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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendments to the abstract and specification of the disclosure in the preliminary amendment filed 11/12/2024 are acknowledged and accepted.
The amendments to Claims 1, 3-5, 7, 9-10, 12-20 in the preliminary amendment filed 11/12/2024 are acknowledged and accepted.
The cancellation of Claim 21 in the preliminary amendment filed 11/12/2024 is acknowledged and accepted.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (e).
Drawings
The originally filed drawings were received on 11/12/2024. These drawings are objected to for the following reason(s) as set forth below.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description:
Figure 3- Reference numeral 312
Figure 8- Reference numeral 732-1, 721
Figure 10- Reference numeral 1100.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification. Examples of such errors are set forth below.
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Paragraph 0045, line 10- ‘eye(s0’ should read ‘eye(s)’.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 13, 15-18, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) AND 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Pfeiffer et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2022/0066204 A1).
Pfeiffer et al. discloses a waveguide (See for example Abstract; Figures 1-13) comprising an incoupler (See for example 52 in Figure 2; Paragraph 0030); an outcoupler (See for example 56 in Figure 2; Paragraph 0030); and an exit pupil expander (See for example 54 in Figure 2; Paragraph 0030) disposed in a light propagation path (See for example 38 in Figure 2) between the incoupler and the outcoupler, wherein at least one of the outcoupler or the exit pupil expander comprises one or more holograph-based reflective couplers (See for example 54 or 56 in Figures 2-8, 10; Paragraphs 0031-0032, 0035-0036). Pfeiffer et al. further discloses the one or more holograph-based reflective couplers are one-dimension (1D) Bragg optical devices (See for example 54 or 56 in Figures 2-8, 10; Paragraphs 0031-0032, 0035-0036, 0047, wherein each holographic grating may be Bragg matched to particular ranges of incident light angle and/or wavelength); the one or more holograph-based reflective couplers are disposed within a photopolymer layer of the at least one of the outcoupler or the exit pupil expander (See for example 54 or 56 in Figures 2-8, 10; Paragraphs 0031-0032, 0035-0036); the one or more holograph-based reflective couplers are spectrally and angularly multiplexed devices (See for example 54 or 56 in Figures 2-8, 10; Paragraphs 0031-0032, 0035-0036, 0047, wherein each holographic grating may be Bragg matched to particular ranges of incident light angle and/or wavelength); the one or more holograph-based reflective couplers each are each tuned to a fraction of a broadband spectrum of light (See for example 54 or 56 in Figures 2-8, 10; Paragraphs 0031-0032, 0035-0036, 0047, wherein each holographic grating may be Bragg matched to particular ranges of incident light angle and/or wavelength); the outcoupler comprises the one or more holograph-based reflective couplers (See for example 56 in Figure 2; Paragraphs 0030-0032); the exit pupil expander comprises the one or more holograph-based reflective couplers (See for example 54 in Figure 2; Paragraphs 0030-0032); and a near-eye display system (See for example Abstract; Figures 1-13; Paragraphs 0005-0006, 0020-0021) comprising an eyeglass frame (See for example 8 in Figure 1; Paragraph 0020); an ophthalmic lens implementing the above waveguide (See for example 20B in Figure 1; 50 in Figure 2; Paragraphs 0020, 0024, 0028); and a display source (See for example 20A in Figure 1)to project display light toward the incoupler.
Pfeiffer et al. additionally discloses a waveguide (See for example Abstract; Figures 1-13) comprising an incoupler (See for example 52 in Figure 2; Paragraph 0030); an outcoupler (See for example 56 in Figure 2; Paragraph 0030); and an exit pupil expander (See for example 54 in Figure 2; Paragraph 0030) disposed in a light propagation path (See for example 38 in Figure 2) between the incoupler and the outcoupler, wherein at least one of the outcoupler or the exit pupil expander comprises a first optic layer (See for example 108 in Figure 5); a second optic layer (See for example 110 in Figure 5); and a plurality of holograph-based reflective couplers (See for example 56 in Figures 2-8, 10; Paragraphs 0031-0032, 0035-0036) disposed between the first optic layer and the second optic layer on complementary portions of the first optic layer and the second optic layer (See for example surface of 108 and surface of 110 in direct contact with 56 in Figure 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-12, 14, 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 4 is allowable over the cited art of record for at least the reason that the cited art of record fails to teach or reasonably suggest a waveguide as generally set forth in Claims 1, 4, the waveguide including, in combination with the features recited in Claims 1, 4, the waveguide further comprises a layer of photopolymer with the one or more holograph-based reflective couplers disposed between two molded optic layers with complementary ridges.
Claim 5 is allowable over the cited art of record for at least the reason that the cited art of record fails to teach or reasonably suggest a waveguide as generally set forth in Claims 1, 5, the waveguide including, in combination with the features recited in Claims 1, 5, at least one of the outcoupler or the exit pupil expander comprises a reflective array comprising a plurality of facets. Claims 6-12 are dependent on Claim 5, and hence are allowable for at least the same reasons Claim 5 is allowable.
Claim 14 is allowable over the cited art of record for at least the reason that the cited art of record fails to teach or reasonably suggest a waveguide as generally set forth in Claims 1, 14, the waveguide including, in combination with the features recited in Claims 1, 14, the one or more holograph-based reflective couplers each comprise a frequency comb including a plurality of narrowband one-dimensional Bragg optical devices.
Claim 19 is allowable over the cited art of record for at least the reason that the cited art of record fails to teach or reasonably suggest a waveguide as generally set forth in Claims 18-19, the waveguide including, in combination with the features recited in Claims 18-19, the complementary portions of the first optic layer and the second optic layer are ridges.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARNEL C LAVARIAS whose telephone number is (571)272-2315. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:30 AM-7 PM.
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ARNEL C. LAVARIAS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2872
/ARNEL C LAVARIAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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