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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Examiner cites particular columns or paragraphs, and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the applicant fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
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 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.
In reply to the Non-Final Office Action mailed on 12/18/2025, the applicant has filed a response on 3/18/2026 amending claims 2-3, 7-12 and 15-17. No claim has been added or cancelled. Claims 1-20 are pending in this application.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer.
Claims 1 and 6, and 15 and 20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1 and 5 of U.S. Patent No. 12,314,623, respectively, in view of Huang et al. (US 2017/0192733), as follows:
Instant Application 19186143
US Patent 12,314,623
1. A display module of a plurality of display modules included in a display apparatus, the display module comprising:
a wireless communicator;
a plurality of sensors;
one or more processors;
wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
receive a power from an external source,
obtain a sensing result from at least one sensor among the plurality of sensors,
identify a target display module among at least one display module adjacent to the display module based on the sensing result, and
provide the power to the target display module through the wireless communicator.
The display module according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors include a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor and a fourth sensor, wherein the first sensor is disposed at an upper side of the display module, wherein the second sensor is disposed at a right side of the display module, wherein the third sensor is disposed at a lower side of the display module, and wherein the fourth sensor is disposed at a left side of the display module.
1. A display apparatus of a plurality of display apparatuses included in a modular display apparatus, the display apparatus comprising:
a plurality of display modules combined in an arrangement of a matrix form;
a first sensor provided at a lower side of the display apparatus, a second sensor provided at an upper side of the display apparatus, a third sensor provided at a right side of the display apparatus, and a fourth sensor provided at a left side of the display apparatus;
a plurality of wireless communicators; and
one or more processors configured to:
based on receiving an image signal from a first another display apparatus adjacent to the display apparatus of the plurality of display apparatuses through a first wireless communicator of the plurality of wireless communicators provided at the lower side of the display apparatus, identify a second another display apparatus adjacent to the display apparatus and transmit the image signal to the second another display apparatus adjacent to the display apparatus through a second wireless communicator of the plurality of wireless communicators provided at the upper side of the display apparatus based on identifying the second another display apparatus, based on receiving power from the first another display apparatus, provide the power to the second another display apparatus to which the power is to be supplied among the plurality of display apparatuses without a cable, and display an image corresponding to the display apparatus through the plurality of display modules, based on the image signal, wherein each of the plurality of display modules is an independent component, and the plurality of display modules are physically combined to form the display apparatus, wherein the first another display apparatus is located adjacent to the first wireless communicator and transmits the image signal to the display apparatus through the first wireless communicator, and the second another display apparatus is located adjacent to the second wireless communicator and receives the image signal from the display apparatus through the second wireless communicator, wherein the first another display apparatus is located on the lower side of the display apparatus in the modular display apparatus, and the second another display apparatus is located on the upper side of the display apparatus in the modular display apparatus, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to: based on each of two or more sensors from among the first sensor, the second sensor, the third sensor and the fourth sensor sensing an adjacent display apparatus included in the plurality of display apparatuses and adjacent to the display apparatus, identify the second another display apparatus as an adjacent display apparatus to which the power is to be supplied among a number of adjacent display apparatuses sensed by the two or more sensors.
15. A method of controlling a display module of a plurality of display modules included in a display apparatus, wherein the display module includes
a wireless communicator, and
a plurality of sensors,
the method comprising:
receiving a power from an external source,
obtaining a sensing result from at least one sensor among the plurality of sensors,
identifying a target display module among at least one display module adjacent to the display module based on the sensing result, and
providing the power to the target display module through the wireless communicator.
20. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the plurality of sensors include a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor and a fourth sensor, wherein the first sensor is disposed at an upper side of the display module, wherein the second sensor is disposed at a right side of the display module, wherein the third sensor is disposed at a lower side of the display module, and wherein the fourth sensor is disposed at a left side of the display module.
