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 § 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.
Claims 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li et al (US 2023/0272893).
US ‘893 discloses and illustrates a light source device comprising: a first light emitter configured to emit a first light beam in a first wavelength ban first light emitter configured to emit a first light beam in a first wavelength band (e.g., see at least laser source, input laser beam 140 and multiple laser embodiments [0133]–[0139], [0140], [0252]–[0256], Figures. 1A–2 Figures 35–36) a first optical part which is rotatably supported, and which has a first plane of incidence which the first light beam emitted from the first optical part enters, and a first exit surface from which the first light beam entering the first optical part through the first plane of incidence is emitted (e.g., rotating transparent prisms, square prism 110 with polished input/output faces (input face / opposite output face) and describes the beam entering one face and exiting a parallel opposite face while being translated, [0133]-[0139] and Figures 1A–1E, 2, 3); and a second optical part which is rotatably supported, and which has a second plane of incidence which the first light beam emitted from the first optical part enters, and a second exit surface from which the first light beam entering the second optical part through the second plane of incidence is emitted (e.g., see at multiple rotating prisms and multi-facet rotating mirror/prism assemblies. The dual-prism two-axis scanning embodiment (X-rotating prism and Y-rotating prism) , [0222]–[0223], Figures. 31A–31C), wherein the first light passes through the first optical part and the second optical part, the first optical part is configured to rotate centering on a first rotational axis extending along a second direction crossing a first direction as an incident direction of the first light beam with respect to the first optical part (see at least [0222]–[0223], Figures 31A – 31C the output of the first rotating prism being directed into the second rotating prism to produce raster scanning (output beam 3141 directed toward Y-rotating prism 3120)), the second optical part is configured to rotate centering on a second rotational axis extending along a third direction crossing the first direction and the second direction(see at least 0133]–[0139], [0222]–[0223], Figs. 1A, 31A) , the first plane of incidence and the first exit surface are parallel to each other, and the second plane of incidence and the second exit surface are parallel to each other (see at least [0138]–[0140], [0182]–[0186], Figures 1–3, 9–12, 31A-31C).
Per claim 2, US ‘893 discloses and illustrates the light source device wherein the first optical part is configured to rotate centering on the first rotational axis to thereby perform scanning with the first light beam emitted from the first light emitter in a first scanning direction, the second optical part is configured to rotate centering on the second rotational axis to thereby perform scanning with the first light beam emitted from the first optical part in a second scanning direction crossing the first scanning direction, and two-dimensional scanning with the first light beam is achieved by the first optical part and the second optical part (see at least [0222]–[0223], Figures 31A – 31C).
Per claim 3, US ‘893 discloses and illustrates the light source device wherein the first optical part has a first surface and a second surface crossing the first rotational axis, and 2×m (m is a natural number no smaller than 2) first side surfaces having contact with the first surface and the second surface, the first plane of incidence and the first exit surface are two of the 2×m first side surfaces, the two first side surfaces being parallel to each other, the second optical part has a third surface and a fourth surface crossing the second rotational axis, and 2×n (n is a natural number no smaller than 2) second side surfaces having contact with the third surface and the fourth surface, and the second plane of incidence and the second exit surface are two of the 2×n second side surfaces, the two second side surfaces being parallel to each other (see at least [0108]-[0112], [0182]-[0186], Figures 9A-12D, 10A-10C] .
Per claim 5, US ‘893 discloses and illustrates the light source device wherein the first light emitter is a laser diode configured to emit a laser beam see at least [0133]-[0141], [0252]-[0256], Figures 1-3, 35-26].
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Li et al (US 2023/0272893) as applied to claims 1-3 and 5 above.
Per claim 4, the use of quartz for optical material is common and known in the art to achieve advantages excellent optical properties such as ideal physical and/or chemical properties (e.g., purity/clarity and/or stability). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to employ quartz as optical material for at least one of the first optical part and the second optical part to achieve advantages such as excellent/ideal physical and/or chemical properties.
Claims 6-8 and 12-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Li et al (US 2023/0272893) as applied to claims 1-3 and 5 above, and further in view of Yamamoto (US 2020/0073218).
