltage (see paragraphs 66-68; Figs. 4-6) based on counting the number of times the output voltage is controlled to be change (in teaching overcurrent protection operation performed under the condition that an accumulated value indicating the continuation of the overcurrent exceeds a predetermined critical value; see paragraphs 71-72) the, controls a compensation part to compensate for the loss of a sensing part by delaying the sensing of the output current based on the counted number of times the change is controlled (see paragraphs 77-78), and releasing the sensing delay of the output current when the sensing delay time of the output current reaches a set time (see paragraph 114; Fig. 10B).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to allow the usage of a counter for controlling voltage compensation similar to that which is taught by Lee to be carried out in a device similar to that which is taught by Lee et al. to thereby provide an electronic device that detects the degree of voltage compensation to prevent overheating and damage to the devices of the electronic device (see Lee; paragraph 16).
With reference to claim 2, Lee et al. and Lee discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein Lee et al. further discloses wherein the sensing part (400) is arranged at an output terminal of a power supply part (VL1) that supplies power to the display module (DP) and senses an output current (Ie) of an output voltage (ELVDD) output from the power supply part (300) to the display module (DP) (see paragraphs 67-69; Fig. 3).
With reference to claim 3, Lee et al. and Lee discloses the display device of claim 2 wherein Lee further discloses a sensing part (400) includes a current sensing resistor arranged between the output terminal of the power supply part (Io) and the input terminal of the display panel (by way of control unit (420); see paragraphs 72, 75; Figs. 4A-B)
With reference to claim 6, Lee et al. and Lee discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein Lee et al. further discloses wherein [the] control part (520), when determining whether to change the output voltage (ELVDD), calculates a voltage value (VCS/Ps) applied to the sensing part based on the output current value (Io) sensed from the sensing part (400), and compares the calculated voltage value (current level) with a preset reference value (previous level) to determine a change in the output voltage (see paragraph 89-90; Fig. 6).
With reference to claim 8, Lee et al. and Lee discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein Lee et al. further discloses wherein the control part (520), when comparing the calculated voltage value (S_EL) (detected from the Io of the display panel) with a preset reference value (T_EL), determines to change the output voltage so that (VCS/Ps), if the calculated voltage value is equal to or greater than the reference value, a first output voltage (ELVDD increased by VCS), and if the calculated voltage value is lower than the reference value, a second output voltage is provided that is lower than the first output voltage (ELVDD) (see paragraph 88-89; Fig. 6).
With reference to claim 10, Lee et al. and Lee discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein Lee et al. further discloses wherein the control part (520), when controlling the voltage changing part (500), controls the voltage changing part to provide a first output voltage (VCS/Ps) if the voltage value applied to the sensing part (Io) is equal to or greater than a reference value (T_EL) (see paragraphs 88-89).
With reference to claim 12, Lee et al. and Lee discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein Lee further discloses wherein the control part, when counting the number of times the output voltage is controlled to be changed, increases the counter by one each time the voltage changing part is controlled to provide the first output voltage at a high level, thereby counting the number of times the output voltage is controlled to be changed (in teaching overcurrent protection operation performed under the condition that an accumulated value indicating the continuation of the overcurrent stat exceeds a predetermined critical value; see paragraphs 71-72).
With reference to claim 13, Lee et al. and Lee discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein Lee further discloses wherein the control part, when delaying the sensing of the output current, checks the current number of times of the counter, determines whether the current number of times of the counter is equal to or less than the preset maximum number of times, and controls the compensation part to delay the sensing of the output current if the current number of times of the counter is equal to or less than the preset maximum number of times (see paragraphs 77-78).
With reference to claim 14, Lee et al. and Lee discloses the display device of claim 1, wherein Lee further discloses wherein the control part, when delaying the sensing of the output current, measures the sensing delay time of the output current, checks whether the sensing delay time of the output current reaches a preset time (845) (see paragraph 114; Fig. 10B), and controls the compensation part to release the sensing delay (846) of the output current when the sensing delay time of the output current reaches the preset time (see paragraph 114; Fig. 10B).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5, 7, 9, and 11 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: none of the references used singularly or in combination reasonably teach the limitations as recited. With reference to claim 4, none of the references disclose a feedback circuit switch of the voltage changing part for controlling a signal of the control part, and a voltage changing resistor connected to the feedback circuit switch and changing the output voltage supplied to the display module according to a switching signal of the feedback circuit switch. With reference to claim 5, none of the references disclose an output switch and a path changing switch as recited. With reference to claim 7, none of the references teach calculating the voltage value as recited. With reference to claim 9, none of the reference disclose a calculated value being less that an reference value causes a reset of the counted number of time the change is controlled and determines the output voltage change to decrease the first output voltage to a second output voltage as recited. With reference to claim 11, none of the references teach that if the voltage value applied to the sensing part is less than a reference value, the control part determines the output voltage change to reset the counted number of times the change is controlled and provide a second voltage lower than the first output voltage.
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
DOBKIN et al. (US2012/0287540) discloses an overvoltage protection method and circuit wherein the overvoltage protection circuit prevent an overvoltage on the input supply from reaching the load connected (see paragraphs 41-45; Figs. 1-3).
Conclusion
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/Alecia D English/Examiner, Art Unit 2625
571-270-1595
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