DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is responsive to Applicant’s response submitted 23 December 2025.
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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species II, directed to claims 14-18, generic claims 1-11 and newly submitted claims 21-22, in the reply filed on 23 December 2025 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 11, 21 and 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication 2021/0356670 to Oh et al.
In regards to claim 1, Oh recites an electronic device (Figure 1A) comprising: a waveguide (110) configured to propagate first light [0038]; a cover layer (114 side) overlapping the waveguide; an output coupler (112 & cover layer together) on the waveguide; a first lens (114) integrated into the cover layer [0038] and overlapping the output coupler; and a second lens (112), wherein the output coupler is configured to couple the first light out of the waveguide. Although a second light is not expressly disclosed, augmented reality and virtual reality devices operate in the fashion of having a second light from the World-side/external object entering the device (100) in order to reproduce the World-side/external object to the user. Since the second light is required in order to provide the desired image, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date to a person having ordinary skill in the art for the device of Oh to have provided the first lens being configured to transmit second light from an external object towards the output coupler and (wherein the output coupler is configured to coupler the first light) towards the second lens and is configured to transmit the second light towards the second lens.
In regards to claim 2, Oh recites the cover layer has a first surface facing the waveguide and a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface being curved. (Figure 1A)
In regards to claim 3, Oh recites the second surface has a three-dimensional curvature.
In regards to claims 4, 5 and 11, Oh recites three-dimensional curvature imparts a first power to the second light and the second lens is configured to reverse the first power imparted to the second light by the three- dimensional curvature, the second lens is configured to impart a second power to the second light and the first lens is further configured to reverse the second power imparted to the second light by the second lens, and the second lens is configured to impart a power to the second light and the lens is configured to reverse the power imparted to the second light by the second lens. Paragraph [0039] of Oh recites each of the lenses to compensate powers in each of the lenses and the lens together to be a compensating pair.
In regards to claim 6, although Oh does not expressly recite the first surface is curved, however, providing a curved surface on the surface of the cover layer would provide the necessary manipulation of light in order to provide the desired output. Since it would have been a matter of common skill and design choice to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have chosen the any one of the known shapes of surfaces, such as a curved surface, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have provided the first surface to be curved.
In regards to claim 21, Oh recites a display (Figure 1A) comprising: a waveguide (110) configured to propagate image light [0038]; a cover (114 & cover layer together) overlapping the waveguide; an output coupler (cover layer by 112) on the waveguide; a first lens (114) integrated into the cover and overlapping the output coupler; and a second lens (112), wherein the output coupler is configured to couple the image light [0038] out of the waveguide. Although light transmitted from an external object is not expressly disclosed, augmented reality and virtual reality devices operate in the fashion of having a light from the World-side/external object entering the device (100) in order to reproduce the World-side/external object to the user. Since the light transmitted from an external object is required in order to provide the desired image, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date to a person having ordinary skill in the art for the device of Oh to have provided the first lens being configured to transmit light from an external object towards the output coupler and towards the second lens and is configured to transmit the light from the external object towards the second lens.
In regards to claim 22, Oh recites the cover layer has a first surface facing the waveguide and a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface being curved (Figure 1A), the second surface has a three-dimensional curvature that imparts a first power to the light from the external object and the second lens is configured to reverse the first power imparted to the light from the external object by the three-dimensional curvature.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-10 are 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 prior art of record fails to disclose or reasonably suggest the lens comprises a portion of the first surface that overlaps the output coupler and that has an additional three-dimensional curvature in addition to the accompanying features of the independent claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 14-18 are allowed. The prior art of record fails to disclose or reasonably suggest An electronic device comprising: a lens; a waveguide configured to propagate first light; an optical coupler on the waveguide and configured to couple the first light out of the waveguide and towards the lens; and a cover layer having a first surface facing away from the waveguide and having a second surface opposite the first surface, wherein the first surface has a first curvature, a portion of the second surface overlapping the output coupler has a second curvature, the second surface has, outside of the portion, a third curvature that is different from the second curvature, the cover layer is configured to transmit second light towards the waveguide through the portion of the second surface, the output coupler is configured to transmit the second light towards the lens, and the lens is configured to transmit the first light and the second light in addition to the accompanying features of the independent claim.
References Cited
The references cited made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. None of the documents cited by the Examiner discloses or reasonably suggests the allowable subject matter discussed above.
The documents submitted by applicant in the Information Disclosure Statements have been considered and made of record. Note attached copy of forms PTO-1449. None of the references submitted by Applicant discloses or reasonably suggest the allowable subject matter discussed above.
Inventorship
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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TINA M WONG whose telephone number is (571)272-2352. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Uyen-Chau Le can be reached at (571) 272-2397. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TINA WONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874