/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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/09/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yu et al.
Yu et al. (US Pub. No. 2022/0342137 A1) discloses (see annotated Figure 3B):
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a light source device (i.e. light generating system; element 1000 illustrated in Figures 1A, 1B, 1D, 1E, 2A, 2B, 3B and 3D) comprising: a light emitting element (Figure 1E, element 10) configured to emit first light (Figure 1E, element 11) having a first wavelength band (i.e. blue light; page 20, paragraph 0197, lines 17-18); a substrate (i.e. body holder support; Figure 3B, element 2000) having a first surface (Figure 3B, element 143) on which the light emitting element (Figure 3B, element 100) is arranged, and a second surface (Figure 3B, element 144) located at an opposite side to the first surface (Figure 3B, element 143); a wavelength conversion member (Figure 1E, element 120) which includes a phosphor (i.e. ceramic material; page 21, paragraph 0198, lines 2-9), and which is configured to convert the first light (Figure 1E, element 11) emitted from the light emitting element (Figure 1E, element 10) into second light (Figure 1E, element 8) having a second wavelength band (page 23, paragraph 0227, lines 10-12) different from the first wavelength band (i.e. blue light; page 20, paragraph 0197, lines 17-18); a support member (Figure 3B, element 1100) having a third surface (Figure 3B, element A) having contact with the first surface (Figure 3B, element 143) of the substrate (i.e. body holder support; Figure 3B, element 2000), and a fourth surface (Figure 3B, element B) located at an opposite side to the third surface (Figure 3B, element A), and configured to support the wavelength conversion member (element 120); a fixation member (i.e. spring wire; Figure 3B, element 300) configured to fix the support member (Figure 3B, element 1100) to the substrate (i.e. body holder support; Figure 3B, element 2000); and a spacer member (i.e. distance holders; Figure 4H, element DH) having contact with each of the substrate (Figure 4H, element 2000) and the wavelength conversion member (element 120 is inside element 100 [see Figure 1E]; element 100 is illustrated in Figures 1E and 4H) to hold the light emitting element (Figure 4H, element 10) and the wavelength conversion member (element 120 is inside element 100 [see Figure 1E]; element 100 is illustrated in Figures 1E and 4H) at positions separated from each other (clearly illustrate din Figure 4H), wherein the fixation member (i.e. spring wire; Figure 3B, element 300) is configured including an elastic member (i.e. spring element; Figure 3B, element 1300), and is configured to fix the support member (Figure 3B, element 1100) to the substrate (i.e. body holder support; Figure 3B, element 2000) in a state of pressing the third surface (Figure 3B, element A) toward the first surface (Figure 3B, element 143; see page 23, paragraph 0231, lines 1-5 and paragraph 0232, lines 1-4).
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 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al. in view of Nojima.
Yu et al. (US Pub. No. 2022/0342137 A1) teaches the salient features of the present invention except a projector comprising: a light source device; a light modulation device configured to modulate the light emitted from the light source device in accordance with image information; and a projection optical device configured to project the light modulated by the light modulation device.
Nojima (US Patent No. 2020/0241406 A1) discloses a projector (Figure 1, element 1) comprising: a light source device (Figure 1, elements 100 and 102); a light modulation device (Figure 1, elements 400R, 400G and 400B) configured to modulate the light emitted from the light source device (Figure 1, elements 100 and 102) in accordance with image information (page 3, paragraph 0069, lines 1-3); and a projection optical device (Figure 1, element 600) configured to project the light modulated by the light modulation device (Figure 1, elements 400R, 400G and 400B).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a projector comprising: the light source device; a light modulation device configured to modulate the light emitted from the light source device in accordance with image information; and a projection optical device configured to project the light modulated by the light modulation device as shown by Nojima in combination with Yu et al.’s invention for the purpose of having a projection optical apparatus that projects the light modulated by the light modulator (Nojima, page 1, paragraph 0012, lines 5-6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-13 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 2, Yu et al. (US Pub. No. 2022/0342137 A1) discloses a light source device (i.e. light generating system; Figure 1E, element 1000). However, Yu et al. and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests a light source device wherein the fixation member is formed of a plate-like member having contact with at least a part of an outer surface except the third surface of the support member, and is configured to fix the support member to the substrate in a state in which the elastic member is stretched.
