`
`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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`
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`CONF {MATION NO.
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`11/596,000
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`11/13/2006
`
`Hideo Sato
`
`HITA—0895
`
`8914
`
`7590
`”7’20”
`9999c99199 AMq —
`c/o Stites & Harbison PLLC
`SHAPIRO, LEONID
`1199 North Fairfax Street
`9 999
`Alexandria, VA 223 14- 1437
`
`NM
`
`2625
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`
`
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`NOT *ICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`01/17/2014
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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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`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 11/596,000 SATO ET AL.
`
`Examiner
`Art Unit
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Office Action Summary
`
`LEONID SHAPIRO figtus 2699
`
`-- 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 CFR 1.136(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).
`
`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 2 November 2011.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|ZI This action is non-final.
`2a)|:l This action is FINAL.
`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)|:| 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)IZI Claim(s) 1 and 3-32 is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s) 19-32 is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`is/are allowed.
`6)I:I Claim(s)
`7)|Z| Claim(s) 1and3-18 Is/are rejected.
`8)|:I Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)I:I Claim((s)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`hit
`:/'/\W¢W.LISI>I‘.0. ovI’ atentS/init events/
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`
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`h/index.‘s or send an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgto.(toy.
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`Application Papers
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`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)I:l The drawing(s) filed on
`is/are: a)I:I accepted or b)I:I objected to by the Examiner.
`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)IXI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a)IZl All
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`b)|:l Some * c)I:l None of the:
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`1.IXI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.|:| 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)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Interim copies:
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`a)|:l All
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`b)I:I Some
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`c)I:I None of the:
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`Interim copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`Attachment(s)
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`1) E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
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`Paper N°ISI/Ma" Date' —
`PTO/SB/08
`t
`t
`St
`I
`D'
`I'
`f
`2 I] I
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`4) I:I Other:
`a emen (s) (
`Isc osure
`n orma Ion
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`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 03-13)
`
`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20130616
`
`Office Action Summary
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 11/596,000
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2699
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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 all
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`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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`1.
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`Claims 1-13,15-16,18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable
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`over Suzuki (6,078,302) in view of McManon et al. (7,557,690 B2), Kobayashi et al.
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`(4,717,934).
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`As to claims 1-2, Suzuki teaches a liquid crystal display device (col. 1, lines 6-8)
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`comprising:
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`a liquid crystal display panel (fig. 1, item 101);
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`a backlight (fig. 1, item 102);
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`a photo sensor (fig. 1, item 103);
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`a photo sensor circuit which measures an external light illuminance around the
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`liquid crystal display panel using the photo sensor (fig. 1, item 103, from col. 1, line 65
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`to col. 2, line 11); and
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`a control circuit which controls the backlight and the photo sensor circuit (fig. 1,
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`item 108, col. 2, lines 37-50), wherein
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`the control circuit periodically turns off the backlight and, at the same time,
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`periodically outputs a control signal to start the measurement of the external light
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`illuminance around the liquid crystal display panel to the photo sensor circuit, and
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`controls the brightness of the backlight in response to the external light illuminance
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 11/596,000
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2699
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`which is measured by the photo sensor circuit and is inputted from the photo sensor
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`circuit (figs. 1-3, items 104-109, from col. 2, line 21 to col. 3, line 15), and
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`Suszuki does not disclose measuring the external light illuminance around the
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`liquid crystal display panel within an illuminance measuring period within a turn-off
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`period of the external light illuminance and the control circuit changes the illuminance
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`measuring period and the turn off period of the backlight in response to the external light
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`illuminance measured by the photo sensor circuit the photo sensor circuit.
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`McManon et al. teaches measuring the external light illuminance within an
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`illuminance measuring period within a turn-off period of the external light illuminance
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`and the control circuit changes the turn off period of the backlight in response to the
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`external light illuminance measured by the photo sensor circuit the photo sensor circuit
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`(Fig. 4, items 42,44,46,49-50, col. 4, lines 39-67).