A method of controlling a display apparatus of a plurality of display apparatuses included in a modular display apparatus, wherein the display apparatus comprises
a first sensor provided at a lower side of the display apparatus, a second sensor provided at an upper side of the display apparatus, a third sensor provided at a right side of the display apparatus, and a fourth sensor provided at a left side of the display apparatus,
the method comprising:
based on receiving an image signal from a first another display apparatus adjacent to the display apparatus of the plurality of display apparatuses through a first wireless communicator of a plurality of wireless communicators provided at the lower side of the display apparatus, identifying a second another display apparatus and transmitting the image signal to the second another display apparatus adjacent to the display apparatus through a second wireless communicator of the plurality of wireless communicators provided at the upper side of the display apparatus based on identifying the second another display apparatus;
based on receiving power from the first another display apparatus, providing the power to the second another display apparatus to which the power is to be supplied among the plurality of display apparatuses without a cable; and displaying an image corresponding to the display apparatus through a plurality of display modules provided in the display apparatus, based on the image signal, the plurality of display modules being combined in an arrangement of a matrix form, wherein each of the plurality of display modules is an independent component, and the plurality of display modules are physically combined to form the display apparatus, wherein the first another display apparatus is located adjacent to the first wireless communicator and transmits the image signal to the display apparatus through the first wireless communicator, and the second another display apparatus is located adjacent to the second wireless communicator and receives the image signal from the display apparatus through the second wireless communicator, wherein the first another display apparatus is located on the lower side of the display apparatus in the modular display apparatus, and the second another display apparatus is located on the upper side of the display apparatus in the modular display apparatus, and
wherein the identifying of the second another display apparatus comprises:
based on each of two or more sensors from among the first sensor, the second sensor, the third sensor and the fourth sensor sensing an adjacent display apparatus included in the plurality of display apparatuses and adjacent to the display apparatus, identifying the second another display apparatus as an adjacent display apparatus to which the power is to be supplied among a number of adjacent display apparatuses sensed by the two or more sensors.
As shown above, claims 1 and 5 of U.S. Patent No. 12,314,623 disclose all the limitations of instant claims 1, 6, 15 and 20, except receiving a power from an external source.
Huang discloses receiving a power from an external source (para[0355]; para[0366]; each of the display modules “can have a thin and flat battery, or have a coil to receive power transmitted wirelessly from a power source”; “power can be relayed from one smaller display to another smaller display wirelessly”; also, a first smaller display module can be connected to a wired power line to receive power).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to receive a power from an external source, for the known advantage of providing an initial power input to the display apparatus/ system (para[0366]).
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, 3-6, 15 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (US 2017/0192733).
Regarding claim 1, Huang discloses a display module of a plurality of display modules included in a display apparatus (see display apparatus 100 in Figs. 1-5 and 13, comprising display modules 102, 104, 130, 132, 220, 230; para[0249]; para[0252]), the display module comprising:
a wireless communicator (each display module “is a fully functional computer that includes… one or more communication modules (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular)”; “a first smaller display can communicate with a second adjacent or overlapping smaller display using near field communication methods”; “power can be relayed from one smaller display to another smaller display wirelessly”, by “e.g., inductive coupling (such as resonant inductive coupling), capacitive coupling, or magnetic resonance”, or “using optical communication methods” such as “light emitting devices and photo detectors”; para[0134]-para[0135]; para[0355]; para[0365]-para[0367]);
a plurality of sensors (regarding Figs. 2-3, see e.g. “the display module 102 includes a sensor 106”, and “the sensor 106 can be an image sensor that captures images of the markings 108” in the display module 104; in addition, “the display module 102 has markings 122…, and the display module 104 has a sensor 126”, which “allows additional modules (e.g., 130, 132) to be positioned adjacent to the display modules 102 and 104, as shown in FIG. 4”; it is noted that “The sensor can comprise one or more light sensors“; para[0019]; para[0251]-para[0252]);
one or more processors (e.g. display modules include “a data processor”; each display module “is a fully functional computer that includes one or more microprocessors”; para[0251]; para[0355]);
wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
receive a power from an external source (para[0355]; para[0366]; each of the display modules “can have a thin and flat battery, or have a coil to receive power transmitted wirelessly from a power source”; “power can be relayed from one smaller display to another smaller display wirelessly”; also, a first smaller display module can be connected to a wired power line to receive power),
obtain a sensing result from at least one sensor among the plurality of sensors (e.g. “the sensor 106 can be an image sensor that captures images of the markings 108” and “A data processor processes the image data to determine the position of the display module 104 relative to the display module 102”; para[0251]),
identify a target display module among at least one display module adjacent to the display module based on the sensing result (“A data processor processes the image data to determine the position of the display module 104 relative to the display module 102”; “When the user positions the second display in the vicinity of the first display, sensors detect the presence of the second display”, that is, the presence of the second display is identified based on the sensor data; para[0251]; para[0353]), and
provide the power to the target display module through the wireless communicator (e.g. “receiving power wirelessly at the second display panel using coils in the second display panel” from the first display panel; “The first smaller display transmits power wirelessly using, e.g., inductive coupling (such as resonant inductive coupling), capacitive coupling, or magnetic resonance, to a second smaller display, which transmits power wirelessly to a third smaller display, which in turn transmits power wirelessly to a fourth smaller display, and so forth”; para[0202]; para[0353]; para[0365]-para[0366]).
