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 .
Continued Examination under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 1/8/26 has been entered. Claims 1-15 remain pending.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hanazawa (US 20150009783, cited by Applicant) in view of Chiu (US 20150268404 A1) and further in view of Uchida (WO 2016143350 A1)
Regarding claim 1, Hanazawa teaches a light generating system (at least Fig.2) comprising a lighting arrangement, wherein the lighting arrangement comprises a lightguide body (8), a first light generating device (9), and a second light generating device (10), wherein: the first light generating device is configured to generate first radiation having a first spectral power distribution having wavelength in one or more of UV and visible; the second light generating device is configured to generate second radiation having a second spectral power distribution having a wavelength in one or more of UV and visible; wherein the first spectral power distribution and the second spectral power distribution differ ([0022]); the lightguide body comprises a first face and one or more side faces configured under an angle with the first face; wherein the lightguide body comprises light outcoupling structures (12); the first light generating device, the second light generating device, and the lightguide body are configured such that at least part of the first radiation and the second radiation is coupled into the lightguide body via the one or more side faces, and at least part of the incoupled first radiation and second radiation is coupled out from the lightguide body via the first face; the light generating system is configured to generate system light comprising one or more of (i) at least part of the outcoupled first radiation and (ii) at least part of the outcoupled second radiation.
Hanazawa teaches the first and second light sources are different with different radiant fluxes, and the density of the outcoupling structures varies with distance, and further Hanazawa discloses : wherein the first type of light outcoupling structures more efficiently couple first device radiation out than second device radiation, and wherein the second types of lightout coupling structures more efficiently couple second device radiation out than first device radiation ([0042] Moreover, the illumination device 6 of the display apparatus 3 can partially enhance the brightness by partially increasing the luminance of the light emitted from the top surface of the light guide plate 8 by the dense part of the light diffusion pattern 12 in the light guide plate 8, when the light is emitted by turning on the second light source 10. As a result, the illumination device 6 of the display apparatus 3 can express the emission of light in a different manner by selectively emitting light from each of the first and second light sources 9 and 10. From the above teachings, the efficiency is considered lower for lower brightness enhancing outcoupling structures and higher for higher brightness enhancing outcoupling structures).
Hanazawa does not teach the lightguide body comprises both a first type and a second type of light outcoupling structures on at least the first face.
Chiu teaches a light guide wherein it discloses: [0091]: Moreover, the microstructures of each light guide plate can be one type or at least two types of the microstructures shown in FIG. 1D, FIG. 2A, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 6, FIG. 7A, FIG. 8A and FIG. 10; and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use two types of microstructures as disclosed in Chiu, in the device of Hanazawa in order to achieve good light uniformity ([0010] in Chiu).
Hanazawa in view of Chiu does not explicitly teach: the first type of light outcoupling structures more efficiently couple first light generating device radiation out than second light generating device radiation, and wherein the second types of light out coupling structures more efficiently couple second light generating device radiation out than first device light generating device radiation.
Uchida teaches:
The plurality of microstructures are concave;
The difference between the maximum depth and the minimum depth of the vertices of the concave surfaces of the plurality of fine structures from the main surface is ΔD [μm], the refractive index of the fine structures is n, and the wavelength of incident light is λ [nm]. When
0.2 ≦ ΔD × (n−1) × 1000 / λ
A diffusion plate characterized by satisfying the following relationship.
The diffusion plate according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The diffuser is a reflective diffuser,
The plurality of microstructures are convex shapes,
When the difference between the maximum height and the minimum height from the principal surface of the convex surface of the plurality of fine structures is ΔH [μm] and the wavelength of incident light is λ [nm],
0.1 ≦ ΔH × 1000 / λ
A diffusion plate characterized by satisfying the following relationship.
The diffusion plate according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The diffuser is a reflective diffuser,
The plurality of microstructures are concave;
When the difference between the maximum depth and the minimum depth from the principal surface of the vertices of the concave surfaces of the plurality of fine structures is ΔD [μm] and the wavelength of incident light is λ [nm],
0.1 ≦ ΔD × 1000 / λ
A diffusion plate characterized by satisfying the following relationship.
