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 § 103
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.
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 1 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang et al. (US 20220309996) in view of Ozalevli et al. (US 10,512,130) and in further view of Yu et al. (US 20160231605).
As to claim 1, Huang discloses an electronic apparatus (Fig. 12) comprising:
a display panel (Fig. 2, [0017], [0048]);
a backlight unit (Fig. 2(100)) comprising a backlight including a plurality of light-emitting elements ([0053]: electronic substrate 100 serves as a backlight unit. Each of the plurality of backlight partitions includes a pixel drive chip, and the pixel drive chip is configured to drive the light-emitting elements in the plurality of backlight partitions to emit light, i.e., backlight unit 100 includes a plurality of light-emitting elements); and
at least one processor, comprising processing circuitry, individually and/or collectively, configured to control the display panel to: display a screen corresponding to an image in response to the image being input (Fig. 12, [0070], [0116]: light-emitting elements emit light row by row and display the pre-stored image data, that is, in a display phase of a current frame of image, the data signal is stored row by row and displayed row by row), and
wherein the backlight unit (Fig. 2(100)) includes:
a plurality of pixel integrated circuits (ICs) (Fig. 2(122): pixel drive chip) arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, each configured to provide a driving current to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements ([0052]: pixel circuits arranged in m rows and q columns. Each of the plurality of pixel units 150 includes a pixel drive chip 122 and at least one light-emitting element L electrically connected to the pixel drive chip 122, and the pixel drive chip is configured to output a current flowing through the light-emitting element), and
a driver IC (Fig. 2(140): data drive circuit) configured to sequentially output the driving current to a plurality of first pixel ICs arranged in a first column (Fig. 2: IC’s in the first column of pixels) and a plurality of second pixel ICs arranged in a second column (Fig. 2: IC’s in the second column of pixels) based on the control information ([0059]: data signal transmitted by the data line DL is written to the signal generation circuit 210 in the pixel drive chip 122), [0090]: light-emitting elements L1-Ln connected to the pixel drive chip are driven to sequentially emit light of corresponding gray scales).
Huang does not specifically teach generate control information configured to control each of the plurality of light-emitting elements based on the image, and provide the generated control information to the backlight unit; a driver IC configured to sequentially output the driving current within a specified time period; and a plurality of first pixel ICs arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs arranged in a second column using one source signal.
Ozalevli teaches generate control information configured to control each of the plurality of light-emitting elements (Fig. 3(220, 221): set of strings 220 can each include one or more LEDs 221 connected in series) based on the image, and provide the generated control information to the backlight unit (Fig. 2(220), col. 4, lines 34-49: backlight circuit 200 can include a set of strings 220 and a set of drivers 210); and
a driver IC (Fig. 3(210)) configured to sequentially output the driving current within a specified time period (Figs. 4A-4C, col. 5, line 45 – col. 6, line 6: strings 220 can be turned on and turned off sequentially and actively controlled by one or more drivers 210).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Huang’s electronic apparatus by incorporating Ozalevli’s idea of having the driver IC to sequentially output the driving current within a specified time period in order to improve display brightness and color.
Huang (as modified by Ozalevli) do not explicitly teach a plurality of first pixel ICs arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs arranged in a second column using one source signal.
Yu teaches a plurality of first pixel ICs (Fig. 2: sub-pixels 314 and 316 are interpreted as “a plurality of first pixel ICs”) arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs (Fig. 2: sub-pixels 312 and 318 are interpreted as “a plurality of second pixel ICs”) arranged in a second column using one source signal (Fig. 2: using source signal of common data line 332, [0017] – [0018]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electronic apparatus of Huang (as modified by Ozalevli) by adapting Yu’s idea of having a plurality of first pixel ICs arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs arranged in a second column using one source signal in order to reduce crosstalk and power consumption.
