Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/238,894

DISPLAY DEVICE, DRIVING METHOD THEREOF, AND AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jun 16, 2025
Priority
Jun 19, 2024 — RE 10-2024-0079578 +1 more
Examiner
BODDIE, WILLIAM
Art Unit
2622
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
28%
Grant Probability
At Risk
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 9m
Est. Remaining
52%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 28% of cases
28%
Career Allowance Rate
55 granted / 199 resolved
-34.4% vs TC avg
Strong +24% interview lift
Without
With
+23.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 10m
Avg Prosecution
31 currently pending
Career history
237
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
88.1%
+48.1% vs TC avg
§102
6.4%
-33.6% vs TC avg
§112
2.1%
-37.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 199 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. 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. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. Claim(s) 1-6, 11-16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. Pub. No. US 2023/0298494 A1 [Kim] in view of LI et al. Pub. No. US 2024/0221629 A1 [Li]. 1. Kim discloses a display device [Fig. 1] comprising: pixels [P & ¶ 48 multiple pixels P]; a sensing unit configured to sense mobilities of the pixels during a sensing frame period [Fig. 4 and ¶¶ 22 & 60-66, for instance, wherein data is applied in frame and mobilities and bad pixels are determined]; and an abnormality detector configured to determine whether the display device is abnormal based on the mobilities and configured to power off the display device based on an abnormality being detected [¶ 71 in case that the number of the bad pixels BP is greater than or equal to the first reference value…the panel protection operation may be an operation of powering off the display device]. Kim is silent on a temperature sensor configured to measure a current temperature; wherein the abnormality detector is configured to determine whether the display device is abnormal based on the current temperature and the mobilities during a first sensing frame period after a power-on sequence. However, Li teaches a temperature sensor configured to measure a current temperature [Fig. 1 & ¶ 24]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim with Li to use a temperature sensor in a display, since such a modification prevents pixel damage. Kim in view Li teaches wherein the abnormality detector is configured to determine whether the display device is abnormal based on the current temperature [Li ¶ 24 where threshold value is used to determine power state after power on] and the mobilities during a first sensing frame period after a power-on sequence [where mobilities would be used as taught by Kim in the modified invention]. 2. Kim in view of Li teaches wherein the abnormality detector is configured to determine whether the display device is abnormal based on difference values of the mobilities of a current sensing frame period and the mobilities of a previous sensing frame period, during sensing frame periods after the first sensing frame period [Kim Fig. 4 & ¶ 68]. 3. Kim in view of Li teaches wherein the abnormality detector comprises a mode determiner configured to determine whether the current sensing frame period corresponds to the first sensing frame period or a sensing frame period after the first sensing frame period [Kim Fig. 5 as shown by inputs to 210 and 250, for instance]. 4. Kim in view of Li teaches wherein the abnormality detector further comprises a first threshold determiner configured to determine a first threshold based on a reference mobility, a reference temperature, and the current temperature, based on the current sensing frame period corresponding to the first sensing frame period [Li ¶ 68 where the modified invention functions identically]. 5. Kim in view of Li teaches wherein the abnormality detector further comprises an abnormal pixel determiner configured to determine abnormal pixels among the pixels based on the first threshold and the mobilities of the first sensing frame period [where the modified invention functions identically]. 6. Kim in view of Li is silent on wherein the abnormality detector further comprises a power-off determiner configured to determine power-off of the display device based on a number of the abnormal pixels being greater than a reference number. However, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim in view of Li to meet this requirement, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art, In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (CCPA 1955). Moreover, in the absence of any criticality (i.e., unobvious and/or unexpected result(s)), the parameter set forth above would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 1578, 16 USPQ2d 1934, 1936 (Fed. Cir. 1990). 