Therefore, Uchida discloses properties or efficiencies of microstructures change with the input light wavelength impinged on them, and the light sources have different wavelengths. Therefore, the optical properties of the microstructures can be designed for specific input wavelengths from the light sources.
From the teachings of Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Uchida, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the outcoupling structures such that the efficiency varies with respect to the impinging wavelength of light source as claimed in order to optimize the output coupling efficiency of light.
Claims 1-2,5-9,11, 13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hanazawa (US 20150009783, cited by Applicant) in view of Chiu (US 20150268404 A1) and further in view of Epstein (KR 20190075082 A)
Regarding claim 1, Hanazawa teaches a light generating system (at least Fig.2) comprising a lighting arrangement, wherein the lighting arrangement comprises a lightguide body (8), a first light generating device (9), and a second light generating device (10), wherein: the first light generating device is configured to generate first radiation having a first spectral power distribution having wavelength in one or more of UV and visible; the second light generating device is configured to generate second radiation having a second spectral power distribution having a wavelength in one or more of UV and visible; wherein the first spectral power distribution and the second spectral power distribution differ ([0022]); the lightguide body comprises a first face and one or more side faces configured under an angle with the first face; wherein the lightguide body comprises light outcoupling structures (12); the first light generating device, the second light generating device, and the lightguide body are configured such that at least part of the first radiation and the second radiation is coupled into the lightguide body via the one or more side faces, and at least part of the incoupled first radiation and second radiation is coupled out from the lightguide body via the first face; the light generating system is configured to generate system light comprising one or more of (i) at least part of the outcoupled first radiation and (ii) at least part of the outcoupled second radiation.
Hanazawa teaches the first and second light sources are different with different radiant fluxes, and the density of the outcoupling structures varies with distance, and further Hanazawa discloses : wherein the first type of light outcoupling structures more efficiently couple first device radiation out than second device radiation, and wherein the second types of lightout coupling structures more efficiently couple second device radiation out than first device radiation ([0042] Moreover, the illumination device 6 of the display apparatus 3 can partially enhance the brightness by partially increasing the luminance of the light emitted from the top surface of the light guide plate 8 by the dense part of the light diffusion pattern 12 in the light guide plate 8, when the light is emitted by turning on the second light source 10. As a result, the illumination device 6 of the display apparatus 3 can express the emission of light in a different manner by selectively emitting light from each of the first and second light sources 9 and 10. From the above teachings, the efficiency is considered lower for lower brightness enhancing outcoupling structures and higher for higher brightness enhancing outcoupling structures).
Hanazawa does not teach the lightguide body comprises both a first type and a second type of light outcoupling structures on at least the first face.
Chiu teaches a light guide wherein it discloses: [0091]: Moreover, the microstructures of each light guide plate can be one type or at least two types of the microstructures shown in FIG. 1D, FIG. 2A, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 6, FIG. 7A, FIG. 8A and FIG. 10; and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use two types of microstructures as disclosed in Chiu, in the device of Hanazawa in order to achieve good light uniformity ([0010] in Chiu).
Hanazawa in view of Chiu does not explicitly teach: the first type of light outcoupling structures more efficiently couple first light generating device radiation out than second light generating device radiation, and wherein the second types of light out coupling structures more efficiently couple second light generating device radiation out than first device light generating device radiation.
Epstein teaches:
A first microstructure comprising a first side and a second side intersecting at a first crest, the first microstructure extending from the first crest and dividing the angle equally between the first side and the second side Wherein the first microstructure axis and the display axis define a first angle alpha and wherein the first surface preferentially reflects light from the first light source and the second surface reflects light from the second light source Preferentially reflects light of wavelengths < RTI ID = 0.0 >
The second microstructure including the third surface and the fourth surface intersecting at the second crest, the second microstructure extending from the second crest and equally dividing the angle between the third surface and the fourth surface second surface The second microstructure axis and the display axis define a second angle beta , the third surface preferentially reflects light from the first light source, and the fourth surface defines a second microstructure axis from the second light source And reflects the light of the first wavelength.
