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 .
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 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.
Disposition of the Claims
Claims 1-20 are pending.
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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itoh (US 6132047 A) in view of Cobb (US 20040263989 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Itoh discloses a projector device for displaying an image (C. 1, ll. 11-13, “… a polarized light illumination apparatus for uniformly illuminating a rectangular Illumination area with light polarized in the same direction, and also to a projector using such a polarized light illumination apparatus”) comprising:
a light source (C. 2, ll. 7-9, a first light source for emitting the light incident on the polarized light separating optical from the first direction);
a first reflective polarizer (C. 1, ll. 61-67- a polarized light separating optical including a first polarization separating film for separating light incident from a first direction into two types of polarized light, transmitting one of the two types of polarized light and directing it in a third direction, and reflecting another of the two types of polarized light and directing it in a fourth direction);
a reflective image modulator (C. 25, ll. 9-11- The polarized light illumination apparatus according to the present invention may also be used in a projector using a reflective liquid crystal light valve as an optical modulator);
a set of one or more lenses (Fig. 15, 401) positioned along a first optical axis between the first reflective polarizer and the reflective image modulator (see axis defined between 802 and 201; C. 25, ll. 29-33, of the separated polarized lights, x-polarized lights are converted by the (lambda)/2 phase plate (not shown) of the condensing lens unit (not shown) to Z- polarized light with which reflective liquid crystal light valves 801, 802, and 803 disposed at three different locations are illuminated; C. 23, ll. 18-19, the polarized light separating optical 201 has thermally stable polarized light separation performance; C. 16, ll.40- 42, condensing lens unit 401, there is provided a (lambda)/2 phase plate 421 including a phase layer 422); and
a display system (Fig. 15, 715; C. 26, ll.35-40- The colored lights incident on the colored-light synthesizing cross-dichroic prism 812 (colored-light combining optical element) are combined into a single optical image and projected onto a screen 715 via a projection lens 714 (projection optical system) thereby forming a color image thereon),
Concerning the light source’s illuminating light, Itoh discloses wherein the illuminating light is reflected by the reflective image modulator to form image containing light (C. 26, ll.18-21- The lights (S-polarized lights) incident on the reflective liquid crystal light valves are modulated by the respective liquid crystal light valves in accordance with image information supplied from the outside), wherein the image containing light is reflected by the first reflective polarizer to provide an input to the display system (C. 25, ll.49-55, The polarized beam splitters 808, 809, and 810 (polarized light separating optical elements) disposed at three different locations each include a polarized light separation plane 811 which transmits a P-polarized component and reflects an S-polarized component of incident light thereby separating the incident light into P- and S-polarized lights).
Itoh fails to disclose wherein the light source outputs illuminating light which at least partially passes through the first reflective polarizer and is focused by the set of one or more lenses to provide telecentric illumination with a narrow cone angle onto the reflective image modulator, image containing light which is focused by the set of one or more lenses.
Cobb, drawn to displays, discloses, wherein the light source outputs illuminating light which at least partially passes through the first reflective polarizer (¶72, where the illumination light reflects off the wire grid polarization beamsplitter 170 before being incident to the reflective spatial light modulator 175) and is focused by the set of one or more lenses (¶73, Imager field lens 140 would still be used on the imaging side to help simplify the design of an image relay lens or projection lens downstream) to provide telecentric illumination with a narrow cone angle onto the reflective image modulator (see narrowing light beam in Fig. 2 approaching 175; ¶22, Illumination optics shapes and directs the beam of light and splitting means splits the beam of light into at least three color beams of light; ¶44, Preferentially, the spatial light modulator (or imager) 175 resides in nominally telecentric space, such that both the incident illumination light and the reflected outgoing modulated light are telecentric (chief rays parallel normal to the modulator)), image containing light which is focused by the set of one or more lenses (¶44, Imager field lens 140 is also intrinsically part of the illumination system 110, with the other optical elements of said illumination system presenting a uniform field of light of the appropriate size and aspect ratio towards the spatial light modulator 175, with imager field lens 140 modifying this illumination light to be telecentrically incident).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the lenses of Cobb between the modulator and polarizer of Itoh to improve the image performance and reduce costs (see Cobb, ¶42, Again, like the system discussed in the prior application, the arrangement of FIG. 2 also provides advantages for lowering cost and complexity requirements of projection lens 150).
