`
`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
`wwwnsptogov
`
`APPLICATION NO.
`
`
`
`
` F ING DATE
`
`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
`
`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
`
`
`
`
`CONF {MATION NO.
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`12/699,117
`
`02/03/2010
`
`Takeshi HARAYAMA
`
`520.50520X00
`
`5302
`
`20457
`
`7590
`
`11/05/2013
`
`ANTONELLLTERRY,STOUT&KRAUS,LLP
`1300 NORTH SEVENTEENTH STREET
`SUITE 1800
`ARLINGTON, VA 22209-3873
`
`MCLOONE, mm; D
`
`2692
`
`MAIL DATE
`
`11/05/2013
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`DELIVERY MODE
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`PAPER
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 12/699,117 HARAYAMA ET AL.
`
`Examiner
`Art Unit
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Office Action Summary
`
`Peter D. McLoone it?“ 2692
`
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`
`
`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
`
`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 9/20/2013.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
`
`2b)|:l This action is non-final.
`2a)|Z| 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.
`
`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.
`
`Disposition of Claims
`
`5)IZI Claim(s) 1-11 is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`
`is/are allowed.
`6)I:I Claim(s)
`7)|Z| Claim(s)_1-11 is/are rejected.
`8)|:I Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
`
`
`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
`
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`hit
`:/'I’\WIIW.LIsnto. ovI’ atentS/init events/
`
`
`
`hI/index.‘s or send an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
`
`Application Papers
`
`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)|Xl The drawing(s) filed on 2/3/2010 is/are: a)lX| 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).
`
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`
`12)IXI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
`
`a)IZl All
`
`b)|:l Some * c)I:l None of the:
`
`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
`
`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.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1) D Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`
`Paper N°ISI/Ma" Date' —
`PTO/SB/08
`t
`t
`St
`I
`D'
`I'
`f
`2 I] I
`)
`4) I:I Other:
`a emen (s) (
`Isc osure
`n orma Ion
`)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 08-13)
`
`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20131023
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 12/699,117
`
`Art Unit: 2692
`
`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`1.
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`The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
`
`2.
`
`The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness
`
`rejections set forth in this Office action:
`
`(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.
`
`3.
`
`Claims 1, 7, and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Myers
`
`(US 20100073390 A1) in view of Morimoto et al. (US 20080245949 A1, hereafter Morimoto).
`
`Regarding claim 1, Myers teaches a liquid crystal display device comprising a liquid crystal
`
`display panel to which an image signal is input, and a backlight provided on one side of the liquid crystal
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`display panel (Fig. 1, [0010], where the display panel 24 comprises a LCD panel, receives image signals
`
`23, and also comprises a backlight),
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`wherein the backlight is assigned one rank of a plurality of ranks in accordance with information
`
`about white tolerance of the light source, and the assigned rank of the backlight is indicated in a portion of
`
`the backlight (Fig. 2, [0022], where the EDID information stored in storage 30 contains information
`
`derived from calculations about at least one of a plurality of response curves for color information and
`
`white point error and the response curves are considered to be ranks as they provide that information on
`
`a scale),
`
`the liquid crystal display device further comprises an image quality processing circuit to which the
`
`assigned rank of the backlight stored in the memory device can be input in order to correct gamma
`
`characteristics of the image signal according to the assigned rank (Figs. 2, where method described in
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 12/699,117
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`Art Unit: 2692
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`Page 3
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`[0022] at step 112 involves generating correction values based upon the calculated values for
`
`compensating for white point error using the scaler/controller 22).
`
`But, Myers does not teach the liquid crystal display device where a light emitting diode is used as
`
`a light source of the backlight and wherein information about the white tolerance of the light source using
`
`the light emitting diode is indicated in a portion of the backlight.
