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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US 2006/0028961 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches a light source (20, figure 3);
A diffractive optical element (24 and 26, figure 3) on which light form the light source is incident; and
A display (28, figure 3) on which the light diffracted by the diffractive optical element is incident;
Wherein the diffractive optical element projects the light emitted therefrom onto the display in a dot pattern (27, 27a, figure 4), and wherein
The display (28, figure 3) generates image light using at least a portion f the light projected in a dot pattern (paragraph 0042).
Regarding claim 2, Kim teaches the display comprises a liquid crystal display element (paragraph 0040).
Regarding claim 3, Kim teaches a projection opening (30, figure 3) configured to project the image light generated by the display onto a projection target,
Wherein the image light generate by the display is projected from the projection opening onto the projection target directly (see 32, figure 3).
Regarding claim 4, Kim teaches the diffractive optical element projects the light emitted therefrom directly onto the display (see 26, 28, figure 3).
Regarding claim 5, Kim teaches the light source comprises a first light source configured to emit light in a first wavelength band, a second light source configured to emit light in a second wavelength band, and a third light source configured to emit light in a third wavelength band (paragraph 0043).
Regarding claim 6, Kim teaches a moving mechanism (22, figure 3) configured to move the diffractive optical element along an optical path of the light form the light source,
Wherein the light from each of the first light source, the second light source and the third light source is incident on the diffractive optical element at different positions (paragraph 0036).
Regarding claim 10, Kim teaches the light source comprises a laser light source (paragraph 0043).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9 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:
Regarding claim 7, closest prior art (Kim) does not teach the diffraction element has different regions corresponding to the different color light sources and that each of these different regions has different grating spacings corresponding to the wavelength of light.
Claim 8 contains allowable subject matter at least inasmuch as it depends from claim 7.
Regarding claim 9, closest prior art (Kim) does not each the dichroic combiner for the different light sources wherein each light source is combined in such a way that their positions do not overlap on the diffraction grating
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RYAN D HOWARD whose telephone number is (571)270-5358. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Minh-Toan Ton can be reached at 5712722303. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RYAN D HOWARD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882 6/11/2026
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