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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 9 recites in lines 1-2 “the number of conductive wires is one” this is indefinite in that it appears to contradict claim 1 which recites “the second electrode layer includes a first electrical connector, a second electrical connection, and several conducive wires”
Claims 10-12 are rejected due to their dependency.
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)(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 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hashimoto (US Pub. 20080002139).
As per claim 1, Hashimoto teaches (in figures 1-7) a liquid crystal lens, comprising a liquid crystal layer (liquid crystal 106), a first electrode layer (transparent counter electrode 108), a second electrode layer (transparent electrode 107 which has a refractive index modulating transparent electrode pattern 200), a first transparent substrate (transparent substrate 105), and a second transparent substrate (transparent substrate 101), wherein the first electrode layer (transparent counter electrode 108) and the second electrode layer (transparent electrode 107 which has a refractive index modulating transparent electrode pattern 200) are respectively located on opposite sides of the liquid crystal layer (liquid crystal 106), the first transparent substrate (transparent substrate 105) is positioned on one side of the first electrode layer (transparent counter electrode 108) opposite to the liquid crystal layer (liquid crystal 106), and the second transparent substrate (transparent substrate 101) is positioned on one side of the second electrode layer (transparent electrode 107 which has a refractive index modulating transparent electrode pattern 200) opposite to the liquid crystal layer (liquid crystal 106); the second electrode layer includes a first electrical connector (connection from power supply 20 to ring 201) a second electrical connector (connection from power supply 20 to ring 215), and several conductive wires (rings 202-214), the conductive wires extend from the center of the second electrode layer towards the periphery, one end of the conductive wires is electrically connected to the first electrical connector, and the opposite end is connected to the second electrical connector (figure 2 and paragraph 63), the first electrical connector provides a first driving voltage to the end portions of the conductive wires electrically connected thereto, while the second electrical connector provides a second driving voltage to the end portions of the conductive wires electrically connected thereto (see figures 3a-3b and paragraph 66) wherein the spacing between adjacent conductive wires is equal to or less than 100μm (3μm see figure 3a and paragraph 65).
As per claim 20, Hashimoto teaches (in figures 1-7) a driving method for liquid crystal lens, used for driving the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the voltage applied between the first electrode layer and the first electrical connector is denoted as V1, and the voltage applied between the second electrical connector and the first electrode layer is denoted as V2, the method comprises the following steps of: S1: obtaining a linear response voltage range of the liquid crystal lens (see figure 7 and paragraph 82); S2: determining a minimum voltage Vmin (V2) and a maximum voltage Vmax (V1) within the linear response voltage range of the liquid crystal lens, S3: adjusting the voltage difference between V1 and V2 based on the minimum voltage Vmin and maximum voltage Vmax to control the focal power of the liquid crystal lens, wherein Vmin≤ V1 ≤ Vmax and Vmin≤ V2 ≤ Vmax (see figure 7 and paragraphs 82-85).
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) 1-8 and 13-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Galstian (US Pub. 20230004050) in view of Suzuki et al. (US Pub. 20070279539, Suzuki).
As per claim 1, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) a liquid crystal lens, comprising a liquid crystal layer (“liquid crystal material”, paragraph 18), a first electrode layer (uniform electrode arrangement”, paragraph 18), a second electrode layer (“stepped electrode arrangement”, formed as a modified spiral see paragraphs 18, 21, 126, and 128), a first transparent substrate (bottom substrate as shown in figure 7b), and a second transparent substrate (top substrate as shown in figure 7b), wherein the first electrode layer (uniform electrode arrangement”, paragraph 18) and the second electrode layer (“stepped electrode arrangement”, see paragraphs 18, 21, and 126-129), a first transparent substrate (bottom substrate as shown in figure 7b) are respectively located on opposite sides of the liquid crystal layer, the first transparent substrate is positioned on one side of the first electrode layer opposite to the liquid crystal layer, and the second transparent substrate is positioned on one side of the second electrode layer opposite to the liquid crystal layer; the second electrode layer includes a first electrical connector (“internal electric contact 2”, see figure 8a) a second electrical connector (“external electric contact 1”, see figure 8a), and several conductive wires (turns of the ITO spiral between the external electric contact and the internal electric contact), the conductive wires extend from the center of the second electrode layer towards the periphery, one end of the conductive wires is electrically connected to the first electrical connector, and the opposite end is connected to the second electrical connector (see figure 8a), the first electrical connector provides a first driving voltage to the end portions of the conductive wires electrically connected thereto, while the second electrical connector provides a second driving voltage to the end portions of the conductive wires electrically connected thereto (see paragraph 127).
