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 § 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 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang, et al., US 2008/0304024 A1, in view of Hashizume, US 2022/0291576 A1.
As per Claim 1, Wang teaches an optical engine module (¶ 29; optical engine 2 of Figures 3 and 4), comprising: a plastic housing having a first light incident side and a light emerging side (¶ 30; housing 2 of Figures 3 and 4).
Wang does not expressly teach: that the light emerging side is adjacent to the first light incident side; a first light source disposed on the first light incident side, and is configured to emit a first beam; and a light path turning unit disposed in the plastic housing, and configured to turn and transmit the first beam to the light emerging side, wherein a material of the light path turning unit comprises metal. Hashizume teaches:
that the light emerging side is adjacent to the first light incident side (¶ 24; as a beam comes in through front surface part 21 and out through left side surface part 23 of Figure 1);
a first light source disposed on the first light incident side, and is configured to emit a first beam (¶¶ 22, 28; light source device 4 of Figure 1);
and a light path turning unit disposed in the plastic housing, and configured to turn and transmit the first beam to the light emerging side (¶ 40; wavelength conversion element 5 of Figures 2 and 3), wherein a material of the light path turning unit comprises metal (¶ 155).
At the time of the invention, a person of skill in the art would have thought it obvious to house the optical engine module of Wang in a housing such as Wang teaches, in order to improve an use efficiency of an excitation light and an extraction efficiency of a fluorescent beam.
As per Claim 2, Wang teach that the light path turning unit comprises: a metal base; and a first reflective element disposed on the metal base (¶ 30), and configured to reflect the first beam to the light emerging side, wherein the first reflective element is obliquely disposed relative to the first beam (¶ 32).
As per Claim 3, Wang does not expressly teach that a direction that the first light incident side faces is perpendicular to a direction that the light emerging side faces. Hashizume teaches that a direction that the first light incident side faces is perpendicular to a direction that the light emerging side faces (¶ 42; beams Ax1 and Ax2 of Figure 2). See Claim 1 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 4, Wang does not expressly teach that the plastic housing further has a second light incident side, the first light incident side is opposite to the second light incident side, the light emerging side is adjacent to the second light incident side, the optical engine module further comprises a second light source disposed on the second light incident side and configured to emit a second beam, and the light path turning unit turns and transmits the second beam to the light emerging side. Hashizume teaches that the plastic housing further has a second light incident side, the first light incident side is opposite to the second light incident side (¶ 24; back surface part 22 and front surface part 21 of Figure 2), the light emerging side is adjacent to the second light incident side (¶¶ 24-25; as shown in Figure 2).
Wang does not expressly teach that the optical engine module further comprises a second light source disposed on the second light incident side and configured to emit a second beam, and the light path turning unit turns and transmits the second beam to the light emerging side. Hashizume teaches that the optical engine module further comprises a second light source disposed on the second light incident side and configured to emit a second beam (¶ 32; “an imaging light beam”), and the light path turning unit turns and transmits the second beam to the light emerging side (¶¶ 32-33). See Claim 1 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 5, Wang teach that the light path turning unit comprises:
a metal base (30; “housing 2, which is made of plastic or a light metal such as an aluminum alloy” as in Figures 3 and 4); and
a first reflective element disposed on the metal base, and configured to reflect the first beam to the light emerging side (¶ 32; “reflector”).
