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)(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) 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Okamoto (USPGPUB No. 2017/0052423).
Regarding claim 1, Okamoto teaches an electro-optical element (light modulator 30) comprising: a substrate (301); and an optical function layer (optical waveguides 302R, 302B, 302G formed on layer) configured to be formed on a main surface of the substrate, wherein the optical function layer has a light input port (first entrance section) configured to allow visible light emitted from a visible laser light source to be input therethrough, an optical branching part (bifurcation section) in which a light input side optical waveguide guiding visible light input through the light input port is connected to one optical waveguide for monitoring and a plurality of optical modulation optical waveguides, a Mach-Zehnder optical modulation part (see paragraph 32) configured to modulate visible light guided by the plurality of optical modulation optical waveguides, an optical coupling part (coupling function see paragraph 104) configured to couple two beams of visible light modulated by the Mach-Zehnder optical modulation part, a light output side waveguide (first exit section) configured to guide light coupled by the optical coupling part to a light output port, the light output port through which light guided by the light output side waveguide is output to the outside, and a monitoring light output port through which light guided by the optical waveguide for monitoring is output toward a photodetector (light detection section 34) (see Figure 7, paragraphs 96, 104, 120-140).
Regarding claim 2, Okamoto teaches wherein the plurality of optical modulation optical waveguides are two optical modulation optical waveguides (302G and 302B) (see Figure 7, paragraph 121).
Regarding claims 3, 8, and 13, Okamoto teaches wherein the substrate is made of a material different from lithium niobate, and the optical function layer is made of lithium niobate when it is taught that Examples of the material showing the electro-optical effect may include a lithium niobate (LiNbO.sub.3), a lithium tantalite (LiTaO.sub.3), lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT), a potassium phosphate titanate (KTiOPO.sub.4), or any other inorganic material, polythiophene, and a liquid crystal material as well as an electro-optically active polymer to which charge transport molecules are doped, a charge transport polymer to which an electro-optical dye is doped, an inactive polymer to which charge transport molecules and an electro-optical dye are doped, a polymer containing a charge transport part and an electro-optical part at the primary chain or a side chain of the polymer, and an organic material to which tricyanofuran (TCF) is doped as an acceptor (see paragraph 124).
Regarding claims 4, 9, and 14, Okamoto teaches wherein both the optical branching part and the optical coupling part constitute a multimode interferometer (see paragraph 133).
Regarding claims 5-6, 10-11, and 15-16, Okamoto teaches three light input ports configured to allow three beams of visible light having different wavelengths and respectively output from three visible laser light sources to be input therethrough; and three light output ports configured to output three beams of visible light having different wavelengths to the outside and further regarding claims 6, 11, and 16, an optical coupling part configured to couple three beams of visible light having different wavelengths; and one light output port configured to output light coupled by the optical coupling part to the outside (see paragraphs 133-134).
Regarding claims 7 and 12, Okamoto teaches wherein the plurality of optical modulation optical waveguides are (N₁-1) (N₁ is an integer equal to or larger than 3) optical modulation optical waveguides, and a (N₁-1)x2 type optical coupling/branching part, in which the (N₁-1) optical modulation optical waveguides are connected to an incidence side and two optical waveguides connected to the Mach-Zehnder optical modulation part are connected to an emission side, is provided between the optical branching part and the Mach-Zehnder optical modulation part and further regarding claim 12, wherein the plurality of optical modulation optical waveguides are 2N₂ (N₂ is an integer equal to or larger than 2) optical modulation optical waveguides, two N₂×1 type optical branching parts are provided between the optical branching part and the Mach-Zehnder optical modulation part, and in each of the two N₂x1 type optical branching parts, N₂ optical modulation optical waveguides of the 2N₂ optical modulation optical waveguides are connected to an incidence side, and one optical waveguide connected to the Mach-Zehnder optical modulation part is connected to an emission side when it is taught that In FIGS. 7 and 8, the optical waveguides 302R, 302G, and 302B are arranged in this order from the −x side toward the +x side. It can also be said that the order is a descending order of the wavelength of the light fluxes that enter the optical waveguides. For example, since the red light flux LR, the wavelength of which is longer than the wavelength of the green light flux LG, enters the optical waveguide 302R, the optical waveguide 302R is located on the side opposite the optical waveguide 302B with respect to the optical waveguide 302G. Since the light fluxes of the three colors enter the modulator 30, and the modulator 30 can modulate the light fluxes independently of one another, as described above, the image display apparatus 1 can display a multicolor image, for example, a full-color image (see Figures 7-8, paragraphs 127-131).
Regarding claims 17-18, Okamoto teaches a light source module (light source section 311) comprising: the electro-optical element according to claim 1, a visible laser light source (laser diode) configured to output visible light input through the light input port; and a laser light intensity control part (control section 33) configured to detect monitoring light from the monitoring light output port using a photodetector and adjust an intensity of laser light emitted from the visible laser light source in accordance with an intensity of detected light (see Figure 7, paragraphs 79-80, 244).
Regarding claim 19, Okamoto teaches embodiments for the use of the light module such as XR glasses (see Figure 1, paragraphs 67-71).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure USPGPUB No. 2015/0378151 to Nishioka.
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/LISA M CAPUTO/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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