Patent Application 18785373 - METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPENSATING FOR - Rejection

Patent Application 18785373 - METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPENSATING FOR

Title: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPENSATING FOR BRIGHTNESS OF DISPLAY PANEL, AND DEVICE

Application Information

• Invention Title: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPENSATING FOR BRIGHTNESS OF DISPLAY PANEL, AND DEVICE
• Application Number: 18785373
• Submission Date: 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
• Effective Filing Date: 2024-07-26T00:00:00.000Z
• Filing Date: 2024-07-26T00:00:00.000Z
• Examiner Employee Number: 81459
• Art Unit: 2621
• Tech Center: 2600

Rejection Summary

• 102 Rejections: 2
• 103 Rejections: 2

Cited Patents

The following patents were cited in the rejection:

• US 0066215🔗
• US 0175930🔗
• US 0306890🔗
• US 0228241🔗

Office Action Text

    
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 .

Claims 1-18 are currently under review.

Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on September 6, 2024 and January 2, 2025 is being considered by the examiner.

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. 
The following title is suggested: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPENSATING FOR BRIGHTNESS OF DISPLAY PANEL, AND DEVICE BY PERFORMING COMPENSATION IN THE VERTICAL BLANKING INTERVAL.

Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof. 

The following is a quotation of pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.

This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier.  Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “timing module” in claim 13, “first value determining module” in claim 13, “second value determining module” in claim 14, “target grayscale value determining module” in claims 15-16.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
Paragraph 86 indicates “The modules and/or units included in the apparatus may be implemented in various manners, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof… example types of hardware logic components that may be used include a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an application-specific standard part (ASSP), a system on chip (SoC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and the like”.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may:  (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.

Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –

(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.

Claims 1-2 and 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Cho et al. (Pub. No.: US 2023/0306890 A1) hereinafter referred to as Cho.
With respect to Claim 1, Cho discloses a method for compensating for brightness of a display panel (¶48), wherein the method comprises: timing a vertical blanking interval in a current frame on the display panel (fig. 10; ¶47, “A vertical blank period may be defined as a period in which a data enable signal DE remains only in a logic-low state without transition between two neighboring vertical active periods and no image data are written in the display panel 10”); and determining, in response to that a timing time of the vertical blanking interval reaches a first threshold time (fig. 10, TCMP up to CCMD1; ¶49, “the graphics processing unit GPU may adjust the number of compensation command signals CCMD in proportion to the length of the vertical blank period… the time interval between the compensation command signals CCMD, i.e. one sensing period, to be designed so as to have a predetermined length in order to improve reliability and accuracy of sensing”; ¶50), a first value used to perform first compensation on brightness of the display panel during the vertical blanking interval in the current frame (fig. 10, item CCMD1; ¶85).
With respect to Claim 2, claim 1 is incorporated, Cho discloses wherein the method further comprises: determining, in response to that the timing time of the vertical blanking interval reaches a second threshold time (fig. 10, TCMP between CCMD1 and CCMD2; ¶49-50), a second value used to perform second compensation on the brightness of the display panel during the vertical blanking interval in the current frame (fig. 10, item CCMD2), wherein the second threshold time is greater than the first threshold time, and the second compensation is later than the first compensation (fig. 10, CCMD2 occurs at a later time than CCMD1).
With respect to Claim 11, claim 1 is incorporated, Cho discloses wherein the timing the vertical blanking interval comprises: timing a display control signal used for the display panel (¶47, “During the vertical blank period, image data are not transmitted, since the data enable signal DE is transmitted only in a logic-low state without transition. In the present disclosure, a vertical active period may be defined as a period in which image data are written in the display panel 10 in a state of being matched with the transition of the data enable signal DE in each frame. A vertical blank period may be defined as a period in which a data enable signal DE remains only in a logic-low state without transition between two neighboring vertical active periods and no image data are written in the display panel 10”; fig. 10, item DE).
With respect to Claim 12, claim 11 is incorporated, Cho discloses wherein the display control signal comprises at least one of the following: a data enable DE signal (¶47).
With respect to Claim 13, , Cho discloses an electronic apparatus (fig. 1; ¶33), wherein the electronic apparatus comprises: a timing module (fig. 1, item 11; ¶45; ¶55; ¶59-60), configured to time a vertical blanking interval in a current frame on a display panel (fig. 10; ¶47, “A vertical blank period may be defined as a period in which a data enable signal DE remains only in a logic-low state without transition between two neighboring vertical active periods and no image data are written in the display panel 10”); and a first value determining module (fig. 1, item 14; ¶77-79), configured to determine, in response to that a timing time of the vertical blanking interval reaches a first threshold time (fig. 10, TCMP up to CCMD1; ¶49, “the graphics processing unit GPU may adjust the number of compensation command signals CCMD in proportion to the length of the vertical blank period… the time interval between the compensation command signals CCMD, i.e. one sensing period, to be designed so as to have a predetermined length in order to improve reliability and accuracy of sensing”; ¶50), a first value used to perform first compensation on brightness of the display panel during the vertical blanking interval in the current frame  (fig. 10, item CCMD1; ¶85).
With respect to Claim 14, claim 13 is incorporated, Cho discloses wherein the electronic apparatus further comprises: a second value determining module (fig. 1, item 14; ¶77-79), configured to determine, in response to that the timing time of the vertical blanking interval reaches a second threshold time (fig. 10, TCMP between CCMD1 and CCMD2; ¶49-50), a second value used to perform second compensation on the brightness of the display panel during the vertical blanking interval in the current frame (fig. 10, item CCMD2), wherein the second threshold time is greater than the first threshold time, and the second compensation is later than the first compensation (fig. 10, CCMD2 occurs at a later time than CCMD1).

