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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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) 9-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shikii et al. (WO 2011121949).
Regarding claim 9, Shikii discloses a projection unit (540, Fig. 10; page 31) which images a fed multicolored image (image of IL, Fig. 10; page 31) having a first and a second wavelength (such as green and blue wavelengths, Fig. 10; page 29) into an exit pupil (exit pupil into DR, Fig. 10; page 31) such that an observer (DR, Fig. 10) can perceive said image as a virtual image when an eye of the observer (eye of DR, Fig. 10) is positioned in the exit pupil and the observer looks at the projection unit (540, Fig. 10; page 36) at a predetermined viewing angle (Fig. 10; page 38), the projection unit comprising:
a volume hologram (combination of: 220A, 230, 211, Fig. 11; page 31), which deflects the multicolored image into the exit pupil (gratings 541b, 541g, and 541r deflect the multicolored image, Fig. 10; page 32) for imaging purposes,
wherein the volume hologram (combination of: 220A, 230, 211, Fig. 11) comprises a volume grating (220A, Fig. 11; page 31) introduced by exposure for each wavelength of the color sub-images (pages 32-33), the volume grating having a respective deflection efficiency profile which is dependent on the viewing angle and which is maximal for the predetermined viewing angle (deflection efficiency for each blue, green, and red wavelengths is maximized at the predetermined viewing angle, Figs. 10-11, 12A, 12B; pages 33-34; page 41), and
wherein the deflection efficiency profiles for a predetermined angular range around the predetermined viewing angle are set to be equal by virtue of the fact that, for each of the volume gratings (gratings 542b, 542g, 542r, Fig. 10; page 33) introduced by exposure, the number of interference maxima introduced by exposure is the same (same interference maxima for a predetermined angular range around the predetermined viewing angle, Figs. 10 and 12A-12B; pages 33-34) and refractive index modulation introduced by exposure for the corresponding wavelength is the same for the volume gratings introduced by the exposure (refractive index modulation is the same for the predetermined angular range around the predetermined viewing angle, Figs. 11, 12A-12B, page 32).
Regarding claim 10, Shikii discloses a projection unit with all the limitations above and further discloses wherein each volume grating (542b, 542g, 542r, Fig. 11) is formed in a separate layer (542b, 542g, 542r are each formed in a separate layer, Fig. 11).
Regarding claim 11, Shikii discloses a projection unit with all the limitations above and further discloses wherein a thickness of the layers (thickness of layers 542b, 542g, 542r, Fig. 11) is chose such that a ratio of the layer thicknesses corresponds to a ratio of wavelengths for which the volume gratings are designed (since the thicknesses of layers 542b, 542g, 542r are chosen to correspond to a ratio of wavelengths of blue, green, and red light that are deflected, Figs. 11-12A; pages 33-34).
Regarding claim 12, Shikii discloses a projection unit with all the limitations above and further discloses wherein the volume gratings (542b, 542g, 542r, Fig. 11) are configured as reflective volume gratings (such as having respective reflective surfaces 541b, 541g, 541r, Fig. 11; pages 32-34).
Regarding claim 13, Shikii discloses a projection unit with all the limitations above and further discloses wherein the volume hologram (combination of: 220A, 230, 211, Fig. 11) is embedded in a transparent carrier (such as transparent resin of 230 and 220A, Fig. 11; page 31).
Regarding claim 14, Shikii discloses a projection unit with all the limitations above and further discloses wherein the projection unit (540, Fig. 10) includes an image waveguide (such as the waveguiding properties of the transparent resin structure of 230 and 220A, Fig. 11), into which the multicolored image (IL, Figs. 10-11; page 31) is couplable for feeding purposes (multicolored image is coupled into the waveguiding transparent resin structure of 230 and 220A, Fig. 11) and is then guided via reflection as far as the volume hologram (such as reflection of light at surfaces 550b, 550g, 550r, Fig. 11; page 33), which causes the deflection of the multicolored image and hence the output coupling from the image waveguide (deflection of multicolored image by the projection unit 540 comprising the image waveguide resulting in the output coupling from the image waveguide, Figs. 10-11; page 31).
Regarding claim 15, Shikii discloses a projection unit with all the limitations above and further discloses wherein the fed multicolored image (multicolored image of IL, Fig. 10; page 31) has a third wavelength (such as red wavelength of light L(r), Figs. 10-11; page 32), and the first wavelength lies in a blue wavelength range (blue wavelength of light L(b), Figs. 10-11; page 32), the second wavelength lies in a green wavelength range (green wavelength of light L(g), Figs. 10-11; page 32), and the third wavelength lies in a red wavelength range (red wavelength of light L(r), Figs. 10-11; page 32).
Regarding claim 16, Shikii discloses a projection device (500, Fig. 10; page 29), comprising:
the projection unit (540, Fig. 10; page 31) of claim 9; and
an image module (150, Fig. 10; page 8), which generates the multicolored image by generating a first color sub-image having a first wavelength (such as sub-image of L(b) having a first wavelength of blue light L(b), Figs. 10-11; pages 29-30) and a second color sub-image having a second wavelength (such as sub-image of L(g) having a second wavelength of green light L(g), Figs. 10-11; pages 29-30).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL CHANG LEE whose telephone number is (571)270-7923. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am-6pm.
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/PAUL C LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871