`
`However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Morimoto (Figs. 3 and 4, [0093]—[0095],
`
`where there are LEDs R, G, and B and where there is a memory 51 e on substrate on the backside of the
`
`substrate with the LEDs that possesses reference information for corrective values). It would have been
`
`obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to adapt the backlight of Myers which
`
`already addresses separate RGB light sources (Myers [0019]) to use light emitting diodes as a standard
`
`choice as suggested by Morimoto. Additionally, the placement of storage of corrective information relating
`
`to the backlight on a structure integral to the backlight enables easy manufacture and factory calibration
`
`of backlight units as well as future easy retrieval and updating of the factory default information.
`
`Regarding claim 7, Myers teaches a liquid crystal display device comprising a liquid crystal
`
`display panel to which an image signal is input, and a backlight provided on one side of the liquid crystal
`
`display panel (Fig. 1, [0010], where the display panel 24 comprises a LCD panel, receives image signals
`
`23, and also comprises a backlight),
`
`wherein the backlight is assigned one of a plurality of ranks in accordance with information about
`
`white tolerance of the light source, and the assigned rank of the backlight is stored in a memory device
`
`(Fig. 2, [0022], where the EDID information stored in storage 30 contains information derived from
`
`calculations about at least one of a plurality of response curves for color information and white point error
`
`and the response curves are considered to be ranks as they provide that information on a scale),
`
`the liquid crystal display device further comprises an image quality processing circuit to which the
`
`assigned rank of the backlight stored in the memory device can be input in order to correct gamma
`
`characteristics of the image signal according to the assigned rank (Figs. 2, where method described in
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 12/699,117
`
`Art Unit: 2692
`
`Page 4
`
`[0022] at step 112 involves generating correction values based upon the calculated values for
`
`compensating for white point error using the scaler/controller 22).
`
`But, Myers does not teach the liquid crystal display device where a light emitting diode is used as
`
`a light source of the backlight and wherein the memory device containing information about the white
`
`tolerance of the light source using the light emitting diode is located in a portion of the backlight.
`
`However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Morimoto (Figs. 3 and 4, [0093]—[0095],
`
`where there are LEDs R, G, and B and where there is a memory 51 e on substrate on the backside of the
`
`substrate with the LEDs that possesses reference information for corrective values). It would have been
`
`obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to adapt the backlight of Myers which
`
`already addresses separate RGB light sources (Myers [0019]) to use light emitting diodes as a standard
`
`choice as suggested by Morimoto. Additionally, the placement of storage of corrective information relating
`
`to the backlight on a structure integral to the backlight enables easy manufacture and factory calibration
`
`of backlight units as well as future easy retrieval and updating of the factory default information.
`
`Regarding claim 9, the combination of Myers and Morimoto would show the liquid crystal display
`
`device of claim 7. Myers further teaches the liquid crystal display device wherein the memory device is
`
`electrically coupled to the image quality processing circuit, so that the assigned rank of the backlight
`
`stored in the memory device can be output to the image quality processing circuit (Fig. 1, [0024], where
`
`scaler/controller 22 and storage 30 are connected and information passes from the storage to the
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`scaler/controller 22 and further on to the host computer 10).
`
`Regarding claim 10, the combination of Myers and Morimoto would show the liquid crystal
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`display device of claim 1. Morimoto in the combination teaches the liquid crystal display device wherein
`
`the backlight includes a plurality of light emitting diodes dispersed on a surface facing the liquid crystal
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`display panel (Fig. 4, where the LEDs R, G, and B are dispersed on the substrate and act a backlight for
`
`the liquid crystal unit 2 as shown in Fig. 1b).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 12/699,117
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`Art Unit: 2692
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`Page 5
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`Regarding claim 11, the combination of Myers and Morimoto would show the liquid crystal
`
`display device of claim 7. Morimoto in the combination teaches the liquid crystal display device wherein
`
`the backlight includes a plurality of light emitting diodes dispersed on a surface facing the liquid crystal
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`display panel (Fig. 4, where the LEDs R, G, and B are dispersed on the substrate and act a backlight for
`
`the liquid crystal unit 2 as shown in Fig. 1b).
`
`4.
