Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/126,174

DISPLAY APPARATUS PROVIDING IMMERSIVE IMAGE

Final Rejection §103§112
Filed
Mar 24, 2023
Priority
May 03, 2022 — RE 10-2022-0055019 +2 more
Examiner
CHANG, AUDREY Y
Art Unit
2872
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
4 (Final)
47%
Grant Probability
Moderate
5-6
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
67%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 47% of resolved cases
47%
Career Allowance Rate
591 granted / 1268 resolved
-21.4% vs TC avg
Strong +20% interview lift
Without
With
+20.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
74 currently pending
Career history
1324
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
48.6%
+8.6% vs TC avg
§102
9.5%
-30.5% vs TC avg
§112
35.1%
-4.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1268 resolved cases

Office Action

§103 §112
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 . Remark This Office Action is in response to applicant’s amendment filed on June 11, 2026, which has been entered into the file. By this amendment, the applicant has amended claims 1, 7, 13, 15, and 20. Claims 1, 3, 5-16, and 18-20 remain pending in this application. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 13-16, 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 13 has been amended to include the phrase “wherein adjusting the first polarization state of the at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels of the image light is further performed based on the binary depth map information indicating that light the at least one pixel that was polarized to the first polarization state is allocated with the second depth value corresponding to the second polarization state”. This phrase is confusing and indefinite. Please clarify the scope and the wordings of the phrase. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. 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. Claim(s) 1, 3, 5-9, 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the PCT publication by Hong (WO 2020/147364 reference to the US patent PN. 11,624,915) in view of the patent issued to Faris (PN. 5,264,964), US patent issued to Morishima et al (PN. 5,875,055) and US patent application publication by Wiersma et al (US 2023/0408824 A1). Claim 1 has been amended to necessitate the new grounds of rejection. Hong teaches a near-eye display device serves as the display apparatus that is comprised of an image forming device or display portion (11, Figures 1 and 2), configured to provide image light and a polarization conversion portion (12) serves as a polarization controller configured to adjust a polarization state of the image light provided from the image forming device (11), a control unit (17) serves as the processor configured to control the polarization controller based on image information (i.e. left eye image and/or right eye image) to be provided to the user, a polarization beam splitting portion (14) serves as the polarization beam splitter provided in a first optical path where the image light travels the polarization beam splitter is configured to reflect light of a first polarization (such as S polarization state, please see Figure 1) and transmit light of a second polarization (such as P polarization state) that is different from the first polarization, a first curved mirror (521) provided in a second optical path of first image light among the image light reflected from the polarization beam splitter the first curved mirror being configured to focus the first image light on a first virtual image plane (21) at a first depth position and a second curved mirror (522) provided in a third optical path of second image light among the image light passing through the polarization beam splitter, the second curved mirror being configured to focus the second image light on a second virtual image plane (22) at a second depth position, (please see columns 5-11 of reference ‘915). Claim 1 also includes the phrase “the image information comprises binary depth map information comprising binary depth in which depth information for each pixel of a plurality of pixels of the image light is allocated with either a first depth value or a second depth value that is different from the first depth value, such that the image light is spatially divided into a first image with the first depth value and a second image with the second depth values by the binary depth map information, wherein the processor is further configured to control the polarization controller based on the binary depth map information such that light of a pixel allocated with the first depth value is in a first polarization state and light of a pixel allocated with the second depth value is in a second polarization state and wherein at least one first pixel of the image light is allocated with the first depth value and at least one second pixel of the image light is allocated with the second depth value”. Hong teaches that the display device is to display a first image information with a first linear polarization at a first depth image plane (31, Figures 1 and 6) and a second image information with a second linear polarization at a second depth image plane (32). This implicitly means that the first image information and second image information each has a different depth value, (read as may be displayed at different depth image plane). The two different depth values constitute the binary depth map. Hong teaches that the display portion (11) may comprise liquid crystal display (please see column 10, lines 37-39) that implicitly means the image information comprise a plurality of pixels and each pixel for the first image implicitly has a first depth value to be projected at first depth