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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 4 and 14 are cancelled. Claims 1, 2, 8, 11 and 15 are amended. Claims 1-3, 5-13 and 15 are pending.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Please change in line 7 wherein it states “fourth side”. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-3, 9-11 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takeda et al. (US PG Pub. 20080239526).
Regarding claim 1, Takeda discloses a light homogenizing element, comprising:
a light incident surface (incident port IP of fig. 13A);
a light-emitting surface (emission port shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13A); and
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a plurality of side surfaces (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C below), connected between the light incident surface and the light-emitting surface (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C below), wherein the light-emitting surface (illustrated in fig, 13C) is not parallel to the light incident surface (IP) (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13A above), the light-emitting surface (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13A) comprises a first side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), a second side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), a third side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13B) and a fourth side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), and the first side is opposite to the second side and is not parallel to the second side (shown below in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), the third side is opposite to the fourth side (shown below in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), and each of included angles between two adjacent ones of the first side, the second side, the third side and the fourth side is not equal to 90 degrees (shown below in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C).
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Regarding claim 2, Takeda discloses a light homogenizing element, comprising:
a light incident surface (incident port IP of fig. 13A);
a light-emitting surface (emission port shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13A); and
a plurality of side surfaces (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C below), connected between the light incident surface and the light-emitting surface (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C below), wherein the light-emitting surface (illustrated in fig, 13C) is not parallel to the light incident surface (IP) (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13A above), the light-emitting surface (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13A) comprises a first side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), a second side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), a third side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C) and a fourth side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), and the first side is opposite to the second side and is not parallel to the second side (shown below in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), the third side connects an end of the first side and an end of the second side (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), and the fourth side connects the other end of the first side and the other end of the second side (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), the third side is opposite to the fourth side and the third side is not parallel to the fourth side (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C).
Regarding claim 3, Takeda discloses wherein lengths of the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side are different (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C above).
Regarding claim 9, Takeda discloses wherein the light homogenizing element is a quadrangular column (illustrated in fig. 13A-13C), and lengths of a plurality of sides of at least one of the side surfaces are different from each other (illustrated below).
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Regarding claim 10, Takeda discloses wherein the light homogenizing element is a solid column (para. 0149; rod integrator main body 461) or a hollow column.
Regarding claim 11, Takeda discloses wherein the third side connects an end of the first side (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C) and an end of the second side (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), the fourth side connects the other end of the first side and the other end of the second side (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), and the third side is parallel to the fourth side (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C).
Regarding claim 15, Takeda discloses a projection device, comprising a light source module (light source 371 of fig. 11), a light homogenizing element (integrator 373 of fig. 11), a light valve (digital mirror device (DMD) 383 of fig. 11) and a projection lens (projection lens 385 of fig. 11), wherein:
the light source module (371) is configured to provide an illumination beam, the light homogenizing element is disposed on a transmission path of the illumination beam (illustrated in fig. 11),
the light homogenizing element comprises a light incident surface (incident port IP of fig. 13A); a light-emitting surface (emission port shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13A); and a plurality of side surfaces (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C below), connected between the light incident surface and the light-emitting surface (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C below), wherein the light-emitting surface (illustrated in fig, 13C) is not parallel to the light incident surface (IP) (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13A above), the light-emitting surface (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13A) comprises a first side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), a second side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), a third side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C) and a fourth side (shown in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), and the first side is opposite to the second side and is not parallel to the second side (shown below in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), the third side connects an end of the first side and an end of the second side (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), and the fourth side connects the other end of the first side and the other end of the second side (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C), the third side is opposite to the fourth side and the third side is not parallel to the fourth side (shown above in the examiners illustration of fig. 13C).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8, 12 and 13 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 is wherein the light emitting surface has a plurality of endpoints, the third side intersects with the first side and the second side to respectively form two of the plurality of endpoints, the fourth side intersects with the first side and the second side to respectively form another two of the plurality of endpoints, positions of orthogonal projections of the two of the plurality of endpoints and the another two of the plurality of endpoints on a central axis of the light homogenizing element are different, and the central axis is parallel to a normal line of the light incident surface.
The subject matter of claim 6 that was found to be allowable is wherein the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side are not located on a same plane.
Claim 7 is allowable as being dependent on claim 6.
The subject matter of claim 8 that was found to be allowable is wherein the light incident surface comprises two sides, one of the two sides of the light incident surface s opposite to the first side of the light-emitting surface, an other one of the two sides of the light incident surface is opposite to the second side of the light-emitting surface, the one of the two sides of the light incident surface is not parallel to the first side of the light-emitting surface, and the other one of the two sides of the light incident surface fourth side is not parallel to the second side of the light-emitting surface.
The subject matter of claim 12 that was found to be allowable is wherein lengths of the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side are different from each other.
The subject matter of claim 13 that was found to be allowable is wherein the light-emitting surface has a plurality of endpoints, positions of orthogonal projections of two of the plurality of endpoints where the third side intersects with the first side and the second side on a central axis of the light homogenizing element are the same, and positions of orthogonal projections of another two of the plurality of endpoints where the fourth side intersects with the first side and the second side on the central axis are the same, the positions of the orthogonal projections of the two of the plurality of endpoints where the third side intersects with the first side and the second side on the central axis are different to the positions of the orthogonal projections of the another two of the plurality of endpoints where the fourth side intersects with the first side and the second side on the central axis, and the central axis is parallel to a normal line of the light incident surface.
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Minh-Toan Ton can be reached at 571-272-2303. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANELL L OWENS/Examiner, Art Unit 2882 17 March 2026
/BAO-LUAN Q LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882