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.
Claims 1, 2, 5-7, 10, 12, 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Popov (USPN 2022/0107522).
With regard to claim 1,
Popov discloses a light control device, comprising: a light control sheet (light shutter, paragraph 27); and a control unit comprising circuitry configured to control application of a voltage to the light control sheet (source, paragraph 30), wherein the light control sheet includes a first transparent electrode layer (102A), a second transparent electrode layer (102B), and a light control layer (100) positioned between the first transparent electrode layer and the second transparent electrode layer, the light control layer of the light control sheet includes a transparent polymer layer (106) having a plurality of voids (therein), and a liquid crystal composition (105) comprising a chiral nematic (cholesteric, paragraph 59) liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy (paragraph 51) such that the liquid crystal composition is held in the voids, and the circuitry of the control unit is capable (see fig. 5) of applying a first voltage such that the light control sheet is set to a first state in which visible light is reflected, and applying a third voltage such that the third voltage is greater than the first voltage and that the light control sheet is set to a third state in which the visible light is transmitted (intended use limitations are considered anticipated if the prior art structure is capable of being used as claimed).
With regard to claim 2,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry of the control unit is capable (see fig. 5) of applying a second voltage such that the second voltage is greater than the first voltage and less than the third voltage and that the light control sheet is set to a second state in which visible light is scattered (intended use limitations are considered anticipated if the prior art structure is capable of being used as claimed).
With regard to claim 5,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claim 1, wherein the light control sheet is formed such that a proportion of the transparent polymer layer in the light control layer of the light control sheet is less than 50% (See paragraph 34).
With regard to claim 6,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claim 1, wherein the light control sheet is formed such that a refractive index np of a polymer material forming the transparent polymer layer in the light control sheet and an ordinary refractive index no of the liquid crystal composition satisfy 0.98≤np/no≤1.02 (see paragraph 4).
With regard to claim 7,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claim 1, wherein the light control sheet includes a first alignment layer comprising a horizontal alignment film (101A) and sandwiched between the first transparent electrode layer and the light control layer (see fig. 1B), and a second alignment layer (101B) comprising a horizontal alignment film and sandwiched between the second transparent electrode layer and the light control layer (see fig. 1B).
With regard to claim 10,
Popov discloses a screen system, comprising: a screen (103a); and the light control device of claim 1 formed such that the screen has the light control sheet and that an image is capable of being projected on the light control sheet in the first state (intended use limitations are considered anticipated if the prior art structure is capable of being used as claimed).
With regard to claim 12,
Popov discloses a light control window, comprising: a window (103A); and the light control device of claim 1 formed such that the light control sheet of the light control device is attached to the window.
With regard to claim 15,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claim 2, wherein the light control sheet is formed such that a proportion of the transparent polymer layer in the light control layer of the light control sheet is less than 50% (See paragraph 34).
With regard to claim 16,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claim 2, wherein the light control sheet is formed such that a refractive index np of a polymer material forming the transparent polymer layer in the light control sheet and an ordinary refractive index no of the liquid crystal composition satisfy 0.98≤np/no≤1.02 (see paragraph 4).
With regard to claim 17,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claim 2, wherein the light control sheet includes a first alignment layer comprising a horizontal alignment film (101A) and sandwiched between the first transparent electrode layer and the light control layer (See fig. 1B), and a second alignment layer comprising a horizontal alignment film (101B) and sandwiched between the second transparent electrode layer and the light control layer (See fig. 1B).
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 3, 4, 13, 14, 18-20are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Popov (as above).
With regard to claims 3,13,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claims 1,2. While Popov does not explicitly disclose the claimed relation, given the disclosed pitch (paragraph 35) and indices typical of the materials used (see e.g., paragraph 67), materials satisfying the relation 0.4≤P×(ne+2no)/3≤0.8 are well within the ability of those of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to the same to incorporate in the device of Popov in order to try to optimize opacity/transparency in operation of the device.
