Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 10/21/2025 has been entered.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 08/08/2025 and 11/17/2025 have been considered by the Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 10/21/2025 has been entered. Claims 7-10 have been canceled. The amendments to the claims have overcome each claim objection, drawing objection, 112(a) rejection, and 112(b) rejection previously set forth in the Final Office Action mailed 05/22/2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-6 and 11-12 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. 66
Claim(s) 1-5 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yan et al. (US 20200049996 A1), hereinafter Yan, in view of Verhulst et al. (US 20090268904 A1), hereinafter Verhulst.
Regarding independent claim 1, Yan discloses a head-mounted display apparatus (10; Fig. 3; ¶0028), comprising an image source (18; Fig. 3; ¶0029), a light guiding element (48; Fig. 3; ¶0029), a first modulating element (66, 74; Fig. 3; ¶0032, ¶0036), a polarizer (70; Fig. 3; ¶0038) and a second modulating element (68; Fig. 3; ¶0032), wherein:
the image source (18) provides an image beam (44; Fig. 3; ¶0029);
the light guiding element (48) is arranged on an image beam transmission path (Fig. 3), the light guiding element (48) has a first surface (62; Fig. 3; ¶0030) and a second surface (64; Fig. 3; ¶0030) opposite to each other (Fig. 3), the image beam is emitted from the second surface (64) (Fig. 3);
the first modulating element (66, 74) is arranged on one side of the first surface (62) of the light guiding element (48) (Fig. 3) and includes a liquid crystal modulating cell (66; Fig. 3; ¶0033);
the polarizer (70; Fig. 3; ¶0038) is disposed between the light guiding element (48) and the second modulating element (68) (Fig. 3), and an ambient beam (80; Fig. 3; ¶0031) passing through the polarizer (70) and the image beam passing through the polarizer (70) have the same polarization direction (¶0038; inherent in order for light to pass through the polarizer); and
the light guiding element (48) is arranged between the first modulating element (66, 74) and the second modulating element (68), and the second modulating element (68) is an electrically tunable liquid crystal lens (¶0033-¶0034).
Yan does not disclose the first modulating element includes a linear polarizer, wherein the liquid crystal modulating cell is disposed between the linear polarizer and the light guiding element.
However, Verhulst teaches a display apparatus (Fig. 1) comprising a first modulating element (131, 110; Fig. 1; ¶0029) and a second modulating element (120; Fig. 1; ¶0029), wherein the first modulating element (131, 110) includes a linear polarizer (131; Fig. 1; ¶0029) and a liquid crystal modulating cell (110; Fig. 1; ¶0031), wherein the liquid crystal modulating cell (110) is disposed between the linear polarizer (131) and the second modulating element (120) (Fig. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Yan to incorporate the linear polarizer of Verhulst for the purpose of providing polarized light to the liquid crystal modulating cell.
Regarding claim 2, Yan in view of Verhulst discloses the head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above. Yan further discloses the light guiding element (48) is a freeform waveguide (Fig. 3; ¶0029) or a prism.
Regarding claim 3, Yan in view of Verhulst discloses the head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above. Yan further discloses the first modulating element (66, 74) is directly disposed on the first surface (62) of the light guiding element (48) (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4, Yan in view of Verhulst discloses the head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above. Yan further discloses the second surface (64) of the light guiding element (48) comprises a non-light-emitting region (part of 48 that is to the left of 70; Fig. 3; ¶0029) and a light-emitting region (part of 48 that is adjacent to 70; Fig. 1; ¶0030), the image beam undergoes the total internal reflection at the non-light-emitting region (Fig. 3; ¶0029), and the image beam is transferred to the second modulating element (68) through the light-emitting region (Fig. 3; ¶0030).
Regarding claim 5, Yan in view of Verhulst discloses the head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above. Yan further discloses the first modulating element (66, 74) is further configured to adjust an optical aberration of the ambient beam (8) (any modulation by liquid crystal lens 68 on world light 80 is canceled out by modulation from liquid crystal lens 66; ¶0035; lens 74 may be used to cancel the power of lens 72; ¶0036).
Regarding claim 11, Yan in view of Verhulst discloses the head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above. Yan further discloses a light sensing element (26; Fig. 1; ¶0025) and a controller (12; Fig. 1; ¶0025), wherein the controller (12) is electrically connected to the light sensing element (26) and the first modulating element (66, 74) (¶0032), the light sensing element (26) is configured to receive an intensity of the ambient beam (¶0025) to provide a modulation signal (¶0025), and the controller (12) controls the first modulating element (66, 74) according to the modulation signal (¶0032).
Claim(s) 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yan (US 20200049996 A1) in view of Verhulst (US 20090268904 A1), further in view of Russell (WO 2020056384 A1), and further in view of Kollin et al. (US 20200117006 A1), hereinafter Kollin.
Regarding claim 6, Yan in view of Verhulst discloses the head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above. Neither Yan nor Verhulst disclose the first modulating element and the second modulating element are configured to change a polarizing state of the ambient beam, so as to adjust the transmittance of the ambient beam.
However, Russell teaches a similar head-mounted display apparatus (Fig. 7) comprising a first modulating element (Fig. 11), wherein the first modulating element (Fig. 11) is configured to change a polarizing state of the ambient beam (¶00117), so as to adjust the transmittance of the ambient beam (¶00117).
Kollin teaches a similar head-mounted display apparatus (Fig. 2A) comprising a second modulating element (206; Fig. 2A; ¶0023), wherein the second modulating element (206) is configured to change a polarizing state of the ambient beam (¶0040), so as to adjust the transmittance of the ambient beam (¶0075).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Yan in view of Verhulst to incorporate the first and second modulating elements being configured to change a polarizing state of the ambient beam as taught by Russell and Kollin for the purpose of increasing or decreasing an amount of environmental light that passes through toward the user’s eye (¶0075 of Kollin).
Claim(s) 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yan (US 20200049996 A1) in view of Verhulst (US 20090268904 A1) and further in view of Shih et al. (US 20180203236 A1), hereinafter Shih.
Regarding claim 12, Yan in view of Verhulst discloses the head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above. Neither Yan nor Verhulst disclose the first surface of the light guiding element has an optical microstructure.
However, Shih teaches a similar head-mounted display apparatus (Fig. 1B) comprising a light guiding element (124; Fig. 1B; ¶0027), wherein the first surface of the light guiding element (124) has an optical microstructure (130; Fig. 1B; ¶0032).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Yan in view of Verhulst to incorporate the optical microstructure of Shih for the purpose of reflecting the image light more effectively (¶0032 of Shih).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Komanduri et al. (US 20210041703 A1) discloses a similar head-mounted display apparatus comprising liquid crystal layers, a waveguide, and a linear polarizer.
Oh (US 20180239177 A1) and Cheng et al. (US 20210405402 A1) disclose similar head-mounted display apparatuses wherein the ambient light first passes through a linear polarizer.
Jang (US 20220244592 A1), Kato (US 20190391447 A1), Osterman et al. (US 20120147280 A1), and Buhrer et al. (US 6028656 A) disclose optical apparatuses comprising a linear polarizer adjacent to a liquid crystal layer.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATASHA NIGAM whose telephone number is (571)270-5423. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8-5.
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/NATASHA NIGAM/Examiner, Art Unit 2872 November 19th, 2025
/RICKY L MACK/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872