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 without traverse of Group I, Species IB and Species IIA in the reply filed on July 10, 2026 is acknowledged. Applicant has canceled claims 6, 7, 14 and 17. Accordingly, claims 1-5, 8-13, 15 and 16 have been examined as follows.
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.
Claims 1, 5, 8-12 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Umada et al. of Fujitsu Ltd. (JP 2011-197236), of record in IDS, hereinafter “Fujitsu”.
Regarding claim 1, Fujitsu discloses a head up display apparatus for a transportation (Fig. 1), the head up display apparatus comprising:
a video display (within 210; para. [0017]) configured to generate and emit video light of a video (para. [0020]);
a video light projector (210) configured to project the video light emitted from the video display to a display region (350) of the transportation so as to be reflected, thereby displaying a virtual image in front of the transportation (para. [0022]); and
a switching unit (230) provided on an optical path of the video light and configured to switch to an optical path forming state in which the optical path of the video light is formed or an optical path non-forming state in which the optical path of the video light is not formed (para. [0022]),
wherein a length of time when the switching unit is switched to the optical path non-forming state is a length of time in which the video light can be continuously visually recognized as the virtual image (paras. [0022-0023]).
Regarding claim 5, Fujitsu discloses wherein the switching unit (230) transmits light in the optical path forming state and diffuses light in the optical path non-forming state (para. [0022]).
Regarding claim 8, Fujitsu discloses a controller (300) configured to control the video display and the switching unit (para. [0021]).
Regarding claim 9, Fujitsu discloses wherein the controller (300) controls the switching unit so as to switch between the optical path forming state and the optical path non-forming state (paras. [0021-0023]).
Regarding claim 10, Fujitsu discloses wherein the controller (300) controls the switching unit (230) so as to periodically switch between the optical path forming state and the optical path non-forming state (paras. [0003, 0026-0029]).
Regarding claim 11, Fujitsu discloses wherein the video display includes:
a light source (within 210; para. [0017]) configured to turn on backlight when it is controlled on and turn off the backlight when it is controlled off (paras. [0017, 0020, 0022-0023, 0025, 0046, 0048]); and
a display panel (within 210; para. [0017]) configured to display the video by modulating the backlight from the light source (para. [0025]), and
wherein the controller (300) controls ON/OFF of the light source by PWM control and controls the switching unit to the optical path forming state and the optical path non-forming state in conjunction with the ON/OFF of the light source (paras. [0021-0023, 0026, 0033-0035, 0043-0048]).
Regarding claim 12, Fujitsu discloses wherein the controller (300) performs a condition judgment and controls the switching unit (230) by using a first control mode in which the switching unit periodically switches between the optical path forming state and the optical path non-forming state or a second control mode in which the switching unit is fixed to the optical path forming state, based on a judgment result of the condition judgment (paras. [0025, 0039-0048]).
Regarding claim 15, Fujitsu discloses
wherein the controller (300) further controls the video light projector (210) (para. [0020]),
wherein the video light projector (210) includes:
a mirror (350) configured to reflect the video light to the display region (paras. [0017, 0022]); and
a drive mechanism (610) configured to adjust an installation angle of the mirror (Figs. 1, 9; paras. [0051-0052]), and
wherein the controller (300) controls the video light projector (210) to a non-projection mode in which the video light is not projected to the display region or a projection mode in which the video light is projected to the display region, by adjusting the installation angle of the mirror via the drive mechanism (para. [0049]).
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.
Claims 2-4, 13 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Umada et al. of Fujitsu Ltd. (JP 2011-197236), as applied to claims 1, 12 and 15 above, and further in view of Shimoda et al. of Maxell Holdings Ltd. (JP 2020-052070), translation provided herewith, hereinafter “Maxell”.
Regarding claim 2, Fujitsu fails to explicitly disclose a video light reflector provided on the optical path of the video light between the video display and the video light projector and configured to reflect the video light from the video display to the video light projector.
However, Maxell discloses a head up display apparatus (Figs. 1-16) comprising a video light reflector (36) provided on the optical path of the video light between the video display (35) and the video light projector (37) and configured to reflect the video light from the video display to the video light projector (Figs. 2, 3, 10, 16; para. [0015]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate a video light reflector provided on the optical path of the video light between the video display and the video light projector and configured to reflect the video light from the video display to the video light projector, as in Maxell, into the head up display apparatus of Fujitsu to prevent damage to the video display (Maxell, para. [0018]).
Regarding claims 3 and 4, Fujitsu fails to explicitly disclose wherein the switching unit is provided on the optical path of the video light between the video display and the video light reflector, and wherein the switching unit is provided on the optical path of the video light between the video light reflector and the video light projector.
However, Maxell discloses wherein the switching unit (71a) is provided on the optical path of the video light between the video display (35) and the video light reflector (36) (Figs. 3, 16), and
wherein the switching unit (71b) is provided on the optical path of the video light between the video light reflector (36) and the video light projector (37) (Fig. 10; para. [0063]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate wherein the switching unit is provided on the optical path of the video light between the video display and the video light reflector, and wherein the switching unit is provided on the optical path of the video light between the video light reflector and the video light projector, as in Maxell, into the head up display apparatus of Fujitsu to prevent damage to the video display (Maxell, para. [0018]).
Regarding claim 13, Fujitsu discloses an external light detector (120; paras. [0017, 0020]), but fails to explicitly disclose a temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of the video display, wherein the controller controls the switching unit by using the first control mode when the temperature detected by the temperature detector exceeds a threshold value and controls the switching unit by using the second control mode when the temperature detected by the temperature detector does not exceed the threshold value.
However, Maxell discloses a temperature detector (52+61) configured to detect a temperature of the video display (35) (Figs. 2, 3, 10, 16; paras. [0018-0020, 0028]),
wherein the controller (10) controls the switching unit (71a) by using the first control mode when the temperature detected by the temperature detector exceeds a threshold value and controls the switching unit by using the second control mode when the temperature detected by the temperature detector does not exceed the threshold value (paras. [0019, 0022-0023, 0039]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate a temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of the video display, wherein the controller controls the switching unit by using the first control mode when the temperature detected by the temperature detector exceeds a threshold value and controls the switching unit by using the second control mode when the temperature detected by the temperature detector does not exceed the threshold value, as in Maxell, into the head up display apparatus of Fujitsu to protect the video display (Maxell, para. [0039]).
Regarding claim 16, Fujitsu fails to explicitly disclose wherein the controller controls the switching unit by using a third control mode in which the switching unit is fixed to the optical path non-forming state when an abnormality in an operation of the drive mechanism is detected.
However, Maxell discloses wherein the controller (10) controls the switching unit (71a) by using a third control mode in which the switching unit is fixed to the optical path non-forming state when an abnormality in an operation of the drive mechanism is detected (paras. [0036-0037]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate wherein the controller controls the switching unit by using a third control mode in which the switching unit is fixed to the optical path non-forming state when an abnormality in an operation of the drive mechanism is detected, as in Maxell, into the head up display apparatus of Fujitsu to ensure that the driver’s field of vision is maintained for safe driving (Maxell, para. [0037]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAISLEY L WILSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5023. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm ET.
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/PAISLEY L WILSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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