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 .
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer.
Claims 1-20 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of copending Application No. 19/425,150 (USPN 2026/0120630 A1) and copending Application No. 19/443,632 (USPN 2026/0134827 A1), respectively. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claims are obvious variations of each other.
The overlapping-layer privacy-filter arrangement claimed in Application No. 19/629,760 would have been an obvious implementation to provide the display driver with composition information identifying the layers of the image so that the driver can determine which pixels correspond to the layer or layers subject to privacy processing. Likewise, use of a transparent or translucent upper layer represents an obvious selection of the visual characteristics of an overlapping image layer. Where such an upper layer overlaps an underlying layer whose corresponding display pixels are subjected to viewing-angle pixel processing, the overlapping displayed portion would predictably exhibit the viewing-angle characteristics produced by that pixel processing.
The differences shown in the chart below are obvious variations of the subject matter claimed in Application No. 19/443,632. The overlapping image layers as an upper or lower layer is an ordinary implementation choice in compositing layered image content. Similarly, making an overlapping upper layer transparent or translucent would have been an obvious graphical-compositing implementation permitting underlying image content to remain visible through the upper layer. Providing layer-composition information to the display driver would have been an obvious mechanism for identifying which displayed pixels correspond to the respective image layers for purposes of the selectively applied pixel processing already claimed in Application No. 19/443,632. Further, because Application No. 19/443,632 already claims selectively performing privacy-related pixel processing with respect to areas corresponding to overlapping image layers so as to narrow the viewing angles of portions of both layers, configuring the overlapping layers such that processing pixels corresponding to an underlying layer produces the claimed narrowed viewing angle in the overlapping displayed portion would have been a predictable variation of the claimed privacy-filter operation.
Accordingly, the instant application claims merely recite an obvious variation of the subject matter claimed in Application Nos. 19/629,760 and 19/443,632, respectively, therefore are not patentably distinct therefrom.
This is a provisional nonstatutory double patenting rejection because the patentably indistinct claims have not in fact been patented.
Copending application 19/629,760 (USPN 2026/0221087 A1)
Copending application 19/443,632 (USPN 2026/0134827 A1)
Instant application 19/425,150 (USPN 2026/0120630 A1)
1. An electronic device comprising:
a display panel configured to adjust a viewing angle of at least a portion of an image displayed via a display area of the display panel;
display driver circuitry; and
at least one processor comprising processing circuitry, wherein the display driver circuitry is configured to:
receive, from the at least one processor, an image to be displayed via the display area of the display panel,
in response to a filter for user privacy being applied to a first layer of the image and a second layer of the image that is positioned below the first layer and partially overlaps the first layer,
identify first pixels, corresponding to the first and second layers, on which a pixel-processing is to be performed to control a viewing angle, and perform the pixel-processing on the first pixels to apply the filter to the first and second layers, and wherein viewing angles of the first and second layers to which the filter is applied are narrower than a viewing angle of a portion of a third layer of the image to which the filter is not applied, the portion of the third layer positioned below the first and second layers and not overlapping the first and second layers.
1. An electronic device comprising:
a display panel configured to adjust a viewing angle of at least a portion of an image displayed on the display panel;
display driver circuitry; and at least one processor comprising processing circuitry, wherein the display driver circuitry is configured to:
display, on the display panel, an image including a first layer, and a second layer positioned on a first portion of the first layer to overlap the first layer, while displaying the image, receive, from the at least one processor, at least one command associated with a filter for user privacy, based on receiving, from the at least one processor, the at least one command according to a first input for applying the filter to the second layer of the image, narrow a viewing angle of the second layer of the image, in accordance with performing a pixel processing for the filter with respect to a first area of the display panel displaying the second layer of the image, and based on receiving, from the at least one processor, the at least one command according to a second input for applying the filter to the first area of the display panel displaying the second layer of the image, narrow a viewing angle of a second portion of the first layer of the image and a viewing angle of the second layer of the image, in accordance with performing the pixel processing with respect to the first area of the display panel and a second area of the display panel around the first area of the display panel.
1. An electronic device comprising:
a display panel configured to adjust a viewing angle of at least a portion of an image displayed on the display panel;
display driver circuitry; and
at least one processor comprising processing circuitry, wherein the display driver circuitry is configured to:
obtain, from the at least one processor, a composition list regarding layers included in an image to be displayed on the display panel,
receive, from the at least one processor, the image, identify, using the composition list, applying a filter for user privacy to a second layer of the image positioned below a first layer of the image to partially overlap the first layer of the image, the first layer of the image being transparent or translucent, and
in accordance with the identifying, based on performing a pixel processing with respect to pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image to apply the filter to the second layer of the image and also apply the filter to a portion of the first layer overlapping the second layer of the image, display, on the display panel, the image including the portion of the first layer having a viewing angle narrower than a viewing angle of a remaining portion of the first layer, and the second layer that has a viewing angle narrower than the viewing angle of the remaining portion of the first layer.
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, 8, 15-16, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryu et al. (USPN 2015/0100884 A1) in view of Vannier et al. (USPN 10,102,648 B1), further in view of Hsieh et al. (USPN 2022/0050314 A1).
