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 .
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. If Applicant fails to provide a sufficiently descriptive title, Examiner will do so upon allowance of the claims.
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 1-2, 4, and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe (US 2023/0368744) in view of Kuo et al. (US 2019/0179591) and Zhou et al. (US 2023/0236462).
Regarding claim 1, Watanabe discloses a pair of display devices comprising a first display device and a second display device arranged along an array direction (figs. 1-3, ¶ 53-63, two display panels 110),
wherein the first display device and the second display device each comprise: a display panel having a display area in which a plurality of sub-pixels are arrayed in a matrix having a row-column configuration along a row direction and a column direction (figs. 3-5, ¶ 63-68, see also ¶ 84-91, rows and columns of RGB subpixels);
a plurality of gate lines provided to the display panel, extending along the row direction, and arrayed along the column direction (figs. 3-5, ¶ 63-68, see also ¶ 84-91, scanning lines GL);
a plurality of signal lines provided to the display panel, extending along the column direction, and arrayed along the row direction (figs. 3-5, ¶ 63-68, see also ¶ 84-91, signal lines SL);
and a drive circuit configured to output sub-pixel signals for displaying an image in the display area to the sub-pixels via the signal lines and drive the sub-pixels via the gate lines (figs. 3-5, ¶ 63-68, display control circuit 112, see also ¶ 84-91),
the sub-pixels include a plurality of first sub-pixels, a plurality of second sub-pixels, and a plurality of third sub-pixels having different colors (figs. 3-5, ¶ 63-68, see also ¶ 84-91, RGB subpixels; see also fig. 27, ¶ 196),
the first sub-pixels, the second sub-pixels, and the third sub-pixels are arranged in the display area of the first display device such that the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel, and the third sub-pixel are repeatedly disposed along the row direction in the order as listed and that the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel, and the third sub-pixel are repeatedly disposed along the column direction in the order as listed (figs. 3-5, see also fig. 27, ¶ 196, mosaic arrangement disclosed).
Watanabe fails to disclose an arrangement of the sub-pixels in the display area of the first display device and an arrangement of the sub-pixels in the display area of the second display device are line symmetrical with respect to a virtual line orthogonal to the array direction, and an arrangement of the signal lines of the first display device and an arrangement of the signal lines of the second display device are line symmetrical with respect to the virtual line.
Kuo teaches an arrangement of the sub-pixels in the display area of the first display device and an arrangement of the sub-pixels in the display area of the second display device are line symmetrical with respect to a virtual line orthogonal to the array direction (fig. 1, ¶ 26-36, pixel units of panel 100A and panel 100B are mirror images of one another with seam between the panels as the axis of symmetry; see also ¶ 50).
Watanabe and Kuo are both directed to multi-display panel systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the device of Watanabe with the mirror image panels of Kuo since such a modification decreases the problem of color mismatching (Kuo, ¶ 50) and can provide a reduced gap (Kuo, ¶ 2).
Zhou teaches an arrangement of the signal lines of the first display device and an arrangement of the signal lines of the second display device are line symmetrical with respect to the virtual line (figs. 2-4, ¶ 37-38, ¶ 50, see also ¶ 68, data lines are arranged in mirror symmetry with respect to the gap region).
Watanabe in view of Kuo and Zhou are both directed to multi-display panel systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the device of Watanabe in view of Kuo with the mirror symmetry of Zhou since such a modification provides that no data signal affecting the electric field around the gap region exists (Zhou, ¶ 50), the width of the gap region may be small (Zhou, ¶ 50), and ensures performance of other structures in each pixel unit (Zhou, ¶ 68).
Regarding claim 2, Watanabe discloses wherein when M is the total number of the sub-pixels arrayed in ascending order from the first column to the m-th column (m is a natural number) along the row direction from a first end to a second end, the total number of the signal lines is M and the m-th signal line is electrically coupled to the sub-pixels arrayed in the m-th column in each of the first display device and the second display device (figs. 3-5, ¶ 63-68, see also ¶ 84-91, signal lines SL).
Regarding claim 4, Watanabe in view of Kuo and Zhou fails to explicitly disclose wherein the drive circuit outputs the sub-pixel signals by a column inversion driving method in which polarities of the sub-pixel signals are different between two of the signal lines adjacent to each other in the row direction and the polarities of the sub-pixel signals are periodically inverted.
