DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4, 8-13, 15, 16 and 20 is/are rejected as being anticipated by Applicant’s admitted prior art in (Application 17/997,747).
Regarding claim 1, Admitted prior art discloses liquid crystal (LC) beam modulation device (para. 0046; LC device; pg. 8 line 12) comprising:
at least one tunable LC cell assembly having an LC material whose index of refraction is variable within the visible spectrum (para. 0036; liquid crystal (LC) beam control devices, an electric field is typically used to control a molecular orientation in a LC cell. The electric field may be modulated (in time and space) by powering preferably transparent electrodes on one or each side of an LC cell, such that the resulting electric field modulates the orientation of LC molecules as desired) such that beam modulation has a first wavelength dependence (para. 0046; the short A (blue light) is more affected (by the broadening of the LC device) than the large A (red light)); and
a polarization rotation element (para. 0041; the rotator (e.g. a HWP) may be dynamically controlled or may be a passive element) having a second wavelength dependence of efficiency of rotation that is contrary to said first wavelength dependence (para. 0046; a HWP that is designed to operate mainly for green and/or red light may significantly reduce the above-mentioned problem of CCT change).
Regarding claim 2, Admitted prior art (fig. 1B) wherein said polarization rotation element is a half wave plate (HWP) (para. 0041; para. 0041; the rotator (e.g. a HWP) may be dynamically controlled or may be a passive element), and said at least one tunable LC cell assembly comprises at least two tunable LC cells arranged on opposite sides of said HWP (illustrated in fig. 1B).
Regarding claim 3, Admitted prior art (fig. 1B) wherein two tunable LC cells are arranged on each side of said HWP (illustrated in fig. 1B).
Regarding claim 4, Admitted prior art (fig. 1B) wherein said at least one tunable LC cell contains homeotropically aligned LC material and an arrangement of electrodes that, when powered, cause the LC material to change its refractive index (para. 0042; FIG. 1B is also described, in the prior art, as alternatively working for LC cells employing homeotropic alignment).
Regarding claim 8, Admitted prior art discloses wherein said device is configured to broaden a light beam (para. 0041; the LC device to broaden a beam of light in a vertical or horizontal line if only one pair of LC cells is powered).
Regarding claim 9, Admitted prior art discloses wherein said device is configured to broaden said light beam in one direction (para. 0041; this configuration allows the LC device to broaden a beam of light in a vertical or horizontal line if only one pair of LC cells is powered).
Regarding claim 10, Admitted prior art discloses wherein said device is configured to broaden said light beam in two directions simultaneously (para. 0041; It may also broaden the beam in the two directions when all cells are powered.).
Regarding claim 11, Admitted prior art discloses wherein said device is configured to broaden said source light beam in a selected one of two directions (para. 0041; It may also broaden the beam in the two directions when all cells are powered…if only one cell is powered, then the light beam will only be broadened in one direction).
Regarding claim 12, Admitted prior art discloses wherein said device is configured to broaden only one light polarization (para. 0041; the second pair of LC cells may broaden the polarization of light that was not broaden by the first pair of LC cells).
Regarding claim 13, Admitted prior art discloses wherein said device is configured to broaden two light polarizations (para. 0037 discloses unpolarized light which contains two orthogonal polarizations).
Regarding claim 15, Admitted prior art (fig. 1B) discloses wherein said at least one tunable LC cell contains homeotropically aligned LC material and an arrangement of electrodes that, when powered, cause the LC material to change its refractive index (para. 0042; FIG. 1B is also described, in the prior art, as alternatively working for LC cells employing homeotropic alignment).
Regarding claim 16, Admitted prior art (fig. 1B) wherein said at least one tunable LC cell contains homeotropically aligned LC material and an arrangement of electrodes that, when powered, cause the LC material to change its refractive index (para. 0042; FIG. 1B is also described, in the prior art, as alternatively working for LC cells employing homeotropic alignment).
Regarding claim 20, Admitted prior art discloses wherein said device is configured to broaden a light beam (para. 0041; the LC device to broaden a beam of light in a vertical or horizontal line if only one pair of LC cells is powered).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7, 14 and 17-19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The subject matter of claim 5 that was found to be allowable because said polarization rotation element is a quarter wave plate, further comprising a reflector for reflecting light passing through said quarter wave plate back through said quarter wave plate and then back through said at least one tunable LC cell.
The subject matter of claim 6 that was found to be allowable because said at least two tunable LC cells are oriented at about 92.5 or 87.5 degrees between one another.
The subject matter of claim 7 that was found to be allowable because said at least one tunable LC cell assembly comprises at least two contiguous zones operable to act on at least two different light polarity.
The subject matter of claim 14 that was found to be allowable because said device is configured to switch the electric potential dynamically on each electrode pairs and accelerate the back transition time, by applying a difference of potential between two substrates of the same LC cell.
The subject matter of claim 17 that was found to be allowable is wherein two of said at least two tunable LC cells are oriented at about 92.5 or 87.5 degrees between one another.
The subject matter of claim 18 that was found to be allowable because said at least two tunable LC cells are oriented at about 92.5 or 87.5 degrees between one another.
The subject matter of claim 19 that was found to be allowable because said at least one tunable LC cell assembly comprises at least two contiguous zones operable to act on at least two different light polarity.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANELL L OWENS whose telephone number is (571)270-5365. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00am-5:00pm M-F.
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/DANELL L OWENS/ Examiner, Art Unit 2882 16 December 2025
/BAO-LUAN Q LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882