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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address; COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`17/096,418
`
`11/12/2020
`
`Hideyuki NAKANISHI
`
`20295 .0070US01
`
`3458
`
`HAY
`
`M
`
`TLERS
`
`HAMRE, SCHUMANN, MUELLER & LARSON P.C.
`45 South Seventh Street
`Suite 2700
`MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402-1683
`
`LEE JR, KENNETH B
`
`2622
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
`
`09/16/2021
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`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.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`PTOMail @hsml.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-14 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`(J Claim(s)__ is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-5,9 and 11-14 is/are rejected.
`Claim(s) 6-8 and 10 is/are objected to.
`1) Claim(s
`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http:/Awww.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
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`) ) ) )
`
`Application Papers
`10)2) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)M The drawing(s) filed on 11/12/2020 is/are: a)¥) accepted or b)() 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)[¥] Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)() None ofthe:
`b)( Some**
`a) All
`1.4) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1) Certified copies of the priority documents have beenreceived in Application No.
`3.1.) 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)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) (J Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`4)
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20210911
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`17/096,418
`NAKANISHI et al.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`KENNETH B LEE JR
`2622
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEofthis communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom 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) MONTHSfrom 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, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
`
`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 11/12/2020.
`C} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
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`2a)L) This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)This action is non-final.
`3)02 An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4\0) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/096,418
`Art Unit: 2622
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AlA or AIA Status
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`1.
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`The present application,filedonor after March 16, 2013,
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`is being examined underthe
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`first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`1.
`
`In the eventthe determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA35
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`U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subjectto pre-AlA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction
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`of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the
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`prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under
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`either status.
`
`2.
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form
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`the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
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`A personshall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(a)}(2} the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, orinanapplication
`for patent published or deemed published under s ection 122(b), in which the patent or application, as
`the case maybe, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effectivefiling date of
`the claimed invention.
`
`3.
`
`Claim(s) 1-5, 9, 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by
`
`Koudo, US Pub. No. 2020/0193926.
`
`The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon
`
`the earliereffectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C.
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`102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under
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`37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed inthe reference was obtained directly or
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`indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus notprior art in
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/096,418
`Art Unit: 2622
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`Page 3
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`accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public
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`disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a
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`statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effectivefiling
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`date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosedin the reference and the claimed
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`invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignmentto
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`the same personor subject to a joint research agreement.
`
`Regarding claim 1, Koudo teaches an image processing device that generates a second
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`output image signal output to a second liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystal display device
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`includingafirst liquid crystal panel and the second liquid crystal panel that is disposed to be
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`superposedon the first liquid crystal panel (fig. 2, first liquid crystal display panel 12, second
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`liquid crystal display panel 14), the image processing device comprising: a first corrector that
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`generates a gamma correction signal in whicha gradation value of an input image signal is
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`corrected ([0048], figs. 3-5); a detector that receives the gamma correction signal and detects
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`an image brighter than surroundings as a first high-frequency portion from the gamma
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`correction signal ([0047-0048], fig. 3 and accompanying test); and a second corrector that
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`receives the gamma correction signal and a detection result of the detector and performs
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`correction to decrease the gradation value of the first high-frequency portioninthe gamma
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`correction signal (fig. 3, corrector 24a, [0049]), wherein the second output imagesignal is
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`generated based on the gamma correction signal by the second corrector ([0049]).
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`Regarding claim 2, Koudo teaches wherein the second corrector corrects the gradation
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`value of the first high frequency portion to the gradation value of the first high frequency
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`portion inthe input image signal ([0048-0049]).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/096,418
`Art Unit: 2622
`
`Page 4
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`Regarding claim 3, Koudo teaches wherein the detector includes: a low-passfilter that
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`receives the gamma correction signal and generates a processing signal by performing low-pass
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`filtering processing on the gamma correction signal ([0048-0049]); and a determination unit
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`that receives the gamma correction signal and the processing signal and determines the first
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`high frequency portion based on the gamma correction and the processing signal ( figs. 3-5, first
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`video signal generator 23).
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`Regarding claim 4, Koudo teaches wherein the determination unit determines whether
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`a first gradation value indicated by the gamma correction signal is higherthan a second
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`gradation value indicated by the processing signal for each of a plurality of pixels, and
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`determines that at least one pixel having the first gradation value higherthan the second
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`gradation value is the first high frequency portion (figs. 3-5, [0047-0050]).
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`Regarding claim 5, Koudo teaches wherein the detector includes a first detector that
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`detects whether the first high frequency portion is lessthan or equal to a predetermined area,
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`and the second corrector performs the correction to decrease the gradation value on the high
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`frequency portion determined tobe less than or equal to the predetermined area by the
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`detector (figs. 3-5, [0048-0049].
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`Regarding claim 9, Koudo teaches furthercomprising a parallax reduction unit that
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`receives a signal from the third corrector, performs the smoothing processing on the signal, and
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`generates the second output imagesignal ([0048]).
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`Regarding claim 11, Koudo teaches comprising a fourth corrector that receives at least
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`the second output image signal and generatesa first output image signal output out to the first
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`liquid crystal panel based on the at least the second output image signal ([0047-0048]).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/096,418
`Art Unit: 2622
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`Page 5
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`Regarding claim 12, Koudo teaches wherein the fourth corrector also receives the
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`gamma correction signal, and the fourth corrector includes: a division processor that calculates
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`a correction value based on the gamma correction signal and the second output imagesignal;
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`and a multiplierthat generates the first output image signal based on the correction value and
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`a signal based on the input image signal ([0049]).
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`Regarding claim 13, it isa display device of claim 1 and is rejected on the same grounds
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`presented above.
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`Regarding claim 14, Koudo teaches wherein the second liquid crystal panel is disposed
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`ona back surface side of the first liquid crystal panel and displays a monochrome image
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`([0004]).
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`4.
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`Claims 6-8 and 10 are objected to as being dependent upona rejected baseclaim, but
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`would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base
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`claim and any intervening claims. The following isa statement of reasons for the indication of
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`allowable subject matter: None of the prior art, either singularly or in combination, teaches or
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`fairly suggests “wherein the first detector counts a number of pixels having the gradation value
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`less than or equal to a second threshold less than a first thresholdin each of vertical M1 pixels
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`and horizontal N1 pixels foreach pixel having the gradation value greater than or equal to the
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`first thresholdina plurality of pixels constituting an image based on the gamma correction
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`signal, and detects the pixel asa pixel to be corrected by the second corrector whena
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`proportion of the number of counted pixelsis greater than or equal to a first predetermined
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`proportion.” Claims 7-8 and 10 are allowable based on dependency.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/096,418
`Art Unit: 2622
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`Page 6
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`Conclusion
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`5.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examinershould be directed to KENNETH B LEE JR whose telephone number is (571)270-3147.
`
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`supervisor, Alexander Eisen can be reached on 571-272-7687. The fax phone number for the
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`organization wherethis application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
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`
`/KENNETHB LEE JR/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2622
`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/096,418
`Art Unit: 2622
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`Page 7
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