Detailed Office 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 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.
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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-3 and 6-12
Claims 1-3 and 6-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Izyum, 35KP-1,8/65 Lens, 1965; screen grabbed from at https://radojuva.com/en/2023/08/35kp-f-1-8-65mm; “Izyum-35KP”) in view of Shinohara, Yoshikazu (2007/0229984; “Shinohara”) and further in view of Gao et al. (2014/0071539; “Gao”).
Regarding claim 1, Izyum-35KP discloses in figure 1, a projection lens optical system comprising: a first lens (shown but not labeled), a second lens(shown but not labeled), a third lens(shown but not labeled), a fourth lens(shown but not labeled), a fifth lens(shown but not labeled), and a sixth lens(shown but not labeled), sequentially arranged from an emission area to an image plane, wherein the first lens has a positive refractive power, the second lens has a negative refractive power, the third lens has a positive refractive power, the fourth lens has a negative refractive power, the fifth lens has a negative refractive power, and the sixth lens has a positive refractive power. 35KP – Figure Caption (“The 35KP-1,8 / 65 lens was produced in a small series at the Izyum Instrument-Making Plant (IPZ, Izyum, Ukraine) in the 1970-1980s and was intended for projecting movies shot on 35 mm film (a format close to APS-C ). Probably, this lens could also be produced by LOMO, but I did not come across such options. 35KP-1,8 / 65 can also be found under the name OKP2-65-1. This article is devoted to the adapted lens 35P-1,8/65 and also considers issues related to modeling the effect of decentering on the optical properties of the lens, adjusting lenses of the 35KP-1,8/65 type”).
35KP - Figure
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Further regarding claim 1, Izyum-35KP does not explicitly disclose that the projection lens optical system satisfies the following Conditional Expression: L.sub.B/f≤0.5, wherein L.sub.B denotes a distance from an incident surface of the sixth lens to the image plane, and f denotes a focal length of the projection lens optical system.
However, Shinohara discloses in figures 1-9 and 14, and related text, embodiments of imaging lenses comprising positive, negative, and aspheric lenses: “An imaging lens is provided and includes: a positive first lens with a convex surface directed to the object side; a second lens having a negative meniscus shape with a concave surface directed to the image side; a third lens having a positive meniscus shape with a convex surface directed to the image side; a negative fourth lens with both surfaces being an aspheric surface and the image-side surface being concave in the proximity of the optical axis; and a positive or negative fifth lens with both surfaces being an aspheric surface, in order from the object side. The following conditional expressions are satisfied as for Abbe numbers vd1 and vd2 of the first lens and the second lens and Abbe number vd4 of the fourth lens.” Shinohara, abstract.
Consequently, in light of Shinohara’s disclosure of embodiments comprising aspheric lenses, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Izyum-35KP to comprise: a projection lens optical system of a projection device used in a wearable device, the projection lens optical system comprising: a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, and a sixth lens, sequentially arranged from an emission area to an image plane, wherein the first lens has a positive refractive power, the second lens has a negative refractive power, the third lens has a positive refractive power, the fourth lens has a negative refractive power, the fifth lens has a negative refractive power, and the sixth lens has a positive refractive power, wherein the projection lens optical system satisfies the following Conditional Expression: L.sub.B/f≤0.5, wherein L.sub.B denotes a distance from an incident surface of the sixth lens to the image plane, and f denotes a focal length of the projection lens optical system; Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; because the resulting configuration would facilitate designing, fabricating, and deploying head mounted displays. Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
Gao – Figure 1
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Gao – Selected Text
Abstract. Optical systems such as image display systems include a freeform optical waveguide prism and a freeform compensation lens spaced therefrom by a gap of air or index cement. The compensation lens corrects for aberrations which the optical waveguide prism will introduce in light or images from an ambient real-world environment. The optical waveguide prism receives actively projected images at an entry location, and emits the projected images at an exit location after internally reflecting the images along an optical path therein. The image display system may include an image source and coupling optics. The approach permits design of an optical viewing device, for example in optical see-through HMDs, achieving an eyeglass-form appearance and a wide see-through field of view (FOV).