As to claim 1, Ryu teaches an electronic device comprising: a display panel; display driver circuitry; and at least one processor comprising processing circuitry (see at least [0023] “a computing device may involve a graphics processing unit (e.g., 3D compositor 111), a frame buffer 109, a display controller 113, and a display 115.”; [0033] “a system on a chip 401, external memory 409, and a display screen 413. .., the system on a chip 401 may be implemented to include a central processing unit (CPU) 403 and display controller 405.”),
wherein the display driver circuitry is configured to: obtain, from the at least one processor, a composition list regarding layers included in an image to be displayed on the display panel, receive, from the at least one processor, the image (see at least [0026] “a display frame displayed in a screen or display panel of a computing device is composed of content displayed in a plurality of discrete graphical layers. …. The layers may correspond to one or more programs (e.g., applications or widgets) executed by a processor in the computing device.”; [0034] “generating updated displays of the graphical user-interface in the CPU 403 (or a graphics processing unit). Once generated, updated displays are stored in external memory 409.”; [0035] “the display controller retrieves the rendered data from the external memory 409 and composes a display frame from the rendered data and the video data. . The resulting composited display frame is sent to the display screen 413”; [0037] “At step 501, application data is generated by one or more applications executing in the CPU. In one or more embodiments, the application data includes graphical output produced by the executing applications. A number of graphical layers is mapped to the graphical output, and a composition list is generated at 503 to determine the number of graphical layers to be composed.”;[0040] “The composition list generated at step 503 is filtered at step 511 to remove the set of static layers without intersection with the union of active layers. Finally, the output data corresponding to the graphical layers in the composition list is stored in hardware overlays at step 513.”; [0041] “According to further embodiments, a display controller can compose a display frame from the data stored in the hardware overlays at step 513.”).
Ryu does not directly teach a display panel configured to adjust a viewing angle of at least a portion of an image displayed on the display panel; identify, using the composition list, applying a filter for user privacy to a second layer of the image positioned below a first layer of the image to partially overlap the first layer of the image, the first layer of the image being transparent or translucent, and in accordance with the identifying, based on performing a pixel processing with respect to pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image to apply the filter to the second layer of the image and also apply the filter to a portion of the first layer overlapping the second layer of the image, display, on the display panel, the image including the portion of the first layer having a viewing angle narrower than a viewing angle of a remaining portion of the first layer, and the second layer that has a viewing angle narrower than the viewing angle of the remaining portion of the first layer.
Vannier teaches identify, using the composition list, a second layer of the image positioned below a first layer of the image to partially overlap the first layer of the image, the first layer of the image being transparent or translucent, and in accordance with the identifying, based on performing a pixel processing with respect to pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image and also a portion of the first layer overlapping the second layer of the image (see at least col. 2 lines 42-53 “the term “content layers,” may refer to content that is layered such that at least a portion of a first content overlaps at least another portion of a second content. .., a first content layer that is overlapped by a second layer may be referred as being below the second layer and the second layer may be referred to as being above the first layer. .., the content layers may include the z-order position, a location of the content (e.g., within a window, image, or the like), a size of the content, a transparency of the content, or the like.”; col. 2 line 62 – col. 3 line 27 “the secure content may be rendered as a new layer below the plurality of content layers. .., a transparency of each area of content layers that is overlapped by an area of the secure content may be modified, where the area of the secure content may be visible in the image through each transparently modified area. The transparency of each overlapped area may be modified to be fully transparent or partially transparent.”; col. 3 lines 11-27 “The transparency may be modified point by point, pixel by pixel, at sub-pixel positions, or the like”; col. 16 lines 7-15 “block 404 may also determine another area of each content layer that is overlapped by the area of the secure content. .., determining the layers that are overlapped by the secure content may be based on a z-order position of each of the plurality of content layers and/or an area of each of the overlapped content layers.”; col. 16 lines 37-53 “at block 406, each area of the at least one content layers .. that is overlapped by the determined area of the secure content may be modified to be transparent.”; col. 19 lines 11-57 “a pixel of the selected layer. … where a determination may be made whether the selected pixel is within an area of the secure content. .. selected pixel may be modified”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ryu’s composition list based graphical layer processing according to Vannier’s teachings so that Ryu’s layer composition information is additionally used to identify the relative z-order, location, overlap, and transparency of the graphical layers and thereby identify the pixel region of a secure lower layer and the corresponding portion of a transparent or translucent upper layer overlapping the secure lower layer.
Vannier does not directly teach a display panel configured to adjust a viewing angle of at least a portion of an image displayed on the display panel; applying a filter for user privacy; display, on the display panel, the image including the portion of the first layer having a viewing angle narrower than a viewing angle of a remaining portion of the first layer, and the second layer that has a viewing angle narrower than the viewing angle of the remaining portion of the first layer.
Hsieh teaches a display panel configured to adjust a viewing angle of at least a portion of an image displayed on the display panel; applying a filter for user privacy; display, on the display panel, the image including the portion of the first layer having a viewing angle narrower than a viewing angle of a remaining portion of the first layer, and the second layer that has a viewing angle narrower than the viewing angle of the remaining portion of the first layer (see at least [0011] “the display may provide selective privacy areas. For example, the user may select areas of the display to enable the privacy function, while working normally in different portions of the display.”; [0019] “when a user selects a portion of the display 100 to activate a selective privacy mode, the pixel electrodes 118 that are associated with the PDLCs 120 within a user selected area may be activated. The pixel electrodes 118 may apply a voltage to the PDLCs 120 within the user selected area to orient the PDLCs 120 to allow the collimated light from the collimated BLU 102 to pass through. As a result, the user selected area may appear black when viewed at wide angles outside of the range of collimation.”; [0020] “Any person who attempts to view the selected area at a viewing angle greater than 30 degrees may not see the content within the user selected area that has the privacy mode enabled.”; [0021] “However, the remaining PDLCs 120 that do not receive a voltage from the respective pixel electrodes 118 may be oriented to scatter the light from the collimated BLU 102. As a result, the remaining portion of the display 100 may be seen at wider angles. Thus, the pixel electrodes 118 may allow the privacy mode to be enabled for selective portions of the display 100 rather than the entire display 100.”; [0034] “The controller 148 may determine which PDLCs 120 are associated with, or located within, the area of the display 100 that is selected. The controller 148 may then activate the pixel electrodes 118 that are associated with the PDLCs 120 within the area of the display 100.”; [0045] “the controller 148 may identify the PDLCs 120 that are associated with the area 310. The controller 148 may then apply a voltage to the PDLCs 120 in the area 310 with the respective pixel electrodes 118.”; [0054] “the light emitted from the LEDs and/or light guide plate below the area of the display that is selected may have a narrow viewing angle.”; [0056] “the remaining pixel electrodes that do not receive a voltage may be oriented to scatter light. .. such that the light may be seen at wider angles.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the combination of Ryu and Vannier by applying Hsieh’s selective privacy processing to the pixel region identified as corresponding to the protected lower layer and its overlapping upper-layer portion in order to prevent others from viewing sensitive information (see Hsieh [0008]). When Hsieh’s selective privacy treatment is applied to the protected-content pixel region identified according to Ryu and Vannier, the treatment is applied to the pixels corresponding to the protected second layer and, because the privacy treatment is spatially applied to that display region, also to the portion of the transparent or translucent first layer spatially overlapping the second layer.
