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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A selecting claims 1-14 in the reply filed on 5/29/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 15-20 are withdrawn from consideration at this time.
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) 1-5 and 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Misawa 2019/0129172.
Regarding claim 1, Misawa discloses an optical display (see par 0003; 1, Fig 2), comprising: a display body (body portion of 1, Fig 2), comprising: a housing (36a, 36b, Fig 7; and/or including 50, Fig 1) comprising an inner cavity (inner cavity between 36a, 36b, Fig 7); and a light source (31a, Fig 7) is accommodated in the inner cavity (once assembled, see Fig 2 with respect to Fig 7); and an electrical component (such as controller 20, Figs 13, 15), located outside the housing (20 considered located outside housing 36, see Fig 7 with respect to Fig 13), and communicatively coupled to the light source (at least electrically communicating with light source, see Fig 7 with respect to Figs 11, 13, 15).
Regarding claim 2, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 1, wherein the electrical component comprises: a main controller (70, Fig 2; par 0056); and a first cable (34, Fig 7), electrically coupled between the light source and the main controller (once assembled, Figs 6, 7; par 0062).
Regarding claim 3, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 2, further comprising a pitch mechanism (42, Fig 9) located outside the housing (see Fig 2), communicatively coupled to the main controller (detachably attached, par 0056), coupled to the housing (once assembled, Fig 2), and configured to drive the display body to rotate (changing tilt angle, par 0056).
Regarding claim 4, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 3, wherein the electrical component further comprises a control panel (in form of ecu 21, Fig 15), communicatively coupled to the pitch mechanism (Fig 15), and the main controller (Figs 7, 15).
Regarding claim 5, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 4, wherein the pitch mechanism comprises: a driving piece ((422) of 42, Fig 6) communicatively coupled to the control panel (Figs 13, 15); and, a transmission assembly (423 and/or including 424, Fig 9) coupled between the housing and the driving piece (Fig 2).
Regarding claim 8, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 5, wherein the transmission assembly comprises: a first transmission structure (423, Fig 9) coupled to the driving piece (coupled to 421, Fig 9); and a second transmission structure (424, Fig 9) coupled to the first transmission structure (once assembled, Fig 9), and fixedly coupled to the housing (Figs 2, 9).
Regarding claim 9, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 8, wherein the first transmission structure comprises a worm (see worm structure of 423, Fig 9) is fixedly coupled to the driving piece (once assembled, Fig 9), and wherein the second transmission structure comprises a worm gear (see worm gear structure of 424, Fig 9) fastened to the housing (once assembled, Figs 2, 9), and engaged with the worm (Fig 9).
Regarding claim 10, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 9, wherein the worm comprises: a worm head (worm head located at right end of 423, as shown in Fig 9) engaged with the second transmission structure (once assembled, Fig 9); and a rod body (rod body to the left of worm head, Fig 9) fixedly coupled to the worm head (Fig 9) and comprising a first end distal from the worm head (as depicted Fig 9) and coupled to the driving piece (once assembled, Fig 9).
Regarding claim 11, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 3, further comprising a package housing (55, Fig 9), wherein the pitch mechanism is at least partially accommodated in the package housing (once assembled Figs, 2, 9).
Regarding claim 12, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 2, wherein the main controller comprises: a protective housing (55, Fig 2) comprising a heat dissipation structure (31b, Fig 7); and, a main control chip (controller – such as CPU, see par 0056 with respect to par 0078) fixedly accommodated in the protective housing (fixedly accommodated being detachably attached, par 0056).
Regarding claim 13, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to output imaging light (see par 0045), and wherein the display body further comprises a curved mirror (41, Fig 2), fastened to the housing (indirectly, once assembled, Fig 2), and configured to project the imaging light outside of the housing (par 0052).
Regarding claim 14, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 13, wherein the display body further comprises a transflective optical element (43, Fig 2), wherein the light source is further configured to further output the imaging light incident onto the transflective optical element (see par 0044, 0045), wherein the transflective optical element is configured to reflect the imaging light onto the curved mirror (par 0044), and wherein the curved mirror is configured to transmit the imaging light outside of the housing through the transflective
optical element (par 0052, 0053).
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) 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Misawa 2019/0129172 in view of Chen 2021/0255663.
Regarding claim 6, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 5, except wherein the electrical component further comprises a second cable, electrically coupled between the main controller and the driving piece.
Chen, however, teaches a similar optical display (Figs 1-5) wherein an electrical component (such as portion 23, Fig 2) further comprises a second cable (24B, Fig 2), electrically coupled between a main controller (in form a ‘control unit’ par 0028) and a driving piece (33, Fig 3 with respect to Fig 2).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the structure of Misawa to include a second cable, as taught by Chen, in order to allow for full circuit completion in having one cable transmit signal, while the other receives signal thereby completing circuit loop for better communication or signal flow between components.
Regarding claim 7, Misawa discloses the optical display of claim 4, except wherein the electrical component further comprises a second cable, electrically coupled between the main controller and the control panel.
Chen, however, teaches a similar optical display (Figs 1-5) wherein an electrical component (such as portion 23, Fig 2) further comprises a second cable (24B, Fig 2), electrically coupled between a main controller (in form a ‘control unit’ par 0028) and a control panel (via sensor of display assembly 10 detecting touch control, Fig 2: par 0042).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the structure of Misawa to include a second cable, as taught by Chen, in order to allow for full circuit completion in having one cable transmit signal, while the other receives signal thereby completing circuit loop for better communication or signal flow between components.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
So - US 20200377021 A1, Figs 4-11. Teaches optical display device including light source and main controller.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RASHEN E MORRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-8852. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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/RASHEN E MORRISON/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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