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
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(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasumatsu (United States Patent Publication 2019/0278163 A1) in view of Takada (JP 2015125323 A).
With respect to claims 1 and 11, Yasumatsu discloses a projector device (see fig.1), comprising: a light source module (see fig.2, 2), comprising: a light-emitting element (21 and 21a), adapted to emit an illumination light beam; a light diffusion assembly (see 43 in fig.2), adapted to diffuse the illumination light beam, wherein the light diffusion assembly (see 43) has a front end and a rear end opposite to each other (see front and back of 43 fig.2), and the front end of the light diffusion assembly (see 43 in fig.2) faces the light-emitting element (see 21 and 21a); a first structural component (see 44 in fig.2), wherein the rear end of the light diffusion assembly faces the first structural component (see 43 in relation to 44 in fig.2); a light valve (see 4RGB), adapted to convert the illumination light beam from the light source module into an image light beam; and a projecting lens (see 6 in fig.1), adapted to project the image light beam but does not disclose wherein a first temperature-sensing element, disposed on the first structural component and corresponding to the light diffusion assembly.
Yasumatsu discloses a first temperature-sensing element, disposed on the first structural component and corresponding to the light diffusion assembly.
Takada discloses a first temperature-sensing element (110 in fig.1), disposed on the first structural component (see 103) and corresponding to an optical assembly (see 100 and 101 in fig.1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Yasumatsu with the teaching of Takada so a first temperature-sensing element, disposed on the first structural component and corresponding to the light diffusion assembly to improve cooling efficiency of the light source module.
With respect to claims 2 and 12, Yasumatsu in view Takada discloses the projector device according to claims 1 and 11, Yasumatsu in combination with Takada discloses wherein the illumination light beam is adapted to be incident into the light diffusion assembly along an incident direction (see Yasumatsu in fig.2, 43), and when viewing along the incident direction, the first temperature-sensing element overlaps the light diffusion assembly (disclosed by the combination of Yasumatsu in view of Takada wherein the sensor is attached to the rear of the heat sink (see Takeda in 110 fig.1) and, thus coupled, overlaps the light diffusion assembly ).
With respect to claims 3 and 13, Yasumatsu in view Takada discloses the projector device according to claims 1 and 11, Yasumatsu discloses wherein a distance between the first structural component and the light diffusion assembly is smaller (see 44 and 43 in fig.2) than a distance between the light diffusion assembly (43 in fig.2) and the light-emitting element (see fig.2, 2).
With respect to claims 4 and 14, Yasumatsu in view Takada discloses the projector device according to claims 1 and 11, Yasumatsu discloses wherein the first structural component is a metal plate (para.[0083]: “The third heatsink 44 is formed of metal high in thermal conductivity such as copper or aluminum, and has a plurality of fins.”).
With respect to claims 5 and 15, Yasumatsu in view Takada discloses the projector device according to claims 1 and 11, Yasumatsu discloses wherein the first structural component has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other (see the first and second surface of 44, also see fig.4, 30 which is comprised by 43 and 44), the first surface faces the light diffusion assembly (see the top of 44), and the first temperature-sensing element is disposed on the second surface (disclosed by the combination of Yasumatsu in view of Takada wherein the sensor is attached to the second surface of the heat sink (see Takeda in 110 fig.1)).
With respect to claims 6 and 16, Yasumatsu in view of Takada discloses the projector device according to claims 1 and 11, Yasumatsu discloses wherein the light source module (see 2 in fig.2) further comprises a wavelength conversion element (37 and 34 in fig.2), a second structural component (see ), the wavelength conversion element (34 and 37 in fig.2) is adapted to convert a wavelength of the illumination light beam, the wavelength conversion element has a front end and a rear end opposite to each other (see the structure of 34 and 37 in fig.2), the front end of the wavelength conversion element (34 and 37 in fig.2) faces a space between the light-emitting element and the light diffusion assembly (see 40 in fig.2), the rear end of the wavelength conversion element (34 and 37 in fig.2) faces the second structural component (38 in fig.2), but does not disclose the second temperature-sensing element is disposed on the second structural component and corresponds to the wavelength conversion element.
Takada discloses a second temperature-sensing element (see 60b), the second temperature-sensing element (see 60b) is disposed on the second structural component (see 40b) and corresponds to the optical element.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Yasumatsu with the teaching of Takada so a second temperature-sensing element, the second temperature-sensing element is disposed on the second structural component and corresponds to the wavelength conversion element to improve cooling efficiency of the light source module.
With respect to claims 7 and 17, Yasumatsu in view of Takada discloses the projector device according to claims 6 and 16, Yasumatsu discloses wherein the light source module further comprises a semi-transmissive semi-reflective element (see 50 in fig.2), the semi-transmissive semi-reflective element is located on a transmission path of the illumination light beam (see the location of 50 in fig.2), a part of the illumination light beam (BLs in fig.2) is reflected by the semi-transmissive semi-reflective element to the wavelength conversion element, and another part of the illumination light beam (BLp in fig.2) passes through the semi-transmissive semi-reflective element to reach the light diffusion assembly.
With respect to claims 8 and 18, Yasumatsu in view of Takada discloses the projector device according to claims 6 and 16, Yasumatsu discloses wherein the wavelength conversion element (34 and 37 in fig.2) and the second temperature-sensing element (see Takada 60b in fig.5) are disposed on a bearing surface (back surface bears the fins in Takada, 60b in fig.5 compared with fig.1) of the second structural component (see disclosed by the combination of Yasumatsu in view of Takada ( the back of 40b in fig.5)).
With respect to claims 9 and 19, Yasumatsu in view of Takada discloses the projector device according to claims 6 and 16,Yasumatsu discloses wherein the second structural component is a heat sink (38 in fig.2).
With respect to claims 10 and 20, Yasumatsu in view of Takada discloses the projector device according to claim 6 and 16, Yasumatsu discloses wherein the illumination light beam is adapted to be incident into the light diffusion assembly along an incident direction (see 43 in fig.2), but does not explicitly disclose the first temperature-sensing element and the second temperature-sensing element are located on a same side of the wavelength conversion element in the incident direction.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to Yasumatsu in view of Takada so that the first temperature-sensing element and the second temperature-sensing element are located on a same side of the wavelength conversion element in the incident direction, since it would predictably place the sensors away from the light sources and thereby improve the accuracy the temperature of detection their respective elements, and since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Citation of Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yokoyama (United States Patent Application Publication 2001/0013924 A1) discloses a first temperature-sensing element (110 in fig.27), disposed on the first structural component (see 109 and 106 in fig.27) and corresponding to the light assembly (see 100 in fig.27).
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Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERRY L. BROOKS whose telephone number is (571)270-5711. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-4:00 PM.
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/JERRY L BROOKS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882
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