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
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.
Claims 1-16 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Han et al. (US 20190265480).
Regarding claim 1, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) a head-mounted device, comprising: a head-mounted housing (housing comprising exterior material of 110, 152) having a central interior portion (interior of 110) and having interior surfaces; a bracket (140) mounted to the central interior portion, wherein the bracket has opposing left and right ends (Figs. 2A-2C, left and right ends corresponding to 1302/1303) that are suspended in air (Figs. 2A-2C show air surrounding ends of bracket) within an interior of the head-mounted housing and are separated from the interior surfaces by gaps (Figs. 2A-2C, 3 show gaps between exterior surfaces of 110, 152 and ends of brackets); and left and right cameras (1302, 1303) mounted, respectively, to the left and right ends of the bracket.
Regarding claim 2, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) left and right optical assemblies (120) configured to display images respectively in left and right eye boxes (124 corresponding to the left eye and another 124 corresponding to the right eye) located adjacent to the head-mounted housing (section 0049).
Regarding claim 3, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) the left and right cameras (130; 1302, 1303) comprise respective left and right forward-facing cameras (130; 1302, 1303) that face away from the eye boxes and that are configured to capture images in front of the head-mounted housing (section 0031).
Regarding claim 4, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) left and right optical assembly guide rails (131) coupled to the central interior portion (interior of 110) (Figs. 2B-2C).
Regarding claim 5, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) the left optical assembly (120) is slidably coupled to the left optical assembly guide rail (131) and wherein the right optical assembly (120) is slidably coupled to the right optical assembly guide rail (131) (section 0055).
Regarding claim 6, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) the left and right optical assembly guide rails (131) have end portions (portion of 131 adjacent to 124; Fig. 2A) that are suspended in air in the interior (Figs. 2A-2C show air surrounding ends of rails).
Regarding claim 7, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) a fastener (portion of 120; section 0047) configured to attach a central segment of the bracket (140) to the central interior portion (interior of 110) of the head-mounted housing.
Regarding claim 8, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) a guide rail support member (182) configured to receive the left and right guide rails (131).
Regarding claim 9, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) a fastener (portion of 120; section 0047) configured to attach the guide rail support member (182) to the central interior portion (interior of 110).
Regarding claim 10, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) the head-mounted housing (housing comprising exterior material of 110, 152) is configured so that the interior surfaces form stops that prevent the left and right ends from exhibiting plastic deformation due to bending across the gaps (portions between 110, 152 and 140 adjacent to surfaces 112, 114).
Regarding claim 11, Han discloses (Figs. 1-4) a head-mounted device, comprising: a head-mounted housing (housing comprising exterior material of 110, 152) having a central interior portion (interior of 110) and having interior surfaces (surfaces facing 114); a guide rail support member (182) attached to the central interior portion (interior of 110); and left and right optical assembly guide rails (131) attached to the guide rail support member (182), wherein the left and right optical assembly guide rails (131) are suspended in air in an interior of the head-mounted housing and are separated from the interior surface by gaps (portion of 131 adjacent to 124; Figs. 2A-2C show air surrounding ends of rails).
Regarding claim 12, Han discloses (Figs. 1-4) left and right optical assemblies (120) slidably coupled to the left and right optical assembly guide rails (131), respectively.
Regarding claim 13, Han discloses (Figs. 1-4) the left optical assembly has a left lens (122; section 0034) and a left display (124; section 0049) configured to display a left image to a left eye box through the left lens and wherein the right optical assembly has a right lens (122) and a right display (124) configured to display a right image to a right eye box through the right lens (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 14, Han discloses (Figs. 1-4) the head-mounted housing (housing comprising exterior material of 110, 152) has a front portion (portion corresponding to 152) and a rear portion (portion corresponding to 114) and wherein the central interior portion (interior of 110) is between the front portion and the rear portion and is centrally located between opposing left and right sides of the head-mounted housing.
Regarding claim 15, Han discloses (Figs. 1-4) a camera bracket (140) that is centrally mounted to the central interior portion and that has opposing left and right ends (Figs. 2A-2C, left and right ends corresponding to 1302/1303) that are suspended in air (Figs. 2A-2C show air surrounding ends of bracket) and separated from the interior surfaces (Figs. 2A-2C, 3 show gaps between exterior surfaces of 110, 152 and ends of brackets).
Regarding claim 16, Han discloses (Figs. 1-4) left and right forward-facing cameras (130; 1302, 1303) mounted respectively to the left and right ends of the camera bracket (section 0047).
Regarding claim 18, Han discloses (Figs. 1-4) the head-mounted housing (housing comprising exterior material of 110, 152) comprises: a front portion (portion corresponding to 152); a rear portion (portion corresponding to 114); and a middle portion (portion of 110 between the front and rear portions) between the front and rear portions, wherein the middle portion has left and right openings (113) configured to receive, respectively, the left and right optical assemblies (120) and wherein the central interior portion is formed from part of the middle portion located between the left and right openings.
Regarding claim 19, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) a head-mounted device, comprising: a head-mounted housing (housing comprising exterior material of 110, 152); a camera bracket (140) having opposing left and right ends (Figs. 2A-2C, left and right ends corresponding to 1302/1303) that are suspended in air and that do not contact the head-mounted housing (Figs. 2A-2C show air surrounding ends of bracket) and having a central segment (140 corresponding to 1301) that is located between the left and right ends and that is attached to the head-mounted housing (section 0045); a left camera (1302) mounted to the left end; and a right camera (1303) mounted to the right end.
Regarding claim 20, Han discloses (Figs. 1-3) left and right optical modules (120) respectively mounted to left and right optical module guide rails (131), wherein the left and right optical module guide rails have ends (portion of 131 adjacent to 124; Fig. 2A) that are suspended in air and that do not contact the head-mounted housing (Figs. 2A-2C show air surrounding ends of rails).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chiou (US 20110109871).
Regarding claim 11, Chiou discloses (Figs. 1-6) a head-mounted device, comprising: a head-mounted housing (21, 22, 32, 322) having a central interior portion (322) and having interior surfaces; a guide rail support member (321) attached to the central interior portion (322) (section 0020); and left and right optical assembly guide rails (311) attached to the guide rail support member, wherein the left and right optical assembly guide rails (311) are suspended in air in an interior of the head-mounted housing and are separated from the interior surface by gaps (Fig. 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 17 is 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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the prior art does not disclose or suggest the head-mounted device of claim 17, in particular the limitations of first screws that attach a central segment of the camera bracket to the central interior portion and second screws that attach the guide rail support member to the central interior portion.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Edwin et al. (US 20210217147).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES S CHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-5024. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Caley can be reached at (571) 272-2286. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHARLES S CHANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871