`
`Claim 2, 3, 6, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Myers
`
`(US 20100073390 A1) in view of Morimoto et al. (US 20080245949 A1, hereafter Morimoto) and
`
`further in view of Bulovic et al. (US 20050088380 A1, hereafter Bulovic).
`
`Regarding claim 2, the combination of Myers and Morimoto would show the liquid crystal display
`
`device according to claim 1. Morimoto in the combination teaches the liquid crystal display device
`
`according to claim 1 wherein the assigned rank of the backlist is indicated in the circuit substrate (Fig. 3,
`
`where corrective data is stored in the circuit substrate at 51 e).
`
`But, the combination does not teach the liquid crystal display device wherein the backlight
`
`includes at least a light guide panel provided to face the liquid crystal display panel, and a plurality of light
`
`emitting diodes arranged in parallel on a flexible circuit substrate so that the plurality of light emitting
`
`diodes face at least one side of a side wall surface of the light guide panel.
`
`However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Bulovic (Fig. 1, [0017], where the
`
`substrate 110 also acts as a light guide panel and LEDs disposed on the substrate are facing it). Both
`
`Myers and Bulovic are directed towards the compensation of defects in, among other things, backlighting
`
`using LED arrays. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention
`
`to substitute a flexible substrate for a standard substrate as taught by Bulovic in the liquid crystal panel of
`
`Myers and Morimoto to make the device lightweight.
`
`Regarding claim 3, the combination of Myers, Morimoto, and Bulovic would show the liquid
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`crystal display device according to claim 2. Morimoto in the combination further teaches wherein the light
`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/699,117
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`Art Unit: 2692
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`Page 6
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`guide panel, the light emitting didoes, and the flexible circuit substrate are mounted in a frame (Fig. 4,
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`where the components are a part of substrate 31 on frame 4),
`
`the frame includes a control circuit substrate for driving the light emitting didoes through the
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`flexible circuit substrate, which is provided on a surface of the frame opposite to a surface on which the
`
`light guide panel, the light emitting didoes, and the flexible circuit substrate are mounted (Fig. 4, [0089],
`
`where the other section 51 of the substrate on the opposite side of frame 4 comprises the driving
`
`circuitry),
`
`an end of the flexible circuit substrate is electrically coupled to the control circuit substrate
`
`through a connector, and the assigned rank of the backlight is indicated in a portion adjacent to the
`
`connector of the flexible circuit substrate (Fig. 4, where there are the driving current and intensity signal
`
`connections).
`
`Regarding claim 6, the combination of Myers, Morimoto, and Bulovic would show the liquid
`
`crystal display device of claim 3. Morimoto in the combination teaches the liquid crystal display device
`
`wherein the assigned rank of the backlight is displayed at least on one of a front surface and a back
`
`surface of the flexible circuit substrate (Figs. 3 and 4, where the memory 51 e containing reference
`
`corrective data is located on the back surface).
`
`Regarding claim 8, the combination of Myers and Morimoto, would show the liquid crystal
`
`display device according to claim 7. But the combiantion does not teach the liquid crystal display device
`
`wherein the backlight includes at least a light guide panel provided to face the liquid crystal display panel,
`
`a plurality of light emitting didoes provided to face a side wall surface of the light guide panel, and a
`
`flexible circuit substrate on which the plurality of light emitting diodes are mounted.
`
`However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Bulovic (Fig. 1, [0017], where the
`
`substrate 110 also acts as a light guide panel and LEDs disposed on the substrate are facing it). Both
`
`Myers and Bulovic are directed towards the compensation of defects in, among other things, backlighting
`
`using LED arrays. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 12/699,117
`
`Art Unit: 2692
`
`Page 7
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`to substitute a flexible substrate for a standard substrate as taught by Bulovic in the liquid crystal panel of
`
`Myers and Morimoto to make the device lightweight.
`
`Morimoto in the combination further teaches the liquid crystal display device wherein the memory
`
`device is mounted on the flexible circuit substrate (Fig. 3, [0082], where the pixel 31 and memory circuits
`
`51 are both mounted to a substrate comprising the backlight unit 71).
