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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(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, 4, 13, 15, 16, 18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jin et al. (US 20200243012, hereafter Jin).
Regarding claim 1, Jin teaches a display device comprising:
a display (14) comprising pixels (22) connected to a first power line (ELVDD), a second power line (ELVDD), scanning lines (28), and data lines (26) (Fig. 2, [0030], [0033]-[0035], where vertical lines 26 operate as data lines and row lines 28 operate as scan lines; Fig. 4, [0040], where each pixel receives a positive power supply voltage ELVDD and a ground power supply voltage ELVSS);
a current sensor (102) to sense a global current value flowing to the pixels (Fig. 11, [0061], where the sensing circuitry 102 senses a current value relating to the entire pixel array);
a power generator to supply a first driving power to the first power line and a second driving power to the second power line (Fig. 4, [0040], where there is a power supply that provides voltages ELVDD and ELVSS); and
a timing controller to compare a limit current value corresponding to an upper limit value of a driving current flowing to the pixels with the global current value, and to control the power generator in response to a result of the comparison ([0060]-[0062], where the sensed current value is compared to the expected current value and the power supply is adjusted to achieve a different scanning voltage VSH),
wherein the limit current value is set differently based on image refresh rates of the display ([0037], [0045], [0060], where the expected current display values are set on the basis of display operation, the display operation affected by the refresh rate as applied to semiconducting-oxide transistor T3 to support a range of refresh rates including low refresh rates).
Regarding claim 3, Jin teaches the display device according to claim 1, wherein the timing controller is to control the power generator to lower a voltage of the first driving power if the global current value is above the limit current value ([0049], [0060]-[0062], [0068], where the voltage level VSH is adjusted down according if the sensed current value exceeds the expected current value).
Regarding claim 4, Jin teaches the display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a sensing resistor between the first power line and the display, wherein the current sensor is connected to the sensing resistor to sense the global current value (Fig. 11, [0061], where is a sensing resistor 106 used to detect the global current value).
Regarding claim 13, Jin teaches a method of driving a display device, the method comprising:
detecting a global current value corresponding to a driving current flowing to pixels (Fig. 11, [0061], where the sensing circuitry 102 senses a current value relating to the entire pixel array);
comparing the global current value with a limit current value corresponding to an upper limit value of the driving current in a power controller ([0060]-[0062], where the sensed current value is compared to the expected current value and the power supply is adjusted to achieve a different scanning voltage VSH); and
controlling a voltage of a first driving power which supplies the driving current to the pixels in response to a result of the comparison of the global current value and the limit current value ([0060]-[0062], where the sensed current value is compared to the expected current value and the power supply is adjusted to achieve a different scanning voltage VSH),
wherein the limit current value is set differently based on image refresh rates of the display ([0037], [0045], [0060], where the expected current display values are set on the basis of display operation, the display operation affected by the refresh rate as applied to semiconducting-oxide transistor T3 to support a range of refresh rates including low refresh rates).
Regarding claim 15, Jin teaches the method according to claim 13, wherein the voltage of the first driving power is lowered if the global current value is above the limit current value ([0049], [0060]-[0062], [0068], where the voltage level VSH is adjusted down according if the sensed current value exceeds the expected current value).
Regarding claim 16, Jin teaches the method according to claim 15, wherein the lowered voltage of the first driving power is set to allow the pixels to maintain light emission ([0046], [0054], where the high voltage levels are set to drive pixel emission).
Regarding claim 18, Jin teaches an electronic device comprising:
a display panel (14) comprising pixels (22), wherein the pixels are to receive a driving current from a first driving power (Fig. 2, [0030], [0033]-[0035], where vertical lines 26 operate as data lines and row lines 28 operate as scan lines; Fig. 4, [0040], where each pixel receives a positive power supply voltage ELVDD and a ground power supply voltage ELVSS);
a voltage generation circuit to generate the first driving power (Fig. 4, [0040], where there is a power supply that provides voltages ELVDD and ELVSS); and
a controller to compare a global current value corresponding to the driving current flowing to the pixels with a limit current value, and to control the voltage generation circuit in response to a result of the comparison ([0060]-[0062], where the sensed current value is compared to the expected current value and the power supply is adjusted to achieve a different scanning voltage VSH),
wherein the limit current value is set differently for each image refresh rate of the display panel ([0037], [0045], [0060], where the expected current display values are set on the basis of display operation, the display operation affected by the refresh rate as applied to semiconducting-oxide transistor T3 to support a range of refresh rates including low refresh rates).
Regarding claim 20, Jin teaches the electronic device according to claim 18, wherein the controller is to control the voltage generation circuit to lower a voltage of the first driving power if the global current value is above the limit current value ([0049], [0060]-[0062], [0068], where the voltage level VSH is adjusted down according if the sensed current value exceeds the expected current value).
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, 14, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al. (US 20200243012, hereafter Jin) in view of Ito et al. (US 20220059028 A1, hereafter Ito).
Regarding claim 2, Jin would show the display device of claim 1. But, Jin does not explicitly teach the device wherein the higher an image refresh rate of the image refresh rates, the lower the limit current value is set in response to a specific load of the pixels. However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Ito ([0101], where the driving voltage scales inversely with the refresh rate such that when the driving of the pixels is physically limited, the refresh rate matches the voltage limitation; it is noted that the driving current and voltage are proportional under Ohm’s Law). Both Jin and Ito teach display devices which modify refresh rate and pixel driving according to physical device limitations. Jin is silent with respect to scaling driving current or voltage inversely with display refresh rate. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to appropriately adjust the display refresh rate or driving current of the Jin device according to physical limitations of the driving transistors as taught by Ito (Ito [0101]).
Regarding claim 14, Jin would show the method according to claim 13. But, Jin does not explicitly teach the method wherein the higher an image refresh rate of the image refresh rates, the lower the limit current value is set in response to a specific load of the pixels. However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Ito ([0101], where the driving voltage scales inversely with the refresh rate such that when the driving of the pixels is physically limited, the refresh rate matches the voltage limitation; it is noted that the driving current and voltage are proportional under Ohm’s Law). Both Jin and Ito teach display devices which modify refresh rate and pixel driving according to physical device limitations. Jin is silent with respect to scaling driving current or voltage inversely with display refresh rate. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to appropriately adjust the display refresh rate or driving current of the Jin method according to physical limitations of the driving transistors as taught by Ito (Ito [0101]).
Regarding claim 19, Jin would show the electronic device according to claim 18. But, Jin does not explicitly teach the device wherein the higher the image refresh rate, the lower the limit current value is set in response to a specific load of the pixels. However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Ito ([0101], where the driving voltage scales inversely with the refresh rate such that when the driving of the pixels is physically limited, the refresh rate matches the voltage limitation; it is noted that the driving current and voltage are proportional under Ohm’s Law). Both Jin and Ito teach display devices which modify refresh rate and pixel driving according to physical device limitations. Jin is silent with respect to scaling driving current or voltage inversely with display refresh rate. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to appropriately adjust the display refresh rate or driving current of the Jin device according to physical limitations of the driving transistors as taught by Ito (Ito [0101]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-12 and 17 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
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/PETER D MCLOONE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2621