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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of group 1, claims 1-11, in the reply filed on 9/9/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 12-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 9/9/2025.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 7,653,115 (Yamaguchi).
For claim 1, Yamaguchi teaches a display apparatus manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a laser emitter (fig. 1, and fig. 2-3, 10), which emits a laser having dispersion in a short-axis direction (fig. 1, dispersion Φ in vertical short-axis direction; fig. 3, also shows dispersion from laser 10 in short axis direction) greater than dispersion in a long-axis direction (fig. 1, dispersion Θ in horizontal long-axis direction; fig. 2, also shows dispersion from laser 10 in long-axis direction); and
a laser converter (fig. 2 and 3, 50), which converts the laser into a converted laser having dispersion in the long-axis direction (fig. 2, vertical direction, the laser from converter 50 in the long axis direction requires cylindrical lens 60 to collimate/parallelize the laser in the long axis direction, col. 8, l. 22-24) greater than dispersion in the short-axis direction (fig. 3, vertical direction, the laser from converter 50 in the short axis direction requires no collimation/parallelization, col. 8, l. 22-24). Since the dispersion in the long axis direction requires parallelization/collimation and the dispersion in the short does not, converter 50 has converted the laser beam into a laser beam having dispersion in the long-axis direction greater than dispersion in the short-axis direction.
For claim 2, Yamaguchi teaches the laser converter comprises an angle converter, which rotates a cross-section of the laser (fig. 2-3, 50; col. 7, l.64-67).
For claim 3, Yamaguchi teaches the angle converter comprises a dove prism (fig. 20).
For claim 4, Yamaguchi teaches the laser converter comprises a size converter (fig. 2-3, 40), which increases a length in the short-axis direction of the laser (fig. 3, the length of the beam in the short-axis/vertical direction increases as it propagates through 40) and decreases a length in the long-axis direction of the laser fig. 2, the length of the beam in the long-axis/vertical direction decreases as it propagates through 40).
For claim 7, Yamaguchi teaches a first laser emitter, which emits a first laser (fig. 1, one of lasers from the top laser array, and fig. 2-3, 10, top laser); and
a second laser emitter, which emits a second laser (fig. 1, a different laser from the top laser array or a laser from one of the lower arrays, and fig. 2 and 3, 10, a different laser from the top laser),
wherein the laser converter comprises a first laser converter through which the first laser passes (fig. 2 and 3, 50; or, alternatively, fig. 20, dove prism through which upper left beam passes).
For claim 8, Yamaguchi teaches the laser converter further comprises a second laser converter through which the second laser passes (fig. 2 and 3, 30; or, alternatively, fig. 20, dove prism through which a beam adjacent to the upper left beam passes).
For claim 9, Yamaguchi teaches a path converter, which converts a path of the laser or the converted laser (fig. 2 and 3, 40).
For claim 10, Yamaguchi teaches a telescope lens, which adjusts a size of a cross-section of the converted laser (fig. 2 and 3, lens 70; it noted that the limitation only requires a singular lens which adjusts the size of a cross section, and “telescope” does not appear to add any additional requirements based on the specification or the claim language).
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.
Claims 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 7,653,115 (Yamaguchi) in view of US 3,822,943 (Mason).
For claim 5, Yamaguchi does not teach a first concave lens, which disperses the laser in the short-axis direction; and a first convex lens, which straightly moves the laser dispersed in the short-axis direction, wherein the laser increases in the length in the short-axis direction while sequentially passing through the first concave lens and the first convex lens.
However, Mason teaches a first concave lens, which disperses the laser in a direction (fig. 3, 38, right lens, col. 2, l. 33-35); and a first convex lens, which straightly moves the laser dispersed in the direction (fig. 3, 38, left lens, col. 2, l. 36), wherein the laser increases in the length in the direction while sequentially passing through the first concave lens and the first convex lens (fig. 3, 40 expands to 42, col. 2, l. 36-37 and 44-45) in order to reduce divergence (col. 2, 40).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the beam expander of Mason with the invention of Yamaguchi in order to reduce divergence in the short axis direction.
Claims 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 7,653,115 (Yamaguchi) in view of US 2013/0176565 (Meade).
For claim 6, Yamaguchi does not teach the size converter comprises a second convex lens, which focuses the laser in the long-axis direction; and a second concave lens, which straightly moves the laser focused in the long-axis direction, wherein the laser decreases in the length in the long-axis direction while sequentially passing through the second convex lens and the second concave lens.
However, Meade teaches a size converter may be formed by a convex lens, which focuses the laser in one direction (fig. 2, 104); and a concave lens, which straightly moves the laser focused in the one direction (fig. 2, 110), wherein the laser decreases in the length in the one direction while sequentially passing through the second convex lens and the second concave lens (fig. 2, input beam 102 decreases in length to compressed beam 114).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the particular compressor of Meade as a simple substitution for the generic compressor of Yamaguchi as the substituted components and their functions were known in the art and the substitution would have yielded predictable results. In the present case, the substituted component provides an alternative compressor for the long axis compressor of Yamaguchi with the advantage of providing a simple compressor requiring only 2 cylindrical lenses. See MPEP 2143 I.B.
It is noted that that the claim does not explicitly require a “first” convex and concave lens. Therefore “second” is assumed to be a descriptor which differentiates the lenses from “first” lenses recited in other claims rather than implicitly requiring first convex and concave lenses.
Claims 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 7,653,115 (Yamaguchi) in view of US 11,407,062 (Huonker).
For claim 11, Yamaguchi does not teach a homogenizer, which homogenizes an energy density of a cross-section of the converted laser.
However, Huonker does teach a homogenizer (fig. 2, 15), which homogenizes an energy density of a cross-section of a laser (fig. 2, 13a) in order to create a flat top profile (col. 11, l. 15-17).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the homogenizer of Huonker with the invention of Yamaguchi in order to create a flat top profile.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 5,513,201 and US 2005/0063435 teach similar devices with laser converters.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael W Carter whose telephone number is (571)270-1872. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9:00-5:30.
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/Michael Carter/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2828