DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
2. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. KR 10-2024-0101440, filed on 31st, Jul. 2024.
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 of this title, 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.
3. Claim(s) 1-2 and 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHOI (US Patent/PGPub. No. 20250095550) in view of SASAKI (US Patent/PGPub. No. 20250054433).
Regarding Claim 1,
CHOI teaches
an electronic device ([0072], FIG. 3, i.e. display device DD) comprising:
a display panel ([0072], FIG. 3, i.e. display panel DP) comprising a pixel ([0080], FIG. 3, i.e. pixels PX); and
a driving circuit ([0082], FIG. 3, i.e. data driving circuit 500) which applies a driving signal ([0077], FIG. 3, i.e. outputs the data signals) to the display panel (i.e. please see above citation(s)),
wherein:
the pixel (i.e. please see above citation(s)) comprises:
a first light emitting element ([0094], FIG. 4, i.e. first light emitting element ED1);
a second light emitting element ([0094], FIG. 4, i.e. second light emitting element ED2); and
a pixel circuit unit ([0094], FIG. 4, i.e. first to ninth transistors T1 to T9) which drives ([0115], FIG. 5, i.e. driving current is supplied to the first light emitting element ED1; [0116], FIG. 5, i.e. second light emitting element ED2 supplied with the driving current) the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element, the pixel circuit unit (i.e. please see above citation(s)) comprises:
a first switching circuit ([0115], FIG. 4-5, i.e. sixth transistor T6) which is electrically connected to (FIG. 4, i.e. as shown by the figure(s) T6 connected to ED1) the first light emitting element (i.e. please see above citation(s)) and applies a driving current ([0115], FIG. 4-5, i.e. driving current is supplied to the first light emitting element ED1 through the sixth transistor T6) to the first light emitting element (i.e. please see above citation(s)) in response to a first switching signal ([0115], FIG. 4-5, i.e. first emission signal EM1j) activated ([0115], FIG. 4-5, i.e. low level) in a first mode ([0220], FIG. 13, i.e. first emission signals EM11 to EM1n according to an operating mode); and
a second switching circuit ([0116], FIG. 4-5, i.e. eighth transistor T8) which is electrically connected to (FIG. 4, i.e. as shown by the figure(s) T8 connected to ED2) the second light emitting element (i.e. please see above citation(s)) and applies the driving current to the second light emitting element ([0115], FIG. 4-5, i.e. the driving current … is supplied to the second light emitting element ED2 through the eighth transistor T8) in response to a second switching signal ([0116], FIG. 4-5, i.e. the second emission signal EM2j) activated ([0116], FIG. 4-5, i.e. low level) in a second mode ([0221], FIG. 14, i.e. second emission signals EM21 to EM2n according to an operating mode).
However, CHOI does not explicitly teach
the driving signal has a compensation frequency during a mode switching period set based on a mode switching time point, and
the compensation frequency is higher than a driving frequency of the driving signal during a first mode period associated with the first mode or a second mode period associated with the second mode, wherein the first mode period and the second mode period are different from the mode switching period.
In the same field of endeavor, SASAKI teaches
the driving signal ([0024], FIG. 3, i.e. pixel voltage Vp) has a compensation frequency ([0025], FIG. 3, i.e. refresh rate R3 is 120 Hz) during a mode switching period ([0025], FIG. 3, i.e. P3 serving as a transitional period) set based on a mode switching time point (FIG., i.e. as shown by the figure(s) the point at which P1 met P3), and
the compensation frequency is higher than ([0020], [0025], FIG. 3, i.e. 120 Hz (of R3) > 60 Hz (of R2) > 1 Hz (of R1)) a driving frequency ([0020], FIG. 3, i.e. refresh rate in the low-frequency mode is set to 1 Hz (R1)) of the driving signal during a first mode period ([0020], FIG. 3, i.e. low-frequency mode) associated with the first mode (i.e. please see above citation(s)) or a second mode period ([0025], FIG. 3, i.e. standard mode (with a refresh rate R2); [0020], FIG. 3, i.e. refresh rate is 60 Hz (R2) in the standard mode) associated with the second mode, wherein the first mode period and the second mode period (i.e. please see above citation(s)) are different from ([0020], [0025], FIG. 3, i.e. 120 Hz (of R3) > 60 Hz (of R2) > 1 Hz (of R1)) the mode switching period.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention’s effective date was filed to combine CHOI teaching of display device comprising dual circuits driving two light emitting elements operating high and low frequencies operations with SASAKI teaching of display device comprising dual circuits driving two light emitting elements operating high and low frequencies operations including a transition period between high and low frequencies periods to effectively reduce flickering when transitioning from low to high frequency driving by inserting a transition period between high and low frequencies periods (SASAKI’s [0029]).