Claims 1, 3-5, 8, 10, and 13-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koo et al. (Pub. No.: US 2020/0066215 A1) hereinafter referred to as Koo as cited on the IDS dated 1/2/2025.
With respect to Claim 1, Koo1 discloses a method (fig. 13; ¶178) for compensating for brightness of a display panel (fig. 1, item 1000; ¶49), wherein the method comprises: timing a vertical blanking interval in a current frame on the display panel (fig. 1, item 210; figs. 7A to 7F; fig. 13, item S110; ¶66-67; ¶179); and determining, in response to that a timing time of the vertical blanking interval reaches a first threshold time (figs. 7B to 7F, item CV1; fig. 13, item S150- yes; ¶117, “the first correction value a when the counting value of the vertical blank period is equal to or greater than the first reference counting value CV1 and is smaller than the second reference counting value CV2” = a first threshold time; ¶120; ¶123; ¶126; ¶129), a first value used to perform first compensation on brightness of the display panel during the vertical blanking interval in the current frame (fig. 6; ¶105; fig. 13, item S130 and S140; ¶185; fig. 11, item CV1 in frame n+1).
With respect to Claim 3, claim 1 is incorporated, Koo1 discloses wherein the display panel comprises: a first subpixel of a first pixel unit (¶147, a display block comprises a first subpixel of a first pixel unit; fig. 11, B1: first lightning block), and the method further comprises: determining a target grayscale value of the first subpixel in a next frame based on the timing time of the vertical blanking interval and an original grayscale value of the first subpixel in the next frame (figs. 7B to 7F show CV values; ¶129; fig. 11, frame n+2; ¶163), wherein the next frame is located after the current frame in a display order (fig. 7F; fig. 11, frame n+2), and the target grayscale value is used to compensate for brightness of the first subpixel during a vertical active interval in the next frame (fig. 11, please note that the method of fig. 13 is performed and correction values are determined by item 230A).
With respect to Claim 4, claim 3 is incorporated, Koo1 discloses wherein the next frame closely follows the current frame in the display order (fig. 11, frame n+1, frame n+2), and the determining the target grayscale value comprises: performing the following operations in response to that the timing time of the vertical blanking interval reaches a third threshold time: obtaining a first candidate grayscale value of the first subpixel for the third threshold time (fig. 11, 192G = first candidate grayscale value for luminance block B1 corresponding to the third threshold time for CV1); obtaining a second candidate grayscale value of the first subpixel for a fourth threshold time, wherein the fourth threshold time is greater than the third threshold time (fig. 11, 192G = second candidate grayscale value for luminance block B2 corresponding to the fourth threshold of time for CV2; and determining the target grayscale value based on the first candidate grayscale value and the second candidate grayscale value in response to that duration of the vertical blanking interval is between the third threshold time and the fourth threshold time (fig. 11, the method of 13 is performed and correction values are determined by item 230A). 
With respect to Claim 5, claim 4 is incorporated, Koo1 discloses wherein the obtaining the first candidate grayscale value comprises: determining a compensation grayscale value as the first candidate grayscale value based on the third threshold time and the original grayscale value (¶167; ¶168), wherein the compensation grayscale value is used to compensate for the original grayscale value when the duration is equal to the third threshold time (fig. 11, corresponding to the third threshold time for CV1).
With respect to Claim 8, claim 4 is incorporated, Koo1 discloses wherein the third threshold time (fig. 11, CV1 in n+2) is equal to the first threshold time (fig. 11, CV1 in n+1), and the fourth threshold time (fig. 11, CV2 in n+2) is equal to the second threshold time (fig. 11, CV2 in n+1).
With respect to Claim 10, claim 1 is incorporated, Koo1 discloses wherein the determining the first value comprises: determining an analog compensation value as the first value by using the first threshold time (¶58, via conversion of the corrected image data having the analog compensation value into an analog data voltage), wherein the analog compensation value is used to compensate for the brightness of the display panel when the duration of the vertical blanking interval is equal to the first threshold time (fig. 13, as determined in S140; ¶185).
