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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Group I and further Group Ia (i.e., claims 1-3) in the reply filed on 9/15/26 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Drawings
Figures 1A-1E should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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)(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) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yeoh et al. (US 20200166759; “Yeoh”).
Regarding claim 1, Yeoh teaches a waveguide {WG} stack comprising: a first waveguide comprising a first input coupler 1212 configured to couple light in a first wavelength range into the first waveguide 1210; a second waveguide 1220 coupled to the first waveguide 1212 [e.g., fig. 10A] and comprising a second input coupler 1222 configured to couple light in a second wavelength range [e.g., ¶s 0084-0095] into the second waveguide 1220 [e.g., a waveguide {WG} stack (see figures 9 and 10A) comprising: a first WG (WG 1210) comprising a first input coupler (incoupling optical element 1212) configured to couple light in a first wavelength range into the first WG (see ¶ 0084, wherein the incoupling optical element 1212 may include a wavelength selective filter that selectively diffracts one or more wavelength; see ¶ 0086, wherein the light rays 1240, 1242, 1244 have different properties, e.g., different wavelengths or ranges of wavelengths, which may correspond to different colors; the layers of the incoupling optical element(a) 1212, 1222, 1232 each selectively deflect one or more particular wavelengths of light, while transmitting other wavelengths; the non-deflected light may propagate into a different WG and/or WG layer]; a first color-selective region on a side of the first waveguide opposite that of the first input coupler [e.g., see figure 10A, which shows the color filter 1060a on the opposite side of the incoupling optical element 1212], wherein the first color-selective region is configured to absorb incident light in the second wavelength range [e.g., see ¶ 0074, wherein the wavelength selective filters can be absorptive filters such as color band absorbers; see ¶ 0091, wherein the first WG 1210 may have λ1 as a design wavelength], thereby preventing the incident light in the second wavelength range from entering the first waveguide through the first input coupler [e.g., see ¶ 0091, wherein the first layer of the incoupling optical element 1212 would be configured to deflect λ1 to the first layer of the light distributing element 1214]; and a second color-selective region [e.g., color filter 1060b] on a side of the second waveguide opposite that of the second input coupler [e.g., see figure 10A, which shows the color filter 1060b on the opposite side of the incoupling optical element 1222], wherein the second color-selective region is configured to absorb incident light in the first wavelength range [e.g., see ¶ 0074, wherein the wavelength selective filters can be absorptive filters such as color band absorbers; see ¶ 0091, wherein the second WG 1220 may have λ2 as a design wavelength], thereby preventing the incident light in the first wavelength range from entering the second waveguide through the second input coupler [e.g., see ¶ 0091, wherein the second layer of the incoupling optical element 1222 would be configured to deflect λ2 to the first layer of the light distributing element 1224].
Regarding claim 2, Yeoh teaches the waveguide stack of claim 1 (see above), further comprising: a third waveguide 968a [e.g., the waveguides 962a-968a can perform color filtering as described with reference to Fig. 10A; see ¶ 0115, wherein the incoupling element 1007c can be configured to deflect a design wavelength into corresponding waveguide 968a; see figure 15A, which shows the filter 1502a on a side of the third waveguide 968a opposite that of the second incoupling element 1007b] coupled to the second waveguide and comprising a third input coupler configured to couple light in a third wavelength range into the third waveguide; and a third color-selective region on a side of the third waveguide opposite that of the second input coupler, wherein the third color-selective region is configured to absorb incident light in the second wavelength range, thereby preventing the incident light in the second wavelength range from entering the third waveguide through the third input coupler [e.g., see figure 15A, waveguide stack 960a, which extends the configuration in figure 10A {e.g., ¶ 0125} to a stack comprising 3 waveguides; see ¶ 0125, wherein the waveguides 962a-968a can perform color filtering as described with reference to Fig. 10A; see ¶ 0115, wherein the incoupling element 1007c can be configured to deflect a design wavelength into corresponding waveguide 968a; see figure 15A, which shows the filter 1502a on a side of the third waveguide 968a opposite that of the second incoupling element 1007b].
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.
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.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yeoh et al. (US 20200166759; “Yeoh”).
Regarding claim 3, Yeoh teaches the waveguide stack of claim 2 (see above).
Yeoh does not expressly state “a fourth color-selective region, on the side of the second waveguide opposite that of the second input coupler, wherein the fourth color-selective region is configured to absorb incident light in the third wavelength range, thereby preventing the incident light in the third wavelength range from entering the second waveguide through the second input coupler”.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a fourth color-selective region, on the side of the second waveguide opposite that of the second input coupler, wherein the fourth color-selective region is configured to absorb incident light in the third wavelength range, thereby preventing the incident light in the third wavelength range from entering the second waveguide through the second input coupler at least because ¶ 0078 discloses that the filters can isolate a desired wavelength. Additionally, ¶ 0125 discloses that filters 1502a, 1502b, 1502c may be a color filter selecting a specific range of wavelengths; ¶ 0125 further discloses that the waveguides 962a-968a can perform color filtering as described with reference to FIG. 10A; the filter 1502b, which isolates the color associated to the waveguide 966a implicitly filters the colors associated to the first 962a and third 968a waveguides, which comprise the third wavelength range associated to the third waveguide 968a Moreover, the embodiment in figure 11 and ¶ 0103 discloses that the filter may comprise multiple filter regions 1104 which also indicates the obviousness of a fourth color-selective region, on the side of the second waveguide opposite that of the second input coupler, wherein the fourth color-selective region is configured to absorb incident light in the third wavelength range, thereby preventing the incident light in the third wavelength range from entering the second waveguide through the second input coupler.
Thus claim 3 is rejected.
It is noted that claim 3 does not define that the fourth color selective region is a region different from the second color selective region.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mr. Michael Mooney whose telephone number is 571-272-2422. The examiner can normally be reached during weekdays, M-F.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Uyen-Chau Le can be reached on 571-272-2397. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Center. Should you have questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). For checking the filing status of an application, please refer to <https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/checking-application-status/check-filing-status-your-patent-application>.
/MICHAEL P MOONEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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