Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/191,277

DISPLAY DEVICE

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Apr 28, 2025
Priority
Jul 29, 2024 — RE 10-2024-0100202
Examiner
BOGALE, AMEN W
Art Unit
2628
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
1y 3m
Est. Remaining
79%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
344 granted / 461 resolved
+12.6% vs TC avg
Minimal +5% lift
Without
With
+4.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
492
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
88.6%
+48.6% vs TC avg
§102
9.5%
-30.5% vs TC avg
§112
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 461 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Response to Amendment 1. Amendments filed on 03/17/2026 have been entered. Claims 1, 5, 15-16 and 19 have been amended and claim 6 has been canceled. Response to Arguments 2. Applicant contends that Cho does not disclose or suggest “wherein at least some of the pixels that are located on a same vertical line and different horizontal lines and emit light of a same color among the plurality of pixels are connected to a same scan line and are driven in sub-frames of a frame such that, during a given sub-frame period, each of the data lines supplying those pixels is supplied with a data signal corresponding to a single color” Examiner respectfully disagrees. The prior art by Cho at least teaches some of the limitations. Please see the updated office action below. However, Cho does not teach driving pixels in the sub-frames period. Driving pixels based on sub-frame periods is well known in the art. For example, the newly applied prior art by Bae describes ([0079], fig. 4) that driving the odd data lines in the first sub-frame period followed by the even data lines in the second sub-frame period. Allowable Subject Matter 3. Claims 1-5, 7-14 and 19-20 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art of record alone or in combination, fails to teach or render obvious, “A display device comprising: pixels arranged in an order of a first red pixel, a first green pixel, a first blue pixel, and a second green pixel on a first horizontal line; pixels arranged in the order of a second blue pixel, a third green pixel, a second red pixel, and a fourth green pixel on a second horizontal line, and a fifth green pixel located on a same vertical line as the second green pixel and the fourth green pixel, wherein the second green pixel and the fifth green pixel are connected to a same scan line, wherein the first red pixel and the second blue pixel located on a same vertical line are connected to different data lines, and wherein the first green pixel and the second green pixel located on the first horizontal line are connected to different scan lines” in combination with the other claimed limitations set forth in claim 1. The prior art of record alone or in combination, fails to teach or render obvious, “An electronic device comprising: a display device; and a power source to supply power to the display device, wherein the display device includes: a plurality of pixels; a data driver configured to output color data signals; a distributor configured to provide the color data signals to data lines connected to the plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels are to be driven in an interlaced scanning pattern, and wherein the plurality of pixels include: pixels arranged in an order of a first red pixel, a first green pixel, a first blue pixel, and a second green pixel on a first horizontal line, the first red pixel, the first blue pixel, and the second green pixel configured to emit light during a first sub-frame period; and pixels arranged in the order of a second blue pixel, a third green pixel, a second red pixel, and a fourth green pixel on a second horizontal line, the first green pixel, the second blue pixel, the third green pixel and the second red pixel configured to emit light during a second sub- frame period, wherein the first red pixel and the second blue pixel located on a same vertical line are connected to different data lines, wherein the first green pixel and the second green pixel located on the first horizontal line are connected to different scan lines, wherein the first red pixel and the first green pixel are connected to a first data line wherein the first blue pixel and the third green pixel are connected to a second data line, wherein the second red pixel and the fourth green pixel are connected to a third data line, and wherein the second green pixel is connected to a fourth data line” in combination with the other claimed limitations set forth in claim 19. 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.” 4. Claim(s) 15-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2017/0076665) in view of Cho et al (US 2014/0210868) and further in view of Bae et al (US 2016/0217754). As to claim 15, Kim teaches a display device comprising: pixels connected to scan lines and data lines (Fig. 2); a scan driver configured to drive the scan lines (scan driver 20, fig. 1, [0026]); a data driver configured to supply a plurality of data signals to output lines (data driver 30, fig. 1, [0027]); and a data distributor connected to the output lines and configured to supply the plurality of data signals in time division to the data lines (demux circuit 40, fig. 2, [0028]), wherein the pixels located on a same vertical line and emit light of different colors (pixels R and B in the first vertical line, fig. 2) are alternately connected to different data lines (data lines D1 and D2, fig. 2), and Kim does not teach wherein at least some of the pixels that are located on a same vertical line and different horizontal lines and emit light of a same color among the pixels are connected to a same scan line and are driven in sub-frames of a frame such that, during a given sub-frame period, each of the data lines supplying those pixels is supplied with a data signal corresponding to a single color. However, Cho teaches wherein at least some of the pixels (G11 and G21, fig. 4) that are located on a same vertical line ((2b)th pixel column, fig. 4) and different horizontal lines ((2d-1)th pixel row and ((2d)th pixel row, fig. 4) and emit light of a same color (green, fig. 4) among the pixels are connected to a same scan line (GL2, fig. 4) and are driven in (as shown in fig. 4, both G11 and G12 are driven at the same time and connected to the same gate line GL2 ) such that, during a given (when GL2 is activated, fig. 4), each of the data lines (DL2 and DL3, fig. 4) supplying those pixels (G11 and G21, fig. 4) is supplied with a data signal corresponding to a single color ([0044] The TFT Tr of the green pixel G11 in the second pixel column and the first pixel row is electrically connected to the second gate line GL2 and the second data line DL2, and the TFT Tr of the green pixel G21 in the second