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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on November 20, 2023 and November 22, 2023 are being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on November 20, 2023. These drawings are acceptable.
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(s) 1-17 and 20-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by O’Brien et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2014/0168260, hereinafter referred to simply as “O’Brien”). O’Brien anticipates claims:
1. A light guide plate apparatus (see figures 4 and 12), comprising:
a plurality of stacked light guide plates (stacked waveguides 140 are interpreted as the stacked light guide plates);
a first optical system (input diffraction gratings 144, shown in figure 12 to be in all the waveguides, are interpreted as the first optical system) that causes incident light to enter each of the plurality of light guide plates so as to satisfy a total internal reflection condition inside the light guide plate (see figure 12);
a second optical system (exit diffraction gratings 148, see figure 12, are interpreted as the second optical system) that causes the light propagating inside each of the plurality of light guide plates while being totally internally reflected to be emitted outward from the light guide plate (see figure 12); and
at least one spacer (spacer elements 160 are interpreted as the at least one spacer) provided between two adjacent light guide plates of the plurality of light guide plates (see figure 12), wherein the spacer is arranged at a position deviated from a total internal reflection position of the light in opposite surfaces of each of the two adjacent light guide plates (see figures 4 and 12; the total internal reflection positions are internal to the waveguides 140, and the spacers are external, necessarily meeting this limitation, see figure 12).
2. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes a spacer or portion positioned inside an outer peripheral portion (the portion just interior to the frame 112 is interpreted as the outer peripheral portion) of each of the two adjacent light guide plates in a planar view (see figures 6-12, the spacers are positioned inside an outer peripheral portion of the plates).
3. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one spacer includes a spacer or portion positioned at the outer peripheral portion in a planar view (see figures 6-12, the spacers are interpreted as being positioned “at” the outer peripheral portion).
4. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes a spacer or portion positioned in a propagation region (see figure 12, everything shown is interpreted as being the propagation region, and the spacers are positioned therein) of the light between the first optical system and the second optical system in a planar view.
5. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light guide plates has a plurality of total internal reflection positions, and the at least one spacer includes a spacer or portion positioned between two adjacent total internal reflection positions of the plurality of total internal reflection positions in a planar view, the two adjacent total internal reflection positions being adjacent to each other in a propagation direction of the light (see figure 12).
6. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes a spacer crossing a propagation region of the light between the first optical system and the second optical system in a planar view (see figure 12, the spacer is interpreted as crossing the propagation region).
7. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes at least two spacers arranged side by side so that the at least two spacers cross a propagation region of the light between the first optical system and the second optical system in a planar view (see figure 12).
8. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes a spacer or portion positioned outside a propagation region of the light between the first optical system and the second optical system in a planar view (see figure 12, the propagation region is interpreted as the inside of the waveguides, the spacers are outside this region).
9. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes a spacer or portion positioned inside an outer peripheral portion of each of the two adjacent light guide plates and outside a propagation region of the light in a planar view (see figure 12).
10. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes at least one first spacer arranged inside a propagation region of the light between the first optical system and the second optical system and at least one second spacer arranged outside the propagation region in a planar view, and the first spacer and the second spacer are different in arrangement density (see figure 7, the propagation region is interpreted as only encompassing the left one of three spacers meeting all the limitations of the claim).
11. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the arrangement density of the second spacer is higher than the arrangement density of the first spacer (see figure 7).
12. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes a first portion positioned inside a propagation region of the light between the first optical system and the second optical system and a second portion positioned outside the propagation region in a planar view, and the first portion and the second portion are different from each other in area density (see figure 7, the propagation region is interpreted as only encompassing the left one of three spacers meeting all the limitations of the claim).
13. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the area density of the second portion is higher than the area density of the first portion (see figure 7).
14. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes a linear or curved spacer or portion (see figure 6, curved portions are shown).
15. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes a dot-like spacer (see figure 6, the spacers are dot-like, see paragraph 0029).
16. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer includes a frame-like spacer or portion (see figure 6, the spacers are frame-like, see paragraph 0029).
17. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first optical system includes a first diffraction optical element provided in each of the plurality of light guide plates, and an incident optical system (the microdisplay 120, is interpreted as the incident optical system) that causes the light to enter the first diffraction optical element, and the second optical system includes a second diffraction optical element provided in each of the plurality of light guide plates (see figure 12).
20. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer is formed by photolithography (this limitation regarding how the spacer is formed is interpreted as a product-by-process limitation that does not further patentably limit the claim, see MPEP 2113).
21. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer is constituted by a polymerizable resin (see paragraph 0038).
22. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer is a photospacer (see figure 12, the spacer is interpreted as a photospacer).
23. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer is a permanent resist (see figure 12, the spacer is interpreted as a permanent resist).
24. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer has a dimension of 500 um or less in a direction along an in-plane direction of each of the two adjacent light guide plates (see paragraph 0029).
25. The light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spacer has a dimension of 100 um or less in a direction along an in-plane direction of each of the two adjacent light guide plates (see paragraph 0029).
26. An image display apparatus, comprising :a light guide plate apparatus according to claim 1; and an image light generation apparatus (the microdisplay 120 is interpreted as the image light generation apparatus) that generates image light and causes the image light to enter a first optical system of the light guide plate apparatus, wherein the first optical system causes different parts of the incident image light to respectively enter a plurality of light guide plates of the light guide plate apparatus, and a second optical system of the light guide plate apparatus causes light propagating inside each of the plurality of light guide plates to be emitted toward an eyeball of a user (at the eyebox 130).
27. The image display apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the first optical system splits the image light and causes the plurality of split light rays to enter the different light guide plates (see figure 12).
28. The image display apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the plurality of light rays has different wavelengths (see paragraph 0002).
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.
Claim(s) 18 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over O’Brien as previously applied against claim 17.
With respect to claims 18 and 19, O’Brien discloses the limitations of claim 17 as previously stated. O’Brien further shows first and second optical systems include diffraction elements capable of turning and bending light. O’Brien is silent to the limitations wherein at least one diffraction optical element including a third diffraction optical element is arranged on a propagation path of the light between the first diffraction optical element and the second diffraction optical element provided in each of the plurality of light guide plates; wherein the third diffraction optical element bends the light from the first diffraction optical element toward the second diffraction optical element. As O’Brien already discloses the suitability of using diffraction optical elements to turn and bend light, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include at least one diffraction optical element including a third diffraction optical element is arranged on a propagation path of the light between the first diffraction optical element and the second diffraction optical element provided in each of the plurality of light guide plates; wherein the third diffraction optical element bends the light from the first diffraction optical element toward the second diffraction optical element into the device of O’Brien, in order to allow for more control in guiding light between the input and output of the waveguides.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN M BEDTELYON whose telephone number is (571)270-1290. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am - 4:30pm.
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/John Bedtelyon/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874