Wang does not expressly teach: a second reflective element disposed on the metal base and configured to reflect the second beam to the light emerging side, wherein an inclination direction of the first reflective element relative to the light emerging side is opposite to an inclination direction of the second reflective element relative to the light emerging side. Hashizume teaches a second reflective element disposed on the metal base and configured to reflect the second beam to the light emerging side, wherein an inclination direction of the first reflective element relative to the light emerging side is opposite to an inclination direction of the second reflective element relative to the light emerging side (¶¶ 40, 43; from “diffusely reflecting device 48” of Figure 2). See Claim 1 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 6, Wang does not expressly teach that the first reflective element and the second reflective element are disposed in a V shape. Hashizume teaches that the first reflective element and the second reflective element are disposed in a V shape (¶ 40; diffusely reflecting device 48 and third retardation element 49 of Figure 2). See Claim 1 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 7, Wang does not expressly teach that the first reflective element and the second reflective element are arranged in an arrangement direction, the arrangement direction is perpendicular to a direction from the first light incident side to the second light incident side, and the first reflective element and the second reflective element are cross-arranged when viewed along the arrangement direction. Hashizume teaches that the first reflective element and the second reflective element are arranged in an arrangement direction, the arrangement direction is perpendicular to a direction from the first light incident side to the second light incident side (¶ 44; along axes Ax1 and Ax2 of Figure 2), and the first reflective element and the second reflective element are cross-arranged when viewed along the arrangement direction (¶¶ 43-44). See Claim 1 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 8, Wang does not expressly teach a third light source disposed on the second light incident side, and configured to emit a third beam, wherein the light path turning unit further comprises a third reflective element disposed on the metal base, and configured to reflect the third beam to the light emerging side, the third reflective element, the first reflective element, and the second reflective element are arranged in the arrangement direction, and the third reflective element and the first reflective element are cross-arranged when viewed along the arrangement direction. Hashizume teaches a third light source disposed on the second light incident side, and configured to emit a third beam (¶ 30; “blue light beam” at reflecting mirror 321 of Figure 1), wherein the light path turning unit further comprises a third reflective element disposed on the metal base, and configured to reflect the third beam to the light emerging side (¶ 32), the third reflective element, the first reflective element, and the second reflective element are arranged in the arrangement direction, and the third reflective element and the first reflective element are cross-arranged when viewed along the arrangement direction (¶ 31; as with reflecting mirrors 332 and 334 as shown in Figure 2). See Claim 1 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 9, Wang does not expressly teach that the first light source is a laser package. Hashizume teaches that the first light source is a laser package (¶ 48). See Claim 1 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 10, Wang does not expressly teach that the laser package comprises at least one laser diode. Hashizume teaches that the laser package comprises at least one laser diode (¶¶ 48, 197). See Claim 1 above for the rationale based on obviousness, motivations and reasons to combine.
As per Claim 11, Wang teaches an optical element housing (¶¶ 30-33; housing 2 of Figures 3 and 4), wherein the light emerging side of the plastic housing is connected to the optical element housing, and the optical element housing is a metal housing (¶ 30).
As per Claim 12, Wang teaches a dustproof material connecting the optical element housing and the plastic housing (¶ 33).
As per Claim 13, Wang teaches that the plastic housing has a light emerging opening on the light emerging side (¶ 34; opening 25), and the dustproof material surrounds the light emerging opening (¶¶ 33, 37).
As per Claim 14, Wang teaches that at a place where the optical element housing is connected to the plastic housing, the optical element housing is provided with at least one first fitting portion (¶ 32; projecting mechanism 5 of Figure 4), the plastic housing is provided with at least one second fitting portion, the at least one first fitting portion and the at least one second fitting portion are fitted with each other (¶ 34; coupling element 53 of Figure 4), and the dustproof material is disposed between the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion (¶ 33).
As per Claim 15, Wang teaches that the at least one first fitting portion is a plurality of first fitting portions sequentially arranged from an outside of the optical element housing to an inside of the optical element housing (¶ 34; as coupling element 53 of Figure 4 is attached from above), and the at least one second fitting portion is a plurality of second fitting portions sequentially arranged from an outside of the plastic housing to an inside of the plastic housing (¶ 36; “between the first and second coupling portions 551, 552 of the coupling element 55” of Figure 7).
As per Claim 16, Wang teaches that one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is a protrusion, and the other one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is a depression (¶ 36; “between the first and second coupling portions 551, 552 of the coupling element 55” as shown in Figure 7).
As per Claim 17, Wang does not expressly teach that the dustproof material comprises rubber or sponge. However, in light of Wang’s teaching “that the receiving space 25 is sealed to achieve air-tight and dust-free requirements” (¶ 37), it would have been obvious to a person of skill in the art to use rubber or sponge material to achieve this purpose.
As per Claim 18, Wang teaches that the first light source and the light path turning unit are fixed at different positions of the plastic housing and separated from each other (¶¶ 30, 32; light source module 3 and optical lens set 41 of Figure 4).
Conclusion
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ATUL TRIVEDI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3661
/ATUL TRIVEDI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3661
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