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 § 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.
Claims 1, 4-5, 9, 12, 14, 16 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by CN 215264353. CN 215264353 discloses a laser (see light source is a laser or LED in paragraph # 21 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353) light combining apparatus 10 (figures 1-3) comprising an optical splitting element 300 and a wavelength conversion element 200; wherein the optical splitting element 300 is configured to reflect a portion B1 of laser incident at a side of the optical splitting element 300 away from the wavelength conversion element 200 to form a first wavelength beam B1 (see paragraph #’s 14-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353), and transmit an unreflected portion of the laser to the wavelength conversion element 200 (see paragraph #’s 14-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353); wherein the wavelength conversion element 200 is configured to perform wavelength conversion on the unreflected portion of the laser to form a second wavelength beam B2 (see paragraph #’s 14-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353), and reflect the second wavelength beam to the optical splitting element 300, so that the second wavelength beam and the first wavelength beam form a combined light (see combined light in paragraph #’s 14-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353); and wherein a divergence angle of the first wavelength beam B1 and a divergence angle of the second wavelength beam B2 are both greater than a divergence angle of the laser (see paragraph #’s 14-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353, the divergence angle of the laser is expanded to diverging angles A2 and A3, thus the diverging angles of the first and second wavelength beams are both greater than the divergence angle of the laser).
Regarding claim 4, CN 215264353 teaches the laser light combining apparatus according to claim 1. CN 215264353 further teaches wherein the optical splitting element 300 comprises a diffuser (optical element scatters or diffuses light, see paragraph # ‘s 14-21 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353).
Regarding claim 5, CN 215264353 teaches the laser light combining apparatus according to claim 1. CN 215264353 further teaches wherein the optical splitting element comprises an optical splitting film layer 300, (see paragraph #’s 18-20 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353) and the optical splitting film layer is adhered to a fluorescent layer of the wavelength conversion element 200 (see adhesive in paragraph #’s 18-20 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353) and comprises glass material and scattering particles doped in the glass material. (see glass material in paragraph # 18-20 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353).
Regarding claim 9, CN 215264353 teaches a light source comprising a laser device (light source is a laser or LED, see paragraph # 21 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353) and a laser light combining apparatus 10 (figures 1-3), wherein the laser light combining apparatus light combining apparatus 10 comprising an optical splitting element 300 and a wavelength conversion element 200; wherein the optical splitting element 300 is configured to reflect a portion B1 of laser incident at a side of the optical splitting element 300 away from the wavelength conversion element 200 to form a first wavelength beam B1 (see paragraph #’s 14-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353), and transmit an unreflected portion of the laser to the wavelength conversion element 200 (see paragraph #’s 14-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353); wherein the wavelength conversion element 200 is configured to perform wavelength conversion on the unreflected portion of the laser to form a second wavelength beam B2 (see paragraph #’s 14-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353), and reflect the second wavelength beam to the optical splitting element 300, so that the second wavelength beam and the first wavelength beam form a combined light (see combined light in paragraph #’s 14-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353); and wherein a divergence angle of the first wavelength beam B1 and a divergence angle of the second wavelength beam B2 are both greater than a divergence angle of the laser (see paragraph #’s 14-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353, the divergence angle of the laser is expanded to diverging angles A2 and A3, thus the diverging angles of the first and second wavelength beams are both greater than the divergence angle of the laser); and wherein the laser device is configured to emit laser (light source is a laser or LED, see paragraph # 21 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353), and the laser light combining apparatus 10 is configured to receive the laser, separate and convert the laser and then combine to form a combined light of the first wavelength beam B1 and the second wavelength beam B2 (see paragraph #’s 21-22 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353).
Regarding claim 12, CN 215264353 teaches the laser light combining apparatus according to claim 1. CN 215264353 further teaches wherein the wavelength conversion element 200 comprises a fluorescent layer (see fluorescent layer in paragraph #’s 11 to 14 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353) and a reflective layer 110, and the fluorescent layer is provided between the optical splitting element 300 and the reflective layer (figures 2-3).
Regarding claim 14, CN 215264353 teaches the laser light combining apparatus according to claim 1. CN 215264353 further teaches wherein the diffuser 300 is formed by adding chemical particles as scattering particles 320 into diffusion film substrate (see paragraph #’s 18-20 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353), and the scattering particles are located in the diffusion film substrate (see paragraph #’s 18-20 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353).
Regarding claim 16, CN 215264353 teaches the laser light combining apparatus according to claim 5. CN 215264353 further teaches wherein the wavelength conversion element 200 comprises a fluorescent layer (see fluorescent layer in paragraph #’s 11 to 14 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353) and a reflective layer 110, and the fluorescent layer is provided between the optical splitting element 300 and the reflective layer 110 (figures 2-3), the fluorescent layer is made of fluorescent material (see fluorescent layer in paragraph #’s 11 to 14 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353) , and the optical splitting film layer 300 is bonded to the fluorescent material of the fluorescent layer (see paragraph #’s 12-15 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353).
Regarding claim 18, CN 215264353 teaches the laser light combining apparatus according to claim 1. CN 215264353 further teaches wherein the laser light combining apparatus comprises a heat dissipation substrate 100 (see fluorescent layer in paragraph #’s 10-12 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353) arranged on a side of the wavelength conversion element 200 away from the optical splitting element 300 (see figures 1-3 and paragraph #’s 9-12 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353).
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.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 215264353.
Regarding claim 13, CN 215264353 teaches the laser light combining apparatus according to claim 1. CN 215264353 further teaches the optical splitting element is formed by mixing alumina oxide, zirconium oxide or silicon dioxide and pores in glass material (see paragraph #’s 18-20 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353).
However, CN 215264353 does not explicitly teach that the optical beam splitting layer is formed by mixing titanium oxide and pores in the glass material.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of applicant’s claimed invention to modify the optical splitting layer of CN 215264353 to mix titanium dioxide and pores in the glass material since such a modification would have merely been an obvious engineering design choice yielding the predictable results of using different well known alternative materials for efficiently reflecting and scattering light.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 215264353.
Regarding claim 15, CN 215264353 teaches the laser light combining apparatus according to claim 5. CN 215264353 further teaches wherein the optical splitting film layer 300 comprises glass material (see paragraph #’s 18-20 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353), the scattering particles are doped in the glass material (see paragraph #’s 18-20 under description of pictures in the specification of CN 215264353).
However, CN 215264353 does not explicitly teach that the scattering particles comprises TiO2, Al2O₃, and pores.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of applicant’s claimed invention to modify the optical splitting layer of CN 215264353 so to include scattering particles comprising TiO2, Al2O₃, and pores since such a modification would have merely been an obvious engineering design choice yielding the predictable results of using different well known alternative materials for efficiently reflecting and scattering light.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 6-8, 10-11, 17 and 19-20 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Koizumi ‘382 discloses a laser light combining apparatus with an optical splitting element and wavelength conversion element which is similar to applicant’s invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS M SEMBER whose telephone number is (571)272-2381. The examiner can normally be reached flexing generally from 7 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. M-F.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ABDULMAJEED Aziz can be reached at 571-270-5046. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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.
/THOMAS M SEMBER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
Prosecution Insights