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 12/18/2024 and 12/30/2024 were considered by the examiner.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 5, 9, 13, 14, 16, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hall et al. (US 2020/0162722) in view of Inada et al. (US 2019/0146209).
Regarding Claim 1, Hall discloses a beam scanning device, comprising:
a light modulation element (Fig. 4A, beam steering assembly comprising a coarse steering element 428 including a projection assembly, Paragraph 0066, lines 1-10, Paragraph 0068, lines 1-12) configured to scan an external space based on phase modulating a plurality of light beams (Paragraph 0065, lines 1-2, coarse steering element 428 deflects scanning beams 420, Paragraph 0072, lines 1-9) and, in a state in which the plurality of light beams are arranged in a first direction, sequentially steering the plurality of light beams in a second direction different from the first direction (Paragraph 0065, lines 10-14 element 428 expands the scanning angles of 1 or more scanning beams 420 over a plurality of time instants, as described in Paragraph 0058); and
a processor (Abstract, controller determines depth information for objects, Paragraphs 0005, 0009, and 0024, Fig. 4A, controller 408, Paragraphs 0058-0059), configured to control the light modulation element to cause a degree of steering shift of the light modulation element to vary depending on whether a region of interest is determined to be located in the external space (Paragraph 0084, lines 1-7, the beam steering assembly 400 can shift the angular range of the scans of the scanned object when the detector captures one or more target objects, Paragraph 0082, lines 17-19).
Hall does not specifically disclose a light modulation array.
However, Inada, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a light modulation array (Paragraphs 0521 and 0523, Fig. 82 and Fig. 83, scanning device 100 including a waveguide array 10A and a phase shifter array 80A), for the purpose of irradiating a distant object with a laser beam from multiple positions.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have a beam scanning device of Hall with a light modulation array, of Inada, for the purpose of irradiating a distant object with a laser beam from multiple positions.
Regarding Claim 5, Hall in view of Inada discloses as is set forth above and Hall further discloses wherein the region of interest in the external space comprises at least one of a region containing an object (Paragraph 0061, Fig. 4A, target object 416, lines 1-9) or a region within a user's field of view.
Regarding Claim 9, Hall in view of Inada discloses as is set forth above and Hall further discloses wherein the light modulation array is further configured to simultaneously steer the plurality of light beams in a same direction (Paragraph 0073, lines 1-4).
Regarding Claim 13, Hall in view of Inada discloses as is set forth above and Hall further discloses wherein further comprising a light detector configured to detect light reflected from the external space (Fig. 4A, detector 436, Paragraph 0069, lines 1-2), wherein the processor (Fig. 4A, controller 408) is further configured to obtain a frame comprising depth information based on using results detected by the light detector (Fig. 4A, Paragraph 0070, lines 1-6).
Regarding Claim 14, Hall in view of Inada discloses as is set forth above and Hall further discloses wherein the processor is further configured to determine the region of interest in the external space based on using the frame (Paragraph 0065, lines 10-14, target objects 416 in the local area).
Regarding Claim 16, Hall discloses a beam scanning method, comprising:
emitting a plurality of light beams (Paragraph 0065, lines 1-2, coarse steering element 428 deflects scanning beams 420, Paragraph 0072, lines 1-9) to a light modulation element (Fig. 4A, beam steering assembly comprising a course steering element 428 including a projection assembly, Paragraph 0066, lines 1-10, Paragraph 0068, lines 1-12) and
scanning an external space based on phase modulating the plurality of light beams (Paragraph 0065, lines 1-2, coarse steering element 428 deflects scanning beams 420, Paragraph 0072, lines 1-9) and, in a state in which the plurality of light beams are arranged in a first direction, sequentially steering the plurality of light beams in a second direction different from the first direction (Paragraph 0065, lines 10-14 element 428 expands the scanning angles of 1 or more scanning beams 420 over a plurality of time instants, as described in Paragraph 0058),
wherein, in the scanning of the external space, the external space is scanned with a degree of steering shift varying depending on whether a region of interest is determined to be located in the external space (Paragraph 0084, lines 1-7, the beam steering assembly 400 can shift the angular range of the scans of the scanned object when the detector captures one or more target objects, Paragraph 0082, lines 17-19).
Hall does not specifically disclose a light modulation array.
However, Inada, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a light modulation array (Paragraphs 0521 and 0523, Fig. 82 and Fig. 83, scanning device 100 including a waveguide array 10A and a phase shifter array 80A), for the purpose of irradiating a distant object with a laser beam from multiple positions.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have a beam scanning device of Hall with a light modulation array, of Inada, for the purpose of irradiating a distant object with a laser beam from multiple positions.
Regarding Claim 19, Hall in view of Inada discloses as is set forth above and Hall further discloses wherein the region of interest in the external space comprises at least one of a region containing an object (Paragraph 0061, Fig. 4A, target object 416, lines 1-9) or a region within a user's field of view.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 6, 7-8, 10-12, 15, 17-18, and 20 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: with respect to the allowable subject matter, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach of the claimed combination of limitations to warrant a rejection under 35 USC 102 or 103.
Specifically, with respect to claim 2, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach of a beam scanning device including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein the processor is further configured to, based on the light modulation array scanning the region of interest in the external space, control the light modulation array to perform the steering with a first degree of steering shift, and the processor is further configured to, based on the light modulation array scanning a region of non-interest that is a region in the external space other than the region of interest, control the light modulation array to perform the steering with a second degree of steering shift that is greater than the first degree of steering shift.
Specifically, with respect to claim 6, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach of a beam scanning device including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein the processor is further configured to control the light modulation array to first scan the region of interest in the external space, and scan a region of non-interest that is a region in the external space other than the region of interest subsequently to scanning the region of interest.
Specifically, with respect to claim 7, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach of a beam scanning device including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein the processor is further configured to, based on a plurality of regions of interest being in the external space, control the light modulation array to cause the degree of steering shift to vary according to information associated with depths of the plurality of regions of interest.
Specifically, with respect to claim 10, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach of a beam scanning device including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein further comprising a light source array configured to emit the plurality of light beams to the light modulation array, wherein the processor is further configured to control the light source array to cause an intensity of light for scanning the external space to vary depending on whether there is an object in the external space.
Specifically, with respect to claim 15, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach of a beam scanning device including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein at least one spatial light modulator of a plurality of spatial light modulators included in the light modulation array is configured to modulate, based on a sawtooth phase profile of an electronic signal applied to the at least one spatial light modulator, a phase of light.
Specifically, with respect to claim 17, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach of a method including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein, in the scanning of the external space, a first degree of steering shift for the region of interest in the external space is less than a second degree of steering shift for a region of non-interest that is a region in the external space other than the region of interest.
Specifically, with respect to claim 20, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach of a method including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein, in the scanning of the external space, the region of interest in the external space is first scanned, and a region of non-interest that is a region in the external space other than the region of interest is scanned subsequently to scanning the region of interest.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Park et al. (US 11,256,081), Park et al. (US 2020/0183148), Inada et al. (US 11,435,571), Inada et al. (US 2020/0333588), Kim (US 8,081,364), and Kim (US 2009/0135460) are cited to show similar devices and methods.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM R ALEXANDER whose telephone number is (571)270-7656. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM- 4:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached on (571) 270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM R ALEXANDER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872