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 18-21 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.
Claims 18 and 19 recite “further comprising a third lens…”. This is indefinite because a third lens is already claimed in claim 14 from which claims 18-19 depend and it is unclear which lens can be considered a third lens now.
Claims 20-21 are subsequently rejected as they depend from claim 18.
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.
(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, 11, 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hong by US 2023/0384594.
Regarding claim 1, Hong teaches an optical system, comprising: a first lens (fig. 1 first optical lens E1); a second lens (second optical lens E3); a stack of reflective polarizer (reflective polarizer RP) and quarter waveplate (quarter wave plate QWP1) between the first lens and the second lens, the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate being directly on the first lens (E1); and a half mirror (third optical lens E3 / partial reflector BS) lens by the second lens at a side opposite the first lens.
Regarding claim 2, Hong teaches the optical system of claim 1, wherein the stack of reflective polarizer (RP) and quarter waveplate (QWP1) and the second lens (E2)define an air gap (see fig. 1) between the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate and the second lens.
Regarding claim 3, Hong teaches the optical system of claim 1, wherein the stack of reflective polarizer (RP) and quarter waveplate (SWP1) is directly laminated on the first lens (E1).
Regarding claim 4, Hong teaches the optical system of claim 3, wherein first lens (E1 see fig. 1) comprises at least one flat surface.
Regarding claim 5, Hong teaches the optical system of claim 1, wherein the second lens (E2) comprises a first curved surface at a side facing the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate, and a second curved surface at a side facing the half mirror lens (E3).
Regarding claim 11, Hong teaches a virtual reality (VR) headset [0158] comprising: an optical system, comprising: a first lens (fig. 1 first optical lens E1); a second lens (second optical lens E2); a stack of reflective polarizer (reflective polarizer RP) and quarter waveplate (quarter wave plate QWP1) between the first lens and the second lens, the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate being directly on the first lens; and a half mirror lens (third optical lens E3 with partial reflector BS) by the second lens at a side opposite the first lens.
Regarding claim 14, Hong teaches a system, comprising: a display configured to emit light corresponding to an image; and an optical catadioptric system configured to transmit the emitted light to a user, the optical catadioptric system comprising: a first lens (fig. 1 first optical lens E1) having at least one flat surface; a second lens (second optical lens E2); a stack of reflective polarizer (reflective polarizer RP) and quarter waveplate (quarter waveplate QWP1) between the first lens and the second lens, the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate being directly on the at least one flat surface of the first lens; and a third lens (third optical lens E3 with partial reflector BS) which is a half mirror lens, between the second lens and the display (display unit SC).
Regarding claim 15, Hong teaches the system of claim 14, wherein the reflective polarizer (fig. 1 RP) and the second lens (E2) define an air gap between the reflective polarizer and the second lens.
Regarding claim 16, Hong teaches the system of claim 14, wherein the reflective polarizer (RP) is directly laminated on the at least one flat surface of the first lens (E1).
Claim(s) 1-5, 11-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hatsumi US 2025/0328017.
Regarding claim 1, Hatsumi teaches an optical system, comprising: a first lens (fig. 7A, 7B lens 45); a second lens (lens 42); a stack of reflective polarizer (reflective polarizing plate 44) and quarter waveplate (retardation plate 43 [0125]) between the first lens and the second lens, the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate being directly on the first lens (see fig. 7A and 7B); and a half mirror (half mirror 41) lens by the second lens (lens 42) at a side opposite the first lens.
Regarding claim 2, Hatsumi teaches the optical system of claim 1, wherein the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate (fig. 7A-7B reflective polarizing plate 44 QWP 43) and the second lens (lens 42)define an air gap (see fig. 7A) between the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate and the second lens.
Regarding claim 3, Hatsumi teaches the optical system of claim 1, wherein the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate (fig. 7A-7B reflective polarizing plate 44 QWP 43) is directly laminated on the first lens (lens 45).
Regarding claim 4, Hatsumi teaches the optical system of claim 3, wherein first lens (fig. 7A lens 45) comprises at least one flat surface.
Regarding claim 5, Hatsumi teaches the optical system of claim 1, wherein the second lens (fig. 7A lens 42) comprises a first curved surface at a side facing the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate, and a second curved surface at a side facing the half mirror lens.
Regarding claim 11, Hatsumi teaches a virtual reality (VR) headset comprising: an optical system, comprising: a first lens (fig. 7A lens 45); a second lens (lens 42); a stack of reflective polarizer (reflective polarizing plate 44) and quarter waveplate (retardation plate 43) between the first lens and the second lens, the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate being directly on the first lens; and a half mirror lens (half mirror 41) by the second lens at a side opposite the first lens.
Regarding claim 12, Hatsumi teaches a method for designing an optical system comprising: a first lens (fig. 7A lens 45); a second lens (lens 42); a stack of reflective polarizer (reflective polarizing plate 44)and quarter waveplate (retardation plate 43) between the first lens and the second lens, the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate being directly on the first lens; and a half mirror lens (half mirror 41) by the second lens at a side opposite the first lens, the method comprising: optimizing the optical system by assigning weights to lens parameters based on pupil position relative to an optical axis of the optical system, wherein the weights are assigned based on a probability of occurrence of the pupil position (see fig. 2-3 and [0057]).
Regarding claim 13, Hatsumi teaches the method of claim 12, wherein the lens parameters corresponding to pupil position that are closer to the optical axis is assigned the highest weight, wherein the lens parameters comprise track length, focal length, and eyebox size [0052] [0055] [0059][0113].
Regarding claim 14, Hatsumi teaches a system, comprising: a display configured to emit light corresponding to an image; and an optical catadioptric system configured to transmit the emitted light to a user, the optical catadioptric system comprising: a first lens (fig. 7A lens 45) having at least one flat surface; a second lens (lens 42); a stack of reflective polarizer (reflective polarizing plate 44) and quarter waveplate (retardation plate 43) between the first lens and the second lens, the stack of reflective polarizer and quarter waveplate being directly on the at least one flat surface of the first lens; and a third lens (41) which is a half mirror lens, between the second lens and the display (fig. 8 display 31).
Regarding claim 15, Hatsumi teaches the system of claim 14, wherein the reflective polarizer (fig. 7A reflective polarizing plate 44) and the second lens (lens 42) define an air gap between the reflective polarizer and the second lens.
Regarding claim 16, Hatsumi teaches the system of claim 14, wherein the reflective polarizer (reflective polarizing plate 44) is directly laminated on the at least one flat surface of the first lens (lens 45).
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) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hatsumi US 2025/0328017.
Regarding claim 6, Hatsumi teaches all the limitations of claim 1 (see above) but does not teach a third lens between the second lens and the half mirror lens. However examiner takes official notice that one of ordinary skill in the art could easily replace the second lens with a cemented lens which would comprise a second and third lens to further correct for chromatic aberration. Therefore, it would have been obvious to an ordinarily skilled artisan before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a third lens to further correct for chromatic aberration.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong US 2020230384594.
Regarding claim 6, Hong teaches all the limitations of claim 1 (see above) but does not teach a third lens between the second lens and the half mirror lens. However examiner takes official notice that one of ordinary skill in the art could easily replace the second lens with a cemented lens which would comprise a second and third lens to further correct for chromatic aberration. Therefore, it would have been obvious to an ordinarily skilled artisan before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a third lens to further correct for chromatic aberration.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-10 and 17 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
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/PHU VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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