image plane and each pixel for the second image implicitly has a second depth value to be projected at second depth image plane. Hong teaches that the control unit (17) or the processor is configured to control the polarization controller or polarization conversion portion (12) to converts or control the polarization of the first image light allocated with the first depth value or to be projected at the first depth image plane with a first polarization state and the second image light allocated with the second depth value or to be projected at the second depth image plane with a second polarization, (please see column 6). At least one first pixel of the first image light is allocated with the first depth value and at least one second pixel of the second image light is allocated with the second depth value. This reference however does not teach that the image light is spatially divided into a first image with the first depth value and a second image with the second depth value. However, image map of information with either time sequential arrangement or spatially multiplexed arrangement are both well known in the art. Faris in the same field of endeavor teaches a spatially multiplexed binary information map with a plurality of pixels that comprises a first image with a first depth view value (i.e. left eye view L, Figures 4a) and a second image with a second depth view value (i.e. right eye view R). This means the image light is spatially divided into the first image and the second image. Faris teaches that the pixels with the first image are associated with a micropolarizer (9) with a first polarization state (P1) and the pixels with the second image are associated with a micropolarizer with a second polarization state (P2). The polarization states however are not controlled by a processor. Switchable polarizer is known in the art as demonstrated by Morishima et al wherein a liquid crystal p-cell (30, Figure 1) that is switchable and controllable in accordance to the image information may be used to dynamically control or change the polarization state of the image light, (please see the abstract). It would then have been obvious to one skilled in the art to apply the teaching of Faris to alternatively make the image information be arranged in art well known spatial multiplexed manner so that the image light is to be spatially divided and to apply the teachings of Morishima et al to make the polarization associated with each spatially divided image light be controlled by a processor for the benefit of using alternatively art well known spatial multiplexed manner to generate the image information. Claim 1 has been amended to include the phrase “a polarizer provided between the image forming device and the polarization controller” and the phrase “the processor is further configured after the polarizer has polarized in the image light to a first polarization state control the polarization controller based on the binary depth map information such that a polarization state of at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels is changed from the first polarization state to the second polarization state”. Wiersma et al in the same field of endeavor teaches an optical display system that is comprised of a display device (210, Figure 2), a polarizer (215) and a controllable half wave plate (HWP, 217, paragraphs [0019] and [0034]), serves as the polarization controller, wherein the polarizer (215) is provided between the display device (210) and the polarization controller (217). Wiersma et al teaches that the polarizer (215) polarizes the light beam from the display device to have a first polarization state (such as p polarization state) and the controllable half wave plate (HWP, 217) would rotate the polarized light to have either a s-polarized light that reflects by the polarization beam splitter (201) to follow the beam path of (208) or a p-polarized light that passes through the polarization beam splitter to follow the beam path of (209). Wiersma et al teaches that the controllable half wave plate or the polarization controller would be able to change the image light of the first polarization state (such p state) to a second polarization state (such as s state). It would then have been obvious to one skilled in the art to apply the teachings of Wiersma et al to modify the display device of Hong et al to alternatively has a polarizer in the path of the image light from the display device for the benefit of allowing the image light of different polarization focused at different depth positions in a time sequential manner. Wiersma et al teaches that the controllable half wave plate (HWP) may be controlled to change the polarization state of the polarized image light from the display device. This means a controller is either implicitly included or one skilled in the art may apply the teachings of Hong et al to use the processor (17) to control the controllable half wave plate. In light of the Faris the controller (17) taught by Hong et al further may be configured to control the polarization controller or the controllable half wave plate base on the binary map information to change the polarization state of at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels. With regard to claim 3, Faris in light of Morishima et al teaches that the polarization controller may comprise a plurality of cells, such as the p-cells, configured to independently adjust the polarization of incident light. With regard to claims 5-6, Hong teaches that the depth values of the virtual images are between first virtual plane or depth value located at image plane (21) and the second virtual plane or depth value located at the image plane (22). In light of the Morishima et al, the polarization