DETAILED ACTION
This Office action for U.S. Patent Application No. 18/513,643 is responsive to the Request for Continued Examination filed 6 May 2026, in reply to the Final Rejection of 10 February 2026.
Claims 1, 2, 4–12, and 14–20 are pending.
In the previous Office action, claims 1, 2, 4–12, and 14–20 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as obvious over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0099484 A1 (“Mashitani”) in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0315472 A1 (“Hattori”).
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 C.F.R. § 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 C.F.R. § 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 C.F.R. § 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 C.F.R. § 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 C.F.R. § 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 6 May 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 11 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. As will be shown in full below, the examiner’s position is that Mashitani anticipates every limitation in claims 1 and 11 save for obtaining two eye images and forming a fusion image therefrom; the Mashitani received video input signal is analogous to the fusion image. Also, while the arguments against Hattori are not necessarily persuasive for at least the reasons given in the 10 February 2026 Final Rejection, in the interest of using the best available prior art (M.P.E.P. § 2120(I)), the examiner elects to lay aside every weight (Hebrews 12:1) and rely on US 2014/0125780 (“Suh”) as teaching receiving and fusing two eye images. This reference is not exclusive to naked-eye lenticular 3D displays but may be used for a stereoscopic display that uses glasses for viewing (¶ 0004), as with Mashitani (¶¶ 0036–37, 0126) and the present application (¶ 0017).
Specifically with respect to the alleged misuse or abuse of Mashitani by relying on the Figure 6 normal mode instead of a 3D video display mode (Rem. 10–13), Figure 9 illustrates the same principle as Figure 6 of dividing 2x2 blocks into subframes for sequential left-eye and right-eye display (¶¶ 0068–69). For example, the Fig. 9a input frame is divided into pixel blocks {00, 10, 01, 11}, {20, 30, 21, 31}, {40, 50, 41, 51}, . . . of which the first subframe contains the upper left pixels {00, 20, 40, 60, . . .} in the 2x2 subblocks and the second subframe contains the lower right pixels (11, 31, 51, 71, . . . }. Such a 2x2 pixel block like {00, 10, 01, 11} is a 2x2 pixel array with pixels from the first and second eye images as claimed, regardless of the argued alternative “third exemplary embodiment” (¶ 0116) in Mashitani Figures 23 and 24 (Rem. 13–15). Mashitani Figure 13, used to reject claim 1, shows the four images L1, R1, L2, and R2 arranged along diagonal directions as claimed, and is described in paragraphs 0085–86, under the 3D Video Display Mode header 1-4-2 starting at paragraph 0066. Applicant is reminded that during prosecution, a prior art reference is to be considered as a whole, that is, in its entirety. M.P.E.P. § 2141.02(VI).
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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, 2, 4–12, and 14–20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application No. 2017/0099484 A1 (“Mashitani”) in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0125780 (“Suh”).
Mashitani, directed to a video display projector, teaches with respect to claim 1 a 3D projection method, adapted to a 3D projection device (¶ 0002, “projection video display that has a three-dimensional (3D) video display function”), comprising steps of:
obtaining a . . . fusion image [containing] the first eye image and a second eye image by the 3D projection device (¶ 0116, receiving combined left-eye and right-eye video signals) . . .,
wherein the fusion images comprises a plurality of pixel groups (Fig. 9, 2x2 pixel blocks, such as block containing pixels 00, 10, 01, and 11), and
the plurality of pixel groups of the fusion image comprise pixels from both the first eye image and the second eye image (id., ¶ 0078, e.g., first subframe obtained from upper left pixels 00, 20, 40, 60 . . . in each 2x2 block is a right-eye image, and ¶ 0079, other pixels form a second subframe that is a left-eye image)
each of the plurality of first pixel groups comprises a first pixel, a second pixel, a third pixel, and a fourth pixel (Figs. 6–7, four subframes; 9–10, same division in 3D Video Display Mode; Figs. 11–13, various display sequences and locations of four sub-frames L1, L2, R1, and R2 in 3D Video Display Mode);
wherein the first pixel, the second pixel, the third pixel, and the fourth pixel in each of the plurality of pixel groups of the fusion image are arranged into a 2x2 pixel array (¶ 0061, “video signal generator handles four (2x2) pixels as a single block”; Fig. 9, e.g., block containing pixels 00, 10, 01, and 11),
the first pixel and the third pixel in each of the plurality of pixel groups are arranged along a first diagonal direction and both are from the first eye image (Figs. 6, 9, 11–14, upper-left and lower right pixels in each 2x2 block form the left-eye sub-frames), and
the second pixel and the fourth pixel in each of the plurality of pixel groups are arranged along a second diagonal direction and both are from the second eye image (id., upper right and lower left pixels in each 2x2 block form the right-eye subframes);
generating a first projection image by the 3D projection device based on the first pixels of the plurality of pixel groups of the fusion image (Fig. 13, ¶ 0085; displaying subframe L1 as a left-eye image);
generating a second projection image by the 3D projection device based on the second pixels of the plurality of pixel groups of the fusion image (id., displaying subframe R1 as a right-eye image);
generating a third projection image by the 3D projection device based on the third pixels of the plurality of pixel groups of the fusion image (id., displaying subframe L2 as a left-eye image);
generating a fourth projection image by the 3D projection device based on the fourth pixels of the plurality of pixel groups of the fusion image (id., displaying subframe R1 as a right-eye image); and
sequentially projecting the first projection image, the second projection image, the third projection image, and the fourth projection image by the 3D projection device (Fig. 13, sequentially projecting subframes L1, R1, L2, and R2),
wherein the first projection image and the third projection image correspond to the first eye image (id., left-eye images L1 and L2),
the second projection image and the fourth projection image correspond to the second eye image (id., right-eye images R1 and R2),
the first image is one of a left eye image and a right eye image (id., left-eye images), and
the second eye image is another one of the left eye image and the right eye image (id., right-eye images).
