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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the optical module" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purposes of examination “the optical module” will be interpreted as “the light source module”. Claim 10 is rejected as being indefinite.
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, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Eash et al (US 2023/0152624; hereinafter referred to as Eash).
Regarding Claim 1, Eash teaches an optical projection system (Figure 6A) comprising: a light source module (Figure 6A; LEDs 610, Light Concentrators 615 and Illumination Waveguide 620) having a light-emergent surface (see Figure 6A; wherein the light emergent surface coincides with the exit surface of illumination waveguide 620); and
a projection module (Figure 6A; Illumination Entrance Pupil 630, Polarization Splitting Lens Unit 640, PBS 645 and Exit Pupil 670) comprising an entrance pupil (Figure 6A; Illumination Entrance Pupil 630), an optical path processing component (Figure 6A; Polarization Splitting Lens Unit 640 and PBS 645), and an exit pupil (Figure 6A; Exit Pupil 670);
wherein the light-emergent surface (see Figure 6A; wherein the light emergent surface coincides with the exit surface of illumination waveguide 620) is provided opposite to the entrance pupil (see Figure 6A), the entrance pupil (Figure 6A; Illumination Entrance Pupil 630) and the exit pupil (Figure 6A; Exit Pupil 670) are in a conjunctional relationship (see Figure 6A), the optical path processing component (Figure 6A; Polarization Splitting Lens Unit 640 and PBS 645) is configured for receiving a first light beam transmitted from the entrance pupil (see Figure 6A), and the exit pupil (Figure 6A; Exit Pupil 670) is configured for receiving a second light beam transmitted from the optical path processing component (see Figure 6A).
Regarding Claim 3, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 1 as detailed above.
Eash further teaches the optical path processing component (Figure 6A; Polarization Splitting Lens Unit 640 and PBS 645) comprises a polarization component (Figure 6A; PBS 645) and a lens component (Figure 6A; Polarization Splitting Lens Unit 640);
the polarization component (Figure 6A; PBS 645) is located on a first side of the entrance pupil (see Figure 6A), and is configured for receiving a first light beam transmitted from the entrance pupil (Figure 6A; Illumination Entrance Pupil 630) and transmitting the first light beam to the lens component (see Figure 6A).
Regarding Claim 4, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 3 as detailed above.
Eash further teaches the polarization component (Figure 6A; PBS 645) is formed by connecting inclined surfaces of two right-angle tri-prisms (see Figure 6A).
Regarding Claim 6, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 3 as detailed above.
Eash further teaches the polarization component (Figure 6A; PBS 645) comprises a first condensing lens group (see Figure 6A; wherein the first condensing lens group is located on a right side of the PBS 645), a second condensing lens group (see Figure 6A; wherein the second condensing lens group is located on a top side of the PBS 645), and a polarizing beam-splitting plate (see Figure 6A; wherein the polarizing beam splitting plate is the diagonal surface within the PBS 645), the first condensing lens group is located between the entrance pupil and the polarizing beam-splitting plate (see Figure 6A), and the second condensing lens group is located between the exit pupil and the polarizing beam-splitting plate (see Figure 6A).
Regarding Claim 8, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 6 as detailed above.
Eash further teaches the first condensing lens group and the second condensing lens group have equal focal powers (see Paragraph [0034]).
Regarding Claim 10, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 1 as detailed above.
Eash further teaches the optical module (Figure 6A; LEDs 610, Light Concentrators 615 and Illumination Waveguide 620) comprises a light source (Figure 6A; LEDs 610), an optical integrator column (Figure 6A; Illumination Waveguide 620), and a condensing lens group (see Figure 6A; wherein the condensing lens group is on the surfaces of PBS 645), the light source (Figure 6A; LEDs 610) emits the first light beam (see Figure 6A), which is transmitted to the condensing lens group by passing through the optical integrator column (see Figure 6A), and a light-emergent surface of the condensing lens group is provided opposite to the entrance pupil (see Figure 6A).
Regarding Claim 11, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 1 as detailed above.
Eash further teaches the optical projection system (Figure 6A) further comprises a non-self-luminous display screen (Figure 6A; LCOS Panel 660), which is configured for receiving the first light beam transmitted from the projection module (see Figure 6A) and reflecting the first light beam to form the second light beam (see Figure 6A), and the second light beam is transmitted to the exit pupil (Figure 6A; Exit Pupil 670) by passing through the projection module (see Figure 6A).
Regarding Claim 12, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 11 as detailed above.
Eash further teaches the non-self-luminous display screen (Figure 6A; LCOS Panel 660) is an LCoS display screen (see Paragraph [0050]).
Regarding Claim 13, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 1 as detailed above.
Eash further teaches an electronic device comprising the optical projection system of claim 1 (see Figure 6A).