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`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the
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`invention to incorporate teachings of McManon et al. into Suzuki system in order to
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`reduce power cosumption (col. 1, lines 13-27 in the McManon et al. reference).
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`McManon et al., Suzuki do not disclose changing the illuminance measuring
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`penod.
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`2—23).
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`Kobayashi et al. teach changing the illuminance measuring period (col. 2, lines
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`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the
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`invention to incorporate teachings of Kobayashi et al. into McManon et al., Suzuki
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 11/596,000
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2699
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`system in order to contract the main object (Col. 2, lines 21-24 in the Kobayashi et al.
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`reference).
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`As to claim 3-13, Suzuki teaches the control circuit shortens the illuminance
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`measuring period when the external light illuminance measured by the photo sensor
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`circuit is large and prolongs the illuminance measuring period when the external light
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`illuminance measured by the photo sensor circuit is small (fig. 3, items Cmax,
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`b,d , col. 3, lines 19—37).
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`As to claim 15, it generally considered to be within the ordinary skill in the art to
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`adjust, vary, select or optimize the numerical parameters or values of any system
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`absent of showing criticality of in a particular recited value. Thus, it would have been
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`obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to interchange value of
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`the number of sensors. Such a limitation would have been considered as obvious
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`variation on the matter of selected number of sensors which fails patentably distinguish
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`over the prior art of Suzuki.
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`In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
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`As to claim 16,18 it is a common trend to integrate electronic display controlling
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`circuits on the substrate of the display (or in a semiconductor chip) in order to reduce
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`cost, therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time
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`of the invention to dispose the photo sensor circuit on the substrate of the display
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`without the exercise of inventive skill.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 11/596,000
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2699
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`2.
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`Claims 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over
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`Kobayashi et al., McManon et al., Suzuki in view of Chelmansarai et al. (2005/0094768
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`A1).
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`Kobayashi et al., McManon et al., Suzuki do not disclose the liquid crystal display
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`device includes a dark current correcting transistor which corrects a dark current of the
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`photo sensor.
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`Chelmansarai et al. teaches a dark current correcting transistor which corrects a
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`dark current of the photo sensor (par. 0024).
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`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the
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`invention to incorporate teachings of Chelmansarai et al. into Kobayashi et al.,
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`McManon et al., Suzuki system in order to reduce artifacts (par. 0001 in the
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`Chelmansarai et al. reference).
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`3.
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`Claims 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over
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`Kobayashi et al., McManon et al., Suzuki in view of Azuma (JP 10-246879).
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`Kobayashi et al., McManon et al., Suzuki do not disclose the photo sensor is
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`arranged at a dummy pixel portion which is a periphery of a display part of the liquid
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`crystal display panel.
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`Azuma teaches the photo sensor is arranged at a dummy pixel portion which is a
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`periphery of a display part of the liquid crystal display panel (fig. 1, items 2,21 -22, basic
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`abstract).
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`Application/Control Number: 11/596,000
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2699
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`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the
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`invention to incorporate teachings of Azuma into Suzuki system in order to reduce
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`flicker (title in the Azuma reference).
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`Response to Arguments
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`4.
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`Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim1, 3-18 have been considered but
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`are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in
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`the current rejection.
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`Telephone inquire
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to LEONID SHAPIRO whose telephone number is
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`(571 )272—7683. The examiner can normally be reached on 8 am. to 5 pm.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Will Boddie can be reached on (571)-272—0666. The fax phone number for
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`the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571 -273-8300.
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent
`
`Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published
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`applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status
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`information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For
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`more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you
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`have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 11/596,000
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`Page 7
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`Art Unit: 2699
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`Center (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 system, call
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`800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571 -272-1 000.
`
`/L. S./
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`Examiner, Art Unit 2629
`11/16/13
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`/W|LLIAM BODDIE/
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`Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2625
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`