US ‘893 discloses and illustrates at least Figures 4A-4D, 31 and 35-36 & [0146-0149], [0154-0156] and [0229-0231] multiple laser arrays and multi-beam embodiments. Further, the use of multiple-beam concept is known in the art for achieving designed advantages such as RGB color channels projector practice. US ‘218 discloses a projection type display device employing a multiple-beam concept (see at least Figure 1, 8). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to employ a second light emitter configured to emit a second light beam in a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band; and a third light emitter configured to emit a third light beam in a third wavelength band different from the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band, wherein the first light beam emitted from the first light emitter, the second light beam emitted from the second light emitter, and the third light beam emitted from the third light emitter enter the first optical part’, ‘wherein each of the second light emitter and the third light emitter is a laser diode configured to emit a laser beam’, ‘wherein the first light beam is a green light beam, the second light beam is a blue light beam, and the third light beam is a red light beam’ to achieve advantages such as multi-color scanning with predictable results.
Per claim 12, the use of a light combining means in multiple-beams projector display is common and known in the art to achieving advantages such as an optimum/high quality color RGB projector display. Therefore, it would have further obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to employ a light combining means to combine multiple emitting beams to achieving advantages such as multi-color scanning with predictable results, an optimum/high quality color RGB projector display.
Per claims 13-14, the use of light flux optical adjusting means is common and known in the art to achieve advantages such as an ideal/desirable/designed display quality. Therefore, it would have further obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to employ a light flux width adjustment optical system configured to adjust a flux width of a light beam emitted from the second optical part to achieve advantages such as an ideal/desirable/designed display quality.
Per claim 15, the use of a light modulation device incorporated in a projection display device is common and known in the art to achieve advantages such as enhancing visual experience and adaptability of the display, as at least illustrated in US ‘218. Therefore, it would have further obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to employ ‘a light modulation device configured to modulate the light emitted from the light source device in accordance with image information; and a projection optical device configured to project the light modulated by the light modulation device’ such as enhancing visual experience and adaptability of the display.
Per claim 16, the use a blocking means in a projection display device is common and known in the art to filter/block out stray light for achieving advantages such as minimizing deterioration to display quality. Therefore, it would have further obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to employ ‘a light blocking area which is located on a periphery of the light modulation area, and which is configured to block the light beam entering the light modulation device, and an outer shape of an area scanned with the light beam emitted from the second optical part corresponds to an outer shape of the light modulation area’ to filter/block out stray light for achieving advantages such as minimizing deterioration to display quality.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-11 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: the prior art neither anticipates nor renders obvious ‘the light source device according to claim 6, further comprising: a first wavelength-selective reflecting element configured to reflect the second light beam and transmit the third light beam; a second wavelength-selective reflecting element configured to transmit the second light beam and reflect the third light beam; a third optical part which is rotatably supported, and which has a third plane of incidence which the second light beam enters, and a third exit surface from which the second light beam entering the third optical part through the third plane of incidence is emitted; and a fourth optical part which is rotatably supported, and which has a fourth plane of incidence which the third light beam enters, and a fourth exit surface from which the third light beam entering the fourth optical part through the fourth plane of incidence is emitted, wherein the first wavelength-selective reflecting element is disposed on a light path of the third light beam emitted from the third light emitter between the third light emitter and the first optical part, the second wavelength-selective reflecting element is disposed on a light path of the second light beam emitted from the second light emitter between the second light emitter and the first optical part, the third optical part is configured to rotate centering on a third rotational axis extending along the third direction, the fourth optical part is configured to rotate centering on a fourth rotational axis extending along the third direction, the third plane of incidence and the third exit surface are parallel to each other, the fourth plane of incidence and the fourth exit surface are parallel to each other, the second light beam which is emitted from the first optical part, and is reflected by the first wavelength-selective reflecting element enters the third optical part, and the third light beam which is emitted from the first optical part, and is reflected by the second wavelength-selective reflecting element enters the fourth optical part.’
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure..
Contact Information
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/TOAN TON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2882