Regarding claim 3, Huang discloses all the claim limitations as applied above (see claim 1). In addition, Huang discloses the wireless communicator includes a plurality of wireless communicators (each display module “is a fully functional computer that includes… one or more communication modules (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular)”; “a first smaller display can communicate with a second adjacent or overlapping smaller display using near field communication methods”; “power can be relayed from one smaller display to another smaller display wirelessly”, by “e.g., inductive coupling (such as resonant inductive coupling), capacitive coupling, or magnetic resonance”, or “using optical communication methods” such as “light emitting devices and photo detectors”; see e.g. regarding Figs. 2-3 and 13, when “additional display panels can be added to further expand the overall display area”, each display module will clearly have plural wireless communicators; e.g. “each smaller display has light emitting devices and photo detectors at the back side near the left, right, top, and bottom borders, and photo detectors at the front side near the left, right, top, and bottom borders, so that the smaller display can communicate with another smaller display positioned near the left, right, top, or bottom border, respectively, using optical communication methods”; para[0134]; para[0251]-para[0252]; para[0290]; para[0355]; para[0365]-para[0367]), and
wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
identify a target wireless communicator adjacent to the target display module among the plurality of wireless communicators (see e.g. when “a first smaller display can communicate with a second adjacent or overlapping smaller display using optical communication methods” such as “light emitting devices and photo detectors”; “When a second smaller display overlaps a first smaller display, the light emitting devices at the back side of the second smaller display generate light modulated by a signal, in which the light is received by the photo detectors of the first smaller display”; “the received light is used by the first smaller display to generate a signal representing the signal sent by the second smaller display”, thus identifying presence of the second smaller device/module, based on the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claimed limitations; para[0355]; para[0367]).
Regarding claim 4, Huang discloses all the claim limitations as applied above (see claim 1). In addition, Huang discloses a number of the plurality of sensors is same as a number of the plurality of wireless communicators (“power can be relayed from one smaller display to another smaller display wirelessly” “using optical communication methods” such as “light emitting devices and photo detectors”; e.g. regarding Figs. 2-3 and 13, when “additional display panels can be added to further expand the overall display area”, “each smaller display has light emitting devices and photo detectors at the back side near the left, right, top, and bottom borders, and photo detectors at the front side near the left, right, top, and bottom borders, so that the smaller display can communicate with another smaller display positioned near the left, right, top, or bottom border, respectively, using optical communication methods”; accordingly, it is clear that each display module will have both wireless communicators and sensors 106/126 by each side/border, and thus, a same number of sensors and wireless communicators by each side/border of the display module; para[0134]; para[0251]-para[0252]; para[0290]; para[0355]; para[0365]-para[0367).
Regarding claim 5, Huang discloses all the claim limitations as applied above (see claim 1). In addition, Huang discloses each of the plurality of sensors is disposed at each position adjacent to each of the plurality of wireless communicators (“power can be relayed from one smaller display to another smaller display wirelessly” “using optical communication methods” such as “light emitting devices and photo detectors”; e.g. regarding Figs. 2-3 and 13, when “additional display panels can be added to further expand the overall display area”, “each smaller display has light emitting devices and photo detectors at the back side near the left, right, top, and bottom borders, and photo detectors at the front side near the left, right, top, and bottom borders, so that the smaller display can communicate with another smaller display positioned near the left, right, top, or bottom border, respectively, using optical communication methods”; accordingly, it is clear that each display module will have sensors 106/126 adjacent to wireless communicators by each side/border of the display module; para[0134]; para[0251]-para[0252]; para[0290]; para[0355]; para[0365]-para[0367]).