Paragraph [0006] This application concerns an ergonomic optical see-through head mounted display (OST-HMD) device with an eyeglass-form appearance and freeform optical systems for use as an optical viewing device in such display devices. The optical viewing device in an OST-HMD typically provides an optical path for viewing a displayed virtual image and a see-through path for directly viewing a real-world scene. The virtual image path may include a miniature image display unit to supply display content and an ergonomically-shaped display viewing optics through which a user views a magnified image of the displayed content. The display viewing optics includes a light guiding device (referred to hereafter as a freeform waveguide prism) containing multiple freeform refractive and reflective surfaces. The display viewing optics may also include additional coupling optics to properly inject light from the image display device into the waveguide prism. The location and shape of the freeform surfaces and the coupling optics are sized, dimensioned, positioned and/or oriented such that a viewer is able to see a clear, magnified image of the displayed content. The see-through path of the head-mounted display device is provided by the waveguide prism and a freeform see-through compensation lens positioned (e.g., attached to) outwardly of an exterior surface of the prism. The see-through compensation lens, contains multiple freeform refractive surfaces, and enables proper viewing of the surrounding environment across a very wide see-through field of view. The waveguide prism and the see-through compensation lens are sized, dimensioned, positioned and/or oriented to ergonomically fit with the ergonomic factors of the human heads enabling a wrap-around design of a lightweight, compact, and see-through display system which has an eyeglass-form appearance, wide see-through field of view, and superior optical performance.
Claims
1. An image display system comprising: a freeform optical waveguide prism having a first major surface and a second major surface, the first major surface of the optical waveguide prism which in use is positioned to at least one of receive actively projected images into the optical waveguide prism from an active image source or emit the actively projected images out of the optical waveguide prism and the second major surface of the optical waveguide prism which in use is positioned to receive images of a real-world ambient environment into the optical waveguide prism, which real-world ambient environment is external to the image display system, at least some portions of the first and the second major surfaces of the optical waveguide prism being refractive surfaces that internally propagate light entering the optical waveguide prism along at least a portion of a length of the optical waveguide prism; and a freeform compensation lens having a first major surface and a second major surface, the first major surface of the compensation lens having a shape that at least approximately matches a shape of the second major surface of the optical waveguide prism, the freeform compensation lens positioned relatively outwardly of the second major surface of the optical waveguide toward the real-world ambient environment to form a gap between the first major surface of the compensation lens and the second major surface of the optical waveguide prism.
6. The image display system of claim 1 wherein the gap between the first major surface of the compensation lens and the second major surface of the optical waveguide prism has a width that increases from at least proximate an entry location at which actively projected images enter into the optical waveguide prism to at least proximate an exit location at which the actively projected images exit the optical waveguide prism.
7. The image display system of claim 1 wherein the optical waveguide prism and the compensation lens focus images of the real-world ambient environment to a foci that is coincident with actively projected images which exit the optical waveguide prism via an exit location on the first major surface of the optical waveguide prism.
10. The image display system of claim 1 wherein rays of light forming the actively projected images cross and form an intermediate image inside the optical waveguide prism.
11. The image display system of claim 1, further comprising: an image display unit positioned and oriented to provide images into the optical waveguide prism.
12. The image display system of claim 11, further comprising: at least one coupling lens that guides light from the image display unit into the optical waveguide prism and corrects for optical aberrations.
13. The image display system of claim 11 wherein the image display unit is at least one of a self-emissive pixel array or an illuminated pixel array.
14. The image display system of claim 11 wherein the image display unit is selected from the group consisting of: a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display device, a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, an organic light emitting display (OLED), ferroelectric liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS device, digital mirror device (DMD), and a micro-projector.
15. The image display system of claim 11, further comprising: a matching cement received in the gap, securely coupling the compensating lens to the optical waveguide prism.