As to claim 16, Ryu teaches an electronic device comprising: a display panel; display driver circuitry; and at least one processor comprising processing circuitry (see at least [0023] “a computing device may involve a graphics processing unit (e.g., 3D compositor 111), a frame buffer 109, a display controller 113, and a display 115.”; [0033] “a system on a chip 401, external memory 409, and a display screen 413. .., the system on a chip 401 may be implemented to include a central processing unit (CPU) 403 and display controller 405.”),
wherein the display driver circuitry is configured to: obtain, from the at least one processor, a composition list regarding layers included in an image to be displayed on the display panel, receive, from the at least one processor, the image (see at least [0026] “a display frame displayed in a screen or display panel of a computing device is composed of content displayed in a plurality of discrete graphical layers. …. The layers may correspond to one or more programs (e.g., applications or widgets) executed by a processor in the computing device.”; [0034] “generating updated displays of the graphical user-interface in the CPU 403 (or a graphics processing unit). Once generated, updated displays are stored in external memory 409.”; [0035] “the display controller retrieves the rendered data from the external memory 409 and composes a display frame from the rendered data and the video data. . The resulting composited display frame is sent to the display screen 413”; [0037] “At step 501, application data is generated by one or more applications executing in the CPU. In one or more embodiments, the application data includes graphical output produced by the executing applications. A number of graphical layers is mapped to the graphical output, and a composition list is generated at 503 to determine the number of graphical layers to be composed.”;[0040] “The composition list generated at step 503 is filtered at step 511 to remove the set of static layers without intersection with the union of active layers. Finally, the output data corresponding to the graphical layers in the composition list is stored in hardware overlays at step 513.”; [0041] “According to further embodiments, a display controller can compose a display frame from the data stored in the hardware overlays at step 513.”).
Ryu does not directly teach a display panel configured to adjust a viewing angle of at least a portion of an image displayed on the display panel; identify, using the composition list, applying a filter for user privacy to a second layer of the image positioned below a first layer of the image to partially overlap the first layer of the image, the first layer of the image being transparent or translucent, and in accordance with the identifying, based on performing a pixel processing with respect to pixels corresponding to a portion of the first layer of the image not overlapping the second layer of the image and pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image to apply the filter to the second layer of the image and also apply the filter the portion of the first layer of the image, display, on the display panel, the image, and wherein a viewing angle of a first region of the display panel in which the first layer of the image and the second layer of the image overlap each other, a second region of the display panel corresponding to the portion of the first layer of the image not overlapping the second layer of the image, and a third region of the display panel corresponding to a portion of the second layer of the image not overlapping the first layer of the image is, while displaying the image, narrower than a fourth region of the display panel different from the first region of the display panel, the second region of the display panel, and the third region of the display panel.
Vannier teaches identify, using the composition list, a second layer of the image positioned below a first layer of the image to partially overlap the first layer of the image, the first layer of the image being transparent or translucent, and in accordance with the identifying, based on performing a pixel processing with respect to pixels corresponding to a portion of the first layer of the image not overlapping the second layer of the image and pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image, display, on the display panel, the image, and the first layer of the image and the second layer of the image overlap each other, a second region of the display panel corresponding to the portion of the first layer of the image not overlapping the second layer of the image, and a third region of the display panel corresponding to a portion of the second layer of the image not overlapping the first layer of the image, and a fourth region of the display panel different from the first region of the display panel, the second region of the display panel, and the third region of the display panel (see at least col. 2 lines 42-53 “the term “content layers,” may refer to content that is layered such that at least a portion of a first content overlaps at least another portion of a second content. .., a first content layer that is overlapped by a second layer may be referred as being below the second layer and the second layer may be referred to as being above the first layer. .., the content layers may include the z-order position, a location of the content (e.g., within a window, image, or the like), a size of the content, a transparency of the content, or the like.”; col. 2 line 62 – col. 3 line 27 “the secure content may be rendered as a new layer below the plurality of content layers. .., a transparency of each area of content layers that is overlapped by an area of the secure content may be modified, where the area of the secure content may be visible in the image through each transparently modified area. The transparency of each overlapped area may be modified to be fully transparent or partially transparent.”; col. 3 lines 11-27 “The transparency may be modified point by point, pixel by pixel, at sub-pixel positions, or the like”; col. 14 line 63 – col. 15 line 7 “the plurality of content layers may include a plurality of secure content layers. ... Non-overlapping secure content layers may be rendered as separate new layers below the plurality of content layers (e.g., at block 408). Over-lapping secure content layers may be processed such that a secure content layer that is for display (i.e., what the user wants to view) may be rendered at a new layer below the plurality of content layers and other secure content layers may be processed similar to other content layers as described herein (e.g., at block 408).”; col. 16 lines 7-15 “block 404 may also determine another area of each content layer that is overlapped by the area of the secure content. .., determining the layers that are overlapped by the secure content may be based on a z-order position of each of the plurality of content layers and/or an area of each of the overlapped content layers.”; col. 16 lines 37-53 “at block 406, each area of the at least one content layers .. that is overlapped by the determined area of the secure content may be modified to be transparent.”; col. 19 lines 11-57 “a pixel of the selected layer. … where a determination may be made whether the selected pixel is within an area of the secure content. .. selected pixel may be modified”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ryu’s composition list based graphical layer processing according to Vannier’s teachings so that Ryu’s layer composition information is additionally used to identify the relative z-order, location, overlap, and transparency of the graphical layers and thereby identify the pixel region of a secure lower layer and the corresponding portion of a transparent or translucent upper layer overlapping the secure lower layer.