Regarding Claim 2,
the electronic device of claim 1, wherein
SASAKI teaches
the electronic device ([0019], FIG. 1, i.e. display apparatus 100) sets the compensation frequency of the driving signal (i.e. please see above citation(s)) based on luminance ([0030], FIG. 5, i.e. frequency of luminance variation is 10 Hz or higher, the flicker rate decreases as the frequency increases) of an input image signal ([0030], FIG. 5, i.e. refresh rate) during the mode switching period (i.e. please see above citation(s)).
Regarding Claim 7,
the electronic device of claim 1, wherein:
CHOI teaches
the driving circuit (i.e. please see above citation(s)) comprises:
an emission driving circuit ([0074], FIG. 3, i.e. first light emitting driving circuit 200; [0076], FIG. 3, i.e. second light emitting driving circuit 300) which generates an emission control signal ([0074], FIG. 3, i.e. 200 may output first emission signals; [0076], FIG. 3, i.e. 300 may output second emission signals); and
a scan driving circuit ([0076], FIG. 3, i.e. scan driving circuit 400) which generates a scan signal ([0076], FIG. 3, i.e. may output scan signals), and
SASAKI teaches
the emission control signal ([0024], FIG. 3, i.e. pixel voltage Vp) has the compensation frequency ([0025], FIG. 3, i.e. refresh rate R3 is 120 Hz) during the mode switching period ([0025], FIG. 3, i.e. P3 serving as a transitional period).
Regarding Claim 8, the electronic device of claim 7, wherein:
CHOI teaches
the first switching circuit (i.e. please see above citation(s)) comprises a first mode switching transistor ([0115], FIG. 4, i.e. sixth transistor T6) which is connected between a common node ([0097], FIG. 4, i.e. first node N1) and an anode ([0107], FIG. 4, i.e. ED1 includes an anode) of the first light emitting element and receives the first switching signal (i.e. please see above citation(s)), and
the second switching circuit (i.e. please see above citation(s)) comprises a second mode switching transistor ([0116], FIG. 4-5, i.e. eighth transistor T8) which is connected between the common node (i.e. please see above citation(s)) and an anode ([0107], FIG. 4, i.e. ED2 includes an anode) of the second light emitting element and receives the second switching signal (i.e. please see above citation(s)).
Regarding Claim 9,
the electronic device of claim 8, wherein
CHOI teaches
the pixel circuit unit (i.e. please see above citation(s)) further comprises:
a first transistor ([0097], FIG. 4, i.e. first transistor T1) connected between a first driving voltage line ([0097], FIG. 4, i.e. is connected between the first driving voltage line VL1 and a first node N1) and the common node, wherein the first transistor (i.e. please see above citation(s)) is controlled based on a potential of a first node ([0113], FIG. 4, i.e. potential of the second node N2 may be changed by a voltage level of the data signal Di);
a second transistor ([0098], FIG. 4, i.e. second transistor T2 is connected between the data line DLi and a third node N3 (please noted that N2 is connected to N3 via Chold as shown by the figure)) connected between a data line and the first node (FIG. 4, i.e. as shown by the figure); and
an emission control transistor ([0115], FIG. 4, i.e. first emission signal EM1j … provided … the sixth transistor T6; [0116], FIG. 4, i.e. second emission signal EM2j … provided … the eighth transistor T8) which is connected between the common node and the first transistor (FIG. 4, i.e. as shown by the figure T6/T8 connected between N1 and T1 ) and operates in response to the emission control signal (i.e. please see above citation(s)).
