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
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.
Claim(s) 1-4,17,18,20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KIM (US 2015/0229117).
Regarding claim 1, KIM discloses a display panel (abstract) comprising: a substrate comprising a first display area and a second display area, and a non-display area outside the first and second display areas (Figure 9, 11; display area corresponding to pixel blocks PB); a first mesh line in the first display area, and electrically connected to pixels in the first display area (Figure 9, 11; mesh lines corresponding to any HPSVL of a pixel block); a second mesh line HPSVL in the second display area, and electrically connected to pixels in the second display area (Figure 9, 11; mesh lines corresponding to any HPSVL of a pixel block); a first high power transmission line PSL in the non-display area, electrically connected to the first mesh line, and configured to transmit a first high power voltage to the first mesh line (Figure 9, 11; paragraph 111-114, 117-120; power transmission line corresponding to any PSL of a pixel block); and a second high power transmission line [high power supply lines] in the non-display area, electrically connected to the second mesh line, and configured to transmit a second high power voltage to the second mesh line (Figure 9, 11; Figure 9, 11; paragraph 111-114, 117-120; power transmission line corresponding to any PSL of a pixel block).
Regarding claim 2, see the rejections of the parent claim concerning the subject matter this claim is dependent upon. KIM further discloses wherein the first mesh line and the second mesh line are electrically insulated from each other (Figure 9, 11; paragraph 111-114, 117-120; electrical insulation of some form would be inherently required to prevent circuit short).
Regarding claim 3, see the rejections of the parent claim concerning the subject matter this claim is dependent upon. KIM further discloses wherein the first high power transmission line and the second high power transmission line are electrically insulated from each other (Figure 9, 11; paragraph 111-114, 117-120; electrical insulation of some form would be inherently required to prevent circuit short).
Regarding claim 4, see the rejections of the parent claim concerning the subject matter this claim is dependent upon. KIM further discloses wherein the first high power transmission line extends in a first direction, and wherein the second high power transmission line extends in the first direction, and is spaced apart from the first high power transmission line in a second direction crossing the first direction (Figure 9, 11).
Regarding claim 17, KIM discloses a display device (abstract) comprising: a display panel comprising a first display area and a second display area, and a non-display area outside the first and second display areas (Figure 9, 11); and a panel driver configured to drive the display panel based on input image data, and to provide high power voltages to the first and second display areas, respectively (Figure 8; paragraph 111-114, 117-120), wherein the display panel comprises: a first mesh line in the first display area, and electrically connected to pixels in the first display area (Figure 9, 11); a second mesh line in the second display area, and electrically connected to pixels in the second display area (Figure 9, 11); a first high power transmission line in the non-display area, electrically connected to the first mesh line, and configured to transmit a first high power voltage to the first mesh line (Figure 9, 11; paragraph 111-114, 117-120); and a second high power transmission line in the non-display area, electrically connected to the second mesh line, and configured to transmit a second high power voltage to the second mesh line (Figure 9, 11; paragraph 111-114, 117-120).
Regarding claim 18, see the rejections of the parent claim concerning the subject matter this claim is dependent upon. KIM further discloses wherein the panel driver is configured to divide the input image data into region image data for the first and second display areas, and wherein the panel driver is configured to determine a target voltage level of the high power voltages respectively corresponding the first and second display areas by analyzing a corresponding one of the region image data (paragraph 7-10).
Regarding claim 20, KIM discloses an electronic device (abstract) comprising: a display panel accommodated in an internal space between a housing and a window (paragraph 5; window and housing enclosing display electronics are generic components to consumer display devices and are not given patentable weight effecting the inventive concept), and comprising a first display area and a second display area, and a non- display area outside the first and second display areas (Figure 9, 11); and a panel driver configured to drive the display panel based on input image data, and to provide high power voltages to the first and second display areas (Figure 8; paragraph 111-114, 117-120), respectively, wherein the display panel comprises: a first mesh line in the first display area, and electrically connected to pixels in the first display area (Figure 9, 11; mesh lines corresponding to any HPSVL of a pixel block); a second mesh line HPSVL in the second display area, and electrically connected to pixels in the second display area (Figure 9, 11; mesh lines corresponding to any HPSVL of a pixel block); a first high power transmission line PSL in the non-display area, electrically connected to the first mesh line, and configured to transmit a first high power voltage to the first mesh line (Figure 9, 11; paragraph 111-114, 117-120; power transmission line corresponding to any PSL of a pixel block); and a second high power transmission line [high power supply lines] in the non-display area, electrically connected to the second mesh line, and configured to transmit a second high power voltage to the second mesh line (Figure 9, 11; Figure 9, 11; paragraph 111-114, 117-120; power transmission line corresponding to any PSL of a pixel block).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM (US 2015/0229117) in view of CHEN (US 2018/0174535).
Regarding claim 19, see the rejections of the parent claim concerning the subject matter this claim is dependent upon. However, KIM does not expressly disclose wherein the panel driver is configured to calculate an average gray level of gray levels represented by pixel data comprised in the corresponding one of the region image data, and wherein the panel driver is configured to determine the target voltage level of a corresponding one of the high power voltages based on the average gray level. In a similar field of endeavor, CHEN discloses wherein the panel driver is configured to calculate an average gray level of gray levels represented by pixel data comprised in the corresponding one of the region image data, and wherein the panel driver is configured to determine the target voltage level of a corresponding one of the high power voltages based on the average gray level (Figure 11; paragraph 96). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify KIM to include the teachings of CHEN, since CHEN states that such a modification would improve image hue of a display. Furthermore, as both inventions are analogous, such a modification would provide additional driving means based on those disclosed by CHEN.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-16 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:
Prior Art fails to disclose further comprising: first connection lines extending in the second direction, and connecting the first high power transmission line and the first mesh line; and second connection lines extending in the second direction, and connecting the second high power transmission line and the second mesh line. Although various prior art discloses power lines in various directions (see BANG (US 2022/0173197)), prior art fails to disclose arrangement in view of mesh lines including defined display areas as claimed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARIEL A BALAOING whose telephone number is (571)272-7317. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM-4AM M-F.
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/ARIEL A BALAOING/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2624
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