Vannier does not directly teach a display panel configured to adjust a viewing angle of at least a portion of an image displayed on the display panel; applying a filter for user privacy; and wherein a viewing angle of a first region of the display panel is narrower than a fourth region of the display panel different from the first region of the display panel, the second region of the display panel, and the third region of the display panel.
Hsieh teaches a display panel configured to adjust a viewing angle of at least a portion of an image displayed on the display panel; applying a filter for user privacy; and wherein a viewing angle of a first region of the display panel in which the first layer of the image and the second layer of the image overlap each other, a second region of the display panel corresponding to the portion of the first layer of the image not overlapping the second layer of the image, and a third region of the display panel corresponding to a portion of the second layer of the image not overlapping the first layer of the image is, while displaying the image, narrower than a fourth region of the display panel different from the first region of the display panel, the second region of the display panel, and the third region of the display panel (see at least [0011] “the display may provide selective privacy areas. For example, the user may select areas of the display to enable the privacy function, while working normally in different portions of the display.”; [0019] “when a user selects a portion of the display 100 to activate a selective privacy mode, the pixel electrodes 118 that are associated with the PDLCs 120 within a user selected area may be activated. The pixel electrodes 118 may apply a voltage to the PDLCs 120 within the user selected area to orient the PDLCs 120 to allow the collimated light from the collimated BLU 102 to pass through. As a result, the user selected area may appear black when viewed at wide angles outside of the range of collimation.”; [0020] “Any person who attempts to view the selected area at a viewing angle greater than 30 degrees may not see the content within the user selected area that has the privacy mode enabled.”; [0021] “However, the remaining PDLCs 120 that do not receive a voltage from the respective pixel electrodes 118 may be oriented to scatter the light from the collimated BLU 102. As a result, the remaining portion of the display 100 may be seen at wider angles. Thus, the pixel electrodes 118 may allow the privacy mode to be enabled for selective portions of the display 100 rather than the entire display 100.”; [0033] “the selected area may be dynamic. For example, the user may draw an area on the display 100 to enable the partial display privacy mode. For example, the user may draw a box, a circle, a freeform shape, and the like, around text, an image, or any other image on the display 100 to enable the partial display privacy mode.”; [0034] “The controller 148 may determine which PDLCs 120 are associated with, or located within, the area of the display 100 that is selected. The controller 148 may then activate the pixel electrodes 118 that are associated with the PDLCs 120 within the area of the display 100.”; [0045] “When the area 310 is selected, the controller 148 may identify the PDLCs 120 that are associated with the area 310. The controller 148 may then apply a voltage to the PDLCs 120 in the area 310 with the respective pixel electrodes 118. As a result, the PDLCs 120 in the area 310 may be oriented to allow collimated light from the collimated BLU 102 to pass through. Thus, the images within the area 310 may be visible when viewed at a viewing angle that is within the angular range of collimation.”; [0047] “The view 304 illustrates an example view of the display 100 at a viewing angle that is greater than the angle of collimation. As can be seen in the view 304, the display 100 shows a black privacy screen 312 within the area 310 that was selected. The portions of the display 100 that are outside of the black privacy screen 312 are still visible at the wider viewing angles.”; [0054] “the light emitted from the LEDs and/or light guide plate below the area of the display that is selected may have a narrow viewing angle.”; [0056] “the remaining pixel electrodes that do not receive a voltage may be oriented to scatter light. .. such that the light may be seen at wider angles.” – note once Vannier/Ryu supply the layer boundaries, Hsieh teaches applying the narrow-viewing privacy function to a selected region encompassing the relevant portions of both layers while leaving a fourth region outside that selection at the wider angle).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the combination of Ryu and Vannier by applying Hsieh’s selective privacy processing to the pixel region in order to prevent others from viewing sensitive information (see Hsieh [0008]).
As to claim 2, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 1 (see above rejection), wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: based further on refraining from performing the pixel processing with respect to pixels corresponding to the remaining portion of the first layer of the image that does not overlap the second layer of the image, display, on the display panel, the image (see Vannier at least col. 16 lines 54 – 67 “a transparency of content layers above the theoretical z-order position of the secure content may not be modified.”; col. 17 lines 33 – 49 “a transparency of the other content layers may be unmodified based on the area of the secure content”; col. 19 lines 21 – 45 “a determination may be made whether the selected pixel is within an area of the secure content.”; col. 19 lines 58-67 “if it is determined at decision block 508 that the selected pixel is not within the area of the secure content, then process 500 may proceed to decision block 514.”; and Hsieh at least [0011] “the display may provide selective privacy areas. For example, the user may select areas of the display to enable the privacy function, while working normally in different portions of the display.”; [0019]–[0021], [0053]–[0056]: selectively activating the privacy function for pixels associated with a selected privacy area, with the remaining portion of the display remaining viewable at wider angles).
