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 II (claims 9-16) in the reply filed on 04/10/26 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/09/25 has been acknowledged and considered. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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.
Claims 9-10 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun et al (US 2022/0163423 hereinafter “Sun”) in view of Lin (US 2006/0146292).
Regarding claim 9; Sun discloses an optical device metrology system (200 @ figure 2), comprising:
a stage (207 @ figure 2) configured to move a tray (209 @ figure 2) along a stage path;
a body (201 @ figure 2) having a first opening (203 @ figure 2) and a second opening (205 @ figure 2) to allow the stage (207 @ figure 2) to move through the first opening (203 @ figure 2) and the second opening (205 @ figure 2);
a light engine (210 @ figure 2) positioned within the body (201 @ figure 2) and mounted above the stage (207 @ figure 2), wherein the light engine (210 @ figures 2-3) is configured to direct a light beam toward the stage (207 @ figure 2), the light engine (210 @ figures 2 and 3A-3B) comprising:
a light source (302A @ figure 3A);
a first fold mirror (304A @ figure 3A) angled relative to the light source (302A @ figure 3A);
a second fold mirror (304B @ figure 3A), wherein the second fold mirror (304B @ figure 3A) is configured to turn the light beam toward the tray (308 @ figure 3A) on the stage (207 @ figure 2);
one or more lenses or arrays (306 @ figure 3A) positioned between the second fold mirror (304B @ figure 3A) and the stage (308 @ figure 3A) along an optical path; and
a first detector (212 @ figure 2) positioned within the body (201 @ figure 2) and mounted above the stage (207 @ figure 2) adjacent to the light engine (210 @ figure 2) configured to receive a projected light beam projected upwardly from the stage (207 @ figure 2). See figures 1-5.
Sun discloses all of feature of claimed invention except for the second fold mirror opposite the first fold mirror and a projection lens positioned between the one or more lenses or arrays and the stage along an optical path. However, Lin teaches that it is known in the art to provide the second fold mirror (340 @ figure 2) opposite the first fold mirror (330 @ figure 2) and a projection lens (280 @ figures 1-2) positioned between the one or more lenses or arrays (352, 354, 356, 358 @ figure 2) and the stage (290 @ figure 1) along an optical path (P @ figures 1-2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of claimed invention to combine optical device metrology system of Sun with the second fold mirror opposite the first fold mirror and a projection lens positioned between the one or more lenses or arrays and the stage along an optical path as taught by Lin for the purpose of improving projection display apparatus.
Regarding claim 10; Sun discloses the light source (302A @ figure 3A) of the light engine (210 @ figures 2 and 3A) is positioned above the first fold mirror (304A @ figure 3A).
Regarding claim 15; Sun discloses further comprising a second detector (216 @ figure 2) positioned within the body (201 @ figure 2) and mounted below the stage path (207 @ figure 2) configured to receive a second projected light beam projected downwardly from the stage path (207 @ figure 2 and paragraph [0027]: e.g., The transmission detector 216 detects outcoupled beams projected from the third grating 104c though the bottom side 224 of the optical devices 100).
Regarding claim 16; Sun discloses further comprising a controller (220 @ figure 2) in communication with the stage (207 @ figure 2), the light engine (210 @ figure 2), and the first detector (212 @ figure 2), wherein the controller (202 @ figure 2) comprises instructions that, when executed, determine: one or more metrics of an optical device, the one or more metrics including one or more of an angular uniformity metric, a contrast metric, an efficiency metric, a color uniformity metric, a modulation transfer function (MTF) metric, a field of view (FOV) metric, a ghost image metric, or an eye box metric (paragraph [0023]: e.g., The metrology metrics include one or more of an angular uniformity metric, a contrast metric, a efficiency metric, a color uniformity metric, a modulation transfer function (MTF) metric, a field of view (FOV) metric, a ghost image metric, and an eye box metric).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun (‘423) in view of Lin as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Sun et al (US 2022/0122241 hereinafter “Sun (‘241)”).
Regarding claim 11; Sun (‘423) in view of Lin combination discloses all of feature of claimed invention except for the first detector comprises a camera and a camera lens positioned between the camera and the stage. However, Sun (‘241) teaches that it is known in the art to provide the first detector (312 @ figures 4A-4B) comprises a camera (412 @ figure 4A-4B) and a camera lens (second lens 410 @ figure 4A-4B) positioned between the camera (412 @ figures 4A-4B) and the stage (100, 122 @ figures 4A-4B). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of claimed invention to combine optical device metrology system of Sun (‘423) with limitation above as taught by Sun (‘412) for the purpose of accuracy alignment and determination of metrics of optical devices.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun in view of Lin as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Ehrmann et al (US 2020/0003655 hereinafter “Ehrmann”).
Regarding claim 12; Sun in view of Lin combination discloses all of feature of claimed invention except for the one or more lenses or arrays comprise a diffuser and a reticle. However, Ehrmann teaches that it is known in the art to provide the one or more lenses or arrays (34 @ figures 1-3) comprise a diffuser (50a @ figure 2-3) and a reticle (52 @ figures 2-3). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of claimed invention to combine optical device metrology system of Sun with limitation above as taught by Ehrmann for the purpose of resulting in improved emission for the pupil of the optical system to be measured or overexposure of the pupil.
Claims 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun in view of Lin as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Wu et al (US 2022/0369890 hereinafter “Wu”).
Regarding claim 13; Sun in view of Lin combination discloses all of feature of claimed invention except for a distance between the light engine and the first detector is about 15 mm. However, Wu teaches that it is known in the art to provide a distance between the light engine (102 @ figure 1a-1b) and the first detector (101 @ figures 1a-1b) is about 15 mm (paragraph [0041]: e.g., a reasonable mechanical distance range between the line laser emitters 102 and the camera module 101 is exemplarily given below. For example, the mechanical distance between the line laser emitters 102 and the camera module 101 may be greater than 20 mm). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of claimed invention to combine optical device metrology system of Sun with limitation above as taught by Wu for the purpose of high detection accuracy of the line laser.
Regarding claim 14; Sun in view of Lin combination discloses all of feature of claimed invention except for a distance from a first end of the light engine away from the first detector to a second end of the first detector away from the light engine is about 50 mm. However, Wu teaches that it is known in the art to provide a distance from a first end of the light engine away from the first detector to a second end of the first detector away from the light engine is about 50 mm (paragraph [0041]: e.g., the mechanical distance between the line laser emitters 102 and the camera module 101 is greater than 30 mm Furthermore, the mechanical distance between the line laser emitters 102 and the camera module 101 is greater than 41 mm). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of claimed invention to combine optical device metrology system of Sun with limitation above as taught by Wu for the purpose of high detection accuracy of the line laser.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
1) Fu et al (US 2022/0164972) discloses a method of determining an optical device modulation transfer function (MTF). The method described herein includes projecting a baseline image of a pattern from a light engine to a detector.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANG H NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2425. The examiner can normally be reached M-F.
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/SN/
April 24, 2026
/SANG H NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877
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