controller or conversion portion may be switchable to adjust the polarization of the image light to have polarization state having a ratio of a first polarization component and the second polarization component. With regard to claim 6, it is either implicitly true or obvious by one skilled in the art to determine the depth value of each of the plurality of pixels of the image light based on at least luminance of a pixel. With regard to amended claim 7, in light of the amendment to claim 1, Wiersma et al teaches that the polarizer (215, Figure 2) is configured to convert polarization of the image light provided from the display device (210) into a linear polarization of predetermined direction, such as p-polarization, (please see Figure 2). With regard to claims 8 and 9, Hong teaches to further comprise a quarter wave plate (511) provided between the polarization beam splitter (14) and the first curved mirror (512) and a quarter wave plate (521) provided between the polarization beam splitter (14) and the second curved mirror (522, please see column 11, lines 59-60 of reference ‘951). With regard to claim 11, Hong teaches that the virtual image focused by the first curved mirror and the virtual image focused by the second curved mirror are located at different image planes (21 and 22, Figure 1). However, this reference does not teach explicitly that the first and second curved mirrors are provided at different distances from the polarization beam splitter. But such feature may be implicitly true to make the virtual images to have different locations when the two mirrors have the same focus property. With regard to claim 12, Hong does not teach explicitly that the display apparatus comprises non-wearable type of display apparatus. However, the operation of the display apparatus taught by Hong does not dependent on the nature of wearability, such modification therefore would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to expand the applicability of the display apparatus. Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong. Faris, Morishima et al and Wiersma et al in view of the US patent application publication by Suzuki (US 2015/0362719 A1). The near-eye display apparatus taught by Hong in combination with the teachings of Faris, Morishima et al and Wiersma et al as described in claim 1 above has met all the limitations of the claims. With regard to claim 10, Hong teaches that the mirrors are curved but does not teach explicitly that they each has an aspherical surface. Suzuki in the same field of endeavor teaches an optical system with curved concave mirrors (52 and 54, Figure 7B) for focusing image lights reflected and transmitted from a beam splitter (51) wherein the concave mirrors (52 and 54) may have aspherical surface, (please see paragraph [0052]). It would then have been obvious to one skilled in the art to apply the teachings of Suzuki to modify the curved mirrors of the Hong to alternatively include aspherical surface for the benefit of allowing the curved mirrors to have the property of correcting aspherical aberration. Claim(s) 13-16 and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over PCT publication by Hong (WO2020/147364 reference to US patent PN. 11,624,915) in view of the US patent application publication by Wiersma et al (US 2023/0408824 A1), US patent issued to Faris (PN. 5,264,964) and US patent issued to Morishima et al (PN. 5,875,055). Claim 13 has been amended to necessitate the new ground of rejection. Hong teaches a near-to-eye display method serves as the display method that is comprised of the step of outputting image light, from display portion (11, Figure 1), the image light to be provided a field of view of a user, and the step of adjusting time multiplexed or time divisionally, a polarization state of the image light by a polarization conversion portion (12) and based on the polarization state of the image light focusing the image light on at least one of a first virtual plane (21) having a first depth position and a second virtual plane (22) having a second depth position, (please see Figures 1 and 2, columns 5-11). Claim 13 also includes the phrase “wherein the polarization state of the image light is adjusted for each pixel corresponding to the image light to at least one of a first polarization and a second polarization based on binary depth map information comprising a binary depth map in which depth information for each pixel of a plurality of pixels the image light is allocated with either a first depth value or a second depth value that is different from the first depth value, wherein adjusting the first polarization state of the image light is performed based on the binary depth map information such that light of a pixel allocated with the first depth value is in a first polarization state and light of a pixel allocated with the second depth value is in a second polarization state wherein at least one first pixel of the image light is allocated with the first depth value and at least one second pixel of the image light is allocated with the second depth value”. Hong teaches that the display device is to display a first image information with a first linear polarization at a first depth image plane (31, Figures 1 and 6) and a second image information with a second linear polarization at a second depth image plane (32). This implicitly means that the first image information and second image information each has a different depth value, (read as may be displayed at different depth image plane). The two different depth values constitute the binary depth map. Hong teaches that the display portion (11) may comprise liquid crystal display (please see column 10, lines 37-39) that implicitly means the image information comprise