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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 16 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
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.
Claims 1-5, 7-10 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Peng US Patent Publication Number 2021/0018767 A1) in view of Fujimori (US Patent Publication Number 2009/0073547 A1).
Peng teaches, as in claim 1, a spatial light modulator (Fig. 1a & 1b), comprising, a backplane (102), inside which a drive circuit (124) is disposed, a phase adjustment unit (110), comprising a lower cavity mirror (112), a cavity layer (114), and an upper cavity mirror (116) that are sequentially disposed in a stacked manner on the backplane (102), wherein the lower cavity mirror (112) is located between the cavity layer (114) and the backplane (102), an electrode (120), comprising a first electrode and a second electrode (¶0066 “pair of transparent conductive oxide electrodes 120 on the two opposite sides of the vertical microcavity”) that are insulated from each other (¶0066 “using materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO), form a parallel plate capacitor”), and an electrical connection portion (122), electrically connected to the electrode (120) and the drive circuit1 (124), to form a drive electric field (e-field 125) between the first electrode and the second electrode and adjust a refractive index of the phase adjustment unit (¶0066 “E field 125 changes the refractive index n of the electro-optic material 114), Peng fails to explicitly teach in the same embodiment wherein the electrode is located on a surface of the phase adjustment unit and is located on a side that is of the lower cavity mirror and that faces away from the backplane. However, Peng teaches in another embodiment, (Fig. 8a and 8b) wherein the electrode (820) is located on a surface of the phase adjustment unit (814 is the BTO layer of the phase adjustment unit) and is located on a side that is of the lower cavity mirror (820 is attached to 814 that include lower cavity mirror 812) and that faces away from the backplane (the connection are going up from 820 and the backplane is under the device as shown in the other embodiment see Figs. 1 and 14).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill of art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the spatial light modulator, as taught by Peng, with the electrodes being located on a side that is of the lower cavity mirror and that faces away from the backplane, as taught in the other embodiment of Fujimori, for the purpose of providing a way to prevent coupling into neighboring pixels 810 and 860 (¶0102).
Peng fails to teach wherein the first electrode comprises a first main line, the second electrode comprises a second main line, the first main line and the second main line are disposed opposite to each other and wherein the electrical connection portion comprises a first connection portion and a second connection portion that are insulated from each other, the first connection portion is connected to the first main line, the second connection portion is connected to the second main line, and the first connection portion and the second connection portion are distributed on two opposite sides of the electrode. In a related art, Fujimori teaches a spatial light modulator (Fig. 1a), wherein the first electrode (35) comprises a first main line (see element 1 in annotated figure below), the second electrode (36) comprises a second main line (see element 2 in annotated figure below), the first main line (1) and the second main line (2) are disposed opposite to each other (see the orientations of the comb structure electrodes) and wherein the electrical connection portion comprises a first connection portion and a second connection portion that are insulated from each other2 (Fig.1b) provides, the first connection portion is connected to the first main line (See annotated figure below), the second connection portion is connected to the second main line (See annotation below), and the first connection portion and the second connection portion are distributed on two opposite sides of the electrode3.
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill of art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the spatial light modulator, as taught by Peng, with the first and second electrodes, as taught by Fujimori, for the purpose of providing a way to improve light utilization efficiency (¶0013).
Peng teaches, as in claim 2, wherein the drive circuit (124), the phase adjustment unit (118), the electrode (120), and the connection portion (122) jointly form one pixel unit (110), the spatial light modulator (100) comprises a plurality of pixel units (110), the plurality of pixel units are distributed in an array (Fig.1b), and phase adjustment units (118) of adjacent pixel units (110) are connected (Fig.1b).
Peng teaches, as in claim 3, wherein the electrode (820) is disposed on a first surface (814), the phase adjustment unit comprises a plurality of layered structures that are sequentially disposed in a stacked manner (812, 814, 866 and 880), and the first surface (814) is a surface of one layered structure.
