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 § 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(s) 71-82, 85-87, 89 and 90 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maes (US PG Pub. 20200249492) in view of Sawai (US PG Pub. 20230020225).
Regarding claims 71 and 89, Maes discloses a multicolored optical assembly for providing a highlighter light beam of steered light to a first intermediate target image (illustrated in fig. 2), comprising a baseline optical path generating a baseline light beam (para. 0093; base illumination light source 20 generates a light beam 21), the optical assembly having a highlighter optical path providing the highlighter light beam of steered light (para. 0093; phase modulator illumination light source 35 provides the collimated light beam 36), the assembly being configured to combine the highlighter light beam of steered light with the baseline light beam to form a combined beam (the beams are combined within the total internal reflection (TIR) prism 28 of fig. 2), wherein the multicolored optical assembly is adapted to configure the highlighter light beam by the following per color (para. 0070; RGB lasers):
a multicolored laser source providing light to an integrator per colour (para. 0070; RGB lasers, laser- phosphor light sources and arc lamp light sources can be used for the base illumination beam if a larger etendue (but still smaller than the etendue of the spatial light modulator) is accepted), the integrator providing a homogenized (integrator rod 22 and integrator rod 24 of fig. 2) and collimated beam for each colour (para. 0093; phase modulator illumination light source 35 provides the collimated light beam 36),
means for converging steered light of the highlighter beam to be incident on a first intermediate target image (para. 0093; the phase modulator 37, the light leaving the phase modulator being reflected by a folding mirror 38 towards the micro-lens array 30 which operates as an angular diversity generator),
wherein, in a first case, an illuminated area of the converged steered light illumination incident on the first intermediate target image (intermediate image plane 32 of fig. 2) is smaller than the active spatial phase modulator area (para. 0093; micro-lens array 30 focuses the collimated light so that the micro-beams can be transmitted through the pinholes in 31…(this is saying that the light is focused after the phase modulator so that the light can be transmitted through the pinholes)), and/or, the converged steered light illumination (via the folding mirror 38 of fig. 2) is realized in such a way that a specular beam of unsteered light of the highlighter light beam matches with a size of the first intermediate target image (para. 0093; transmissive-reflective means can be a pinhole mirror 31, located in an intermediate image plane 32. The phase modulator illumination light source 35 provides the collimated light beam 36 which is incident on the phase modulator 37, the light leaving the phase modulator being reflected by a folding mirror 38 towards the micro-lens array 30 which operates as an angular diversity generator. The light is then transmitted by a pinhole mirror 31. The micro-lens array operates as part of a beam combiner. The micro-lens array 30 focuses the collimated light so that the micro-beams can be transmitted through the pinholes in 31).
Maes fails to teach a spatial phase modulator per color in the highlighter optical path, wherein the homogenized and collimated beam for each colour is incident upon the spatial phase modulator and is phase modulated for each colour by the spatial phase modulator, per colour, each spatial phase modulator having an active spatial phase modulator area.
Sawai discloses a spatial phase modulator per color (para. 0049; phase modulation panel for red 22R, a phase modulation panel for green 22G, and a phase modulation panel for blue 22B) in the highlighter optical path (illustrated in fig. 1), wherein the spatial phase modulator and is phase modulated for each colour by the spatial phase modulator, per colour, each spatial phase modulator having an active spatial phase modulator area (para. 0049).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the application to modify the enhanced image projection device of Maes with the phase modulator for each color channel as shown in Sawai in order to obtain illumination light with desired intensity distribution (Sawai; para. 0005).
Regarding claim 72, Maes discloses wherein for matching with a size of the first target image, the unsteered light is landing on the first intermediate target image in such a way that at least 85% of the first target image area is illuminated with at least 75% of the light intensity of the unsteered light that is incident at the center of the first intermediate target image (para. 0035; the étendue of the collimated light beam transmitted through the transmissive-reflective means is equal to- or smaller than the étendue of the base illumination light beam reflected by the transmissive-reflective means).
Maes fails to explicitly teach the specific percentage size; however, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the application to modify the size of the intermediate image to the disclosed size since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. (In re Boesch, Eli f.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215)
Regarding claim 73, Mae discloses wherein at least 85% of a complete flux of unsteered light is falling within the first intermediate target image area (para. 0089; The mirror can be a dichroic mirror, for example reflecting more than 95% and preferably more than 98% of the light).