As to claim 4, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 1 (see above rejection), wherein the pixel processing is performed with respect to the pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image on sub-pixel basis (see Vannier at least col. 3 lines 11 – 27 “The transparency may be modified point by point, pixel by pixel, at sub-pixel positions, or the like”; col. 19 lines 11 – 20 “the transparency may also be modified based on points, sub-pixel positions, or the like.”).
As to claim 8, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 1 (see above rejection), wherein the composition list includes: first information indicating a position of each of the first layer and the second layer of the image, second information indicating a stacking order of each of the first layer and the second layer of the image, third information indicating whether applying the filter to each of the first layer and the second layer of the image, and fourth information indicating transparency of each of the first layer and the second layer of the image, and wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: identify applying the filter to the second layer of the image positioned below the first layer of the image to partially overlap the first layer of the image that is transparent or translucent, based on: identifying, in accordance with the first information and the second information, the second layer of the image positioned below the first layer of the image to partially overlap the first layer of the image; identifying, in accordance with the third information, the second layer of the image applying the filter; and identifying, in accordance with the fourth information, the first layer of the image being transparent or translucent (see Ryu at least [0037] “At step 501, application data is generated by one or more applications executing in the CPU. In one or more embodiments, the application data includes graphical output produced by the executing applications. A number of graphical layers is mapped to the graphical output, and a composition list is generated at 503 to determine the number of graphical layers to be composed.”; Vannier at least col. 2 lines 42 – 53 “the content layers may include the z-order position, a location of the content (e.g., within a window, image, or the like), a size of the content, a transparency of the content, or the like.”; col. 14 lines 29 – 42 “secure content may be determined and/or identified based on a tag and/or other identifier associated with the content of a layer.”; col. 16 lines 7 – 15 “determining the layers that are overlapped by the secure content may be based on a z-order position of each of the plurality of content layers and/or an area of each of the overlapped content layers.”; col. 20 line 55 – col. 21 line 6 “This dynamic switching may be controlled based on a tag, metadata, a corresponding license, and/or other identifier associated with plurality of content layers.”; and Hsieh at least [0011] “the display may provide selective privacy areas. For example, the user may select areas of the display to enable the privacy function, while working normally in different portions of the display.”).
As to claim 15, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 1 (see above rejection), wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: determine, in accordance with the identifying, performing the pixel processing with respect to a first area of the display panel in which the first layer of the image and the second layer of the image overlap each other and a second area of the display panel corresponding to a portion of the second layer of the image not overlapping the first layer of the image (see Vannier at least col. 15 line 38 – col. 16 line 15 “an area of the secure content within the image may be determined.”; col. 17 lines 9-19 “the secure content may be rendered at a new layer .. below the plurality of content layers”; col. 17 lines 33-49 “the relative order of the plurality of content layers may be maintained when the image is generated.”; col. 19 lines 21-45 “determination may be made whether the selected pixel is within an area of the secure content.”; and Hsieh at least [0011] “the display may provide selective privacy areas. For example, the user may select areas of the display to enable the privacy function, while working normally in different portions of the display.”).
As to claim 18, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 16 (see above rejection), wherein the pixel processing is performed with respect to the pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image on sub-pixel basis (see Vannier at least col. 3 lines 11 – 27 “The transparency may be modified point by point, pixel by pixel, at sub-pixel positions, or the like”; col. 19 lines 11 – 20 “the transparency may also be modified based on points, sub-pixel positions, or the like.”).
Claims 3 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryu et al. (USPN 2015/0100884 A1) in view of Vannier et al. (USPN 10,102,648 B1), in view of Hsieh et al. (USPN 2022/0050314 A1), and further in view of Kim et al. ‘841 (USPN 2022/0180841 A1).
As to claim 3, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 1 (see above rejection), wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: obtain, by receiving a command corresponding to the composition list from the at least one processor, the composition list from the at least one processor (see Ryu at least [0037] “At step 501, application data is generated by one or more applications executing in the CPU. In one or more embodiments, the application data includes graphical output produced by the executing applications. A number of graphical layers is mapped to the graphical output, and a composition list is generated at 503 to determine the number of graphical layers to be composed.”).
Ryu, Vannier and Hsieh do not directly teach wherein receiving the command is synchronized with receiving the image.
Kim ‘841 teaches wherein receiving the command is synchronized with receiving the image (see at least [0024] “The host 200 may generate image data IDT .., and may transmit the image data IDT, a synchronization packet SYNC_PAC, and a command .. to the display driving circuit 110. In FIG. 1, the image data IDT, the synchronization packet SYNC_PAC, and the command CMD .. may be transmitted to the display driving circuit 110 in a single packet”; [0059] “the packet PAC may include a command CMD, image data IDT1 and IDT2, a vertical synchronization packet VS, and a horizontal synchronization packet HS.” – note this supports synchronizing receipt of command information with receipt of image data”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh according to Kim ’841 by transmitting the command corresponding to the composition information together with, and synchronized with, the image data in order to facilitate coordinated and timely processing of the command and corresponding image data by the display driving circuitry.
As to claim 17, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, Hsieh and Kim ‘841 teach the electronic device of claim 16 (see above rejection), wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: obtain, by receiving a command corresponding to the composition list from the at least one processor, the composition list from the at least one processor, and wherein receiving the command is synchronized with receiving the image (see Ryu at least [0037] “At step 501, application data is generated by one or more applications executing in the CPU. In one or more embodiments, the application data includes graphical output produced by the executing applications. A number of graphical layers is mapped to the graphical output, and a composition list is generated at 503 to determine the number of graphical layers to be composed.”).
Ryu, Vannier and Hsieh do not directly teach wherein receiving the command is synchronized with receiving the image.