The claimed invention differs from Mashitani in that the claimed invention further specifies forming a fusion image of the first and second eye images. Mashitani does not teach this material, instead receiving a combined input signal containing both right-eye and left-eye images. However, Suh, directed to receiving broadcast three-dimensional video signals, teaches with respect to claim 1: obtaining a first eye image and a second eye image, and forming a fusion image from the first eye image and the second eye image (¶ 0086, Figs. 4, 5, dual streams received and decoded; ¶¶ 0087, 0092, leftview_flag indicates whether stream is left image or right image). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify Mashitani to transmit and receive the left-eye and right-eye images as dual streams instead of as combined images, as taught by Suh, in order to ensure backwards compatibility with 2D broadcasting and enable a 2D mode by only receiving one of the two streams as a base layer stream. Suh ¶¶ 0427–431.
Regarding claim 2, Mashitani in view of Suh teaches the 3D projection method according to claim 1, wherein the second diagonal direction is perpendicular to the first diagonal direction (Mashitani Figs. 6, 9, 11–14; upper left and lower right pixels in each 2x2 block form the left-eye sub-frames, and upper right and lower left pixels in each 2x2 block form the right-eye subframes; diagonal from, e.g., pixels 00 and 11 is perpendicular to diagonal from pixels 10 and 01).
Regarding claim 4, Mashitani in view of Suh teaches the 3D projection method according to claim 1,
wherein the plurality of pixel groups comprise a first pixel group (Mashitani Figs. 7–8, 10; first subframe),
the first pixel in the first pixel group has a first coordinate in the fusion image (Figs. 6, 9; position of pixel 00 at top left corner of input signal and first subframe),
the first eye image comprises a plurality of first eye pixels (id., first subframe),
and the method comprises:
finding a first reference eye pixel from the plurality of first eye pixels (id., top left corner pixel 00 in input signal),
wherein the first reference eye pixel corresponds to the first coordinate in the first eye image (id., pixel 00 at top left corner in first subframe); and
setting the first pixel in the first pixel group to correspond to the first reference eye pixel (id., dividing input signal and its pixels into subframes).
Regarding claim 5, all things equal to claim 4, Mashitani is shown in Figures 6 and 9 to operate to transform both parallax images to the virtual viewpoint image, corresponding to performing the claim 4 method on the second eye pixels as claimed, using, for example, pixel 10 or pixel 01 as the top left corner of a subframe.
Regarding claim 6, Mashitani teaches the 3D projection method according to claim 1, wherein the step of sequentially projecting the first projection image, the second projection image, the third projection image, and the fourth projection image comprises:
shifting the second projection image into a first position along a second direction by controlling an image shifting device of the 3D projection device (Figs. 7, 10, ¶ 0062; shifting second sub-frame right by a half pixel);
shifting the third projection image to a third position along a third direction by controlling the image shifting device of the 3D projection device (id., shifting third sub-frame down and to the right by a half pixel); and
shifting the fourth projection image to a fourth position along a fourth direction by controlling the image shifting device of the 3D projection device (id., shifting fourth sub-frame down by a half pixel).