a plurality of pixels and each pixel for the first image implicitly has a first depth value to be projected at first depth image plane and each pixel for the second image implicitly has a second depth value to be projected at second depth image plane. Hong teaches that the control unit (17) or the processor is configured to control the polarization controller or polarization conversion portion (12) to converts or control the polarization of the first image light allocated with the first depth value or to be projected at the first depth image plane with a first polarization state and the second image light allocated with the second depth value or to be projected at the second depth image plane with a second polarization, (please see column 6). This means the polarization state of the image light is adjusted (or controlled) for each pixel corresponding to the image light to at least one of a first polarization and a second polarization based on binary depth map information comprising the binary depth map. The depth information for each pixel of the image light is allocated with either a first depth value or a second depth value that is different from the first depth value, wherein adjusting the first polarization state of the image light is performed based on the binary depth map information such that light of a pixel allocated with the first depth value is in a first polarization state and light of a pixel allocated with the second depth value is in a second polarization state, (please see column 6). At least one first pixel of the first image light is allocated with the first depth value and at least one second pixel of the second image light is allocated with the second depth value. Claim 13 has been amended to include the phrase “polarizing the image light to a first polarization state”. Wiersma et al in the same field of endeavor teaches a display system that is comprised of a display device (210, Figure 2), a polarizer (215) and a controllable half wave plate serves as the polarization controller, wherein the polarizer is capable of polarizing the image light from the display device to have a first polarization state, such as p-state, (please see Figure 2). Claim 13 has also been amended to include the phrase “adjusting space-divisionally and after the image light is polarized to the first polarization state the first polarization state of at least one pixel of a plurality of pixels of the image light to a second polarization state”. This reference however does not teach explicitly that the polarization of the image light is adjusted space-divisionally. But image map of information with either time sequential arrangement or spatially multiplexed arrangement are both well known in the art. Faris in the same field of endeavor teaches a spatially multiplexed binary information map with a plurality of pixels that comprises a first image with a first depth view value (i.e. left eye view L, Figures 4a) and a second image with a second depth view value (i.e. right eye view R). This means the image light is spatially divided into the first image and the second image. Faris teaches that the pixels with the first image are associated with a micropolarizer (9) with a first polarization state (P1) and the pixels with the second image are associated with a micropolarizer with a second polarization state (P2), which means that the polarization of the image light is adjusted spatially. Morishima in the same field of endeavor teaches a switchable polarizer that includes a liquid crystal p-cell (30, Figure 1) that is switchable and controllable in accordance to the image information so that the polarization may be dynamically adjusted, (please see the abstract). It would then have been obvious to one skilled in the art to apply the teaching of Faris to alternatively make the image information be arranged in an art well known spatial multiplexed manner so that the image light is to be spatially divided and to apply the teachings of Morishima et al to make the polarization associated with each spatially divided image light may be spatially adjusted for the benefit of using alternatively art well known spatial multiplexed manner to generate the image information. In light of Wiersma et al, and Faris, the adjusting space-divisionally the first polarization state is after the image light is polarized into the first polarization state and the first polarization sate of the at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels of the image light into a second polarization state, (please see Figure 2 of Wiersma et al). With regard to amendment to claim 13, Hong et al in light of Wiersma et al and Faris, the adjusting is performed base on binary depth map information comprising binary depth map in which depth information for each pixel of the plurality of pixels of the image light is allocated with either a first depth values correspond to the first polarization state or a second depth value that is different from the first depth value (please see Faris) and the corresponds to the second polarization state. The image light of first polarization state may be adjusted to have a second polarization state which should be allocated with a second depth value in order for the light to be displayed at the proper image position. With regard to claim 14, Hong teaches that the travel path of the image light is split into two different directions based on the adjusted polarization state of the image light, i.e. image light with S polarization would be reflected by a polarization beam splitting portion (14) to a first direction and image light with P polarization would be transmitted by the polarization beam splitting portion to a second direction, (please see Figure 1). With regard to claim 15, Hong