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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/2/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-5 and 10-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 5/22/2026
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.
Claim(s) 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kasahara (WO 2020059619) hereafter Kasahara.
Regarding claim 6, Kasahara discloses an image irradiation device for a vehicle that displays a predetermined image, comprising: an image generation unit (11) configured to emit light for generating the predetermined image (fig. 1); and a rotatably arranged reflecting portion (42) having a reflecting surface (42b) for reflecting the light emitted from the image generation unit (11), wherein the reflecting surface (42b) has a curved surface having different curvature radii (see fig. 1), and the reflecting portion rotates such that the light incident on the reflecting portion is radiated toward the curved surface having different curvature radii (fig. 1, note that the reflection part 42b is formed such that radius of curvature continuously increases from bottom end to upper end, and that as a result, the light incident on the concave mirror reflection part 42b is reflected at sites having different radii of curvature).
Regarding claim 7, Kasahara discloses the image irradiation device according to claim 6, wherein the reflecting portion (42a) is displaceable at least between a first position and a second position by the rotation (fig. 1), and a first irradiation region of the reflecting surface irradiated with the light incident on the reflecting portion when the reflecting portion is located at the first position partially overlaps a second irradiation region of the reflecting surface irradiated with the light incident on the reflecting portion when the reflecting portion is located at the second position (fig. 1-4, par. [0014]-[0035]).
Regarding claim 8, Kasahara discloses the image irradiation device according to claim 6 wherein the reflecting portion reflects upward the light emitted from the image generation unit by the reflecting surface, and the reflecting surface is formed such that a curvature radius of an upper region is larger than a curvature radius of a lower region (fig. 1-4, par. [0014]-[0035]).
Regarding claim 9, Kasahara discloses the image irradiation device according to 6,wherein the reflecting portion is a concave mirror, and the reflecting surface has a region curved in a recessed shape (see fig. 1).
Conclusion
Misawa (20220091415) is being cited herein to show a reference that discloses some similar features to that of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES JONES whose telephone number is (571)270-1278. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 am - 4:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached at (571) 270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES C. JONES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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