Regarding claim 10, Itoh in view of Cobb disclose the projector device of claim 1. Cobb further discloses, wherein the reflective polarizer is a wire grid polarizer (¶53, As shown in FIG. 5, imager field lens 140 has modest optical power, and it directs the chief rays towards an imaging aperture stop 210 located downstream of the wire grid polarization beamsplitter 170).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the wire grid polarizer of Cobb with the device of Itoh to improve the compactness of design (see Cobb, ¶49, The illumination system is then more compact and simplified with the elimination of two or more illumination lens elements. In that case, it can however be difficult to provide sufficient room for the other optics (287) and mirror fold locations necessary to build a projector 100 that is compact in an overall sense).
Regarding claim 11, Itoh in view of Cobb disclose the projector device of claim 1. Itoh further discloses, wherein the reflective polarizer is oriented at 45 degrees to a common optical axis between the light source and the reflective image modulator thereby folding the optical path of the image containing light (C. 10, ll.17-21- The first polarization separating film 211 is disposed at an angle to the direction in which light is emitted from the first light source 101 and also at an angle (alpha) 1=45 DEG to a first surface 221 of the polarized light separating optical 201).
Regarding claim 12, Itoh in view of Cobb disclose the projector device of claim 11. Cobb further discloses, wherein the reflective polarizer is oriented with the reflective side facing the reflective image modulator (see Fig. 2, 170 and 175; ¶50, FIG. 6 shows an expanded view of the modulation optical system 120, which includes the pre-polarizer 160, the polarization analyzer 165, the wire grid polarization beamsplitter 170, the spatial light modulator 175).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the reflective polarization beamsplitter of Cobb between the modulator and polarizer of Itoh to improve the Image performance and reduce costs (see Cobb, ¶42, Again, like the system discussed in the prior application, the arrangement of FIG. 2 also provides advantages for lowering cost and complexity requirements of projection lens 150).
Claim(s) 3, 16, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itoh in view of Cobb as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of McGuire (US 2007/0252954 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Itoh in view of Cobb disclose the projector device of claim 1. Neither Itoh nor Cobb disclose, wherein the light source includes one or more LEDs each with cone angles of less than +/- 15 degrees.
McGuire, drawn to optical systems, discloses, wherein the light source includes one or more LEDs (¶6, The LED array 204 comprises three LEDs 212, which may comprise for example red, green, and blue LEDs).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine LEDs of McGuire with the device of Itoh to improve the brightness and projection performance (see McGuire, ¶83, Moreover, controlling the illumination incident on a diffuser 240 having variable scattering properties at different locations may be a powerful tool in improving optical properties of displays, projectors, and other optical systems).
McGuire fails to specifically disclose, each with cone angles of less than +/- 15 degrees. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, to optimize cone angles of less than +/- 15 degrees, for when the general conditions of the claim are disclosed by the prior art, it is not inventive to discover an optimum or workable range by routine experimentation, e.g. toward improving brightness and projection performance (see McGuire, ¶09, Fluorescent and incandescent lamps (light bulbs) and laser diodes are examples of alternative types of light sources). See MPEP 2144.05.
Regarding claim 16, Itoh in view of Cobb disclose the projector device of claim 1. Neither Itoh nor Cobb disclose, wherein the light source is configured to output red, green, and blue light.
McGuire, drawn to optical systems, discloses, wherein the light source is configured to output red, green, and blue light (¶6, The LED array 204 comprises three LEDs 212, which may comprise for example red, green, and blue LEDs).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine LEDs of McGuire with the device of Itoh to improve the brightness and projection performance (see McGuire, ¶83, Moreover, controlling the illumination incident on a diffuser 240 having variable scattering properties at different locations may be a powerful tool in improving optical properties of displays, projectors, and other optical systems).
Regarding claim 17, Itoh in view of Cobb, further in view of McGuire disclose the projector device of claim 16.
McGuire further discloses, wherein the light source comprises a red LED, a green LED, and a blue LED (¶6, The LED array 204 comprises three LEDs 212, which may comprise for example red, green, and blue LEDs).
Claim(s) 4 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itoh in view of Cobb as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Bietry (US 20100007852 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Itoh in view of Cobb disclose the projector device of claim 1. Neither Itoh nor Cobb disclose, wherein the light source includes one or more lasers.
