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 § 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) 70 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kreysar et al. (US PG Pub. 20070177230).
Regarding claim 70, Kreysar discloses a calibration method (para. 0033; method 400 for determining a color calibration for different spectral light inputs in an imaging apparatus) comprising: developing a colour transform for a light source and/or a calibration light source (para. 0034; the method 400 includes measuring brightness and color data (i.e., luminance (L.sub.v) and chromaticity coordinates (C.sub.x, C.sub.y), respectively) for a number of different colors of the light source); and at least partially determining residual crosstalk and/or scaling to absolute irradiance levels (para. 0024; the method 200 includes creating luminance scaling calibrations for each of the different colors3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 48-69 and 71 allowed.
Claim 48 was found to be allowable because calibration light source comprising one or more calibration light emitters operative to emit calibration light, the calibration light source arranged to direct the calibration light to illuminate a second portion of the light sensor; and a processor connected to receive image data from the light sensor and to process the image data to determine whether light incident on the first portion of the light sensor has an irradiance in excess of an irradiance threshold based on a response of the light sensor to the calibration light and the fraction of the light from the light field.
Claims 49-69 and 71 are allowable as being dependent on claim 48.
The closest available prior art Akiyama (US PG Pub. 20180259837) discloses a light projection system (illustrated in fig. 5) comprising: a light source (four light source regions 118 of fig. 5) operative to emit a light field (para. 0046; “first pencil of light L1”, “second pencil of light L2”, “third pencil of light L3”, “fourth pencil of light L4”); output optics (collimator lenses 121 of fig. 5) arranged to project the light of the light field (illustrated in fig. 5); and an irradiance monitor (first sensor 25 of fig. 5) comprising: a light sampling element (branch mirror 14 of fig. 5) arranged to redirect a fraction of the light from the light field onto a first portion of a light sensor (illustrated in fig. 5); however, Akiyama fails to teach or render obvious a calibration light source comprising one or more calibration light emitters operative to emit calibration light, the calibration light source arranged to direct the calibration light to illuminate a second portion of the light sensor; and a processor connected to receive image data from the light sensor and to process the image data to determine whether light incident on the first portion of the light sensor has an irradiance in excess of an irradiance threshold based on a response of the light sensor to the calibration light and the fraction of the light from the light field.
Prior art reference Morikawa et al. (US PG Pub. 20080273123) discloses a light projection system comprising: a light source operative to emit a light field (plural laser light sources (1a, 1b, 1c) of fig. 1); output optics arranged to project the light of the light field (collection lenses 9a, 9b, 9c of fig. 1); and an irradiance monitor (photo detectors 12a, 12b, and 12c of fig. 1) comprising: a light sampling element (mirrors 11a, 11b, and 11c of fig. 1) arranged to redirect a fraction of the light from the light field onto a first portion of a light sensor (illustrated in fig. 1); and a processor (para. 0120; an output detection circuit 52 which detects that the driving current value has exceeded the predetermined value, i.e., that the switching to the output detection mode is carried out, and communicates it to the control circuit 23) connected to receive image data from the light sensor; however, Morikawa fails to teach or render obvious a calibration light source comprising one or more calibration light emitters operative to emit calibration light, the calibration light source arranged to direct the calibration light to illuminate a second portion of the light sensor; and a processor connected to receive image data from the light sensor and to process the image data to determine whether light incident on the first portion of the light sensor has an irradiance in excess of an irradiance threshold based on a response of the light sensor to the calibration light and the fraction of the light from the light field.
Conclusion
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/DANELL L OWENS/Examiner, Art Unit 2882 25 May 2028
/TOAN TON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2882
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