Regarding claim 6, Huang discloses all the claim limitations as applied above (see claim 1). In addition, Huang discloses the plurality of sensors include a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor and a fourth sensor, wherein the first sensor is disposed at an upper side of the display module, wherein the second sensor is disposed at a right side of the display module, wherein the third sensor is disposed at a lower side of the display module, and wherein the fourth sensor is disposed at a left side of the display module (e.g. regarding Figs. 2-3 and 13, when “additional display panels can be added to further expand the overall display area”, it is clear that display modules surrounded by other display modules will have sensors 106/126 on each of its sides/borders; para[0251]-para[0252]; para[0290]; para[0355]; para[0365]-para[0367]).
Regarding claims 15 and 17-20, these claims are analogous to claims 1 and 3-6 above, except these are method claims (see Abstract, para[0174]-para [0182] and Figs. 1-5 and 13), and therefore are rejected for the same reasons as claims 1 and 3-6, respectively.
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 2 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang et al. (US 2017/0192733), in view of Chiu et al. (US 2016/0104455).
Regarding claim 2, Huang discloses all the claim limitations as applied above (see claim ). In addition, Huang discloses the display module further comprising: a memory (para[0355]; “each smaller display is a fully functional computer that includes… memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory or DRAM), one or more data storage devices (e.g., a hard drive or a flash drive)…”),
wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
identify at least one target sensor that identifies another display module adjacent to the display module based on the sensing result (regarding Figs. 2-4, “markings 108 can be, e.g., one-dimensional bar codes, two-dimensional bar codes, scale marks, or other markings”, “the sensor 106 can be an image sensor that captures images of the markings 108”, “the display module 102 has markings 122” and “the display module 104 has a sensor 126”; “A data processor processes the image data to determine the position of the display module 104 relative to the display module 102”; “When the user positions the second display in the vicinity of the first display, sensors detect the presence of the second display”, that is, the presence of the second display is identified based on the sensor data; moreover, the presence of “additional modules (e.g., 130, 132)… positioned adjacent to the display modules 102 and 104, as shown in FIG. 4”, is identified based on corresponding sensor data, and thus, by identifying corresponding markings in adjacent display modules; para[0251]-para[0252]; para[0353]),
identify identification information of the at least one target sensor (regarding Figs. 2-4, e.g. identifying markings 108/122 in adjacent display modules which “can be, e.g., one-dimensional bar codes, two-dimensional bar codes” and clearly comprise identification information identified by the corresponding image sensor in sensors 106/126; para[0251]-para[0252]; para[0353]), and
identify the target display module corresponding to the identification information (regarding Figs. 2-4, e.g. the presence of the second display 102 is identified based on identifying its markings 108; para[0251]-para[0252]; para[0353]).
However, Huang does not appear to expressly disclose the display module further comprising: a memory configured to store a look-up table for indicating at least on relationship between sensing results obtained from the plurality of sensors located in different locations and target display modules to which power is to be supplied
Chiu discloses a display module (see display device 20 in Fig. 2, display devices 41-43 in Fig. 4, or display devices 711-718 in Figs. 7B and 8A, which form a display matrix; para[0031]; para[0035]; para[0012]; para[0049]-para[0050]; para[0052]) further comprising: a memory configured to store a look-up table for indicating at least on relationship between sensing results obtained from a plurality of sensors located in different locations and target display modules to which power is to be supplied (regarding Figs. 2-3, see “storage module 207 may include a volatile storage medium (for example, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a non-volatile storage medium (for example, electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or flash memory)”; “The volatile storage medium temporarily stores the source image, while the non-volatile storage medium stores the arrangement information of the display matrix”; based on the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claimed limitations, see “the display matrix arrangement information 33” look-up table in Fig. 3; “The display matrix arrangement information 33 may include, but without limitation to, the serial position of the display device in the daisy chain 33a, the arrangement of the display matrix 33b, the total number of display devices contained in the display matrix 33c, and the like”; e.g., regarding Fig. 8A, a corresponding storage module of each display device stores a corresponding relative position in the display matrix, a corresponding serial position number, the display matrix arrangement as 4×2, and the total number of the display devices as 8; “FIG. 8B is a schematic view showing the arrangement information of the display devices by way of an example” (e.g. for display device 711); based on this information, “the display devices synchronously display the contents of the source image”; it is noted that “an internal arrangement detecting program can be executed between the display