Kim ‘841 teaches wherein receiving the command is synchronized with receiving the image (see at least [0024] “The host 200 may generate image data IDT .., and may transmit the image data IDT, a synchronization packet SYNC_PAC, and a command .. to the display driving circuit 110. In FIG. 1, the image data IDT, the synchronization packet SYNC_PAC, and the command CMD .. may be transmitted to the display driving circuit 110 in a single packet”; [0059] “the packet PAC may include a command CMD, image data IDT1 and IDT2, a vertical synchronization packet VS, and a horizontal synchronization packet HS.” – note this supports synchronizing receipt of command information with receipt of image data”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh according to Kim ’841 by transmitting the command corresponding to the composition information together with, and synchronized with, the image data in order to facilitate coordinated and timely processing of the command and corresponding image data by the display driving circuitry.
Claims 5-7 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryu et al. (USPN 2015/0100884 A1) in view of Vannier et al. (USPN 10,102,648 B1), in view of Hsieh et al. (USPN 2022/0050314 A1), and further in view of Kim et al. ‘269 (WO 2022/265269 A1 – see USPN 20240112627 A1 for translation and citations below).
As to claim 5, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 1 (see above rejection).
Ryu, Vannier and Hsieh do not directly teach wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: after performing, with respect to displaying the image, one or more other pixel processing that adjusts a data voltage provided to at least another sub-pixel in the display panel adjacent to a sub-pixel in the display panel in conjunction with adjusting a data voltage provided to the sub-pixel in the display panel, perform the pixel processing with respect to the pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image.
Kim ‘269 teaches wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: after performing, with respect to displaying the image, one or more other pixel processing that adjusts a data voltage provided to at least another sub-pixel in the display panel adjacent to a sub-pixel in the display panel in conjunction with adjusting a data voltage provided to the sub-pixel in the display panel, perform the pixel processing with respect to the pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image (see at least [0061] “The mapping module 237 may generate a voltage value or a current value corresponding to the preprocessed or postprocessed image data”; [0150] “characteristics of the OLED included in the pixel”; [0160] “generate a first compensation map including compensation data for compensating for a residual image or burn-in of the first pixels 331 … generate a second compensation map including compensation data for compensating a residual image or residual image of the second pixels 332”; [0163] “mathematically multiplies image data by a specific ratio or to perform an operation that mathematically adds or subtracts a specific compensation value”; [0164] “the image compensation module 323 may control the DDI 230 to drive the display panel 330, thereby enabling the display panel 330 to display compensated image data. .. drive the display panel 330 so as to display the converted image data.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh by incorporating adjusting a data voltage as taught by Kim ‘269 in order to compensate for nonuniform pixel degradation and reduce visible residual-image or burn-in artifacts while displaying the processed image.
As to claim 6, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, Hsieh, and Kim ‘269 teach the electronic device of claim 5 (see above rejection), wherein the one or more other pixel processing comprises: performing an upscaling with respect to the image; performing an edge sharpening of at least one visual object included in the image; performing a blur processing with respect to at least a portion of the image; performing a high dynamic range (HDR) processing with respect to at least a portion of the image; performing a temporal dithering with respect to at least a portion of the image; performing a spatial dithering with respect to at least a portion of the image; performing a compensating of gradation with respect to the image; and performing a compensating of color temperature with respect to the image (see Kim ('269) at least [0061]: preprocessing and postprocessing of image data and image- processing operations performed by an image processing module prior to display driving - note one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized upscaling, sharpening, blur processing, HDR processing, temporal dithering, and spatial dithering as conventional forms of image preprocessing and postprocessing routinely performed by display-driver image-processing engines prior to pixel driving. Therefore, selection of any such known image-processing operation before application of the privacy-filter processing would have been obvious.).
As to claim 7, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 1 (see above rejection).
Ryu, Vannier and Hsieh do not directly teach wherein each of sub-pixels in the display panel comprises organic light emitting diode (OLED), and wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: after performing the pixel processing with respect to the pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image, adjust a data voltage to be provided to a portion of a plurality of pixels for a burn-in compensation.
Kim ‘269 teaches wherein each of sub-pixels in the display panel comprises organic light emitting diode (OLED), and wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: after performing the pixel processing with respect to the pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image, adjust a data voltage to be provided to a portion of a plurality of pixels for a burn-in compensation (see at least [0061] “The mapping module 237 may generate a voltage value or a current value corresponding to the preprocessed or postprocessed image data”; [0150] “characteristics of the OLED included in the pixel”; [0160] “generate a first compensation map including compensation data for compensating for a residual image or burn-in of the first pixels 331 … generate a second compensation map including compensation data for compensating a residual image or residual image of the second pixels 332”; [0163] “mathematically multiplies image data by a specific ratio or to perform an operation that mathematically adds or subtracts a specific compensation value”; [0164] “the image compensation module 323 may control the DDI 230 to drive the display panel 330, thereby enabling the display panel 330 to display compensated image data. .. drive the display panel 330 so as to display the converted image data.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh according to Kim ’269 by implementing the display panel using OLED sub-pixels and configuring the display driver circuitry to compensate the image data for residual image or burn-in by adjusting the values used to drive selected pixels after the image processing in order to compensate for nonuniform pixel degradation and reduce visible residual-image or burn-in artifacts while displaying the processed image.
As to claim 19, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 16 (see above rejection).
Ryu, Vannier and Hsieh do not directly teach wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: after performing, with respect to displaying the image, one or more other pixel processing that adjusts a data voltage provided to at least another sub-pixel in the display panel adjacent to a sub-pixel in the display panel in conjunction with adjusting a data voltage provided to the sub-pixel in the display panel, perform the pixel processing with respect to the pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image.