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, 5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eash et al (US 2023/0152624; hereinafter referred to as Eash).
Regarding Claim 2, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 1 as detailed above.
Eash further discloses the light-emergent surface (see Figure 6A; wherein the light emergent surface coincides with the exit surface of illumination waveguide 620) has a first diameter dimension (see Figure 6A), the entrance pupil (Figure 6A; Illumination Entrance Pupil 630) has a second diameter dimension (see Figure 6A), the exit pupil (Figure 6A; Exit Pupil 670) has a third diameter dimension (see Figure 6A).
Eash does not expressly disclose that the second diameter dimension is equal to the third diameter dimension. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the optical projection system of Eash such that the second diameter dimension is equal to the third diameter dimension because doing so would predictably improve light use efficiency and it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Regarding Claim 5, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 4 as detailed above.
Eash further discloses the two right-angle tri-prisms (Figure 6A; PBS 645) comprise a first right-angle tri-prism (see Figure 6A) and a second right-angle tri-prism (see Figure 6A), a side surface of the first right-angle tri-prism distal to the second right-angle tri-prism is an incident surface (see Figure 6A), and a side surface of the second right-angle tri-prism distal to the first right-angle tri-prism is an emergent surface (see Figure 6A), and the incident surface (Figure 6A; Entrance Face 642) and the emergent surface (Figure 6A; Exit Face 646) are perpendicular to each other (see Figure 6A); the entrance pupil (Figure 6A; Illumination Entrance Pupil 630) is located on one side of the incident surface (see Figure 6A) and is at a first distance from the incident surface (see Figure 6A), the exit pupil (Figure 6A; Exit Pupil 670) is located on one side of the emergent surface (see Figure 6A) and is at a second distance from the emergent surface (see Figure 6A).
Eash does not expressly disclose that the first distance equals to the second distance. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the optical projection system of Eash such that the first distance equals to the second distance because doing so would predictably improve light use efficiency and it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Regarding Claim 7, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 6 as detailed above.
Eash further discloses the entrance pupil (Figure 6A; Illumination Entrance Pupil 630) is at a third distance from a center of the first condensing lens group (see Figure 6A), the exit pupil (Figure 6A; Exit Pupil 670) is at a fourth distance from a center of the second condensing lens group (see Figure 6A), the center of the first condensing lens group (see Figure 6A; wherein the first condensing lens group is located on a right side of the PBS 645) is at a fifth distance from a center of the polarizing beam-splitting plate (see Figure 6A), the center of the second condensing lens group (see Figure 6A; wherein the second condensing lens group is located on a top side of the PBS 645) is at a sixth distance from the center of the polarizing beam-splitting plate (see Figure 6A).
Eash does not expressly disclose that the third distance equal to the fourth distance and the fifth distance equals to the sixth distance. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the optical projection system of Eash such that the third distance equal to the fourth distance and the fifth distance equals to the sixth distance because doing so would predictably improve light use efficiency and it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eash et al (US 2023/0152624; hereinafter referred to as Eash) as applied to claim 1, in view of Cheng (US 2019/0377185).
Regarding Claim 9, Eash teaches the limitations of claim 6 as detailed above.
Eash does not expressly disclose that the light source module comprises a light source, a collimating lens group, a mirror group, and a microlens array; the light source emits the first light beam, which sequentially passes through the collimating lens group and the mirror group to the microlens array, and a light-emergent surface of the microlens array is provided opposite to the entrance pupil.
Cheng discloses a light source module (Figure 4) that comprises a light source (Figure 4; Light Sources 151 and 451), a collimating lens group (Figure 4; Collimating Lens Group 153a and 453A), a mirror group (Figure 4; Combining Element 454), and a microlens array (Figure 4; Light Homogenizing Element 157); the light source (Figure 4; Light Sources 151 and 451) emits the first light beam (see Figure 4), which sequentially passes through the collimating lens group (Figure 4; Collimating Lens Group 153a and 453A) and the mirror group (Figure 4; Combining Element 454) to the microlens array (Figure 4; Light Homogenizing Element 157), and a light-emergent surface of the microlens array (Figure 4; Light Homogenizing Element 157) is provided opposite to the entrance pupil (see Figure 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the optical projection system of Eash such that the light source module comprises a light source, a collimating lens group, a mirror group, and a microlens array; the light source emits the first light beam, which sequentially passes through the collimating lens group and the mirror group to the microlens array, and a light-emergent surface of the microlens array is provided opposite to the entrance pupil, as taught by Cheng, because doing so would allow for the display image provided by the projection apparatus to have uniform brightness and chrominance (see Cheng Paragraph [0037]).
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER A LAMB II whose telephone number is (571)270-0648. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am - 5pm EST.
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/CHRISTOPHER A LAMB II/Examiner, Art Unit 2882
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