Galstian does not explicitly teach that the spacing between adjacent conductive wires is equal to or less than 100μm.
However, Galstian teaches that the spacing between adjacent conductive wires is a result effective variable in that it in combination with the other variables determines the liquid crystal spatial distribution and thereby the lens effect of the liquid crystal lens (paragraphs 21 and 140).
Additionally, Suzuki teaches (in figure 4) teaches that it is known to form the spacing between conductive wires (core electrode 20, ring electrodes 21 and peripheral electrode 22) to be less than 100 µm (3µm taught in paragraph 143).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the spacing between adjacent conductive wires to be equal to or less than 100μm, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. (See MPEP § 2144.05 (II) (A) and (B))
As per claim 2, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) that the first electrical connector (“internal electric contact 2”, see figure 8a) is used to provide the same driving voltage to the end portions of each conductive wire electrically connected thereto, and/or the second electrical connector (“external electric contact 1”, see figure 8a) is used to provide the same driving voltage to the end portions of each conductive wire electrically connected thereto, and/or the second electrical connector is in the form of a perforated electrode (see figures and paragraphs 126-129).
As per claim 3, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) that the several conductive wires (turns of the ITO spiral between the external electric contact and the internal electric contact) are arranged in a rotating symmetric manner around a point in the second electrode layer (see figure 8A).
As per claim 4, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) that the first electric connector (“internal electric contact 2”, see figure 8a) is a first electrode lead, which is led outwards from one end of the conductive wires near the center of the second electrode layer, the conductive wire comprises multiple curved segments (turns of the ITO spiral between the external electric contact and the internal electric contact) arranged from outer to inner, each curved segment is disconnected at the electrode lead, wherein the outermost curved segment is connected to the second electric connector (“external electric contact 1”, see figure 8a) at one end and connected to the adjacent curved segment on the same side as the first electrode lead at the opposite end, the end of the curved segment closest to the center of the second electrode layer is electrically connected to the first electrode lead at one end and connected to the adjacent segment on the same side as the first electrode lead at the opposite end, the remaining curved segments are connected to an adjacent curved segment on the same side as the first electrode lead at one end and connected to another adjacent curved segment on the same side as the first electrode lead at the opposite end (see figure 8A).
As per claim 5, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) that the curved segment is an arc, and the spacing between adjacent curved segments is equal or unequal (see figure 8A).
As per claim 6, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) that the spacing between adjacent curved segments satisfies a potential distribution formed by the liquid crystal lens to be a spherical distribution, a conical distribution, or a parabolic distribution (by driving the contacts at specific potentials with specific phases a parabolic distribution can be obtained, see figure 11b and paragraph 137-138).
As per claim 7, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) that the shape of the conductive wires (turns of the ITO spiral between the external electric contact and the internal electric contact) is a spiral (see figure 7A).
As per claim 8, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) that the shape of the conductive wires is a spiral obtained from a first helix equation the first helix equation is as follow:
X=rcos(g(r))
Y=rsin(g(r))
Wherein g(r) =
±
(
4
a
2
r
2
-
1
-
arctan
4
a
2
r
2
-
1
)
wherein: wherein 'r' represents the radius in polar coordinates, g(r) represents the polar angle, and 'a' is a parameter in the equation (the above equation describes an Archimedean spiral in which the distances between turns are equal which Galstian teaches in figure 7A which shows the spiral comprises a constant gap g).
As per claim 13, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) a high-resistance film (HDCL paragraph 118) is provided between the second electrode layer (“stepped electrode arrangement”, see paragraphs 18, 21, 126, and 128) and the liquid crystal layer (see figure 7b).
As per claim 14, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) an insulating layer (HDCL paragraph 118) is provided between the second electrode layer (“stepped electrode arrangement”, see paragraphs 18, 21, 126, and 128) and the liquid crystal layer (see figure 7b).
As per claim 15, Galstian teaches (in figures 7A-8A) a high-resistance film is provided between the insulating layer and the liquid crystal layer (Galstian teaches forming the HDCL to comprise multiple layers, see paragraph 125).
As per claim 16, Galstian teaches eyeglasses, comprising the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above and figures 16a-16b and paragraph 159).
As per claim 17, Galstian teaches a VR device, comprising the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above and figures 16a-16b and paragraph 159).
As per claim 18, Galstian teaches an AR device, comprising the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above and figures 16a-16b and paragraph 159).
As per claim 19, Galstian teaches an electronic product, comprising a control circuit (miniature driver 5) and the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens (see rejection of claim 1 above and figures 16a-16b and paragraph 159).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER P GROSS whose telephone number is (571)272-5660. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-6pm EST.
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/ALEXANDER P GROSS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871