Kim ‘269 teaches wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: after performing, with respect to displaying the image, one or more other pixel processing that adjusts a data voltage provided to at least another sub-pixel in the display panel adjacent to a sub-pixel in the display panel in conjunction with adjusting a data voltage provided to the sub-pixel in the display panel, perform the pixel processing with respect to the pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image (see at least [0061] “The mapping module 237 may generate a voltage value or a current value corresponding to the preprocessed or postprocessed image data”; [0150] “characteristics of the OLED included in the pixel”; [0160] “generate a first compensation map including compensation data for compensating for a residual image or burn-in of the first pixels 331 … generate a second compensation map including compensation data for compensating a residual image or residual image of the second pixels 332”; [0163] “mathematically multiplies image data by a specific ratio or to perform an operation that mathematically adds or subtracts a specific compensation value”; [0164] “the image compensation module 323 may control the DDI 230 to drive the display panel 330, thereby enabling the display panel 330 to display compensated image data. .. drive the display panel 330 so as to display the converted image data.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh by incorporating adjusting a data voltage as taught by Kim ‘269 in order to compensate for nonuniform pixel degradation and reduce visible residual-image or burn-in artifacts while displaying the processed image.
As to claim 20, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, Hsieh, and Kim ‘269 teach the electronic device of claim 19 (see above rejection), wherein the one or more other pixel processing comprises: performing an upscaling with respect to the image; performing an edge sharpening of at least one visual object included in the image; performing a blur processing with respect to at least a portion of the image; performing a high dynamic range (HDR) processing with respect to at least a portion of the image; performing a temporal dithering with respect to at least a portion of the image; performing a spatial dithering with respect to at least a portion of the image; performing a compensating of gradation with respect to the image; and performing a compensating of color temperature with respect to the image (see Kim ('269) at least [0061]: preprocessing and postprocessing of image data and image- processing operations performed by an image processing module prior to display driving - note one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized upscaling, sharpening, blur processing, HDR processing, temporal dithering, and spatial dithering as conventional forms of image preprocessing and postprocessing routinely performed by display-driver image-processing engines prior to pixel driving. Therefore, selection of any such known image-processing operation before application of the privacy-filter processing would have been obvious.).
Claims 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryu et al. (USPN 2015/0100884 A1) in view of Vannier et al. (USPN 10,102,648 B1), in view of Hsieh et al. (USPN 2022/0050314 A1), and further in view of Adachi et al. (USPN 2020/0293085 A1).
As to claim 9, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 8 (see above rejection).
Ryu, Vannier and Hsieh do not directly teach wherein the composition list further includes fifth information indicating an intensity applying the filter to the second layer of the image, and wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: perform the pixel processing with respect the pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image to apply the filter to the portion of the first layer of the image in the intensity indicated by the fifth information.
Adachi teaches wherein the composition list further includes fifth information indicating an intensity applying the filter to the second layer of the image, and wherein the display driver circuitry is further configured to: perform the pixel processing with respect the pixels corresponding to the second layer of the image to apply the filter to the portion of the first layer of the image in the intensity indicated by the fifth information (see at least [0018] “a user may want a smaller viewing angle at certain times and a larger viewing angle at other times.”; [0019] “a privacy filter program that receives an input of a viewing angle, determines a voltage to be applied for that viewing angle”; [0026] “the received input is the viewing angle of the computer display. .. privacy filter program 112 determines the voltage to apply .. in order to create the viewing angle”; [0034] “the second viewing angle is smaller than the first viewing angle. .. This allows for more privacy .. because users cannot view the computer display in FIG. 7 from an angle as large as a user can view the computer screen in FIG. 6.”; [0038] “privacy filter program receives an input of the viewing angle to be displayed on the privacy filter.”; [0039] “privacy filter program 112 determines the proper voltage .. in order to provide the received viewing angle”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh according to Adachi by including, with the composition information associated with the protected layer, information specifying the degree or intensity of the privacy treatment to be applied to that layer and using the specified intensity when performing the privacy processing on the corresponding pixel region. In view of Ryu’s use of composition information to control processing of individual graphical layers, one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to associate Adachi’s privacy-level parameter with the composition information for the layer to which the privacy treatment is to be applied, thereby permitting the degree of privacy to be specified and controlled on a layer specific basis and providing increased flexibility in controlling the degree of privacy applied to protected content.
As to claim 10, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, Hsieh and Adachi teach the electronic device of claim 9 (see above rejection), wherein the second layer of the image is opaque, wherein the image further includes a third layer positioned below the second layer of the image to partially overlap the second layer of the image, wherein the first information further indicates a position of the third layer of the image, wherein the second information further indicates a stacking order of the third layer of the image, wherein the third information further indicates applying the filter to the third layer of the image, wherein the fifth information further indicates another intensity applying the filter to the third layer of the image, wherein the other intensity applying the filter to the third layer of the image is larger than the intensity applying the filter to the second layer of the image, and wherein a viewing angle of a portion of the third layer of the image not overlapping the second layer of the image displayed on the display panel is narrower than a viewing angle of the second layer of the image displayed on the display panel (see Aduchi at least [0034] “the second viewing angle is smaller than the first viewing angle. .. This allows for more privacy .. because users cannot view the computer display in FIG. 7 from an angle as large as a user can view the computer screen in FIG. 6.”; [0038] “privacy filter program receives an input of the viewing angle to be displayed on the privacy filter.”; and [0039] “privacy filter program 112 determines the proper voltage .. in order to provide the received viewing angle”).