Regarding claim 74, Maes discloses wherein the highlighter light beam is randomly polarized or is unpolarized (para. 0080).
Regarding claim 75, Maes discloses wherein the baseline light beam is constructed from beams of three primary colour light sources which share a common integrator and are combined into a white beam (para. 0070; Lower cost RGB lasers, laser- phosphor light sources and arc lamp light sources can be used for the base illumination beam).
Regarding claim 76, Maes discloses wherein the highlighter light beam (from the phase modulator 37) has an illumination profile with a first resolution (para. 0087; The resolution of the micro-lens array is preferably sufficiently high, at least two times, and preferably at least 10 times higher), and the highlighter light beam is combined with the baseliner light beam which has an optionally rectangular illumination profile (para. 0041; the second spatial light modulator (43) is arranged such that the combined beam reflected by the TIR surface of the second TIR prism reaches the spatial light modulator…implies that the profile is in the shape of the modulator which is rectangular), and wherein the combined beam is relayed to imagers that make an image having a second resolution higher than the first resolution ((para. 0087; The resolution of the micro-lens array is preferably sufficiently high, at least two times, and preferably at least 10 times higher) and para. 0041; the second spatial light modulator (43) is arranged such that the combined beam reflected by the TIR surface of the second TIR prism reaches the spatial light modulator)).
Regarding claim 77, Maes discloses a multicolored optical assembly for providing a highlighter light beam of steered light to a first intermediate target image (illustrated in fig. 2), comprising a baseline optical path generating a baseline light beam (para. 0093; base illumination light source 20 generates a light beam 21), the optical assembly having a highlighter optical path providing the highlighter light beam of steered light (para. 0093; phase modulator illumination light source 35 provides the collimated light beam 36), the assembly being configured to combine the highlighter light beam of steered light with the baseline light beam to form a combined beam (the beams are combined within the total internal reflection (TIR) prism 28 of fig. 2).
Maes fails to disclose wherein the spatial phase modulator per colour is a piston based spatial phase modulator.
Sawai discloses wherein the spatial phase modulator per colour is a piston based spatial phase modulator (para. 0040; HDR projector using a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) as a luminance modulation panel).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the application to modify the enhanced image projection device of Maes with the phase modulator for each color channel as shown in Sawai in order to obtain illumination light with desired intensity distribution (Sawai; para. 0005).
Regarding claim 78, Maes discloses wherein the highlighter light beam and the baseline light beam are combined in an angular space (illustrated in fig. 2 and para. 0093; the light leaving the phase modulator being reflected by a folding mirror 38 towards the micro-lens array 30 which operates as an angular diversity generator. The light is then transmitted by a pinhole mirror 31. The micro-lens array operates as part of a beam combiner. The micro-lens array 30 focuses the collimated light so that the micro-beams can be transmitted through the pinholes in 31. The reflected illumination light and the transmitted collimated light can leave the pinhole mirror 31 as one combined beam).
Regarding claim 79, Maes discloses comprising a diffuser (para. 0084; micro lens array 30 of fig. 2) and wherein the combined highlighter and baseline light beams overlap in the angular space after they have been combined and have passed the diffuser (the two beams are diffused prior to combination; i.e. the baseline beam is diffused via the light integrators and the highlight beam is diffused via the lens array and are combined at the intermediate image plane 32).
Regarding claim 80, Maes discloses further comprising an imager (43), and wherein at least one diffuser (integrators 22 and 23 of fig. 2) is in an optical path between the first intermediate target image (32) and the imager (43), and wherein the diffuser (22 and 23) increases the angular spread of the combined beam.
Regarding claim 81, Maes discloses further comprising a relay optical system that images the first target image on a second target image (illustrated in fig. 2 the intermediate image 32 is one image onto a second image) and wherein the highlighter light beam is made telecentric (illustrated in fig. 2 the light emitted from the phase modulator to the fold mirror 38 is telecentric).
Regarding claim 82; Maes discloses wherein the first target intermediate image is smaller than the active area of the spatial phase modulator by at least 5%, 10% or 15% or even smaller (para. 0035; the etendue of the collimated light beam transmitted through the transmissive-reflective means is equal to- or smaller than the etendue of the base illumination light beam reflected by the transmissive-reflective means).