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claim(s) 16-20 is/are allowed.
5. Claim(s) 3-6 and 10-15 is/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.
6. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
CHOI (US Patent/PGPub. No. 20250095550) teaches a display device includes: a display panel; a first light emitting driving circuit to provide first emission signals; and a second light emitting driving circuit to provide second emission signals. The display panel includes: a plurality of pixels, each including a first light emitting element and a second light emitting element; and a light control pattern overlapping with the second light emitting element of each of the plurality of pixels in a plan view. Each of the plurality of pixels is to emit light through the first light emitting element when a corresponding first emission signal is at an active level, and emit light through the second light emitting element when a corresponding second emission signal is at the active level. A part of the first emission signals and the second emission signals remains at an inactive level during at least one frame based on an operating mode.
SASAKI (US Patent/PGPub. No. 20250054433) teaches a display apparatus includes a signal driving circuit and a display control circuit. When a refresh rate is changed from a first frequency to a second frequency higher than the first frequency, the display control circuit sets a third time period between a first time period having the refresh rate at the first frequency and a second time period having the refresh rate at the second frequency. The display control circuit rewrites for the third time period an image to be displayed on a display panel by alternating the polarity of a pixel voltage between a positive polarity and a negative polarity at a third frequency higher than the second frequency.
The subject matter of the claim(s) that could neither be found/suggested nor obviously combinable in the prior arts of record. The subject matter was a device/method including
“…during the mode switching period, the compensation frequency of the driving signal is set based on comparing an average luminance of the input image signal with at least one reference luminance.” (Claim 3),
“…the pixel circuit unit further comprises:
a first initialization transistor which is connected between the anode of the first light emitting element and an initialization voltage line and operates in response to a black scan signal among the scan signal; and
a second initialization transistor which is connected between the anode of the second light emitting element and the initialization voltage line and operates in response to the black scan signal, wherein the black scan signal has the compensation frequency during the mode switching period.” (Claim 10),
“…a driving controller which receives an input image signal and controls driving of the driving circuit, wherein the driving controller comprises:
a luminance calculation unit which calculates average luminance based on the input image signal;
a frequency determination unit which determines the compensation frequency of the driving signal based on the average luminance; and
a control signal generation unit which generates a driving control signal and provides the driving control signal to the driving circuit such that the driving circuit operates at the determined compensation frequency.” (Claim 11),
“…a driving controller which receives an input image signal and controls driving of the driving circuit, wherein the driving controller comprises:
a luminance calculation unit which calculates average luminance based on the input image signal;
a spatial frequency calculation unit which calculates a spatial frequency based on the input image signal;
a frequency determination unit which determines the compensation frequency of the driving signal based on the average luminance and the spatial frequency; and
a control signal generation unit which generates a driving control signal and provides the driving control signal to the driving circuit such that the driving circuit operates at the determined compensation frequency.” (Claim 14),
“…a luminance calculation unit which calculates average luminance based on the input image signal;
a frequency determination unit which:
receives a mode signal, activates when a state of the mode signal is switched, and determines a compensation frequency of the driving signal based on the average luminance; and
a control signal generation unit which generates a driving control signal and provides the driving control signal to the driving circuit such that the driving circuit operates at the determined compensation frequency,
the driving signal has the compensation frequency during a mode switching period set based on a time point at which the state of the mode signal is switched, and
the compensation frequency is higher than a driving frequency of the driving signal during a first mode period or a second mode period, wherein the first mode period and the second mode period are different from the mode switching period.” (Claim 16),
in combination with the other elements (or steps) of the device or apparatus and method recited in the claims.
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.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VINH TANG LAM whose telephone number is (571) 270-3704. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nitin K 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.
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/VINH T LAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628