As to claim 11, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, Hsieh and Adachi teach the electronic device of claim 9 (see above rejection), wherein the second layer of the image is opaque, wherein the image further includes a third layer positioned below the second layer of the image to partially overlap the second layer of the image, wherein the first information further indicates a position of the third layer of the image, wherein the second information further indicates a stacking order of the third layer of the image, wherein the third information further indicates applying the filter to the third layer of the image, wherein the fifth information further indicates another intensity applying the filter to the third layer of the image, wherein the other intensity applying the filter to the third layer of the image is smaller than the intensity applying the filter to the second layer of the image, and wherein a viewing angle of a portion of the third layer of the image not overlapping the second layer of the image displayed on the display panel is wider than a viewing angle of the second layer of the image displayed on the display panel (see Aduchi at least [0034] “the second viewing angle is smaller than the first viewing angle. .. This allows for more privacy .. because users cannot view the computer display in FIG. 7 from an angle as large as a user can view the computer screen in FIG. 6.”; [0038] “privacy filter program receives an input of the viewing angle to be displayed on the privacy filter.”; and [0039] “privacy filter program 112 determines the proper voltage .. in order to provide the received viewing angle”).
As to claim 12, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, Hsieh and Adachi teach the electronic device of claim 9 (see above rejection), wherein the composition list further includes sixth information indicating a radius of curvature of corners of each of the first layer and the second layer of the image (see Vannier at least col. 2 lines 42 – 53 “the content layers may include the z-order position, a location of the content (e.g., within a window, image, or the like), a size of the content, a transparency of the content, or the like.”; and Hsieh at least [0033] “the selected area may be dynamic. For example, the user may draw an area on the display 100 to enable the partial display privacy mode. For example, the user may draw a box, a circle, a freeform shape, and the like, around text, an image, or any other image on the display 100 to enable the partial display privacy mode.”; [0034] “The controller 148 may determine which PDLCs 120 are associated with, or located within, the area of the display 100 that is selected. The controller 148 may then activate the pixel electrodes 118 that are associated with the PDLCs 120 within the area of the display 100.” – note size/shape(circle) would correspond to radius of curvature).
Claims 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryu et al. (USPN 2015/0100884 A1) in view of Vannier et al. (USPN 10,102,648 B1), in view of Hsieh et al. (USPN 2022/0050314 A1), and further in view of Tamatam et al. (USPN 2020/0051202 A1).
As to claim 13, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh teach the electronic device of claim 8 (see above rejection).
Ryu, Vannier and Hsieh do not directly teach wherein the first information indicates the position of each of the first layer and the second layer of the image adjusted by the at least one processor according to difference between a resolution of the image rendered by the at least one processor and a resolution of the display panel.
Tamatam teaches wherein the first information indicates the position of each of the first layer and the second layer of the image adjusted by the at least one processor according to difference between a resolution of the image rendered by the at least one processor and a resolution of the display panel (see at least [0017] “a GPU can render layers below the dim layer at a lower resolution. ... The display pipeline may scale up the low-resolution layers to an original resolution.”; [0042] “a 1440×2560 pixel size video (video layer 6) on a 1600×2560 pixel panel .. Video content may be scaled (up or down) when forming a layer”; [0048] “The hardware composer state may include a listing of the status of each layer handled by a hardware composer. Hardware composer .., may provide functionality to compose layers .. Each row corresponds to a layer present on device 50. .., source crop (the section of an image that will be displayed, which may include the full resolution of the video or layer)”; [0078] “Compositor 72 may define positional information about each layer (where the layer will appear on the display, such as the layers edges and its Z order relative to other layers), and content (whether the information should be cropped or expanded to fill the bounds of the layer)”; [0093] “if the remaining layers downconverted above, they will now be upconverted or upscaled to the correct or regular resolution for display.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the combination of Ryu, Vannier, and Hsieh according to Tamatam by adjusting the positional information associated with the graphical layers to account for a difference between the resolution at which image content is rendered and the resolution of the display panel. One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that when a layer rendered at one resolution is scaled for presentation at a different display resolution, the layer’s spatial coordinates or bounds must correspondingly be mapped to the display coordinate space so that the scaled layer is displayed at its intended location. Accordingly, it would have been obvious to apply Tamatam’s resolution-scaling and layer-positioning teachings to Ryu’s composition information so that the position information for the first and second layers corresponds to their positions at the resolution of the display panel, thereby maintaining the intended spatial alignment and overlap of the layers after resolution conversion.
As to claim 14, the combination of Ryu, Vannier, Hsieh and Tamatam teach the electronic device of claim 13 (see above rejection), wherein adjusting the position of each of the first layer and the second layer of the image is executed through one or more programs comprising instructions included in at least one of a kernel driver or a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for a display comprising the display panel and the display driver circuitry (see Tamatam at least [0048] “Hardware composer may be a software abstraction layer on top of display hardware. .. Each row corresponds to a layer present on device 50. Table 150 has columns that correspond to: type (what device is handling the layer, e.g., Hardware Composer (HWC) on display processor 54 or GLES (OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) for Embedded Systems on the GPU), handle (a unique layer identifier), hints (information on how to compose the layer), flags (e.g., multiple rectangles in the layer, or whether the layer is secure/non-secure), tr (transformation or rotation information e.g., if a layer is rotated 0° or 90°), blend (additional flags, e.g., plane alpha (transparency)), form at (picture format), source crop (the section of an image that will be displayed, which may include the full resolution of the video or layer), frame (where the section of the source image is going to be situated in the final frame, which may include the full resolution of the video or layer), and name (the source file name/location).”; [0089] “In an Android system, a SurfaceFlinger 1100 consumes image streams from applications generating visual content to be displayed. A display hardware composer HAL 1102 may support other aspects of graphics rendering, ... A display kernel driver 1104 may contain low-level hardware-specific instructions to operating the underlying hardware”).
Conclusion
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/JENNIFER L ZUBAJLO/Examiner, Art Unit 2627 8/7/2026
/KE XIAO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2627
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