Therefore, Epstein discloses properties or efficiencies of microstructures change with the input light wavelength impinged on them, and the light sources have different wavelengths. Therefore, the optical properties of the microstructures can be designed for specific input wavelengths from the light sources.
From the teachings of Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the outcoupling structures such that the efficiency varies with respect to the impinging wavelength of light source as claimed in order to optimize the output coupling efficiency of light.
Regarding claim 2, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches a light generating system; wherein the first radiation has a first optical axis and wherein the second radiation has a second optical axis; wherein the first optical axis and the second optical axis have a mutual angle (αl) which is unequal to 0 and 360 degrees (since the angle is 180 degrees in Hanazawa).
Regarding claim 5, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches a light generating system; wherein the one or more side faces comprise a first side face part and a second side face part configured either (i) under an angle larger than 0 degrees or smaller than 180 degrees or (ii) opposite of each other with the lightguide body configured in between; wherein the first light generating device is configured to irradiate the first side face part, and wherein the second light generating device is configured to irradiate the second side face part (as the angle is 90 degrees).
Regarding claim 6, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches a light generating system; wherein one or more of dimensions, density, and concentration of the light outcoupling structures is selected such that there is a homogeneous distribution of the first radiant flux over the first face of the outcoupled first radiation; wherein the light generating system comprises one or more of a plurality of first light generating devices and plurality of second light generating devices (from the teachings of Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein).
Regarding claim 7, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches a light generating system; wherein one or more of the dimensions, density, and concentration of the light outcoupling structures increases with increasing distance from the first light generating device, and wherein one or more of the dimensions, density, and concentration of the light outcoupling structures decreases with increasing distance from the second light generating device (Fig.2 of Hanazawa).
Regarding claim 8, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches a light generating system; wherein the first side face part and the second side face part are configured opposite of each other with the lightguide body configured in between, wherein the lightguide body has a cuboid-like structure with a height, defined by the first face and a second face, and four side face parts bridging the first face and the second face, and defining a length and a width, wherein L>H, W>H, and L>W (Fig.1 and 2 of Hanazawa).
Regarding claim 9, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches a light generating system; wherein the light outcoupling structures have sizes in a range of the radiation that has to couple out (from the outcoupled light in Hanazawa in view of Cornelissen through the coupling microstructures).
Regarding claim 11, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches a light generating system; wherein the first radiation is white light, and wherein the second radiation is in the UV spectral range ([0022] in Hanazawa) and wherein UV spectral range is known to extend between 100-400 nm, therefore it teaches one or more of UV-A, UV-B, UV-C radiations as claimed (wherein more than one of the below ranges would result in the 100-400 nm spectral range that is disclosed in Hanazawa).
Regarding claim 13, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches a light generating system; further comprising a control system configured to individually control the first light generating device and the second light generating device ([0072] in Hanazawa).
Regarding claim 15, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches a light generating system; lighting device selected from the group of a lamp, a luminaire, comprising the light generating system (illumination device in Abstract of Hanazawa).
Claims 3 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein and further in view of Yeoh (US 20170038579 A1, cited previously)
Regarding claims 3 and 14, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches the invention set forth in claim 1 above, but is silent regarding the light outcoupling structures form diffractive structures (for claim 3) and photonic crystals (for claim 14).
However, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teach the particles to be diffusive/scattering, whereas Yeoh teaches the particles can be any one of scattering, diffusive or diffractive or photonic crystals ([0107]); therefore any of these known methods are used for achieve particle scattering and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use diffractive/photonic particles, as disclosed in Yeoh in order to achieve desired output distributions.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein and further in view of Fioravanti (US 20250067413 A1, cited previously)
Regarding claim 4, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches the invention set forth in claim 1 above, but is silent regarding the first light generating device; the second light generating device and the light outcoupling structures are configured such that there is a homogeneous distribution of the first radiant flux over the first face of the outcoupled first radiation and an inhomogeneous distribution of the second radiation flux over the first face.