Regarding claim 7, Yu et al. (US Pub. No. 2022/0342137 A1) discloses a light source device (i.e. light generating system; Figure 1E, element 1000). However, Yu et al. and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests a light source device wherein the first surface of the substrate is provided with a hole, a through hole penetrating the support member in a direction crossing the third surface is disposed at a position of the support member corresponding to the hole of the substrate, the fixation member includes a screw member to be inserted in the through hole and the hole, and an elastic member intervening between a head of the screw member and the support member, and the fixation member fixes the support member to the substrate in a state in which the elastic member is compressed.
Regarding claim 13, Yu et al. (US Pub. No. 2022/0342137 A1) discloses a light source device (i.e. light generating system; Figure 1E, element 1000). However, Yu et al. and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests a light source device wherein the support member has a recess recessed from the third surface toward the fourth surface, the wavelength conversion member is arranged inside the recess, the recess has a bottom surface having contact with the wavelength conversion member, and a first wall surface and a second wall surface which extend in a direction crossing the bottom surface, and which are opposed to the wavelength conversion member, at least one of the first wall surface and the second wall surface is separated from the wavelength conversion member, and has a tilted surface tilted in a direction along which a distance from the wavelength conversion member increases in a direction from the bottom surface toward the third surface, and the tilted surface reflects at least a part of the first light emitted from the light emitting element.
Regarding claims 3-6 and 8-12, the claims would allowable based on their dependence from claims 2 and 7 (respectively).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nagura et al. (JP 2010-238449 A) teaches a light source module including a light source; a light guide member having a first end face; a second end face opposed to the first end face; a light-extracting face to emit light; and a diffusion structure to diffuse light; and a wavelength conversion body, which is excited by incident light entered into the light guide member and generates an emission of light of a different wavelength from that of the incident light; and the light source is connected to the first end face and the wavelength conversion body is arranged on the second end face. It is preferable that the light source module have a reflecting member for reflecting the emission light generated by the wavelength conversion body, on the far side from the first end face of the wavelength conversion body.
Miyashita et al. (US Pub. No. 2021/0055640 A1) discloses a projector including a light source device, a plurality of light modulation devices, a combining prism, a support member, and a projection optical system. A first light modulation device includes a first light modulation panel having a first incident side substrate, a first exit side substrate, and a liquid crystal layer, a frame body which has a first opening part, and surrounds a side surface of the first incident side substrate and a side surface of the first exit side substrate, a second incident side substrate opposed to the first incident side substrate in the first opening part, an incident side member fixed to the second incident side substrate and the frame body, a support target member supported by the support member, and a holding member which is made elastically deformable.
Takagi (US Pub. No. 2021/0041775 A1) teaches a light source device including a light source, a wavelength conversion unit having a fluorescent material excited by a light output from the light source and generating fluorescence and a fluorescent material supporting substrate supporting the fluorescent material, and a housing part with the light source fixed thereto supporting the wavelength conversion unit, wherein the wavelength conversion unit is shiftably supported relative to the housing part.
Egawa (US Pub. No. 2020/0081334 A1) shows a light source device including a light emitting device including a substrate having first and second surfaces opposite each other, light emitting elements at the first surface side, a frame body at the first surface side of the substrate to surround the light emitting elements, and a lid body including a light transmissive member to transmit light emitted from the light emitting elements, disposed so as to be opposed to the first surface of the substrate, and bonded to an opposite side of the frame body to the substrate, and configured to house the light emitting elements in a housing space formed of the substrate, the frame body, and the lid body, an optical element which the light enters, a holding member configured to hold the optical element, and a heat radiation member thermally coupled to the second surface of the substrate, and fixed to the holding member.
Egawa (US Pub. No. 2019/0072243 A1) discloses a wavelength conversion device including a substrate capable of rotating around a rotation axis, a wavelength conversion element provided around the rotation axis on one surface side of the substrate, and a fixing member that fixes the wavelength conversion element to the substrate. The wavelength conversion element includes a first surface opposed to the one surface of the substrate, a second surface on the opposite side of the first surface, and a first side surface section that connects the first surface to the second surface. The fixing member is in contact with the first side surface section in at least a part of the first side surface section when viewed from a direction parallel to the rotation axis.
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/MAGDA CRUZ/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2882
11/20/2025