With regard to claims 4,14,18,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claims 1,2,3. While Popov does not explicitly disclose the horizontal alignment proportion, such a proportion is well within the ability of those of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to the same to incorporate into the device of Popov in order to achieve the opacity as indicated in fig. 5.
With regard to claim 19,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claim 3, wherein the light control sheet is formed such that a proportion of the transparent polymer layer in the light control layer of the light control sheet is less than 50% (see paragraph 34).
With regard to claim 20,
Popov discloses a light control sheet, comprising: a first transparent electrode layer (102A); a second transparent electrode layer (102B); and a light control layer (100) positioned between the first transparent electrode layer and the second transparent electrode layer (see fig. 1B) and comprising a transparent polymer layer (106) and a liquid crystal composition (105) such that the transparent polymer layer has a plurality of voids (therein) and that the liquid crystal composition includes a chiral nematic (cholesteric, paragraph 59) liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy (paragraph 51) and is held in the voids, wherein the light control sheet is capable of reflecting visible light in a first state in which the liquid crystal composition exhibits a planar state when a first voltage is applied between the first and second transparent electrode layers (see fig. 5), scattering the visible light in a second state (see fig. 5) in which the liquid crystal composition exhibits a focal conic state when a second voltage which is greater than the first voltage is applied between the first and second transparent electrode layers, and transmitting the visible light in a third state in which the liquid crystal composition exhibits a homeotropic state when a third voltage which is greater than the second voltage is applied between the first and second transparent electrode layers (see fig. 5). While Popov does not explicitly disclose the claimed relation, given the disclosed pitch (paragraph 35) and indices typical of the materials used (see e.g., paragraph 67), materials satisfying the relation 0.4≤P×(ne+2no)/3≤0.8 are well within the ability of those of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to the same to incorporate in the device of Popov in order to try to optimize opacity/transparency in operation of the device.
Claims 8, 9 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Popov (as above), in view of Threlkel et al. (USPN 2011/0058113).
With regard to claim 8,
Popov discloses the light control device according to claim 1, comprising: a light control sheet comprising a first transparent electrode layer (102A), a second transparent electrode layer (102B), and a light control layer (100) positioned between the first transparent electrode layer and the second transparent electrode layer (See fig. 1B), wherein the light control layer of the light control sheet includes a transparent polymer layer (106) having a plurality of voids (therein), and a liquid crystal composition (105) comprising a chiral nematic (cholesteric, paragraph 59) liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy (paragraph 51) such that the liquid crystal composition is held in the voids, and the circuitry of the control unit is capable of applying the first voltage such that the light control sheet is set to the first state (intended use limitations are considered anticipated if the prior art structure is capable of being used as claimed). While Popov does not explicitly disclose the incorporation of a second light control sheet with the first, Threlkel et al. do disclose such a combination, (see fig. 8E). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to incorporate this concept of Threlkel et al. into the device of Popov in order to increase the versatility of the device.
With regard to claim 9,
Popov The light control device according to claim 8, wherein the circuitry of the control unit is capable of applying at least one of the second voltage such that the light control sheet is set to the second state and the third voltage such that the light control sheet is set to the third state (intended use limitations are considered anticipated if the prior art structure is capable of being used as claimed). The obviousness of incorporating the second panel concept of Threlkel et al. into the device of Popov was addressed in the rejection of claim 8.
With regard to claim 11,
Threlkel et al. disclose a screen system, comprising: a screen (fig. 8E); the light control device of claim 8 formed such that the screen has the first light control sheet (234) and the second light control sheet (236); a first projection device (Upper) configured to irradiate light toward the first light control sheet; and a second projection device (Lower) configured to irradiate light toward the second light control sheet from an opposite side to the first projection device with respect to the screen (See fig. 8E). The obviousness of the incorporation of the concept of Threlkel et al. into the device of Popov was addressed in the rejection of claim 8.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USPN 2024/0361660, 2023/0266629, 2019/0227354, 2022/0350188, 2018/0373082, 2017/0138120, 2020/0298674.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christopher Raabe whose telephone number is (571)272-8434. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 0530-1430.
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/CHRISTOPHER M RAABE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875