However, Examiner takes official notice that column inversion for liquid crystal displays is well known in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the device of Watanabe in view of Kuo and Zhou with the well-known column inversion since such a modification achieves the predictable result preventing degradation of the liquid crystal layer.
Regarding claim 6, Watanabe discloses wherein each of the first sub-pixels is a red sub-pixel, each of the second sub-pixels is a green sub-pixel, and each of the third sub-pixels is a blue sub-pixel (figs. 3-5, ¶ 63-68, see also ¶ 84-91, RGB subpixels; see also fig. 27, ¶ 196).
Regarding claim 7, Watanabe discloses a display system comprising: the pair of display devices according to claim 1 (figs. 1-3, ¶ 53-63, two display panels 110);
and a lens (figs. 1-3, ¶ 53-63, lens 410 corresponding to each eye).
Claims 3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe in view of Kuo and Zhou as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Baek et al. (US 2007/0132684).
Regarding claim 3, Watanabe in view of Kuo and Zhou fails to explicitly disclose wherein when M is the total number of the sub-pixels arrayed in ascending order from the first column to the m-th column (m is a natural number) along the row direction from a first end to a second end, the total number of the signal lines is M+1 and the m-th signal line in the first display device is coupled to the sub-pixels arranged in even-numbered rows of the m−1-th column and to the sub-pixels arranged in odd-numbered rows of the m-th column, and the m-th signal line in the second display device is coupled to the sub-pixels arranged in odd-numbered rows of the m−1-th column and to the sub-pixels arranged in even-numbered rows of the m-th column.
Baek teaches wherein when M is the total number of the sub-pixels arrayed in ascending order from the first column to the m-th column (m is a natural number) along the row direction from a first end to a second end, the total number of the signal lines is M+1 and the m-th signal line in the first display device is coupled to the sub-pixels arranged in even-numbered rows of the m−1-th column and to the sub-pixels arranged in odd-numbered rows of the m-th column, and the m-th signal line in the second display device is coupled to the sub-pixels arranged in odd-numbered rows of the m−1-th column and to the sub-pixels arranged in even-numbered rows of the m-th column (fig. 3, ¶ 62-64, pixels of one column are alternately connected to adjacent data lines at the left and right thereof, i.e., six pixel columns and seven data lines shown).
Watanabe in view of Kuo and Zhou and Baek are both directed to liquid crystal displays. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the device of Watanabe in view of Kuo and Zhou with the device of Baek since such a modification prevents the stripe defect (Baek, ¶ 64).
Regarding claim 5, Watanabe in view of Kuo and Zhou fails to explicitly disclose wherein the signal lines include a plurality of pairs of signal lines including two of the signal lines adjacent to each other in the row direction, the pairs of signal lines are sequentially arranged adjacent to each other along the row direction, and the drive circuit outputs the sub-pixel signals by a second column inversion driving method in which polarities of the sub-pixel signals are the same in the two signal lines included in the pair of signal lines, the polarities of the sub-pixel signals are different between two of the pairs of signal lines adjacent to each other in the row direction, and the polarities of the sub-pixel signals are periodically inverted.
Baek teaches wherein the signal lines include a plurality of pairs of signal lines including two of the signal lines adjacent to each other in the row direction, the pairs of signal lines are sequentially arranged adjacent to each other along the row direction, and the drive circuit outputs the sub-pixel signals by a second column inversion driving method in which polarities of the sub-pixel signals are the same in the two signal lines included in the pair of signal lines, the polarities of the sub-pixel signals are different between two of the pairs of signal lines adjacent to each other in the row direction, and the polarities of the sub-pixel signals are periodically inverted (fig. 3, ¶ 62-64, Nx2 column inversion disclosed in which polarity is repeated in units of two columns).
Watanabe in view of Kuo and Zhou and Baek are both directed to liquid crystal displays. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the device of Watanabe in view of Kuo and Zhou with the device of Baek since such a modification prevents the stripe defect (Baek, ¶ 64).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: See attached Notice of References Cited.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEITH L CRAWLEY whose telephone number is (571)270-7616. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 10-6 ET.
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/KEITH L CRAWLEY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2626
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