Ex Parte YUSA

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

Sep 19, 2016

12333441 (P.T.A.B. Sep. 19, 2016)

UNITED STA TES p A TENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE
12/333,441 12/12/2008
30074 7590 09/21/2016
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
One Indiana Square, Suite 3500
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2023
FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
ATSUSHI YUSA
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www .uspto.gov
ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
OKS03-GN027 6337
EXAMINER
NGUYEN, CHANH DUY
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
2691
NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE
09/21/2016 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):
Taft-IP-Docket@taftlaw.com
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
Ex parte ATSUSHI YUSA
Appeal2013-008618
Application 12/333,441
Technology Center 2600
Before JASON V. MORGAN, KIMBERLY McGRAW, and
NABEEL U. KHAN, Administrative Patent Judges.
McGRAW, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL
This is an appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 134(a) from a final rejection of
claims 1 and 4--7. Claims 2 and 3 stand objected to. We have jurisdiction
under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b).
We reverse.
Appeal2013-008618
Application 12/333,441
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Appellant's invention is directed to a liquid crystal panel driving
apparatus having a plurality of timing controllers. According to Appellant's
Specification, an object of the invention is for the apparatus to display
normally even if each of the plurality of timing controllers receives
abnormal display data signals. Spec. i-f 7. Each of the controllers has (1) an
image data memory for storing "image data associated with the abnormality
detection signal" ("image data stored in the image data memory") and (2) an
image switching unit that provides the image data stored in the image data
memory instead of the image data that is stored in the line memory when an
abnormality is detected.
Claim 1 is the only independent claim on appeal and is reproduced
below:
1. A liquid crystal panel driving apparatus comprising:
a plurality of timing controllers, each of the plurality of the
timing controllers including a line memory for storing image data
included in a received display data signal and an output controller
unit that provides a liquid crystal panel driver with a driving
signal based on the image data stored in the line memory and the
display data signal;
wherein each of the plurality of the timing controllers includes
[A J an abnormality detection unit for outputting
an abnormality detection signal when an abnormality
in the display data signal is detected
[BJ an abnormality detection signal transmission
unit for transmitting the abnormality detection signal
to at least one other of the timing controllers
[CJ an image data memory for storing image data
associated with the abnormality detection signal, and
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Appeal2013-008618
Application 12/333,441
[DJ an image switching unit that provides the
output control unit with the image data associated
with the abnormality detection signal stored in the
image data memory instead of the image data stored
in the line memory when an abnormality is detected.
App. Br. 37 (Claims App'x) (bracketed letters added).
REJECTIONS ON APPEAL
Claim 1 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable
over Ooga et al. (US 2006/0197730 Al, pub. Sept. 7, 2006 "Ooga") in view
ofHong et al. (US 2007/0085799 Al, pub. Apr. 19, 2007 "Hong"). Final Act.
2.
Claim 4 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable
over Ooga, Hong, and Nagashima et al. (US 5,057,928, issued Oct. 15, 1991
"Nagashima"). Final Act. 4.
Claim 5 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable
over Ooga, Hong, Nagashima, and Terasaki (US 5,844,540, issued Dec. 1,
1998). Final Act. 6.
Claim 6 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable
over Ooga, Hong, and An (US 2006/0256063 Al, pub. Nov. 16, 2006). Final
Act. 7.
Claim 7 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable
over Ooga, Hong, An, and Moon (US 2005/0035958 Al, pub. Feb. 17, 2005).
Final Act. 8.
ANALYSIS
We agree with the Appellant that the Examiner erred by finding the
combination of Ooga and Hong teaches or suggests a plurality of timing
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Appeal2013-008618
Application 12/333,441
controllers having ( 1) "an image data memory for storing image data
associated with the abnormality detection signal" recited in claim 1, element
[CJ and (2) "an image switching unit that provides the output control unit
with the image data associated with the abnormality detection signal stored
in the image data memory instead of the image data stored in the line
memory when an abnormality is detected," as recited in claim 1, element
[DJ.
The Examiner finds Ooga teaches most of the limitations of claim 1
but does not teach either the "image data memory" of claim 1, element [CJ
or the "image switching unit" of claim 1, element [D]. 1 Ans. 3; Final Act. 3.
The Examiner relies on Hong to make up for these deficiencies. Ans. 3--4;
Final Act. 3--4. In particular, the Examiner finds Hong's "time controller
110 that includes storage section 115 and the source driver 150 outputs a
normal data voltage and an abnormal data from the storage section 115"
discloses the image data memory of claim 1. Id. at 3. The Examiner further
finds Hong's "control section 111 which select or switch the output data
between the storage sections 15 and 117" discloses the image switching unit
of claim 1. Id.
The Examiner concludes it would have been obvious to one of
ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made
to combine a liquid crystal display that include a timing
controller and the timing controller has a two storage memory
for storing abnormal detection signal as taught by Hong in to
[sic J a liquid crystal display panel having a plurality of timing
controllers as taught by Ooga in order to provides a liquid
crystal display ("LCD") apparatus having an impulsive driving
1 Although the Examiner does not expressly state Ooga fails to teach the
image switching unit of claim 1, element [DJ, the Examiner relies upon
Hong for teaching this limitation.
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Appeal2013-008618
Application 12/333,441
method capable of improving an image display quality; see
[0008] of Hong.
Ans. 4.
However, the Examiner has not shown where it is taught that adding
the impulsive driving method of Hong would improve the image display
quality in liquid crystal display driving apparatus such as that taught by
Ooga. Ooga uses a driving device in which when an abnormality in the
display signal is detected by one of the timing controllers, the other timing
controller sends a predetermined stored image data to the controller having
no display signal. Ooga i-f 68, Figs. 1, 4. Hong utilizes an "impulsive
driving method" to improve the quality of a moving image in which a black
image is displayed after a normal color image. Hong i-fi-13, 6. The Examiner
has not sufficiently explained why a skilled artisan would have utilized the
impulsive driving method of Hong in the driving apparatus of Ooga to
improve display quality. We, therefore, agree with Appellant that the
Examiner has not demonstrated the disputed limitation of claim 1 would
have been obvious to a skilled artisan at the time of invention.
In view of the forgoing, we find the Examiner erred in rejecting
independent claim 1 and claims 4--7 depending therefrom.
DECISION
The Examiner's rejections of claims 1 and 4--7 under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) are reversed.
REVERSED
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