Bietry, drawn to Illumination projectors, discloses, wherein the light source includes one or more lasers (¶20, a digital image projector includes a plurality of light modulation assemblies and a dichroic combiner. Each light modulation assembly includes at least one laser light source configured to provide an illumination beam).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine lasers of Bietry with the device of Itoh to improve the brightness performance (see Bietry, ¶59, Embodiments of the present invention address the need for improved brightness in two-dimensional image projection or in a stereoscopic viewing system using alternately illuminated orthogonal polarized laser light sources).
Regarding claim 9, Itoh in view of Cobb disclose the projector device of claim 1. Neither Itoh nor Cobb disclose wherein the light source includes an X-cube with multiple light sources that are directed by the X-cube to provide a common path and common cone angle of illuminating light for all the light sources at the reflective polarizer.
Bietry, drawn to illumination projectors, discloses, wherein the light source includes an X-cube (¶35, FIG. 4H is a schematic diagram showing an X-cube combiner) with multiple light sources that are directed by the X-cube to provide a common path and common cone angle of illuminating light for all the light sources at the reflective polarizer (see Fig. 4H, RGB light entering x-cube and exiting as white light; ¶89, Typically dichroic combining surfaces are fabricated onto prism elements, with the most common being an X- shaped prism 92 as shown in FIG. 4H. X-prism 92 provides an optical engine with the shortest optical path, so that the light is traveling through glass and the light paths are symmetrical for all colors).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the x-cube of Bietry with the projector of Itoh to improve the imaging performance (see Bietry, ¶89, This is required when the projection lens is required to be optically fast in order to capture the imaging light from spatial light modulator 60).
Claim(s) 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itoh in view of Cobb as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Mihalakis (US 20020176054 A1).
Regarding claim 13, Itoh in view of Cobb disclose the projector device of claim 1. Neither Itoh nor Cobb disclose, wherein the first reflective polarizer reflects light of a first polarization and transmits light of a second polarization, and wherein the reflective image modulator transforms light from light of the second polarization to light of the first polarization in correspondence to image content.
Mihalakis, drawn to projectors, discloses, wherein the first reflective polarizer reflects light of a first polarization and transmits light of a second polarization (¶45, A third polarization beamsplitter cube comprising a second beam splitting hypotenuse which reflects first polarization light along a fourth optical axis and transmits second polarization light along the second optical axis), and wherein the reflective image modulator transforms light from light of the second polarization to light of the first polarization in correspondence to image content (¶21, The reflective liquid-crystal-on-silicon imagers used in the preferred embodiments modulate the polarization for each pixel at some level between full white and full black, corresponding to the gray scale level defined for each pixel by the picture content).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the first and second polarizations of Mihalakis with the device of Itoh to improve the image projection performance (see Mihalakis, ¶51, One advantage of an inventive aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved image projection engine architecture).
Regarding claim 14, Itoh in view of Cobb disclose the projector device of claim 1. Neither Itoh nor Cobb disclose, wherein the light source outputs light with P polarization, the first reflective polarizer transmits the P-polarized light, the reflective image modulator transforms the P- polarized light into S-polarized light in correspondence with image content which is reflected by the first reflective polarizer. Mihalakis, drawn to projectors, discloses, wherein the light source outputs light with P polarization, the first reflective polarizer transmits the P-polarized light (¶6, Whereas the P-polarization state is purely transmitted without traces of S state light, meaning that there is no presence of the S-polarization state in the transmitted P state beam, the reflected portion is comprised of S-polarized light), the reflective image modulator transforms the P-polarized light into S-polarized light in correspondence with image content which is reflected by the first reflective polarizer (¶21, The reflective liquid-crystal-on-silicon imagers used in the preferred embodiments modulate the polarization for each pixel at some level between full white and full black, corresponding to the gray scale level defined for each pixel by the picture content; ¶22, the maximum modulation by the liquid-crystal-on-silicon imager (i.e. its black state) occurs when the green S-polarized light 73 is rotated, or switched, to P-polarized light ("GP") 74 upon reflection from the imager). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the first and second polarizations of Mihalakis with the device of Itoh to improve the image projection performance (see Mihalakis, ¶51, One advantage of an inventive aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved Image projection engine architecture).
