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.
Drawings
The originally filed drawings were received on 3/21/2024. These drawings are acceptable.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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)(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) 1-5, 7-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lowney (U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2023/0236424 A1).
Lowney discloses a light guide (See for example Abstract Figures 1-9) comprising a holographic optical element (See for example 212, 214 in Figure 2; 212, 304, 214 in Figure 3) that receives image light emitted from an image light emitter (See for example 202 in Figure 2); and a light guide member (See for example 205 in Figures 2-3) that includes the holographic optical element, wherein, in an intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the holographic optical element, intensity is smaller in an end portion of the intensity distribution than in an intermediate portion of the intensity distribution (See for example 212, 214 in Figure 2; 212, 304, 214 in Figure 3; Figure 4; Paragraphs 0021, 0027, 0029-0032). Lowney further discloses the holographic optical element includes a first holographic optical element (See for example 212 in Figures 2-3) that receives the image light; and a second holographic optical element (See for example 214 in Figure 2; 304 or 214 in Figure 3) that receives the image light, and an intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the first holographic optical element is different from an intensity distribution of image light diffracted by and emitted from the second holographic optical element (See for example 212, 304, 214 in Figure 3, wherein the shapes of these holographic optical elements generally provides the intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by these holographic optical elements); the first holographic optical element (See for example 212 in Figures 2-3) and the second holographic optical element (See for example 214 in Figure 2; 304 or 214 in Figure 3) are any two of the following holographic optical elements: a light-entering holographic optical element that receives the image light (See for example 212 in Figures 2-3); a turning holographic optical element that receives the image light emitted from the light-entering holographic optical element (See for example 214 in Figure 2); and a light-emitting holographic optical element that receives the image light emitted from the turning holographic optical element (See for example 304 or 214 in Figure 3); the holographic optical element includes a first holographic optical element (See for example 212 in Figures 2-3) that receives the image light; a second holographic optical element (See for example 304 in Figure 2) that receives the image light emitted from the first holographic optical element; and a third holographic optical element (See for example 214 in Figure 2) that receives the image light emitted from the second holographic optical element, and an intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the first holographic optical element, an intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the second holographic optical element, and an intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the third holographic optical element are different from each other (See for example 212, 304, 214 in Figure 3, wherein the shapes of these holographic optical elements generally provides the intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by these holographic optical elements); the first holographic optical element is a light-entering holographic optical element (See for example 212 in Figure 3) that receives the image light, the second holographic optical element is a turning holographic optical element (See for example 304 in Figure 3) that receives the image light emitted from the light-entering holographic optical element, and the third holographic optical element is a light-emitting holographic optical element (See for example 214 in Figure 3) that receives the image light emitted from the turning holographic optical element; an intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the turning holographic optical element (See for example 304 in Figure 3; Figure 4; Paragraphs 0021, 0027, 0029-0032) includes a second intermediate portion and a pair of second end portions that are located on opposite sides of the second intermediate portion, the second intermediate portion and the pair of second end portions are arranged in a second direction that is parallel to a direction in which the image light emitted propagates through the light guide member, and in the intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the turning holographic optical element, intensity is smaller in the pair of second end portions of the intensity distribution than in the second intermediate portion of the intensity distribution; an intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the light-emitting holographic optical element (See for example 214 in Figure 3; Figure 4; Paragraphs 0021, 0027, 0029-0032) includes a third intermediate portion and a third end portion that is located to surround the third intermediate portion, and in the intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the light-emitting holographic optical element, intensity is smaller in the third end portion of the intensity distribution than in the third intermediate portion of the intensity distribution; the holographic optical element includes at least two of the following holographic optical elements: a light-entering holographic optical element that receives the image light; a turning holographic optical element (See for example 304 in Figure 3) that receives the image light; and a light-emitting holographic optical element (See for example 214 in Figure 3) that receives the image light, an intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the light-entering holographic optical element (It is noted that only two of the above holographic optical elements are required, and thus this limitation has not been given significant patentable weight since the associated optical element is not required) includes a first intermediate portion and a pair of first end portions that are located on opposite sides of the first intermediate portion, the first intermediate portion and the pair of first end portions are arranged in a first direction that is parallel to a direction in which the image light emitted propagates through the light guide member, an intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the turning holographic optical element (See for example 304 in Figure 3; Figure 4) includes a second intermediate portion and a pair of second end portions that are located on opposite sides of the second intermediate portion, the second intermediate portion and the pair of second end portions are arranged in a second direction that is parallel to a direction in which the image light emitted propagates through the light guide member, an intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the light-emitting holographic optical element (See for example 214 in Figure 3; Figure 4) includes a third intermediate portion and a third end portion that is located to surround the third intermediate portion, in the intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the light-entering holographic optical element (It is noted that only two of the above holographic optical elements are required, and thus this limitation has not been given significant patentable weight since the associated optical element is not required), intensity is smaller in the pair of first end portions of the intensity distribution than in the first intermediate portion of the intensity distribution, in the intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the turning holographic optical element (See for example 304 in Figure 3; Figure 4), intensity is smaller in the pair of second end portions of the intensity distribution than in the second intermediate portion of the intensity distribution, in the intensity distribution of the image light diffracted by and emitted from the light-emitting holographic optical element (See for example 304 in Figure 3; Figure 4), intensity is smaller in the third end portion of the intensity distribution than in the third intermediate portion of the intensity distribution; at least one of the intensity distribution of the light-entering holographic optical element in the first direction (It is noted that only two of the above holographic optical elements are required, and thus this limitation has not been given significant patentable weight since the associated optical element is not required), the intensity distribution of the turning holographic optical element (See for example 304 in Figure 3; Figure 4) in the second direction, or the intensity distribution of the light-emitting holographic optical element (See for example 214 in Figure 3; Figure 4) in the first direction and the second direction has a trapezoidal shape (In the instant case, elements 304, 214 in Figures 3-4 appear to provide a trapezoidally-shaped intensity distribution), a triangular shape, a semicircular shape, or a stepped shape; and a display device (See for example Figures 1-2) comprising the above light guide (See for example 205 in Figures 2-3); and the image light emitter (See for example 202 in Figure 2) that outputs the image light to the light guide.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARNEL C LAVARIAS whose telephone number is (571)272-2315. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:30 AM-7 PM.
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ARNEL C. LAVARIAS
Primary Examiner
Group Art Unit 2872
2/4/2026
/ARNEL C LAVARIAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872