Prior art

Prior art refers to any evidence that an invention was known or available to the public before the effective filing date of a patent application. This includes previously patented inventions, descriptions in printed or electronic publications, or inventions already in public use or on sale. Prior art is crucial in patent examination to determine if an invention is novel and non-obvious.

Based on the provided patent text, here are the most relevant prior art references cited in US Patent 7,995,047, along with an analysis of which claims they potentially anticipate under 35 U.S.C. § 102. The patent text explicitly discusses some of these references in its "BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION" section, highlighting their relevance to the conventional art.

Most Relevant Prior Art for US Patent 7,995,047:

1. US 2005/0231241 A1 (Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.)

   • Full Citation: US 2005/0231241 A1, "Current driver"
   • Publication Date: 2005-10-20
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes a current driving device with a current output part, featuring both a calibration function and a current output function. It includes a voltage holding capacitance element (C1), Nch transistors (QN1-QNm), signal response switches (G1-Gm), a current input switch (Sw1), a calibration switch (Sw2), a reference current source (I1), and current output switches (So1, So2). Under a calibration mode, the device charges C1 by applying a reference current from I1 to the Nch transistors, which are configured to act like diodes. In a current output mode, C1 holds this voltage, and the Nch transistors output current based on it.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
     • Independent Claim 1: This reference potentially anticipates many elements of Claim 1, particularly the existence of a first current supply, a plurality of output terminals, and a plurality of current output circuits each comprising a current-voltage converting function, a voltage-current converting function, a voltage holding part, and at least one current output terminal. It also describes a "current supply mode" (its calibration mode) where the current output part receives a first current, generates a voltage, and holds it, and a "current output mode" where it outputs current according to the held voltage. The primary distinction from Claim 1 is the explicit "voltage supply mode" for pre-charging with a first voltage, which Matsushita lacks.
     • Independent Claim 10: Many structural components of Claim 10 are directly found in Matsushita's FIG. 6A circuit diagram. This includes the current input switch (Sw1), voltage holding circuit (C1), calibration switch (Sw2), voltage-current converting elements (QN1-QNm), signal response switches (G1-Gm), connection node (N1), and current output switches (So1, So2). Similar to Claim 1, the key differentiating feature not present in Matsushita (and thus not anticipated) is the explicit "high-speed switch" and the distinct "voltage supply mode" for pre-charging.

2. JP 2004-219955 (Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co Ltd)

   • Full Citation: JP 2004-219955 A, "Electric current driving apparatus and electric current driving method"
   • Publication Date: 2004-08-05
   • Brief Description: This Japanese unexamined patent publication relates to an electric current driving apparatus. While the specific details are not fully elaborated in the provided English text, the patent mentions this as a related document in the background. It generally pertains to current driving apparatuses and methods.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Without the full content of this document, it is difficult to specify exact claims anticipated. However, given its citation as "other related documents" in the context of conventional techniques for current driving devices, it likely describes elements pertaining to current driving circuits, calibration, and output stages, potentially anticipating broad aspects of current driving devices as generally understood in the art, rather than the specific two-stage calibration.

3. JP 2005-121843 (Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co Ltd)

   • Full Citation: JP 2005-121843 A, "Current output type semiconductor circuit"
   • Publication Date: 2005-05-12
   • Brief Description: This Japanese unexamined patent publication describes a current output type semiconductor circuit. Similar to JP 2004-219955, it is listed as a related document in the background of US7995047.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to JP 2004-219955, without detailed content, specific anticipation cannot be confidently determined. It likely discloses aspects of semiconductor circuits for current output, which could generally relate to the current output function, voltage-current converting function, and current output terminals mentioned in Claims 1 and 10.

4. US 2004/0251844 A1 (Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha)

   • Full Citation: US 2004/0251844 A1, "Display device with light emitting elements"
   • Publication Date: 2004-12-16
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes a display device with light-emitting elements. It is cited as a related document in the background of US7995047, indicating its relevance to display driving technology.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given its title, this patent likely teaches aspects of driving display elements with current, potentially relating to the overall application of the current driving device described in US7995047, but without the specific two-stage calibration mechanism.

5. US 7050024 B2 (Clare Micronix Integrated Systems, Inc.)

   • Full Citation: US 7050024 B2, "Predictive control boost current method and apparatus"
   • Publication Date: 2006-05-23 (Issue Date) / 2001-10-19 (Priority Date)
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a method and apparatus for predictive control boost current. It is listed as a related document in US7995047.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): The title suggests a focus on current control and boosting, which might broadly relate to the current supply or current output aspects of US7995047. However, its direct relevance to a two-stage calibration process involving voltage pre-charging for a voltage holding element needs further examination of its full content.

6. US 6594606 B2 (Clare Micronix Integrated Systems, Inc.)

   • Full Citation: US 6594606 B2, "Matrix element voltage sensing for precharge"
   • Publication Date: 2003-07-15 (Issue Date) / 2001-05-09 (Priority Date)
   • Brief Description: This patent describes matrix element voltage sensing for precharge, particularly in the context of active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs). It explicitly teaches the concept of pre-charging capacitive elements (e.g., data lines) with a voltage to reduce charging time.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While not directly disclosing a current driving device with the specific modes of US7995047, this reference could potentially anticipate the concept of pre-charging a voltage holding element with a voltage to speed up its charging. This general principle of "voltage supply mode" to quickly raise the potential of a capacitive element is central to both Claim 1 and Claim 10. A strong argument for anticipation or obviousness could be made if a "voltage holding circuit" in the context of US7995047 is considered analogous to the "capacitive elements" in Clare Micronix that benefit from pre-charging.

7. US 2006/0158402 A1 (Arokia Nathan)

   • Full Citation: US 2006/0158402 A1, "Method and system for programming, calibrating and driving a light emitting device display"
   • Publication Date: 2006-07-20
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and system for programming, calibrating, and driving a light-emitting device display. It is also listed as a related document.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given its title and the context of US7995047, this reference likely covers aspects of calibration in display driving, similar to Matsushita. The specific details of its calibration process would need to be examined to determine if it anticipates the two-stage voltage and current supply modes of US7995047.