Peng fails to teach, as in claim 4, wherein the first electrode comprises a first main line and at least two first branches extending from one side of the first main line, the second electrode comprises a second main line and at least two second branches extending from one side of the second main line, the first main line and the second main line are disposed opposite to each other, and the first branch and the second branch form an interdigital architecture. In a related art, Fujimori teaches wherein at least two first branches (See element 3 in annotated figure below) extending from one side of the first main line (See element 1 in annotated figure below), at least two second branches extending from one side of the second main line (See annotated figure below 4), and the first branch and the second branch form an interdigital architecture (a comb-tooth shape shown below).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill of art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the spatial light modulator, as taught by Peng and Fujimori, with the electrodes, as taught by Fujimori, for the purpose of for the purpose of providing a way to improve light utilization efficiency (¶0013).
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Peng fails to teach, as in claim 5, wherein the first branch and the second branch are linear. In a related art, Fujimori teaches wherein the first branch and the second branch are linear (See annotated figure below, elements 3 and 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill of art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the spatial light modulator, as taught by Peng and Fujimori, with the electrodes, as taught by Fujimori, for the purpose of providing a way to improve light utilization efficiency (¶0013).
Peng teaches, as in claim 7, wherein the first electrode (820) and the second electrode (822) synchronously extend in parallel from a first location on the first surface to a second location on the first surface (See annotated figure below).
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Peng fails to teach, as in claim 8, wherein the electrical connection portion comprises a first connection portion and a second connection portion that are insulated from each other. In a related art Fujimori teaches wherein the electrical connection portion comprises a first connection portion and a second connection portion that are insulated from each other (See Fig. 1b, 42), and both the first connection portion and the second connection portion are located at the first location, and the first location is located at an outer edge of the electrode (See outer edge of electrodes in annotated figure below).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill of art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the spatial light modulator, as taught by Peng and Fujimori, with the electrodes, as taught by Fujimori, for the purpose of providing a way to improve light utilization efficiency (¶0013).
Peng teaches, as in claim 9, wherein the lower cavity mirror (812), the cavity layer (814), and the upper cavity mirror (866) are sequentially disposed in a stacked manner in a first direction, and the first electrode (820) and the second electrode (822) are alternately disposed in a stacked manner in the first direction.
Peng teaches, as in claim 10, wherein the electrode (820) is located inside the cavity layer (814).
Peng fails to teach, as in claim 12, wherein there are two or more first electrodes. In a related art, Fujimori teaches wherein there are two or more first electrodes (2 in annotated figure has 3 electrodes), and there are two or more second electrodes (4 in annotated figure has 3 electrodes).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill of art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the spatial light modulator, as taught by Peng and Fujimori, with the electrodes, as taught by Fujimori, for the purpose of providing a way to improve light utilization efficiency (¶0013).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11 and 13-15 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art fails to simultaneously teach all the limitations of independent claim 11 which includes wherein the electrical connection portion comprises a first connection portion and a second connection portion that are insulated from each other, the first electrode and the second electrode partially overlap, a part that is of the first electrode and that does not overlap the second electrode is connected to the first connection portion, and a part that is of the second electrode and that does not overlap the first electrode is connected to the second connection portion.
The prior art fails to simultaneously teach all the limitations of independent claim 13 which includes wherein a protruding structure is disposed on a surface that is of the phase adjustment unit and that faces away from the backplane, and the protruding structure is configured to suppress intensity modulation of an optical signal.
The prior art fails to simultaneously teach all the limitations of independent claim 14 which includes wherein the electrode is disposed on a surface that is of the upper cavity mirror and that faces away from the cavity layer, a plurality of micropillar structures are disposed on a surface of the electrode, and the micropillar structure is configured to suppress intensity modulation of an optical signal.
The prior art fails to simultaneously teach all the limitations of independent claim 15 which includes wherein the electrode is disposed on a surface that is of the upper cavity mirror and that faces away from the cavity layer, and an electro-optical medium is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, or an electro-optical medium is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and on a periphery of the electrode.
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 JOURNEY F SUMLAR whose telephone number is (571)270-0656. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4pm.
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JOURNEY F. SUMLAR
Examiner
Art Unit 2872
29 January 2026
/SHARRIEF I BROOME/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
1 The metal contact 122 is electrically connected to the drive source 124 through the electrode 120
2 Dielectric 42 would insulate those two portions from each other.
3 The first is the front of the electrode and the 2nd is at the back of the electrode