Fioravanti teaches an optical device (Fig.9A,9B and 10) configurations wherein homogenous and non-homogeneous distribution of light is generated ([0076], [0078], [0021], [0025],[0040]) and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use homogeneous as well as non-homogeneous outputs in order to achievable differentiable desirable patterns at the output.
Claims 10 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein and further in view of Tyukhova (US 20180045385 A1, cited previously)
Regarding claims 10 and 12, Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein teaches the invention set forth in claim 1 above, but is silent regarding the first radiation is white light, wherein the second radiation is white light having one or more of a different correlated color temperature, and a different Melanopic Daylight Efficacy Ratio, from the first radiation (for claim 12) and the first radiation is white light, and wherein the second radiation is colored light (for claim 10).
Tyukhova teaches the above features ([0047]) and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the radiation CCTs as disclosed in Tyukhova in the device of Hanazawa in view of Chiu and Epstein in order to achieve gradual light transition at the output.
Other art
US 20070025662 A1; JP 2014238945 A; CN 203025372 U
Cited previously: US 20220283377 A1: In some embodiments, each dot location can contain either one of the two types of materials or both materials.
US 20220283377 A1: The dots 111B and 111C may be made of different materials, and may be printed separately.
US 20180045385 A1: Light scattering materials 973 may be powders, bubbles, and/or materials of different refractive indices than optical material 970, and may be transparent, translucent, or opaquely reflective so that at least some light is scattered upon impinging on such materials.
Response to Arguments
The arguments filed by the Applicant on 1/2/26 is acknowledged and are moot in light of new grounds of rejection.
It is well known in the art to use different microstructures for different wavelengths. For example,
US 20210159415 A1 discloses:
[0117] The microstructure array 100 may include a plurality of microstructures 120 capable of emitting light in a predetermined wavelength range of visible light wavelength regions, for example, a first microstructure array including a plurality of first microstructures 120R configured to emit light in a first wavelength region; a second microstructure array including a plurality of second microstructures 120G configured to emit light in a second wavelength region; and a third microstructure array including a plurality of third microstructures 120B configured to emit light in the third wavelength region. Herein, the first microstructures 120R, the second microstructures 120G, and the third microstructures 120B may be disposed adjacently.
WO 2017031897 A1 discloses:
Therefore, the design of the substrate 122 and the first microstructure layer 124 having different refractive indices for different wavelengths by the light guiding material 120 of the present embodiment can simultaneously increase the traveling distance of light of a shorter wavelength (for example, blue light) and The traveling distance of the longer wavelength light (for example, yellow light) is reduced to achieve the purpose of balancing and harmonizing the light output color of the entire backlight module 100, thereby solving the problem of color shift.
WO 2010060029 A1 discloses: In another embodiment, the input edge of a light guide exhibits a first type of microstructure, and all of the other edges of the light guide exhibit a second type of microstructure.
WO 2005024482 A1 discloses: The properties of the light generated with the aid of microstructured optical elements, such as photonic crystal fibers, depend not only on the wavelength of the primary light source but also on the parameters of the microstructured optical element, such as, for example, the zero dispersion wavelength or the type and dimensions of the hole or the microstructure.
Examiner respectfully notes that additional prior art for the amended portion of the claim was provided in the previous office action and Applicant did not respond nor provided any feedback for them. They have hence been copied below:
US 20220283377 A1: In some embodiments, each dot location can contain either one of the two types of materials or both materials.
US 20200110213 A1: The dots 111B and 111C may be made of different materials, and may be printed separately.
US 20180045385 A1: Light scattering materials 973 may be powders, bubbles, and/or materials of different refractive indices than optical material 970, and may be transparent, translucent, or opaquely reflective so that at least some light is scattered upon impinging on such materials.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Fatima Farokhrooz whose telephone number is (571)-272-6043. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday- Friday, 9 am - 5 pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s Supervisor, James Greece can be reached on (571) 272-3711.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Fatima N Farokhrooz/
Examiner, Art Unit 2875