With respect to Claim 13, Koo1 discloses an electronic apparatus (fig. 1; ¶48), wherein the electronic apparatus comprises: a timing module (fig. 1, item 200; ¶49), configured to time a vertical blanking interval in a current frame on a display panel (fig. 1, via item 210; ¶66-67), configured to determine, in response to that a timing time of the vertical blanking interval reaches a first threshold time (figs. 7B to 7F; ¶97-102; ¶117, “the first correction value a when the counting value of the vertical blank period is equal to or greater than the first reference counting value CV1 and is smaller than the second reference counting value CV2” = a first threshold time; ¶120; ¶123; ¶126; ¶129), a first value used to perform first compensation on brightness of the display panel during the vertical blanking interval in the current frame (fig. 6; ¶103; ¶105; fig. 11, item CV1 in frame n+1).
With respect to Claim 14, claim 13 is incorporated, Koo1 discloses wherein the electronic apparatus further comprises: a second value determining module (fig. 1 item 200), configured to determine, in response to that the timing time of the vertical blanking interval reaches a second threshold time (figs. 7C to 7F; ¶97-102; ¶120, “the second correction value b when the counting value of the vertical blank period is equal to or greater than the second reference counting value CV2 and is smaller than the third reference counting value CV3” = a second threshold time; ¶123; ¶126; ¶129), a second value used to perform second compensation on the brightness of the display panel during the vertical blanking interval in the current frame (fig. 6; ¶103; ¶105; fig. 11, item CV1 in frame n+1), wherein the second threshold time is greater than the first threshold time (fig. 11), and the second compensation is later than the first compensation (fig. 11).
With respect to Claim 15, claim 13 is incorporated, Koo1 discloses wherein the display panel comprises a first subpixel of a first pixel unit (¶147, a display block comprises a first subpixel of a first pixel unit; fig. 11, B1: first lightning block), and the electronic apparatus further comprises: a target grayscale value determining module (fig. 1, item 200 comprises a target grayscale value determining module), configured to determine a target grayscale value of the first subpixel in a next frame based on the timing time of the vertical blanking interval and an original grayscale value of the first subpixel in the next frame (figs. 7C to 7F show CV values; ¶129; fig. 11, frame n+2; ¶163), wherein the next frame is located after the current frame in a display order (fig. 7F; fig. 11, frame n+2), and the target grayscale value is used to compensate for brightness of the first subpixel during a vertical active interval in the next frame (fig. 11, please note that the method of fig. 13 is performed and correction values are determined by item 230A).
With respect to Claim 16, claim 15 is incorporated, Koo1 discloses wherein the next frame closely follows the current frame in the display order (fig. 11, frame n+1, frame n+2), and the target grayscale value determining module (fig. 1, item 200 comprises a target grayscale value determining module) is further configured to: perform the following operations in response to that the timing time of the vertical blanking interval reaches a third threshold time: obtaining a first candidate grayscale value of the first subpixel for the third threshold time (fig. 11, 192G = first candidate grayscale value for luminance block B1 corresponding to the third threshold time for CV1); obtaining a second candidate grayscale value of the first subpixel for a fourth threshold time, wherein the fourth threshold time is greater than the third threshold time (fig. 11, 192G = second candidate grayscale value for luminance block B2 corresponding to the fourth threshold of time for CV2); and determining the target grayscale value based on the first candidate grayscale value and the second candidate grayscale value in response to that duration of the vertical blanking interval is between the third threshold time and the fourth threshold time (fig. 11, the method of 13 is performed and correction values are determined by item 230A). 
With respect to Claim 17, claim 13 is incorporated, Koo1 discloses an electronic device (¶189), wherein the electronic device comprises: the electronic apparatus according to claim 13 (¶189), and a drive circuit (fig. 1, items 300, 400, and 600), configured to: receive the first value, and apply a drive signal to the display panel based on the first value (¶58).

Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.

Claims 6-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koo1 as applied to claims 3-4 above, and further in view of Koo et al. (Pub. No.: US 2020/0175930 A1) hereinafter referred to as Koo2 as cited on the IDS dated 1/2/2025.
With respect to Claim 6, claim 4 is incorporated, Koo1 does not mention wherein the obtaining the first candidate grayscale value comprises: obtaining a polarity of the first subpixel based on a location of the first subpixel on the display panel; and determining a compensation grayscale value as the first candidate grayscale value based on the third threshold time, the original grayscale value, and the polarity of the first subpixel, wherein the compensation grayscale value is used to compensate for the original grayscale value when the duration is equal to the third threshold time.
Koo2 teaches a method (fig. 1; ¶38) for compensating for brightness of a display panel, wherein the method comprises: obtaining a first candidate grayscale value comprises: obtaining a polarity of a first subpixel based on a location of the first subpixel on a display panel (fig. 2; ¶38-40); and determining a compensation grayscale value as the first candidate grayscale value, the original grayscale value, and the polarity of the first subpixel, wherein the compensation grayscale value is used to compensate for the original grayscale value (¶43, “In example embodiments, when the method of FIG. 1 determines the luminance compensation value according to the data polarity dominance of the image frame IF(n), the method of FIG. 1 may apply a weighted value differently to the luminance compensation value according to the data polarity dominance of the image frame IF(n) for respective locations of a display panel included in the liquid crystal display device”).
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method of Koo1, by incorporating a method that comprises obtaining a polarity of a first subpixel and determining a compensation grayscale value as the first candidate grayscale value, the original grayscale value, and the polarity of the first subpixel, wherein the compensation grayscale value is used to compensate for the original grayscale value, as taught by Koo2  resulting in wherein the obtaining the first candidate grayscale value comprises: obtaining a polarity of the first subpixel based on a location of the first subpixel on the display panel; and determining a compensation grayscale value as the first candidate grayscale value based on the third threshold time, the original grayscale value, and the polarity of the first subpixel, wherein the compensation grayscale value is used to compensate for the original grayscale value when the duration is equal to the third threshold time so as to account for inversion driving and to reduce flicker (¶4). 
With respect to Claim 7, claim 4 is incorporated, Koo1 teaches wherein the determining the target grayscale value based on the first candidate grayscale value and the second candidate grayscale value comprises: performing interpolation on the first candidate grayscale value and the second candidate grayscale value, to obtain the target grayscale value corresponding to the duration (fig. 11, correction values for each frame and each threshold duration are performed, i.e. a11, b11, c11 which is linear is interpolation in view of Applicants specification paragraphs 75-76).
With respect to Claim 9, claim 3 is incorporated, Koo1 does not teach wherein the determining the target grayscale value comprises: obtaining a scaling factor for the original grayscale value of the first subpixel based on a location of the first subpixel on the display panel; and scaling the original grayscale value based on the scaling factor, to determine the target grayscale value.
Koo2 teaches a method (fig. 1; ¶38) for compensating for brightness of a display panel, wherein the method comprises: obtaining a first candidate grayscale value comprises: obtaining a polarity of a first subpixel based on a location of the first subpixel on a display panel (fig. 2; ¶38-40); and determining a compensation grayscale value as the first candidate grayscale value, the original grayscale value, and the polarity of the first subpixel, wherein the compensation grayscale value is used to compensate for the original grayscale value (¶43, “In example embodiments, when the method of FIG. 1 determines the luminance compensation value according to the data polarity dominance of the image frame IF(n), the method of FIG. 1 may apply a weighted value differently to the luminance compensation value according to the data polarity dominance of the image frame IF(n) for respective locations of a display panel included in the liquid crystal display device”); wherein the determining the target grayscale value comprises: obtaining a scaling factor for the original grayscale value of the first subpixel based on a location of the first subpixel on the display panel; and scaling the original grayscale value based on the scaling factor, to determine the target grayscale value (¶40, “In this case, the positive polarity histogram 30 may have a skewed shape toward a relatively low-gray level region and the negative polarity histogram 40 may have a skewed shape toward a relatively high-gray level region.” – deriving a histogram having a skewed shape corresponds to obtaining a scaling factor).
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method of Koo1, by incorporating wherein the determining the target grayscale value comprises: obtaining a scaling factor for the original grayscale value of the first subpixel based on a location of the first subpixel on the display panel; and scaling the original grayscale value based on the scaling factor, to determine the target grayscale value, as taught by Koo2  so as to account for inversion driving and to reduce flicker (¶4). 

Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koo1 as applied to claim 17 above, and further in view of Lee et al. (Pub. No.: US 2015/0228241 A1) hereinafter referred to as Lee.
With respect to Claim 18, claim 17 is incorporated, Although Koo1 mentions a common voltage (¶52), Koo1 does not explicitly mention wherein the drive signal comprises at least one of the following: an array common ACOM voltage signal or a shared common SVCM voltage signal.
Lee teaches an electronic apparatus (fig. 1; ¶44-45), wherein the electronic apparatus comprises: a timing module (fig. 1, item 600; ¶44); wherein a drive signal comprises at least one of the following: an array common ACOM voltage signal or a shared common SVCM voltage signal (¶86).
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the apparatus of Koo1, wherein the drive signal comprises at least one of the following: an array common ACOM voltage signal or a shared common SVCM voltage signal, as taught by Lee so as to provide means for driving a display.

Conclusion
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/DONNA V Bocar/Examiner, Art Unit 2621