`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313- 1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`APPLICATION NO.
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` F ING DATE
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`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
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`CONF {MATION NO.
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`13/067,084
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`05/06/2011
`
`Chikae Kubo
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`HARU—0048
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`4060
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`”90
`”20’2”
`JuancaflosAMmq —
`c/o Stites & Harbison PLLC
`TREITLER, DAMON
`1199 North Fairfax Street
`9119999
`Alexandria, VA 223 14- 1437
`
`NM
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`2691
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`
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`NOT *ICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`12/20/2012
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/0r attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
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`iplaw @ stites.com
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`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

`

`
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`Office Action Summary
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`Application No.
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`13/067,084
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`Examiner
`DAMON TREITLER
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`Applicant(s)
`
`KUBO ET AL.
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`Art Unit
`2691
`
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
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`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTH(S) OR THIRTY (30) DAYS,
`WHICHEVER IS LONGER, FROM THE MAILING DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1. 136( a).
`In no event however may a reply be timely filed
`after SIX () MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
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`Status
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`1)I:I Responsive to communication(s) filed on
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`.
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`2a)I:l This action is FINAL.
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`2b)IZ| This action is non-final.
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`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:l Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims
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`5)I:I Claim(s) fl is/are pending in the application.
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`5a) Of the above claim(s) _ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`6)I:I Claim(s) _ is/are allowed.
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`7)|:| Claim(s)_1-4is/are rejected.
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`8)I:I Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
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`9)I:l Claim((s)
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
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`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway
`program at a participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`
`htt
`:/'/www.us to. ovI’Watents/Init events/neb/Indexls or send an inquiry to PPeredback usntqt 0v.
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`Application Papers
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`10)|:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
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`11)|Z| The drawing(s) filed on 06 May 2011 is/are: a)|Zl accepted or b)|:l objected to by the Examiner.
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`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
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`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`12)IZ| Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
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`a)lX| AII
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`b)I:I Some * c)|:l None of:
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`1.IZI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`2.I:I Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. _
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`3.|:I Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
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`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
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`1) X Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`2) IX! Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/OS)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`4) D Other:
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 09-12)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20121205
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`
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13/067,084
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2691
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 1 12
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`The following is a quotation of the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112:
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`The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and
`distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
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`Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, as
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`being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the
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`subject matter which applicant regards as the invention.
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`In claim 1, line 27, the term “interval” is unclear because the claim
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`language contradicts the Specification. Does “interval” mean t1, or t2, in Figs.
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`11-13? The Patent Office takes the interval to mean t1, since claim 1 recites
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`“setting an interval between the first time and the second time;” that is, the
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`“interval” is taken as the “duration” from the “first time” to the “second
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`time.”
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`On the other hand, referring to Figs. 11-13, paragraph [109] states
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`that when the image is “displayed for every period, for
`example, the display period of the insertion display data, that
`is, the interval between the scanning signal lines is changed
`based on the average gradation of the image display data VD,”
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`which implies that the “interval” is not t1, but rather the "display period of
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`the insertion display data,” that is, t2.
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`It is respectfully requested that the term
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`“interval" should be consistent throughout the claims, figures, and specification.
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`Application/Control Number: 13/067,084
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2691
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35
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`U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this
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`Office Action:
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`(b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country
`or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of application
`for patent in the United States.
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`Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (b) as anticipated by
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`Sasaki (US 2004/0246242).