`
`5.
`
`Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Myers (US
`
`20100073390 A1) in view of Morimoto et al. (US 20080245949 A1, hereafter Morimoto) and further
`
`in view of Bulovic et al. (US 20050088380 A1, hereafter Bulovic) and Liu et al. (US 20100033109 A1,
`
`hereafter Liu).
`
`Regarding claim 4, the combination of Myers, Morimoto, and Bulovic would show the liquid
`
`crystal display device of claim 3. But, the combination does not teach the liquid crystal display device
`
`wherein the assigned rank of the backlight is indicated by means of a dummy resistance attached to the
`
`flexible circuit substrate.
`
`However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Liu (Fig. 5, [0030], where the forward
`
`voltage expressed across the voltage divider including RSENJ conveys information about the LED).
`
`It
`
`would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to gather
`
`information about the LED strings found in the backlight of the liquid crystal display device of Myers,
`
`Morimoto, and Bulovic using a resistance such as taught by Liu to precisely and electrically gather data
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`about current state of the LED strings.
`
`6.
`
`Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Myers (US
`
`20100073390 A1) in view of Morimoto et al. (US 20080245949 A1, hereafter Morimoto) and further
`
`in view of Bulovic et al. (US 20050088380 A1, hereafter Bulovic) and Tseng (US 20080307200 A1).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 12/699,117
`
`Art Unit: 2692
`
`Page 8
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`Regarding claim 5, the combination of Myers, Morimoto, and Bulovic would show the liquid
`
`crystal display device of claim 3. But, the combination does not teach the liquid crystal display device
`
`wherein the assigned rank of the backlight is indicated by means of a bar code printed on the flexible
`
`circuit substrate.
`
`However, this was well known in the art as evidenced by Tseng (Fig. 3, [0025], where a bar code
`
`is burned to the display device; [0004], where this bar code may include color information of the device). It
`
`would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to use a bar code to
`
`transfer initial gamma characteristics of the display device as taught by Tseng and capture this
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`information as the initial panel data for storage in a memory device manufactured separate from the
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`backlight components. Such an arrangement would provide an easy set of initial values for usage in the
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`image processing circuit.
`
`Response to Arguments
`
`7.
`
`Applicant's arguments filed 9/20/2013 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
`
`The arguments presented on pages 8-10 of Applicant’s arguments/remarks assert that neither
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`Myers nor any of the other references used in the rejection teach "that the backlight is assigned one rank
`
`of a plurality of ranks in accordance with information about white tolerance of the light source, and the
`
`assigned rank of the backlight is indicated in a portion of the backlight." In the discussion on pages 7-8,
`
`the ranks are discussed in terms of a simple alphabetical scheme with six ranks A-F. However, as
`
`mentioned in [0022] of Myers and the rejection, the reference Myers provides for correction values that
`
`compensate for a panel response curve. The mapping of these values functions as a ranking system set
`
`in a two-dimensional system rather than a simple one-dimensional ranking. As also described in the
`
`rejection, these values are stored in the EDID storage which is a part of the display and so the
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`“information is indicated in the backlight”.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 12/699,117
`
`Art Unit: 2692
`
`Page 9
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`Conclusion
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`8.
`
`THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth
`
`in 37 CFR1.136(a).
`
`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from
`
`the mailing date of this action.
`
`In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date
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`of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH
`
`shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action
`
`is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of
`
`the advisory action.
`
`In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX
`
`MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
`
`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should
`
`be directed to Peter D. McLoone whose telephone number is (571)272-4631. The examiner can normally
`
`be reached on M-F 8:30am-4:30pm.
`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor,
`
`LunYi Lao can be reached on (571)272-7671. The fax phone number for the organization where this
`
`application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application
`
`Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from
`
`either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through
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`Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should
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`you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC)
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`at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative
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`1000.
`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/699,117
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`Page 10
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`Art Unit: 2692
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`/Peter D McLoone/
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`Examiner, Art Unit 2692
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`/LUN-Y| LAO/
`
`Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2692
`
`