teaches that the polarization state is adjusted in a time-multiplexed manner or time divisionally manner by controlling the polarization state of the image light into a first polarization (such as S polarization) and a second polarization (such as P polarization) that are perpendicular to each other, (please see column 8 lines 29-43). With regard to claim 16, Faris in light of Morishima et al teaches that the polarization state comprises separately adjusting the polarization state of the image light in a unit of pixel of the image light. With regard to claims 18 and 19, Hong teaches that the depth values of the virtual images are between first virtual plane or depth value located at image plane (21) and the second virtual plane or depth value located at the image plane (22). In light of the Faris and Morishima et al, the polarization controller or conversion portion may be switchable to adjust the polarization of the image light to have polarization state having a ratio of a first polarization component and the second polarization component. With regard to claim 19, it is either implicitly true or obvious by one skilled in the art to determine the depth value of each of the plurality of pixels of the image light based on at least luminance of a pixel. Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over PCT publication by Hong (WO2020/147364 reference to the US patent PN. 11,624,915) in view of the US patent issued to Faris (PN. 5,264,964), US patent issued to Morishima et al (PN. 5,875,055) and US patent application publication by Wiersma et al (US 2023/0408824 A1). Claim 20 has been amended to necessitate the new grounds of rejection. Hong teaches a near-eye display apparatus serves as the display apparatus that is comprised of a polarization conversion portion (12, Figure 1) serves as the polarization controller configured to adjust a polarization state of image light provided, into a first polarization (such as S polarization) and a second polarization (such as P polarization), a polarization beam splitting portion (14) serves as the polarization beam splitter configured to reflect light of a first polarization such as S polarization and transmit light of a second polarization such as P polarization, a first curved mirror (512) provided in a first optical path of the light of the first polarization reflected by the polarization beam splitter (14), the first curved mirror being configured to focus the light of the first polarization on the first virtual plane at a first depth position (21) and a second curved mirror (522) provided in a second optical path of the light of the second polarization transmitted by the polarization beam splitter (14) the second curved mirror being configured to focus the light of the second polarization on the second virtual plane at a second depth position (22, please see Figures 1 and 2 and columns 5-11). Claim 20 also includes the phrase “the image information comprises binary depth map information comprising binary depth in which depth information for each pixel of the image light is allocated with either a first depth value or a second depth value that is different from the first depth value, Such that the image light is spatially divided into a first image with the first depth value and a second image with the second depth value by the binary map information, wherein the processor is further configured to control the polarization controller based on the binary depth map information such that light of a pixel allocated with the first depth value is in a first polarization state and light of a pixel allocated with the second depth value is in a second polarization state and wherein at least one first pixel of the image light is allocated with the first depth value and at least one second pixel of the image light is allocated with the second depth value”. Hong teaches that the display device is to display a first image information with a first linear polarization at a first depth image plane (31, Figures 1 and 6) and a second image information with a second linear polarization at a second depth image plane (32). This implicitly means that the first image information and second image information each has a different depth value, (read as may be displayed at different depth image plane). The two different depth values constitute the binary depth map. Hong teaches that the display portion (11) may comprise liquid crystal display (please see column 10, lines 37-39) that implicitly means the image information comprise a plurality of pixels and each pixel for the first image implicitly has a first depth value to be projected at first depth image plane and each pixel for the second image implicitly has a second depth value to be projected at second depth image plane. Hong teaches that the control unit (17) or the processor is configured to control the polarization controller or polarization conversion portion (12) to converts or control the polarization of the first image light allocated with the first depth value or to be projected at the first depth image plane with a first polarization state and the second image light allocated with the second depth value or to be projected at the second depth image plane with a second polarization, (please see column 6). At least one first pixel of the first image light is allocated with the first depth value and at least one second pixel of the second image light is allocated with the second depth value. This reference however does not teach explicitly that the image light is spatially divided into a first image with the first depth value and a second image with the second depth value. However, image map of information with either time sequential arrangement or spatially multiplexed arrangement are