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`Regarding claim 1, Sasaki discloses a liquid crystal display device
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`comprising:
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`a liquid crystal display panel (Fig. 14, section 1; also Fig. 8) in which a
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`plurality of data signal lines (9) and a plurality of scanning signal lines (8) are
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`arranged in a matrix array and which forms a region surrounded by two
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`neighboring data signal lines and two neighboring scanning signal lines into one
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`pixel region (10);
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`a data driver (2) which outputs a display signal to the data signal lines;
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`a scanning driver (3) which outputs a scanning signal to the scanning
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`signal lines; and
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`a display control circuit (Fig. 8, driver circuit 22) which transmits a
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`control signal for controlling outputting of the display signal of the data driver and
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`the display signal to the data driver and, at the same time, a control signal which
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`Application/Control Number: 13/067,084
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2691
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`controls the outputting of the scanning signal of the scanning driver to the
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`scanning driver, wherein the display control circuit includes
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`a first circuit (Fig. 8) which divides image display data inputted from an
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`external device for every 1 frame period and generates insertion display data
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`which differs from the image display data in the image display data of each frame
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`period (Fig. 8; Abstract: for one frame, black reset unit 85 sets a first period
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`(image gradation display period) and a second period (black reset period)
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`and transmits the insertion display data to the data driver by insertion, and
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`a second circuit (Fig. 8) which sets a first time at which the scanning
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`signal for displaying the [image] display data is outputted to the respective
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`scanning signal lines (Fig. 21, 1] 142: “the image gradation display pulse
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`starts at an upper position at a start point of one frame period, ” and...) and
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`a second time at which the scanning signal for displaying the insertion display
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`data is outputted to the respective scanning signal lines (11142: “...the black
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`reset display pulse starts at a position apart in the scanning direction”),
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`and
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`the first circuit generates display data of one chromatic color (Fig. 8, ”85:
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`“363 signal is inputted as the time series image signal”), and
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`the second circuit sets an interval between the first time and the second
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`time for every frame period (Fig. 21; the “interval” is taken as the
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`abovementioned “image gradation display period. ” See also Fig. 1 where
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`Application/Control Number: 13/067,084
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2691
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`the duration of the “image gradation display period” and the “black reset
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`period” are fluctuating from one frame to another).
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`Regarding claim 2, Sasaki discloses wherein the circuit which sets the
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`interval between the first time and the second time sets the interval based on an
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`average gradation of the image display data displayed in every frame period
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`(Fig. 8, fl 84-86: “the output [mean luminance of a frame image] from the
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`mean luminance calculating section 84...is fed to the black reset period
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`setting section 85 in which the black reset period [and the ‘gradation
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`display period’ for a fixed frame] is determined according to the...mean
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`luminance”).
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`Regarding claim 3, Sasaki discloses wherein the circuit which sets the
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`interval between the first time and the second time is prolonged (sic) when the
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`average gradation is high and shortens the interval when the average gradation
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`is low (Fig. 6;
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`fl 79-82: [Ignoring the ‘Movement’ feature], note that “the
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`black reset period [is set] using a decision table shown in Fig. 6 according
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`to...screen brightness ;” so when “the screen brightness is low, the black
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`reset period is set to a large value, ” thus the “interval" (gradation display
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`period) is short. Whereas when “the screen brightness is high, the black
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`reset period is set to [a lesser] intermediate value, ” thus the interval is
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2691
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`long. See also Fig. 9, fl 92-93; a higher frame luminance (9a) is associated
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`with a shorter black period [and thus a longer interval).
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for
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`all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described
`as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to
`be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been
`obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which
`said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the
`invention was made..
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`Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable
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`over Sasaki in view of Sagawa et al. (Hereinafter “Sagawa” USP 6480235
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`B1).
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`Regarding claim 4, Sasaki discloses insertion data though not expressly
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`blue. However, in a similar field of endeavor, Sugawa discloses a display with
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`blanking pixels “constituted by blue data [for frame of video signals]” (Fig. 6, col.
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`9, lines 47-49).
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`It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art at the time
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`of the invention to incorporate the blanking feature disclosed by Sagawa into the
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`display device taught by Sasaki to reduce blurring associated with active matrix
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`Application/Control Number: 13/067,084
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`Page 7
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`type displays and thus improve picture quality comparable with that of a CRT
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`display.
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`Conclusion
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`The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
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`applicant's disclosure.
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`-
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`lga et al. (USP 6278437 Bf); LCD Apparatus
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`- Takeda (US 2009/0153460); Driving Method
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`- Nitta et al. (us 2006/0176261); Display Device
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from
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`the examiner should be directed to DAMON TREITLER whose telephone number
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`is (571 )270-3036. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday,
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`10:00AM-7PM, East.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are
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`unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor Amr Awad can be reached on 571-272-
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`7764. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or
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`proceeding is assigned is 571 -273-8300.
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`Information regarding the status of an
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`application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval
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`(PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained
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`from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished
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`applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about
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`the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on
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`Application/Control Number: 13/067,084
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`Page 8
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`Art Unit: 2691
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`access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center
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`(EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO
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`Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information
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`/D.A.T./
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`Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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`/AMR AWAD/
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`Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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`