Regarding claims 2-3 and 6-7, as dependent upon claim 1, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Izyum-35KP in view of Shinohara and further in view of Gao, as applied in the rejection of claim 1, to disclose:
2. The projection lens optical system of claim 1, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth lenses are aspheric lenses, and the fifth lens and the sixth lens are spherical. Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
3. The projection lens optical system of claim 1, wherein the projection lens optical system further satisfies the following Conditional Expression: .sub.T/f≤1.5, wherein L.sub.T denotes a total distance from an exit surface of the first lens to the image plane, and f denotes the focal length of the projection lens optical system. Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
6. The projection lens optical system of claim 1, wherein the third lens and the fourth lens are a doublet lens. Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
7. The projection lens optical system of claim 1, wherein the first lens to the sixth lens comprise a glass material. Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
because the resulting configurations would facilitate designing, fabricating, and deploying head mounted displays. Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
Regarding claims 8-12, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Izyum-35KP in view of Shinohara and further in view of Gao, as applied in the rejection of claims 1-3 and 6-7, to disclose:
8. A projection device used in a wearable device, the projection device comprising: a self-emissive display panel comprising pixels composed of self-emissive elements; and a projection lens optical system comprising a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, and a sixth lens, sequentially arranged from an emission area to an image plane, wherein the first lens has a positive refractive power, the second lens has a negative refractive power, the third lens has a positive refractive power, the fourth lens has a negative refractive power, the fifth lens has a negative refractive power, and the sixth lens has a positive refractive power, and wherein the projection lens optical system satisfies the following Conditional Expression: L.sub.B/f≤0.5, wherein L.sub.B denotes a distance from an incident surface of the sixth lens to the image plane, and f denotes a focal length of the projection lens optical system, wherein the projection lens optical system is configured to project image light formed on an image plane of the self-emissive display panel. Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
9. The projection device of claim 8, wherein the self-emissive display panel comprises a micro light-emitting diodes (micro LED) panel or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel. Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
10. A wearable device comprising: the projection device of claim 8, configured to output image light; and an image combiner configured to guide light output from the projection device, to an eye motion body of a user. Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
11. The wearable device of claim 10, wherein the wearable device comprises augmented reality glasses or a head-mounted display device. Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
12. The wearable device of claim 10, wherein the image combiner comprises a waveguide, an input-coupling element provided in the waveguide, and an output-coupling element provided in the waveguide, wherein light input into the waveguide through the input-coupling element is output through the output-coupling element. Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
because the resulting configurations would facilitate designing, fabricating, and deploying head mounted displays. Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
Claims 4 and 5
Claims 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Izyum, 35KP-1,8/65 Lens, 1965; screen grabbed from at https://radojuva.com/en/2023/08/35kp-f-1-8-65mm; “Izyum-35KP”) in view of Shinohara, Yoshikazu (2007/0229984; “Shinohara”) and further in view of Gao et al. (2014/0071539; “Gao”), as applied in the rejection of claims 1-3 and 6-12, and further in view of (Stone, M. David, Understanding Lens Offset and Lens Shift, Projector Central, 2019 available at https://www.projectorcentral.com/Understanding-Lens-Offset-and-Lens-Shift.htm; “Stone”).
Regarding claims 4 and 5, Stone discloses in figures 1 and 2, and related text, projection systems offsets of 10; and Stone discloses tilt-related corrections of 30 degrees, or more. Stone, Why Care about Lens Shift and Offset and figure 1 caption (“a 10% offset when 0% offset is definedas the lens centerline being even with the bottom of the image”).
Consequently, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Izyum-35KP in view of Shinohara and further in view of Gao, as applied in the rejection of claims 1-3 and 6-12, to disclose:
4. The projection lens optical system of claim 3, wherein the projection lens optical system further satisfies the following Conditional Expression: Ω≥30 degrees, wherein Ω denotes a field of view of the projection lens optical system. Stone figures 1 and 2, and related text; Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
5. The projection lens optical system of claim 4, wherein the projection lens optical system further satisfies the following Conditional Expression: CRA<15 degrees, wherein CRA denotes a chief ray angle between a chief ray and an optical axis on the image plane. Stone figures 1 and 2, and related text; Izyum-35KP, figure and caption; Shinohara, figures 1-9 and 14, and related text; Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
because the resulting configurations would facilitate accounting for tilt, see Stone, while designing, fabricating, and deploying head mounted displays. Gao – Figure 1 and Gao – Selected Text.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER RADKOWSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-1613. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th 9-5. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Hollweg, can be reached on (571) 270-1739. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/PETER RADKOWSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874