DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-8 and 11-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (USPN 2022/0148504).
With respect to claim 1, Wang teaches a display device (Figs. 1-14), comprising:
a display area including a plurality of pixels (Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 1 teaches a display area with pixels in a matrix);
a peripheral area disposed outside the display area (Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 1 teaches a peripheral area outside the pixels including signal drivers);
a gate line disposed in the display area (Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 1, items S1-SN teach a gate/scanning lines); and
a data line disposed in the display area (Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 1, items D1-DM teach data lines),
wherein each of the plurality of pixels comprises:
a first circuit portion connected to the gate line and the data line (Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 3, items T1-T4 teach a first circuit portion connected to gate/data lines. See annotated figure below);
a second circuit portion connected to the first circuit portion (Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 3, items T6-Tn teach a second circuit portion connected to the first circuit portion via N3. See annotated figure below); and
a plurality of light-emitting elements connected to the second circuit portion (Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 3, at least items D1-Dn. See annotated figure below) and configured to emit light of different colors (Figs. 1-14. Fig. 7 and at least paragraphs [0042] and [0075] teach the light-emitting elements of a sub-pixel can each belong to a different pixel island/color. See annotated figure below),
wherein the second circuit portion comprises a plurality of control transistors connected between the first circuit portion and the plurality of light-emitting elements (Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 3, items D1-Dn. See annotated figure below).
However, Wang fails to expressly teach all of the limitations in a single embodiment. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the various teachings of Wang because paragraph [0114] suggests modifications to the disclosed embodiments.
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With respect to claim 2, Wang teaches the display device of claim 1, discussed above, further comprising:
a plurality of emission control lines respectively connected to gate terminals of the plurality of control transistors (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 3, items EM1-EMn); and
an emission control circuit configured to generate an emission control signal and transmit the emission control signal to the plurality of emission control lines (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 1 teaches a Light-emitting signal driver).
With respect to claim 3, Wang teaches the display device of claim 2, discussed above, wherein the emission control circuit is configured to transmit the emission control signal, which is configured to turn on only a part of the plurality of control transistors, to the second circuit portion in a first sub-frame among a plurality of sub-frames included in one frame (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Figs. 1, 3, 8, 13a and 13b).
With respect to claim 4, Wang teaches the display device of claim 3, discussed above, wherein the plurality of control transistors of the second circuit portion are configured to be turned on sequentially during the plurality of sub-frames of the one frame according to the emission control signal (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 3, items EM1-EMn and paragraph [0041]).
With respect to claim 5, Wang teaches the display device of claim 4, discussed above, wherein the emission control circuit is disposed outside the display area (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 1).
With respect to claim 6, Wang teaches the display device of claim 4, discussed above, wherein in one of the plurality of sub-frames, a first color which is an emission color of a first light-emitting element among the plurality of light-emitting elements that emits light in a first pixel among the plurality of pixels is different from a second color which is an emission color of a second light-emitting element among the plurality of light-emitting elements that emits light in a second pixel neighboring the first pixel (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Figs. 1, 3, 8, 13a and 13b and at least paragraphs [0042] and [0075]).
With respect to claim 7, Wang teaches the display device of claim 6, discussed above, wherein a third color which is an emission color of a third light-emitting element among the plurality of light-emitting elements that emits light in a third pixel neighboring the first pixel among the plurality of pixels is different from the first color and the second color (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Figs. 1, 3, 8, 13a and 13b and at least paragraphs [0042] and [0075]).
With respect to claim 8, Wang teaches the display device of claim 6, discussed above, wherein in each of the plurality of pixels, the second circuit portion is disposed adjacent to the first circuit portion in a plan view (Wang, Figs. 1-14. Examiner notes the term “adjacent” includes direct and indirect positional relationships).
Claim 11, an electronic device, corresponds to and is analyzed and rejected for substantially the same reasons as the display device of Claim 1, discussed above.
Examiner notes Wang further teaches a processor (paragraph [0113]); and a display device connected to the processor (Figs. 1-14 and paragraph [0113]).
The further limitations of claims 12-14 are rejected for substantially the same reasons as claims 2-4, discussed above.
Claim 15, a method of driving a display device, corresponds to and is analyzed and rejected for substantially the same reasons as the display device of Claim 1, discussed above.
