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
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) 1,6-7,10-11 is/are rejected under at least one of 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (2) as being anticipated by TAKAMARO (JP 2021092804, as evidenced by the translation).
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Regarding claim 1, TAKAMARO teaches (Fig. 11) A virtual-image display device (100c4), comprising:
a display section configured to output image light of circularly polarized light (p.5, last ¶, “a λ / 4 plate film 250 is attached to the light emitting surface of the real image display device 200. As a result, the linearly polarized light emitted from the light emitting surface of the real image display device 200 is converted into right-handed circularly polarized light by the λ / 4 plate film 250 and incident on the combiner 100”);
a first reflection member (22c+34) having a flat surface and configured to reflect the image light to a diagonal direction; and
a second reflection member (33a+21ca) having a positive power and configured to reflect, toward the first reflection member, the image light reflected at the first reflection member, wherein
the first reflection member includes a first optical function layer (22c) that is one of a cholesteric liquid crystal layer and a transmissive reflection layer, and
the second reflection member includes a second optical function layer (22c, p.15, ¶ 4, “cholesteric liquid crystal layer 22c”) that is the other one of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the transmissive reflection layer.
Regarding claim 6, TAKAMARO further teaches (Fig. 11) The virtual-image display device according to claim 1, wherein
the first reflection member includes a first support base (34) having a shape of parallel flat plate and configured to support the first optical function layer (22c), the first reflection member being disposed in an inclined state so as to be opposed to the display section (as seen in Fig. 11), and
the second reflection member has a uniform thickness and is curved, and includes a second support base (33s) configured to support the second optical function layer.
Regarding claim 7, TAKAMARO further teaches The virtual-image display device according to claim 6, wherein
the second support base includes an inner surface that is opposed to the first reflection member, the inner surface being configured to support the second optical function layer (as seen in Fig. 11), or includes a pair of base elements bonded together, the second optical function layer being supported between the pair of base elements.
Regarding claim 10, TAKAMARO further teaches The virtual-image display device according to claim 1, wherein
the display section includes:
a display element configured to output the image light that is polarized light in a predetermined direction; and
a quarter wavelength plate (250) disposed so as to be opposed to the display element (p.3, ¶ 7, “the image light emitted by the light emitting unit are circularly polarized from linearly polarized light”).
Regarding claim 11, mutatis mutandis, TAKAMARO teaches all the limitations as stated in claim 1 rejection above.
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 of this title, 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) 2,8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over TAKAMARO.
Regarding claim 2, TAKAMARO teaches all the limitations as stated in claim 1, but does not explicitly teach The virtual-image display device according to claim 1, wherein the first reflection member includes the transmissive reflection layer as the first optical function layer, and the second reflection member includes the cholesteric liquid crystal layer as the second optical function layer. The difference between the claimed invention and TAKAMARO’s teaching is the first and the second reflection members switch positions or both being cholesteric LC.
Absent any showing of criticality and/or unpredictability, having the first and the second reflection members switch positions or both being cholesteric LC would have been known to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for the purposes of design choices.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of TAKAMARO by having the first and the second reflection members switch positions or both being cholesteric LC for the purposes of design choices.
Regarding claim 8, TAKAMARO teaches all the limitations as stated in claim 1, and further teaches The virtual-image display device according to claim 1, wherein
the display section includes: a display element (200) configured to output the image light; and a quarter wavelength plate (250) disposed on the display element.
TAKAMARO does not explicitly teach a polarizing plate disposed so as to be opposed to the display element; and the quarter wavelength plate disposed on an opposite side of the polarizing plate from the display element.
Absent any showing of criticality and/or unpredictability, having a polarizing plate disposed so as to be opposed to the display element; and the quarter wavelength plate disposed on an opposite side of the polarizing plate from the display element would have been known to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for the purposes of using the well-known LC display as the display.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of TAKAMARO by having a polarizing plate disposed so as to be opposed to the display element; and the quarter wavelength plate disposed on an opposite side of the polarizing plate from the display element for the purposes of using the well-known LC display as the display.
Regarding claim 9, TAKAMARO teaches all the limitations as stated in claim 1, but does not explicitly teach The virtual-image display device according to claim 1, wherein the display section includes: a display element configured to output the image light; and a cholesteric liquid-crystal element disposed so as to be opposite to the display element.
Absent any showing of criticality and/or unpredictability, having the display section includes: a display element configured to output the image light; and a cholesteric liquid-crystal element disposed so as to be opposite to the display element would have been known to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for the purposes of using a cholesteric LC display to safe energy.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of by having the display section includes: a display element configured to output the image light; and a cholesteric liquid-crystal element disposed so as to be opposite to the display element for the purposes of a cholesteric LC display to safe energy.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 3-5 is/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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious all the limitations of claim 3 including “a first prism on which the image light from the display section is incident; and a second prism bonded to the first prism to constitute a prism light-guiding member having a shape of parallel flat plate, wherein the first reflection member is provided at a portion where the first prism and the second prism are bonded”, along with the other claimed limitations of claim 3.
Claims 4-5 would be allowable for their claim dependencies.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WEN HUANG whose telephone number is (571)270-0234. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9:00AM-4:00PM.
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/WEN HUANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
wen.huang2@uspto.gov
(571)270-0234
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