Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugino et al., US PGPUB 20040201564 hereinafter referenced as Sugino in view of Matsui et al., US PGPUB 20130106924 hereinafter referenced as Matsui.
As to claim 1, Sugino discloses a display panel control apparatus comprising: a first temperature sensor configured to obtain a temperature of a display panel divided into a plurality of regions ([0106] This embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, includes four temperature sensors 16a to 16d each detecting the panel temperature of different divided areas of a liquid crystal display panel 4); and
a timing controller configured to calculate current temperatures for the respective regions by using pre-obtained temperature deviation information for respective regions of the display panel and a first reference temperature obtained by the first temperature sensor in a driving stage of the display panel ([0108] The embodiment further includes a control CPU 17, which, based on the data of temperatures detected by temperature sensors 16a to 16d as to the divided areas of liquid crystal display panel 4, selects the table memory 3d or 3e, as appropriate).
Sugino does not specifically disclose compensation for luminance of the display panel by using the calculated current temperatures for the respective regions.
However, in the same endeavor, Matsui discloses compensation for luminance of the display panel by using the calculated current temperatures for the respective regions ([0024] A fifth technical means is the liquid crystal display device as defined in the first technical means, comprising an area dividing portion that divides the liquid crystal panel into a plurality of areas, wherein the panel temperature correcting portion corrects the panel surface temperature for each of the areas obtained by dividing the liquid crystal panel, based on the changed lighting luminance, and wherein the enhanced converting portion variably controls the enhanced conversion parameter for each area of the liquid crystal panel, based on the panel surface temperature corrected by the panel temperature correcting portion).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the disclosure of Sugino to further include Matsui’s luminance controlling method, in order to improve the image quality of the device.
As to claim 2, the combination of Sugino Matsui discloses the display panel control apparatus of claim 1. The combination further discloses the timing controller comprises: a temperature deviation storage unit storing the temperature deviation information for the respective regions; a look-up table storing compensation gain values corresponding to temperatures; and a first compensation unit configured to calculate the current temperatures for the respective regions by summing the first reference temperature and the temperature deviation information for the respective regions and compensate for the luminance of the display panel for the respective regions by using compensation gain values mapped to the current temperatures for the respective regions in the look-up table ([0006] wherein the patterns of the gray scale level transitions between both the data and the input image data of the N-th frame are looked up with the applied voltage data table stored in a table memory (ROM) 3 so as to identify applied voltage data).
As to claim 3, the combination of Sugino Matsui discloses the display panel control apparatus of claim 2. The combination further discloses the first compensation unit is configured to generate second image data by compensating for luminance of first image data, through applying the compensation gain values selected for the respective regions to the first image data to be output through subpixels included in the respective regions (Matsui, [0027] the gamma correcting portion calculating a gamma value corresponding to the panel surface temperature corrected by the panel temperature correcting portion, the gamma correcting portion converting a gradation value of the input video signal in accordance with the calculated gamma value, to output the converted gradation value).
As to claim 4, the combination of Sugino Matsui discloses the display panel control apparatus of claim 3. The combination further discloses the timing controller further comprises a second compensation unit configured to generate third image data by compensating for the second image data based on sensing data corresponding to characteristic values of the subpixels (Sugino, [0029] a table memory which stores emphasis conversion parameters for converting the input image data into emphasis converted data that compensates for the optical response characteristic of the liquid crystal display panel in accordance with the gray scale level transitions from the previous vertical period to the current vertical period).
As to claim 5, the combination of Sugino Matsui discloses the display panel control apparatus of claim 1. The combination further discloses the temperature deviation information for the respective regions is a difference between initial temperatures for the respective regions of the display panel obtained by a second temperature sensor in a manufacturing stage of the display panel and a second reference temperature of the display panel obtained by the first temperature sensor in the manufacturing stage of the display panel (Sugino, [0085] In order to select the emphasis conversion parameters, threshold temperatures Threash0 and Threash1 are set up).