As to claim 14, Huang discloses a method of controlling an electronic apparatus (Fig. 12), the method comprising:
receiving control information for controlling each of a plurality of light-emitting elements ([0052]: each of the plurality of pixel units 150 includes a pixel drive chip 122 and at least one light-emitting element L electrically connected to the pixel drive chip 122, and the pixel drive chip is configured to output a current flowing through the light-emitting element); and
sequentially outputting a driving current to a plurality of first pixel integrated circuits (ICs) (Fig. 2: IC’s in the first column of pixels) arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs (Fig. 2: IC’s in the second column of pixels) arranged in a second column using one source signal within a specified time period based on the control information ([0059]: data signal transmitted by the data line DL is written to the signal generation circuit 210 in the pixel drive chip 122), [0090]: light-emitting elements L1-Ln connected to the pixel drive chip are driven to sequentially emit light of corresponding gray scales).
Huang does not specifically teach sequentially outputting the driving current within a specified time period; and a plurality of first pixel ICs arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs arranged in a second column using one source signal.
Ozalevli teaches sequentially outputting the driving current within a specified time period (Figs. 4A-4C, col. 5, line 45 – col. 6, line 6: strings 220 can be turned on and turned off sequentially and actively controlled by one or more drivers 210).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Huang’s electronic apparatus by incorporating Ozalevli’s idea of sequentially outputting the driving current within a specified time period in order to improve display brightness and color.
Huang (as modified by Ozalevli) do not explicitly teach a plurality of first pixel ICs arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs arranged in a second column using one source signal.
Yu teaches a plurality of first pixel ICs (Fig. 2: sub-pixels 314 and 316 are interpreted as “a plurality of first pixel ICs”) arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs (Fig. 2: sub-pixels 312 and 318 are interpreted as “a plurality of second pixel ICs”) arranged in a second column using one source signal (Fig. 2: using source signal of common data line 332, [0017] – [0018]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electronic apparatus of Huang (as modified by Ozalevli) by adapting Yu’s idea of having a plurality of first pixel ICs arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs arranged in a second column using one source signal in order to reduce crosstalk and power consumption.
As to claim 15, Huang discloses a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing which, when executed by at least one processor, comprising processing circuitry, of an electronic apparatus, individually and/or collectively, cause the electronic device (Fig. 12, [0047]) to perform a, the method including:
receiving control information for controlling each of a plurality of light-emitting elements ([0052]: each of the plurality of pixel units 150 includes a pixel drive chip 122 and at least one light-emitting element L electrically connected to the pixel drive chip 122, and the pixel drive chip is configured to output a current flowing through the light-emitting element), and
sequentially outputting a driving current to a plurality of first pixel integrated circuits (ICs) (Fig. 2: IC’s in the first column of pixels) arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs (Fig. 2: IC’s in the second column of pixels) arranged in a second column using one source signal within a specified time period based on the control information ([0059]: data signal transmitted by the data line DL is written to the signal generation circuit 210 in the pixel drive chip 122), [0090]: light-emitting elements L1-Ln connected to the pixel drive chip are driven to sequentially emit light of corresponding gray scales).
Huang does not specifically teach sequentially outputting the driving current within a specified time period; and a plurality of first pixel ICs arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs arranged in a second column using one source signal.
Ozalevli teaches sequentially outputting the driving current within a specified time period (Figs. 4A-4C, col. 5, line 45 – col. 6, line 6: strings 220 can be turned on and turned off sequentially and actively controlled by one or more drivers 210).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Huang’s electronic apparatus by incorporating Ozalevli’s idea of sequentially outputting the driving current within a specified time period in order to improve display brightness and color.
Huang (as modified by Ozalevli) do not explicitly teach a plurality of first pixel ICs arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs arranged in a second column using one source signal.
Yu teaches a plurality of first pixel ICs (Fig. 2: sub-pixels 314 and 316 are interpreted as “a plurality of first pixel ICs”) arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs (Fig. 2: sub-pixels 312 and 318 are interpreted as “a plurality of second pixel ICs”) arranged in a second column using one source signal (Fig. 2: using source signal of common data line 332, [0017] – [0018]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electronic apparatus of Huang (as modified by Ozalevli) by adapting Yu’s idea of having a plurality of first pixel ICs arranged in a first column and a plurality of second pixel ICs arranged in a second column using one source signal in order to reduce crosstalk and power consumption.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-13 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AFROZA Y CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)270-1543. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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/AFROZA CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628
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