devices 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716, 717 and 718 of FIG. 8A via… data connection method to obtain various kinds of arrangement information in the same display matrix by way of handshaking”; “Before the source image is actually transmitted, the arrangement information of the display matrix can be identified between the display devices via the data connection, that is, control signal transmission interface, or the image transmission cable transmission interface, in conjunction with the executing of the arrangement detecting program”; based on this, it is clear that stored information (e.g. in Figs. 3 and 8B) indicates a relationship between detection results obtained by handshaking from a plurality of connections located in different locations, and target display devices/modules to which power corresponding to the source image is to be supplied/ transmitted, as claimed; para[0031]-para[0035]; para[0052]-para[0059]), and identifying a target display module corresponding to identification information based on the look-up table (“when the display device fetches content of the storage module 207, the storage position corresponding to the display matrix arrangement information 33 can be easily identified”; e.g. regarding Fig. 4, “before the source image is transmitted, each display device obtains and stores the display matrix arrangement information in advance”, and “before the source image is displayed, the first display device 41, the second display device 42 and the third display device 43 can identify which display devices in the display matrix are commonly used, how the display devices are arranged, and the like via the control signal transmission interface”; para[0033]-para[0035; para[0052]-para[0059]]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the teachings in Huang’s invention, with the teachings in Chiu’s invention, to have the display module further comprising: a memory configured to store a look-up table for indicating at least on relationship between sensing results obtained from a plurality of sensors located in different locations and target display modules to which power is to be supplied, and the one or more processors are configured to: identify the target display module corresponding to the identification information based on the look-up table, for the advantage of actually displaying a source image in response to the actual arrangement of the display devices/modules, to synchronously display the source image at the same time, and thus, enhance the display quality of a display matrix, so that so that a user does not feel image display delay between the display devices/modules (para[0057]; para[0079]).
Regarding claim 16, it is are analogous to claim 2 above, and therefore it is rejected for the same reasons as claim 2.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-14 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:
Regarding claim 7, Huang discloses all the claim limitations as applied above (see claim 6). However, the prior art, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or suggest the following limitations in combination with the rest of the claim, that is, the claim as a whole: “… the one or more processors are further configured to: based on at least one adjacent display module being sensed by the first sensor and the second sensor, provide the power to a display module adjacent to a first direction as the target display module, and based on at least one adjacent display module being sensed by the first sensor, the second sensor and the fourth sensor, provide the power to a display module adjacent to the first direction as the target display module”, as claimed in claim 7.
Regarding claims 8-14, these claims would be allowable based on their dependence from claim 7.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 3/18/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claim 1 (and similar claim 15), the applicant argues on pages 11-12 of the remarks that “Huang does not disclose at least "identify[ing] a target display module among at least one display module adjacent to the display module based
on the sensing result”. The examiner respectfully disagrees. The applicant is not claiming features in a way that specifically and particularly distinguish from the prior art, that is, the identify[ing] a target display module based on the sensing results, and based on the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claimed limitations, as shown in the above rejection, Huang discloses the one or more processors are configured to identify a target display module among at least one display module adjacent to the display module based on the sensing result (regarding Figs. 2-3, see e.g. “the display module 102 includes a sensor 106”, and “the sensor 106 can be an image sensor that captures images of the markings 108” in the display module 104; in addition, “the display module 102 has markings 122…, and the display module 104 has a sensor 126”, which “allows additional modules (e.g., 130, 132) to be positioned adjacent to the display modules 102 and 104, as shown in FIG. 4”; it is noted that “The sensor can comprise one or more light sensors“; “A data processor processes the image data to determine the position of the display module 104 relative to the display module 102”; “When the user positions the second display in the vicinity of the first display, sensors detect the presence of the second display”, that is, the presence of the second display is identified based on the sensor data; para[0019]; para[0251]; para[0353]).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/GLORYVID FIGUEROA-GIBSON/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2628
/NITIN PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2628