As to claim 6, the combination of Sugino Matsui discloses the display panel control apparatus of claim 5. The combination further discloses the second temperature sensor is a radiation thermometer (sensors 16a to 16d, fig. 13).
As to claim 7, the combination of Sugino Matsui discloses the display panel control apparatus of claim 1. The combination further discloses the respective regions of the display panel are set by grouping points, among a plurality of predetermined points of the display panel, having deviations between temperatures obtained by the second temperature sensor within a reference value, and the temperature deviation information is a difference between an initial temperature for each region set based on a representative value of temperatures for the points included in each region and the second reference temperature of the display panel obtained by the first temperature sensor in a manufacturing stage of the display panel (Sugino, [0151] Thus, the weighted mean of detected temperature data a to d is used to implement switching control of the emphasis conversion parameters, so that it is possible to select the emphasis conversion parameters suitable for the desired image areas).
As to claim 8, the combination of Sugino Matsui discloses the display panel control apparatus of claim 1. The combination further discloses a control printed circuit board on which the first temperature sensor and the timing controller are mounted (Sugino, [0151] Thus, the weighted mean of detected temperature data a to d is used to implement switching control of the emphasis conversion parameters, so that it is possible to select the emphasis conversion parameters suitable for the desired image areas).
As to claim 10, the combination of Sugino Matsui discloses the display panel control apparatus of claim 9. The combination further discloses the compensating for the luminance of the display panel comprises: extracting, from a look-up table storing compensation gain values corresponding to current temperatures for the respective regions, compensation gain values mapped to the current temperatures for the respective regions; and generating second image data by applying the extracted compensation gain values to first image data to be output through subpixels included in the respective regions to compensate for luminance of the first image data (Sugino, [0026] a write-gray scale level determining means for determining emphasis converted data that compensates for the optical response characteristic of the liquid crystal display panel, by dividing the input image data of one vertical period into pieces of data for the multiply divided areas of the liquid crystal display panel and implementing emphasis conversion of each piece of divided input image data in accordance with the combination of the detected temperature of the divided area of the liquid crystal display panel in which the input image data is displayed and the gray scale level transitions from the previous vertical period to the current vertical period).
As to claim 11, the combination of Sugino Matsui discloses the display panel control apparatus of claim 10. The combination further discloses generating third image data by compensating for the second image data based on sensing data corresponding to characteristic values of the plurality of subpixels included in the display panel (Sugino, [0108] Accordingly, the divided input image data corresponding to each divided area of liquid crystal display panel 4 is emphasis converted, pixel by pixel, with reference to either table memory (ROM) 3d or 3e, which is selected by control CPU 17, and supplied to liquid crystal display panel 4).
As to claim 12, the combination of Sugino Matsui discloses the display panel control apparatus of claim 9. The combination further discloses calculating the temperature deviation information for the respective regions in a manufacturing stage of the display panel, wherein the calculating the temperature deviation information for the respective regions comprises: obtaining a second reference temperature of the display panel by using the first temperature sensor; obtaining initial temperatures for the respective regions of the display panel by using a second temperature sensor; and obtaining the temperature deviation information for the respective regions by using a difference between the initial temperatures for the respective regions and the second reference temperature (Sugino, ([0108] The embodiment further includes a control CPU 17, which, based on the data of temperatures detected by temperature sensors 16a to 16d as to the divided areas of liquid crystal display panel 4, selects the table memory 3d or 3e, as appropriate).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Choi et al., US PGPUB 20160005365 discloses a display device includes a timing controller, a data driver, and a display panel. The timing controller includes a first compensator receiving a first image data, selecting a temperature compensation value in accordance with the external temperature, and converting the first image data to a second image data on the basis of the selected temperature compensation value and a second compensator selecting a kickback voltage compensation value predetermined in accordance with the areas of the display panel and converting the second image data to the output image data on the basis of the kickback voltage compensation value selected in accordance with the areas.
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/SAHLU OKEBATO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625 10/2/2026