Examiner notes Wang further teaches emitting only a part of a plurality of light-emitting elements in one sub-frame among a plurality of sub-frames included in one frame (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Figs. 1, 3, 8, 13a and 13b and at least paragraphs [0042] and [0075]).
The further limitations of claim 16 are rejected for substantially the same reasons as claim 4, discussed above.
The further limitations of claims 17-18 are rejected for substantially the same reasons as claims 6-7, discussed above.
With respect to claim 19, Wang teaches the method of driving a display device of claim 16, discussed above, wherein the second circuit portion comprises a plurality of control transistors connected between the first circuit portion and the plurality of light-emitting elements (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Fig. 3, items T6-Tn), wherein emitting only the part of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the one sub-frame includes transmitting an emission control signal that turns on only a part of the plurality of control transistors to the plurality of control transistors (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Figs. 1, 3, 8, 13a and 13b and at least paragraphs [0042] and [0075]).
With respect to claim 20, Wang teaches the method of driving a display device of claim 19, discussed above, further comprising:
transmitting a gate signal to the gate line before transmitting the emission control signal to the plurality of control transistors (Wang, Figs. 1-14. At least Figs. 1, 3, 8, 13a and 13b and at least paragraphs [0042] and [0075]).
Claim(s) 9 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (USPN 2022/0148504) in view of Zhao et al. (USPN 2014/0036191).
With respect to claim 9, Wang teaches the display device of claim 2, discussed above.
However, Wang fails to expressly teach wherein each of the plurality of emission control lines extends parallel to the data line (Wang, Fig. 1 teaches the data driver on top and the emission control lines on the right side).
Zhao teaches a known technique relocating a driver to the same side as another driver (Fig. 2 and paragraph [0043]).
Wang teaches a base process/product of a display device including emission control lines and data lines which the claimed invention can be seen as an improvement in that each of the plurality of emission control lines extends parallel to the data line. Zhao teaches a known technique of relocating a driver to the same side as another driver that is comparable to the base process/product.
Zhao’s known technique of relocating a driver to the same side as another driver would have been recognized by one skilled in the art as applicable to the base process/product of Wang and the results would have been predictable and resulted in relocating the light-emitting signal driver next to the data signal driver such that each of the plurality of emission control lines extends parallel to the data line which results in an improved process/product.
Therefore, the claimed subject matter would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art.
The rationale to support a conclusion that the claim would have been obvious is that a particular known technique was recognized as part of the ordinary capabilities of one skilled in the art. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been capable of applying this known technique to a known device (method, or product) that was ready for improvement and the results would have been predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art.
With respect to claim 10, Wang in view of Zhao teach the display device of claim 9, discussed above.
However, Wang in view of Zhao fail to expressly teach wherein the plurality of emission control lines pass through each of the plurality of pixels.
Examiner takes Official Notice that it is well known in the art to position control lines such that they pass through pixels.
Wang in view of Zhao teaches a base process/product of a display device including emission control lines and pixels which the claimed invention can be seen as an improvement in that the plurality of emission control lines pass through each of the plurality of pixels. Official Notice teaches a known technique of positioning control lines such that they pass through pixels that is comparable to the base process/product.
Official Notice’s known technique of positioning control lines such that they pass through pixels would have been recognized by one skilled in the art as applicable to the base process/product of Wang in view of Zhao and the results would have been predictable and resulted in wherein the plurality of emission control lines pass through each of the plurality of pixels which results in an improved process/product.
Therefore, the claimed subject matter would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art.
The rationale to support a conclusion that the claim would have been obvious is that a particular known technique was recognized as part of the ordinary capabilities of one skilled in the art. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been capable of applying this known technique to a known device (method, or product) that was ready for improvement and the results would have been predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure:
Yun et al. (USPN 12,573,343), Yamanaka (USPN 2016/0372043), Guo et al. (USPN 2024/0203343), Hong et al. (USPN 2023/0217763), Sun et al. (USPN 2021/0366372) and Liang et al. (USPN 2019/0108790) teach display pixels with first and second circuit portions including a plurality of light-emitting elements in the second circuit portion; and
Ina et al. (USPN 2012/0188212) and Sato (USPN 2018/0013007) teach control lines passing through pixels.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTONIO J XAVIER whose telephone number is (571)270-7688. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 830am-5pm PST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, PATRICK EDOUARD can be reached on 571-272-7603. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANTONIO XAVIER/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622
Prosecution Insights