both well known in the art. Faris in the same field of endeavor teaches a spatially multiplexed binary information map with a plurality of pixels that comprises a first image with a first depth view value (i.e. left eye view L, Figures 4a) and a second image with a second depth view value (i.e. right eye view R). This means the image light is spatially divided into the first image and the second image. Faris teaches that the pixels with the first image are associated with a micropolarizer (9) with a first polarization state (P1) and the pixels with the second image are associated with a micropolarizer with a second polarization state (P2). The polarization states however are not controlled by a processor. Switchable polarizer is known in the art as demonstrated by Morishima et al wherein a liquid crystal p-cell (30, Figure 1) that is switchable and controllable in accordance to the image information may be used to dynamically control or change the polarization state of the image light, (please see the abstract). It would then have been obvious to one skilled in the art to apply the teaching of Faris to alternatively make the image information be arranged in art well known spatial multiplexed manner so that the image light is to be spatially divided and to apply the teachings of Morishima et al to make the polarization associated with each spatially divided image light be controlled by a processor for the benefit of using alternatively art well known spatial multiplexed manner to generate the image information. Claim 20 has been amended to include the phrase “a polarizer” and the phrase “after the polarizer has polarized the image light to the first polarization and on the binary depth map information adjust a polarization of at last one pixel of the mage light from the first polarization state to the second polarization state”. Wiersma et al in the same field of endeavor teaches an optical display system that is comprised of a display device (210, Figure 2), a polarizer (215) and a controllable half wave plate (HWP, 217, paragraphs [0019] and [0034]), serves as the polarization controller, wherein the polarizer (215) is provided between the display device (210) and the polarization controller (217). Wiersma et al teaches that the polarizer (215) polarizes the light beam from the display device to have a first polarization state (such as p polarization state) and the controllable half wave plate (HWP, 217) would rotate the polarized light to have either a s-polarized light that reflects by the polarization beam splitter (201) to follow the beam path of (208) or a p-polarized light that passes through the polarization beam splitter to follow the beam path of (209). Wiersma et al teaches that the controllable half wave plate or the polarization controller would be able to change the image light of the first polarization state (such p state) to a second polarization state (such as s state). It would then have been obvious to one skilled in the art to apply the teachings of Wiersma et al to modify the display device of Hong et al to alternatively has a polarizer in the path of the image light from the display device for the benefit of allowing the image light of different polarization focused at different depth positions in a time sequential manner. In light of the Faris the controller (17) taught by Hong et al further may be configured to control the polarization controller or the controllable half wave plate base on the binary map information to change the polarization state of at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed on June 11, 2026, have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The newly amended claims have been fully considered and are rejected for the reasons set forth above. Applicant’s arguments are mainly drawn to the newly amended features that have been fully addressed in the reasons for rejection set forth above. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AUDREY Y CHANG whose telephone number is (571)272-2309. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 9:00AM-4:30PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephone B Allen can be reached at 571-272-2434. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. AUDREY Y. CHANG Primary Examiner Art Unit 2872 /AUDREY Y CHANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 5 earlier events
Sep 12, 2025
Response Filed
Sep 18, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §103, §112
Nov 20, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Dec 18, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Jan 08, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 12, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103, §112
Jun 11, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 25, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12704744
Micro-Optic Device
4y 1m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12697833
OPTICAL DEVICES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF
3y 3m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12693463
OPTICAL APPARATUS INCLUDING MULTILAYERED OPTICAL FILM STRUCTURE AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PLANARIZING THE MULTILAYERED OPTICAL FILM STRUCTURE
3y 11m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12693627
Wigner Inverse Transform Based Computer Generated Hologram for Large Object at Far Field From its Perspective Light Field
2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12663754
TRANSFLECTIVE DIGITAL HOLOGRAPHIC MICROSCOPE SYSTEM
2y 0m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
47%
Grant Probability
67%
With Interview (+20.2%)
3y 5m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1268 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month