The claimed invention differs from Mashitani in that the claimed invention specifies shifting the first projection image to a first position along a first direction by controlling the image shifting device of the 3D projection device. In Mashitani, the first subframe is not shifted from its location. However, the claimed invention is equivalent to measuring the original location of the subframes down and right by a quarter pixel, and shifting the first through fourth subframes up and left by a quarter pixel, up and right by a quarter pixel, down and right by a quarter pixel, and down and left by a quarter pixel, and as such does not form a patentable distinction from the claimed invention. See M.P.E.P. § 2183 (equivalence).
Regarding claim 7, Mashitani makes obvious the 3D projection method according to claim 6, wherein the [four] projection image[s] have a same shifted distance (Figs. 7, 10; claimed invention is equivalent to this process as a set of quarter-pixel diagonal shifts if measured from an initial position down and to the right from the Mashitani pixel locations before shifting).
Regarding claim 8, Mashitani makes obvious the 3D projection method according to claim 6, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction (Figs. 7, 10; claimed invention is equivalent to the non-shift of the first subframe and the half-pixel right shift of the second subframe as a quarter pixel shift of the first subframe up and left and a quarter pixel shift of the second subframe up and left, as measured from a quarter pixel down and right of the original pixel locations),
the third direction is opposite to the first direction (id., relative positions of first and shifted third subframes along same upper left to lower right diagonal), and
the fourth direction is opposite to the second direction (id., relative positions of shifted second and shifted fourth subframes along same upper right to lower left diagonal).
Regarding claim 9, Mashitani makes obvious the 3D projection method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of:
shifting the first projection image from a preset position to the first position along the first direction, shifting the second projection image from the preset position to the second position along the second direction, shifting the third projection image from the preset position to the third position along the third direction, and shifting the fourth projection image from the preset position to the fourth position along the fourth direction by controlling the image shifting device of the 3D projection device (Fig. 7, claimed invention is equivalent to the initial positions a1, b1, c1, and d1 being one quarter pixel down and right).
Regarding claim 10, Mashitani teaches the 3D projection method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of:
in response to the first projection image being shifted to the first position, controlling a pair of 3D glasses to enable a first lens corresponding to the first eye and disable a second lens corresponding to the second eye (¶¶ 0080–81, synchronizing the left-eye and right-eye frames with liquid crystal shutter glasses);
in response to the second projection image being shifted to the second position, controlling the pair of 3D glasses to disable the first lens corresponding to the first eye and enable the second lens corresponding to the second eye (id.);
in response to the third projection image being shifted to the third position, controlling the pair of 3D glasses to enable the first lens corresponding to the first eye and disable the second lens corresponding to the second eye (id.); and
in response to the fourth projection image being shifted to the fourth position, controlling the pair of 3D glasses to disable the first lens corresponding to the first eye and enable the second lens corresponding to the second eye (id.).
Regarding claim 11, Mashitani in view of Suh teaches a 3D projection device comprising:
an image processing device (Mashitani Figs. 1–2A, projection video display 100), configured to perform:
[the claim 1 method] (claim 1 rejection supra).
Regarding claim 12, Mashitani in view of Suh teaches the 3D projection device according to claim 11, wherein the first pixel and the third pixel in each of the plurality of pixel groups are arranged along a first diagonal direction, and the second diagonal direction is perpendicular to the first diagonal direction (Mashitani Figs. 6, 9, 11–14; upper left and lower right pixels in each 2x2 block form the left-eye sub-frames, and upper right and lower left pixels in each 2x2 block form the right-eye subframes; diagonal from, e.g., pixels 00 and 11 is perpendicular to diagonal from pixels 10 and 01).
Regarding claim 14, Mashitani in view of Suh teaches the 3D projection device according to claim 11,
wherein the plurality of pixel groups comprise a first pixel group (Mashitani Figs. 7–8, 10; first subframe),
the first pixel in the first pixel group has a first coordinate in the fusion image (Figs. 6, 9; position of pixel 00 at top left corner of input signal and first subframe),
the first eye image comprises a plurality of first eye pixels (id., first subframe),
and the method comprises:
finding a first reference eye pixel from the plurality of first eye pixels (id., top left corner pixel 00 in input signal),
wherein the first reference eye pixel corresponds to the first coordinate in the first eye image (id., pixel 00 at top left corner in first subframe); and
setting the first pixel in the first pixel group to correspond to the first reference eye pixel (id., dividing input signal and its pixels into subframes).
Regarding claim 15, all things equal to claim 14, Mashitani is shown in Figures 6 and 9 to operate to transform both parallax images to the virtual viewpoint image, corresponding to performing the claim 4 method on the second eye pixels as claimed, using, for example, pixel 10 or pixel 01 as the top left corner of a subframe.