Maes fails to explicitly teach the specific percentage size; however, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the application to modify the size of the intermediate image to the disclosed size since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. (In re Boesch, Eli f.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215)
Regarding claim 85, Maes discloses a multicolored optical assembly for providing a highlighter light beam of steered light to a first intermediate target image (illustrated in fig. 2), comprising a baseline optical path generating a baseline light beam (para. 0093; base illumination light source 20 generates a light beam 21), the optical assembly having a highlighter optical path providing the highlighter light beam of steered light (para. 0093; phase modulator illumination light source 35 provides the collimated light beam 36), the assembly being configured to combine the highlighter light beam of steered light with the baseline light beam to form a combined beam (the beams are combined within the total internal reflection (TIR) prism 28 of fig. 2), wherein the multicolored optical assembly is adapted to configure the highlighter light beam by the following per color (para. 0070; RGB lasers).
Maes fails to teach further comprising a beam combination system that is configured to combine three coloured baseline light beams from the baseline optical path with three coloured highlighter light beams from the highlighter optical path, and wherein the beam combination system is located between the spatial phase modulator of each colour and a second target image, in such a way that the three coloured highlighter light beams share a same highlighter optical path when arriving at a second target image.
Sawai discloses further comprising a beam combination system (mirror 12; a dichroic mirror 13; a dichroic mirror 14 and reflective polarizer 33 of fig. 1) that is configured to combine three coloured baseline light beams (the red LD 11R, the green LD 11G, and the blue LD 11B of fig. 1) from the baseline optical path with three coloured highlighter light beams from the highlighter optical path, and wherein the beam combination system is located between the spatial phase modulator of each colour and a second target image, in such a way that the three coloured highlighter light beams share a same highlighter optical path when arriving at a second target image.
Regarding claim 86, Mae discloses wherein the baseline light beam (para. 0070; RGB lasers, laser- phosphor light sources and arc lamp light sources can be used for the base illumination beam) is made from an aggregation of light beams with wavelengths in each of the primary colors (RGB), all the light beams of the aggregation of light beams are collected into a homogenization optics (22 and 24) configured to deliver a combined beam having an etendue which is the same as the etendue of the highlighter light beam at the intermediate second target image (32),
Mae fails to teach wherein the etendue is smaller than 1/8th of the etendue of an imager configured to form a final image and to provide the final image to a projection lens; however, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the application to modify size of the beam of Mae in order to ensure proper coverage of the modulator thereby providing an efficient illumination system.
Regarding claim 87, Maes discloses wherein the spatial phase modulator is a programmable lens or a dynamically addressable light steering component (para. 0097; DMD chip (or light modulator)) and is configured to receive a phase grating configured to create steering of the highlighter light beam to particular zones in the first intermediate target image (para. 0097; phase patterns), which zones are relayed, in one or more additional steps, onto an imager configured to form a final image (para. 0110; first modulator can be used both for light steering and as a means to reduce the objective laser speckle by varying the positions over time, such that by time averaging of different speckle patterns over the integration time).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the application to modify the enhanced image projection device of Maes with the phase modulator for each color channel as shown in Sawai in order to obtain illumination light with desired intensity distribution (Sawai; para. 0005).
Regarding claim 90, Maes discloses a controller (para. 0097; modulators have controllers although not explicit in the reference) comprising a digital processing device (DMD), the controller being adapted to control the operation of spatial phase modulators in a projector having a baseline light beam and a highlighter light beam (from base illumination light source 20), the controller being adapted to control the spatial phase modulators (37) to generate dynamically varying steered light and unsteered light from the highlighter light beam (para. 0102; phase modulator illumination light source 35 provides the collimated and linearly polarized light beam 36 which falls on the phase modulator 37, the light leaving the phase modulator is reflected by a folding mirror 38 towards the micro-lens array 30 and is then transmitted by the pinhole mirror 31. The micro-lens array 30 focuses the collimated light so that the micro-beams can be transmitted through the pinholes of the pinhole mirror 31), and to control spatial light modulators to generate images for projection from a combination of the non-steered light, the steered light and the baseline light beam, the steered light creating highlights in the images (para. 0093; The beam then falls onto the spatial light modulator 43, passes the second TIR prism 42 again and finally reaches the projection lens 44).
Claim(s) 83 and 84 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maes (US PG Pub. 20200249492) and Sawai (US PG Pub. 20230020225) as applied to claim 71 above, and further in view of Guo et al. (CN114967308A).
