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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 03/25/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendments filed 03/25/2026 have been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 10 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.
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Powell (US 2017/0261729) hereinafter Powell729 in view of Powell (2017/0261650, of record) hereinafter Powell650.
Regarding claim 10, Powell729 discloses a floating image generation device (Figure 5), comprising:
a planar light source ([0120] discloses: 1118, backlight unit) having a normal line (see annotated Figure A below, which is an annotated Figure 19 of Powell);
an image generating module (Figure 19) disposed on one side of the planar light source (Top side of Figure 19, and all elements above the backlight unit of Figure 19), wherein the image generating module includes:
an image forming unit ([0120] discloses: 1120, LCD unit); and
a floating image generation unit ([0121] discloses: 1122, floating display unit) disposed parallelly on the other side of the image forming unit with respect to the planar light source (Examiner notes that the imaging stack is on the viewing side of the LCD; [0082] discloses: layers or sheets oriented in parallel planes) wherein the floating image generation unit generates a floating image (Figure 19) deflected from the normal line of the planar light source (see annotated Figure A below) and presented in the air ([0086] discloses: image conjugates at air gap at a distance from each of the two outer surfaces).
Powell729 fails to discloses a device wherein an image angle adjusting unit connecting to the image generating module to create an elevation angle between the image generating module and the planar light source. Powell729 and Powell650 are related because both disclose imaging generation devices.
Powell650 teaches a device wherein
an image angle adjusting unit ([0086] teaches: tilt between stack of imaging relay and light guide) connecting to the image generating module to create an elevation angle between the image generating module and the planar light source (Examiner notes that the tilt is between the relay and light guide and is considered to create an elevation angle between the imaging relay and the light guide).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Powell729 in view of Powell650 and provide a device wherein an image angle adjusting unit connecting to the image generating module to create an elevation angle between the image generating module and the planar light source. Doing so would allow for in order to maintain the angular relationship between the optical components thereby controlling the light path, focus/alignment and positions of the generated floating image.
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Figure A
Regarding claim 11, the modified Powell729 discloses the floating image generation device according to claim 10, wherein the image angle adjusting unit includes a supporting unit (Powell650: Examiner notes that 514 and 516 array pairs are considered the supporting units for the angle adjusting units, the masks).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 1, the prior art fails to teach or suggest “a light emitted by the planar light source passes through the image generating module and the image angle adjusting unit to generate a floating image deflected from the normal line of the planar light source, wherein there is an image deflection angle between the normal line of the planar light source and the path of the light emitted by the planar light source after the light emitted by the planar light source passes through the image generating module and the image angle adjusting unit” along with the other structural limitations positively recited in claim 1, in a manner that would be appropriate under 35 U.S.C. § 102 or § 103 and consistent with search requirements outlined in MPEP § 904.
Claims 2-9 are dependent on claim 1 and therefore allowed by dependency.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
ConclusionAny inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to John Sipes whose telephone number is (703)756-1372. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 4:30 -10/12-6:30 (CT).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Bumsuk Won can be reached at (571) 272-2713. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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John Sipes
Examiner
Art Unit 2872
/J.C.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/BUMSUK WON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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