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
Information disclosure statement filed 10/17/2024, 2/14/2024, 12/07/2023 have been considered.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-10, 13-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication No. US 2024/0094456 A1 to Schultz (hereinafter “Schultz”).
Regarding claim 1, Schultz discloses an optical system comprising: a light guide (100 in Fig. 3A) for guiding an image light ray (paragraph [0036]) which is output from a display element (not explicitly disclosed in Fig. 3A, but fully disclosed in the background context of the invention- see paragraph [0030]) and forms an image, to a field of view region of a user as a virtual image (abstract), the light guide including a body having a plate shape (Fig. 3A) and a periodic structure formed in the body (104, 106, 108 in Fig. 3A; paragraph [0036]), the periodic structure having periodicity in three predetermined directions (k1, k2, k3 in Fig. 3; paragraph [0036]) intersecting each other within a predetermined plane perpendicular to a thickness direction of the body, and the periodic structure including an in-coupling region (IDO in Fig. 3A) dividing the image light ray incident from the display element into a plurality of the image light rays and allowing the plurality of image light rays to propagate within the body in a plurality of branch directions (paragraph [0036]) including first, second, and third branch directions respectively parallel to the three predetermined directions (paragraph [0040]).
Regarding claim 2, Schultz discloses wherein the periodic structure further comprises an exit region (ODO in Fig. 3A) allowing plurality of image light rays propagating in the plurality of branch directions within the body to emerge from the body toward the field of view region (paragraph [0037]).
Regarding claim 3, Schultz discloses wherein the periodic structure includes a diffraction grating constituted by recessed or protruded parts in relation to the thickness direction of the body (i.e. “surface relief” grating- see paragraph [0023]) which are arranged within the predetermined plane to have periodicity in the three predetermined directions (paragraph [0036]).
Regarding claim 4, Schultz discloses wherein the recessed or protruded parts are arranged within the predetermined plane in a hexagonal lattice (i.e. see IDO in Fig. 3A).
Regarding claim 5, Schultz discloses wherein the periodic structure includes a volume holographic element subject to multiple exposure to have periodicity in the three predetermined directions (paragraph [0024]).
Regarding claim 6, Schultz discloses wherein the in-coupling region and the exit region have a same period in each of the three predetermined directions (paragraph [0037]).
Regarding claim 7, Schultz discloses wherein the in-coupling region and the exit region have different diffraction efficiencies in at least one of the plurality of branch directions (paragraph [0041]).
Regarding claim 8, Schultz discloses wherein the exit region includes a part having a diffraction efficiency from the light guide toward the field of view region (ODO in Fig. 3A is a diffractive grating as discussed above. As such, in necessarily has a “diffraction efficiency”), which becomes greater as further from the in-coupling region (paragraph [0041] discloses that the light distribution increases to the outer edges of the out-coupling diffractive optic ODO. Therefore, the diffraction efficiencies necessarily becomes greater further from the in-coupling region).
Regarding claim 9, Schultz discloses wherein the exit region includes a plurality of exit parts (ODO contains plurality if out-coupling diffractive grating elements) adjacent to the in-coupling region (IDO in Fig. 3A) in the plurality of branch directions individually, and at least two of the plurality of exit parts have different diffraction efficiencies for incident light under a same condition (paragraph [0041]- 110, 112 have different diffraction efficiencies relative to 113).
Regarding claim 10, Schultz discloses wherein the at least two of the plurality of exit parts are different in a direction of elements (i.e. 110, 112 in Fig. 3A- see also paragraph [0038]), constituting the periodic structure but have a same periodicity (paragraph [0037]).
Regarding claim 13, Schultz discloses wherein when wave vectors in the first, second, and third branch directions of the periodic structures denoted by k1, k2, and k3, respectively, and a maximum value of wave vectors being denoted by km, the wave vectors satisfy abs (k1-k2+k3)<km/5 (k1=180, k2=60, k3=-60, km=60, as shown in Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 14, Schultz discloses wherein the wave vectors k1, k2, and k3 satisfy abs (k1-k2+k3)=0 (k1=180, k2=60, k3=-60, as shown in Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 15, Schultz discloses wherein the light guide reproduces a pupil of the image light ray to expand the pupil by: converting the image light ray entering the light guide from the in-coupling region into a plurality of image light rays in the plurality of branch directions allowed to propagate in the plurality of branch directions within the body; and dividing the plurality of image light rays into a plurality of mutually parallel image light rays in each of the plurality of branch directions to be allowed to emerge toward the field of view region (Fig. 2-3: features of Fig. 2 are disclosed by Schultz as the background of the optical system upon which the invention of Schultz is implemented. As such, the claimed features of claim 15 are also disclosed by the invention of Schultz disclosed in reference to Fig. 2-3. See also paragraph [0029]-[0031]).
Regarding claim 16, Schultz discloses wherein the in-coupling region is arranged side-by-side with the exit region in each of the three predetermined directions (Fig. 3A-4B).
Regarding claim 17, Schultz further discloses a projection optical system allowing the image light ray to be incident on the in-coupling region of the light guide as a substantial collimated light ray (paragraph [0023]).
Regarding claim 18, Schultz discloses an image display device comprising the optical system according to claim 1 and the display element (Fig. 8; Also see above regarding claim 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-12 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: as discussed above, an optical system comprising a light guide for guiding an image light which is output from a display element and forming an image, a periodic structure formed in the body of the light guide, the periodic structure having periodicity in three predetermined directions intersecting each other, the periodic structure including an in-coupling region dividing image light ray incident from the display element into a plurality of the image light rays and allowing the plurality of image light rays to propagate within the body in a plurality of branch directions including first, second, and third branch directions respectively parallel to the three predetermined directions, is known in the art.
However, none of the prior art fairly teaches or suggests such an optical system further comprising a predetermined exit part of the plurality of exit parts including a region which has a branch diffraction efficiency larger than an exit diffraction efficiency, the exit diffraction efficiency being an efficiency of diffracting the image light ray propagating in an adjacent direction in which the in-coupling region and the predetermined exit part are adjacent to each other, into a direction toward the field of view region, and the branch diffraction efficiency being an efficiency of diffracting the image light ray propagating in the adjacent direction into a predetermined branch direction different from the adjacent direction, as claimed in claim 11.
In addition, none of the prior art fairly teaches or suggests an optical system wherein at least one of the plurality of exit parts includes recessed or protruded parts arranged to have periodicity in the three predetermined directions within the predetermined plane, and a ratio of a size of the recessed or protruded parts relative to a period of arrangement of the recessed or protruded parts is larger in a direction perpendicular to a branch direction different from a branch direction of the plurality of branch direction, in which a corresponding exit part is adjacent to the in-coupling region, than in a direction perpendicular to a branch direction of the plurality of the branch direction, in which the corresponding exit part is adjacent to the in-coupling region, as claimed in claim 12.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUNG H PAK whose telephone number is (571)272-2353. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 7AM- 5PM.
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/SUNG H PAK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874