Regarding claim 83, Maes as modified by Sawai discloses a multicolored optical assembly for providing a highlighter light beam of steered light to a first intermediate target image (illustrated in fig. 2), comprising a baseline optical path generating a baseline light beam (para. 0093; base illumination light source 20 generates a light beam 21), the optical assembly having a highlighter optical path providing the highlighter light beam of steered light (para. 0093; phase modulator illumination light source 35 provides the collimated light beam 36), the assembly being configured to combine the highlighter light beam of steered light with the baseline light beam to form a combined beam (the beams are combined within the total internal reflection (TIR) prism 28 of fig. 2).
Maes as modified by Sawai fails to teach wherein the integrator in the highlighter optical path is an optical fiber.
Guo discloses wherein the integrator (light homogenizing component 50 of fig. 9) in the highlighter optical path (light sources 21 and 22 of fig. 9) is an optical fiber (illustrated in fig. 9).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the application to modify the multicolored optical assembly of Maes and Sawai with the integrator fiber of Guo in order to uniformize the highlighter illumination path thereby increasing the efficiency of the system (Guo; Abstract).
Regarding claim 84, Maes as modified by Sawai discloses a multicolored optical assembly for providing a highlighter light beam of steered light to a first intermediate target image (illustrated in fig. 2), comprising a baseline optical path generating a baseline light beam (para. 0093; base illumination light source 20 generates a light beam 21), the optical assembly having a highlighter optical path providing the highlighter light beam of steered light (para. 0093; phase modulator illumination light source 35 provides the collimated light beam 36), the assembly being configured to combine the highlighter light beam of steered light with the baseline light beam to form a combined beam (the beams are combined within the total internal reflection (TIR) prism 28 of fig. 2) and wherein the spatial phase modulator is configured to steer the incoming light to a single central spot in the first intermediate target image and Sawai discloses a spatial phase modulator per color (para. 0049; phase modulation panel for red 22R, a phase modulation panel for green 22G, and a phase modulation panel for blue 22B) in the highlighter optical path (illustrated in fig. 1), wherein the spatial phase modulator and is phase modulated for each colour by the spatial phase modulator, per colour, each spatial phase modulator having an active spatial phase modulator area (para. 0049).
Maes as modified by Sawai fails to teach wherein the homogenized and collimated beam for each colour, and reflects specularly reflected "unsteered" light to the first intermediate target image of the same size.
Guo discloses wherein the homogenized (via the homogenizing assembly 50 of fig. 9) and for each colour (green 22 and red 21 of fig. 9), and reflects specularly reflected "unsteered" light.(off reflecting surface 321 of fig. 9).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the application to modify the multicolored optical assembly of Maes and Sawai with the integrator fiber of Guo in order to uniformize the highlighter illumination path thereby increasing the efficiency of the system (Guo; Abstract).
Claim(s) 88 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maes (US PG Pub. 20200249492) and Sawai (US PG Pub. 20230020225) as applied to claim 71 above, and further in view of Damberg et al. (US PG Pub. 20140043352).
Regarding claim 88, Maes as modified by Sawai discloses a multicolored optical assembly for providing a highlighter light beam of steered light to a first intermediate target image (illustrated in fig. 2), comprising a baseline optical path generating a baseline light beam (para. 0093; base illumination light source 20 generates a light beam 21), the optical assembly having a highlighter optical path providing the highlighter light beam of steered light (para. 0093; phase modulator illumination light source 35 provides the collimated light beam 36), the assembly being configured to combine the highlighter light beam of steered light with the baseline light beam to form a combined beam (the beams are combined within the total internal reflection (TIR) prism 28 of fig. 2).
Maes as modified by Sawai fails to teach wherein the highlighting peak factor is at least 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 or less.
Damberg discloses wherein the highlighting peak factor is at least 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 or less (para. 0050; peak luminance of 15 to 50 nits).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the application to modify the multicolored projection system of Maes and Sawai with the peak factor of Danberg in order to highlight particular areas and blend smoothly in to a base image projected by the main projector (Danberg; para. 0040).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANELL L OWENS whose telephone number is (571)270-5365. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00am-5:00pm M-F.
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/DANELL L OWENS/ Examiner, Art Unit 2882 /TOAN TON/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2882
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