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 § 103
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 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schultz et al. (US 20190244574) in view of Phipps et al. (US 20190049715).
Regarding claim 1, Schultz discloses (Figs. 1-5) a microlens array comprising: a bottom electrode chip (2, 4 of Figs. 3A-3D; 120A, 120B of Fig. 2A); a sidewall electrode chip (1, 3 of Figs. 3A-3D; 115A, 115B of Fig. 2A); and a top glass chip (125, top portion of 420; section 0054), wherein the bottom electrode chip, the sidewall electrode chip, and the top glass chip are configured to cooperate to define an array of cavities (100, 400), each one of the cavities containing a fluid (111, 112, Liquid 1, Liquid 2), the fluid being a mixture of a polar liquid (112, Liquid 2) and a non-polar liquid (111, Liquid 1), such that the fluid is in contact with one of the sidewalls at a contact angle (Figs. 3A-3D), wherein the bottom electrode chip (2, 4 of Figs. 3A-3D; 120A, 120B of Fig. 2A) includes a plurality of electrical contacts, wherein each one of the sidewalls includes an electrode layer (1, 3 of Figs. 3A-3D; 115A, 115B of Fig. 2A) and an insulator layer (180 of Fig. 2A; side portion of 420 in Figs. 3A-3D; section 0049), and wherein the plurality of electrical contacts and the electrode layer are configured to cooperate such that, when a voltage (V1, V2) is applied across the fluid contained in one of the cavities in the array of cavities via one of the plurality of electrical contacts and the electrode layer corresponding with that cavity, the contact angle of the fluid with the sidewall of that cavity is modified (Figs. 3A-3D; sections 0098-0099; “The liquids respond to voltages applied to the electrodes to provide a combination of beam steering and beam shaping functions”, “Different values and timing of applied voltages produce different electric fields”).
Schultz does not explicitly disclose an array of sidewalls.
Schultz discloses (sections 0128-0129) multiple cells can be used within a single device and that the cells may be arranged in arrays. Phipps discloses (Figs. 1A-9) a sidewall electrode chip (115A, 115B of Fig. 1A) and an array (709) of cells (700) (Fig. 7). Therefore, Phipps discloses an array of sidewalls. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of Phipps to provide selectively controllable beam steering and/or beam shaping.
Regarding claim 2, Schultz discloses (Figs. 1-5) wherein, by applying the voltage (V1, V2) across the fluid (111, 112, Liquid 1, Liquid 2) contained in that cavity of the array of cavities, the contact angle of the fluid with the sidewall of that cavity of the array of cavities is modified without affecting the contact angle of fluid contained in other cavities of the array of cavities (Figs. 3A-3D; sections 0098-0099, 0128-0129; “The liquids respond to voltages applied to the electrodes to provide a combination of beam steering and beam shaping functions”, “Different values and timing of applied voltages produce different electric fields”, “multiple electrowetting cells, the cells may be arranged in arrays”, “a processor that may be used to control an electrowetting cell or an array of such cell and control or respond to outputs of any associated optical/electrical transducer(s)”).
Regarding claim 3, Schultz does not necessarily disclose wherein, by applying the voltage across the fluid contained in that cavity of the array of cavities, an effective focal length of the fluid contained in that cavity of the plurality of the array of cavities is modified, without affecting the effective focal length of fluid contained in other cavities of the array of cavities.
Schultz discloses (Figs. 1-5) different values and timing of applied voltages to produce different electric fields (Figs. 3A-3D; sections 0098-0099, 0128-0129; “The liquids respond to voltages applied to the electrodes to provide a combination of beam steering and beam shaping functions”, “multiple electrowetting cells, the cells may be arranged in arrays”, “a processor that may be used to control an electrowetting cell or an array of such cell and control or respond to outputs of any associated optical/electrical transducer(s)”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the effective focal length of the fluid contained in that cavity is modified, without affecting the effective focal length of fluid contained in other cavities of the array of cavities to obtain a particular application such as a variable shape lens and/or a variable shape prism.
Regarding claim 4, Schultz discloses (Figs. 1-5) the bottom electrode chip and the top glass chip are formed of a transmissive material (section 0097; “any electrodes or leads…formed of an optically transmissive electrical conductor”).
Regarding claim 5, Schultz discloses (Figs. 1-5) the plurality of electrical contacts of the bottom electrode chip (2, 4, 120A, 120B) are configured to cooperate with the sidewall electrode chip (1, 3, 115A, 115B) to enable individual addressing of the fluid in each one of the cavities (sections 0098-0099).
Regarding claim 6, Schultz discloses (Figs. 1-5) the plurality of electrical contacts of the bottom electrode chip (2, 4, 120A, 120B) are patterned such that one contact pad (2, 4) is associated with each one of the cavities (100, 400).
Regarding claim 7, Schultz discloses (Figs. 1-5) the sidewall electrode chip (combination of (1, 3, 115A, 115B) and (180; side portion of 420; section 0049)) is formed from a photo-patternable glass.
Regarding claim 8, Schultz discloses (Figs. 1-5) each one of the sidewalls (1, 3, 115A, 115B) is formed to be substantially perpendicular to a top surface of the photo-patternable glass (180; side portion of 420; section 0049).
Regarding claim 9, Schultz discloses (Figs. 1-5) a hydrophobic coating on the array of sidewalls (sections 0035, 0042, 0047, 0095).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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