11. Kim discloses a method of driving a display device [Fig. 1 & see ¶ 2, for instance], the method comprising: sensing mobilities of pixels during a sensing frame period [Fig. 4 and ¶¶ 22 & 60-66, for instance, wherein data is applied in frame and mobilities and bad pixels are determined]; determining whether the display device is abnormal based on the mobilities [¶¶ 60-62 by means of reference]; and powering off the display device based on an abnormality of the display device being detected [¶ 71 in case that the number of the bad pixels BP is greater than or equal to the first reference value…the panel protection operation may be an operation of powering off the display device], wherein whether the display device is determined to be abnormal is based on the mobilities during a first sensing frame period after a power-on sequence of the display device [id. some frame period after power on]. Kim is silent on measuring a current temperature and the current temperature used in abnormality detection. However, Li teaches a temperature sensor configured to measure a current temperature [Fig. 1 & ¶ 24]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim with Li to use a temperature sensor in a display, since such a modification prevents pixel damage. Kim in view of Li teaches wherein the abnormality detector is configured to determine whether the display device is abnormal based on the current temperature [Li ¶ 24 where threshold value is used to determine power state after power on] and the mobilities during a first sensing frame period after a power-on sequence [where mobilities would be used as taught by Kim in the modified invention]. 12. Kim in view of Li teaches wherein whether the display device is determined to be abnormal is based on difference values of the mobilities of a current sensing frame period and the mobilities of a previous sensing frame period during sensing frame periods after the first sensing frame period [Kim Fig. 4 & ¶ 68]. 13. Kim in view of Li teaches determining whether the current sensing frame period corresponds to the first sensing frame period or a sensing frame period after the first sensing frame period [Kim Fig. 5 by means of 210 and 250, for instance]. 14. Kim in view of Li teaches determining a first threshold based on a reference mobility, a reference temperature, and the current temperature, based on the current sensing frame period corresponding to the first sensing frame period [Li ¶ 68 where the modified invention functions identically]. 15. Kim in view of Li teaches determining abnormal pixels among the pixels based on the first threshold and the mobilities of the first sensing frame period [where the modified invention functions identically]. 16. Kim in view of Li is silent on determining power- off of the display device based on a number of the abnormal pixels being greater than a reference number. However, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim in view of Li to meet this requirement, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art, In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (CCPA 1955). 20. Kim discloses an electronic device [Fig. 1] comprising: a processor configured to provide an image data [¶ 43]; and a display device configured to display an image based on the image data [¶ 47 display panel 100 may have a display region AA on which an image is displayed], wherein the display device comprises: pixels [Fig. 1, P & ¶ 48 multiple pixels P]; a sensing unit configured to sense mobilities of the pixels during a sensing frame period [Fig. 4 and ¶¶ 22 & 60-66, for instance, wherein data is applied in frame and mobilities and bad pixels are determined]; and an abnormality detector configured to determine whether the display device is abnormal based on the mobilities and configured to power off the display device based on an abnormality being detected [¶ 71 in case that the number of the bad pixels BP is greater than or equal to the first reference value…the panel protection operation may be an operation of powering off the display device], and wherein the abnormality detector is configured to determine whether the display device is abnormal based on the mobilities during a first sensing frame period after a power-on sequence [id. some frame period after power on]. Kim is silent on a temperature sensor configured to measure a current temperature. However, Li teaches a temperature sensor configured to measure a current temperature [Fig. 1 & ¶ 24]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim with Li to use a temperature sensor in a display, since such a modification prevents pixel damage. Kim in view of Li teaches wherein the abnormality detector is configured to determine whether the display device is abnormal based on the current temperature [Li ¶ 24 where threshold value is used to determine power state after power on] and the mobilities during a first sensing frame period after a power-on sequence [where mobilities would be used as taught by Kim in the modified invention]. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 7-10 and 17-19 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. When claim 7 is rewritten as detailed above and when taken as whole including each and every limitation of claims 1-6, the claim is allowable over the prior art of record. It is not obvious to further modify. Claim 17 is indicated allowable for the same reason. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GUSTAVO POLO whose telephone number is (571)270-7613. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-5pm PT. 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, Patrick Edouard can be reached at (571)272-7603. 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. /Gustavo Polo/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622
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Prosecution Timeline

Jun 16, 2025
Application Filed
Feb 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection (signed) — §103
Apr 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
28%
Grant Probability
52%
With Interview (+23.9%)
4y 10m (~3y 9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 199 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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