pixel column and the second pixel row is electrically connected to the second gate line GL2 and the third data line DL3) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Kim to teach, the pixel configuration and connections with data and scan lines, as suggested by Cho. The motivation would have been in order to provide a display device in which “adjacent pixels share the gate line, and adjacent pixels share the data line. As a result, an area for the TFT is reduced in comparison to the related art LCD device such that the aperture ratio and the transmittance in the pixel are improved” ([0058]). Kim in view of Cho does not teach driving pixels in the sub-frames period of a frame as claimed. However, Bae teaches driving a pixel in the sub-frames period of a frame ([0079] During the first sub-frame period, a first level data voltage Lv1 corresponding to a maximum gray-scale level may be applied to the first, third, fifth, and seventh data lines D1, D3, D5, and D7. Of the data voltages applied during the first sub-frame period, data voltages applied during an ON-period of a gate signal applied to the first gate line G1 are applied to first type pixels in the first pixel row PR1_O. Of the data voltages applied during the first sub-frame period, data voltages applied during an ON-period of a gate signal applied to the third gate line G3 are applied to first type pixels included in the third pixel row PR3_O, [0081] During the second sub-frame period, a first level data voltage Lv1 corresponding to a maximum gray-scale level may be applied to the second, fourth, and sixth data lines D2, D4, and D6. Of the data voltages applied during the second sub-frame period, data voltages applied during an ON-period of a gate signal applied to the second gate line G2 are applied to second type pixels in the second pixel row PR2_E. Of the data voltages applied during the second sub-frame period, data voltages applied during an ON-period of a gate signal applied to the fourth gate line G4 are applied to second type pixels in the fourth pixel row PR4_E, fig. 4). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Kim and Cho to teach, driving a pixel in the sub-frames period of a frame, as suggested by Bae. The motivation would have been in order provide a driving method “capable of reducing the output frequency of a data driver and thus reducing power consumption” ([0006]). As to claim 16, Kim does not teach the display device as claimed. However, Cho teaches the display device, wherein the at least some of the pixels that emit light of the same color are green pixels (G11 and G12, fig. 4), and the green pixels located on a same horizontal line ((2d-1)th pixel row, fig. 4) are alternately connected to different scan lines (fig. 4 illustrates that G11 is connected GL2 and G12 is connected to GL1). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Kim to teach, pixels’ configuration and connections with data and scan lines, as suggested by Cho. The motivation would have been in order to provide a display device in which “adjacent pixels share the gate line, and adjacent pixels share the data line. As a result, an area for the TFT is reduced in comparison to the related art LCD device such that the aperture ratio and the transmittance in the pixel are improved” ([0058]). As to claim 17, Kim in view of Cho does not teach the display device as claimed. However, Bae teaches the display device, wherein the frame is divided into a first sub- frame (first sub-frame period, fig. 4) and a second sub-frame (second sub-frame period, fig. 4), and wherein the scan driver sequentially supplies an enable scan signal to odd- numbered scan lines (G1 and G3, fig. 4) during a first sub-frame period (first sub-frame period, fig. 4), and sequentially supplies an enable scan signal to even-numbered scan lines (G2 and G4, fig. 2) during a second sub-frame period (second sub-frame period, fig. 4) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Kim and Cho to teach, the display device, as suggested by Bae. The motivation would have been in order provide a driving method “capable of reducing the output frequency of a data driver and thus reducing power consumption” ([0006]). As to claim 18, Kim in view of Cho and further in view of Bae teaches the display device, wherein: the data distributor has a demultiplexer (Kim: demux circuit 40, fig. 2) connected between one output line (Kim: for example, a line connected to the source channels SC1 of fig. 2) and two data lines (Kim: D2 and D10, fig. 2), and the demultiplexer sequentially connects the one output line to the two data lines during a horizontal period in response to an enable first control signal and an enable second control signal (Kim: signals CS1 and CS2, fig. 3), and wherein the display device further comprises: a timing controller (Kim: timing controller 50, fig. 1) configured to supply the enable first control signal and the enable second control signal (Kim: [0028] The demux circuit 40 selectively connects the data lines D1 to Dm with the source channels SC1 to SCj in response to a demux control signals CSx, fig. 1), wherein the timing controller: sequentially supplies the enable first control signal and the enable second control signal for each horizontal period (Kim: [0028], figs. 1, 2, and 3), or changes an order in which the enable first control signal and the enable second control signal are supplied for each horizontal period. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMEN W BOGALE whose telephone number is (571)270-1579. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:AM-6:PM. 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, Nitin Patel can be reached at (571)272-7677. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /AMEN W BOGALE/Examiner, Art Unit 2628 /NITIN PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2628
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 28, 2025
Application Filed
Dec 17, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Mar 17, 2026
Response Filed
May 19, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103
Jul 15, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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DISPLAY SUBSTRATE, DRIVING METHOD THEREFOR, AND DISPLAY DEVICE
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Patent 12651555
PIXEL AND DISPLAY DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME
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Patent 12650759
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PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE
2y 4m to grant Granted Apr 21, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
75%
Grant Probability
79%
With Interview (+4.6%)
2y 6m (~1y 3m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 461 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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