Regarding claim 15, Itoh in view of Cobb disclose the projector device of claim 1. Neither Itoh nor Cobb disclose, wherein the light source outputs light with S polarization, the first reflective polarizer transmits the S-polarized light, the reflective image modulator transforms the S- polarized light into P-polarized light in correspondence with image content which is reflected by the first reflective polarizer. Mlhalakis, drawn to projectors, discloses, wherein the light source outputs light with S polarization, the first reflective polarizer transmits the S-polarized light (¶6, Whereas the P-polarization state is purely transmitted without traces of S state light, meaning that there is no presence of the S-polarization state in the transmitted P state beam, the reflected portion is comprised of S-polarized light), the reflective image modulator transforms the S-polarized light into P-polarized light in correspondence with image content which is reflected by the first reflective polarizer (¶21, The reflective liquid-crystal-on-silicon imagers used in the preferred embodiments modulate the polarization for each pixel at some level between full white and full black, corresponding to the gray scale level defined for each pixel by the picture content; ¶22, the maximum modulation by the liquid-crystal-on-silicon imager (i.e. its black state) occurs when the green S-polarized light 73 is rotated, or switched, to P-polarized light ("GP") 74 upon reflection from the imager).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the first and second polarizations of Mihalakis with the device of Itoh to improve the image projection performance (see Mihalakis, ¶51, One advantage of an inventive aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved image projection engine architecture).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 5-8, and 18-20 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.
Regarding claim 2, the modified Itoh teaches the projector device of claim 1, but does not explicitly show wherein the illuminating light passes through the set of one or more lenses to focus onto the reflective image modulator and the image containing light passes back through the set of one or more lenses to provide a focused image as an input to the display system.
Regarding claim 5, the modified Itoh teaches the projector device of claim 1, but does not explicitly show wherein the light source includes a diffuser to increase a cone angle of the illuminating light to match a cone angle of the image containing light at the reflective polarizer.
Regarding claim 6, the modified Itoh teaches the projector device of claim 5, but does not explicitly show wherein the diffuser is a holographic diffuser.
Regarding claim 7, the modified Itoh teaches the projector device of claim 6, but does not explicitly show wherein the holographic diffuser is a flat top diffuser that provides a rectangular illumination pattern.
Regarding claim 8, the modified Itoh teaches the projector device of claim 7, but does not explicitly show wherein the illumination pattern substantially matches an active area of the reflective image modulator.
Regarding claim 18, the modified Itoh teaches the projector device of claim 17, but does not explicitly show wherein the light source further comprises a light combiner and wherein the red LED, the green LED, and the blue LED are positioned to output different colors of light onto different faces of the light combiner.
Regarding claim 19, the modified Itoh teaches the projector device of claim 18, but does not explicitly show further comprising: a quarter waveplate positioned between the first reflective polarizer and the light combiner; a first mirror positioned above the first reflective polarizer; and a plurality of mirrors surrounding the light combiner with apertures which correspond to the positioning of the red LED, the green LED, and the blue LED, wherein the light is: rotated within the quarter waveplate; at least partially reflected off the first reflective polarizer, wherein the first reflective polarizer transmits a first linear polarization of light and reflects a second linear polarization of light; reflected off the first mirror; reflected again off the first reflective polarizer; rotated within the quarter waveplate into circularly polarized light; reentered into the light combiner where the light is reflected off at least one of the plurality of mirrors reversing the direction of the circularly polarized light; rotated within the quarter waveplate into the second linear polarization of light; and transmitted through the first reflective polarizer.
Regarding claim 20, the modified Itoh teaches the projector device of claim 18, but does note explicitly show further comprising: a film stack comprising: a diffuser, a second reflective polarizer, and a quarter waveplate positioned between the light combiner and the first reflective polarizer; and a plurality of mirrors surrounding the light combiner with apertures which correspond to the positioning of the red LED, the green LED, and the blue LED, wherein the light is: rotated within the quarter waveplate; at least partially reflected off the second reflective polarizer, wherein the second reflective polarizer is configured to transmits a first linear polarization of light and reflects a second linear polarization of light; rotated within the quarter waveplate into circularly polarized light; reentered into the light combiner where the light is reflected off at least one of the plurality of mirrors reversing the direction of the circularly polarized light; rotated within the quarter waveplate into the first linear polarization of light; transmitted through the second reflective polarizer; diffused through the diffuser; and passed through the first reflective polarizer.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to COLLIN X BEATTY whose telephone number is (571)270-1255. The examiner can normally be reached M - F, 10am - 6pm.
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/COLLIN X BEATTY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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