Regarding claim 16, Mashitani in view of Suh teaches the 3D projection device according to claim 11, wherein the image shifting device is configured to perform:
shifting the second projection image into a first position along a second direction by controlling an image shifting device of the 3D projection device (Mashitani Figs. 7, 10, ¶ 0062; shifting second sub-frame right by a half pixel);
shifting the third projection image to a third position along a third direction by controlling the image shifting device of the 3D projection device (id., shifting third sub-frame down and to the right by a half pixel); and
shifting the fourth projection image to a fourth position along a fourth direction by controlling the image shifting device of the 3D projection device (id., shifting fourth sub-frame down by a half pixel).
The claimed invention differs from Mashitani in that the claimed invention specifies shifting the first projection image to a first position along a first direction by controlling the image shifting device of the 3D projection device. In Mashitani, the first subframe is not shifted from its location. However, the claimed invention is equivalent to measuring the original location of the subframes down and right by a quarter pixel, and shifting the first through fourth subframes up and left by a quarter pixel, up and right by a quarter pixel, down and right by a quarter pixel, and down and left by a quarter pixel, and as such does not form a patentable distinction from the claimed invention. See M.P.E.P. § 2183 (equivalence).
Regarding claim 17, Mashitani in view of Suh teaches the 3D projection device according to claim 16, wherein the [four] projection image[s] have a same shifted distance (Figs. 7, 10; claimed invention is equivalent to this process as a set of quarter-pixel diagonal shifts if measured from an initial position down and to the right from the Mashitani pixel locations before shifting).
Regarding claim 18, Mashitani in view of Suh teaches the 3D projection device according to claim 16, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction (Figs. 7, 10; claimed invention is equivalent to the non-shift of the first subframe and the half-pixel right shift of the second subframe as a quarter pixel shift of the first subframe up and left and a quarter pixel shift of the second subframe up and left, as measured from a quarter pixel down and right of the original pixel locations),
the third direction is opposite to the first direction (id., relative positions of first and shifted third subframes along same upper left to lower right diagonal), and
the fourth direction is opposite to the second direction (id., relative positions of shifted second and shifted fourth subframes along same upper right to lower left diagonal).
Regarding claim 19, Mashitani makes obvious the 3D projection device according to claim 16, wherein the image shifting device is configured to perform:
shifting the first projection image from a preset position to the first position along the first direction, shifting the second projection image from the preset position to the second position along the second direction, shifting the third projection image from the preset position to the third position along the third direction, and shifting the fourth projection image from the preset position to the fourth position along the fourth direction by controlling the image shifting device of the 3D projection device (Figs. 7, 10; claimed invention is equivalent to the initial positions a1, b1, c1, and d1 being one quarter pixel down and right).
Regarding claim 20, Mashitani in view of Suh teaches the 3D projection device according to claim 16, wherein the image processing device is configured to perform:
In response to the first projection image being shifted to the first position, controlling a 3D glasses to enable a first lens corresponding to the first eye and disable a second lens corresponding to the second eye (Mashitani ¶¶ 0080–81, synchronizing the left-eye and right-eye frames with liquid crystal shutter glasses; ¶ 0126, modulating image projection polarization direction for use with polarized glasses);
in response to the second projection image being shifted to the second position, controlling the pair of 3D glasses to disable the first lens corresponding to the first eye and enable the second lens corresponding to the second eye (id.);
in response to the third projection image being shifted to the third position, controlling the pair of 3D glasses to enable the first lens corresponding to the first eye and disable the second lens corresponding to the second eye (id.); and
in response to the fourth projection image being shifted to the fourth position, controlling the pair of 3D glasses to disable the first lens corresponding to the first eye and enable the second lens corresponding to the second eye (id.).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2016/0269711 A1
US 2013/0321597 A1
US 2013/0176408 A1
US 2013/0127861 A1
US 2013/0258054 A1
US 2006/0210249 A1
US 2012/0314023 A1
WO 2017/198143 A1
WO 2016/047985 A1
WO 2013/070331 A1
WO 2007/072870 A1
GB 2516139 A
The following prior art was found using an Artificial Intelligence assisted search using an internal AI tool that uses the classification of the application under the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system, as well as from the specification, including the claims and abstract, of the application as contextual information. The documents are ranked from most to least relevant. Where possible, English-language equivalents are given, and redundant results within the same patent families are eliminated. See “New Artificial Intelligence Functionality in PE2E Search”, 1504 OG 359 (15 November 2022), “Automated Search Pilot Program”, 90 F.R. 48,161 (8 October 2025).
US 2011/0032340 A1
US 2006/0268104 A1
JP 2005062607 A
JP H0954375 A
KR 20070017785 A
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/David N Werner/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2487
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